- National Kentucky day is October 19th and here's the facts!
Since National Kentucky Day is October 19th, you should know these Kentucky fun facts. Starting with over 95% of bourbon is produced in Kentucky. Did you know that?
- Kentucky is the 14th smallest state.
- Louisville is the largest city in Kentucky.
- Kentucky is officially the “Commonwealth of Kentucky,” along with Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virgnia.It wasn’t one of the original 13 colonies.
- During pioneer times, this state was known as Cantuckey, Kentucke, and Kaintuckee.
- Kentucky people are called Kentuckians, Kentuckers and Kentuckeyites.
- Kentucky’s state bird is the cardinal.
- Kentucky is known as “The Bluegrass State.” It’s also been called the Corn Cracker State, Hemp State and Tobacco State.
- Kentucky’s official state motto is “United We Stand, United We Fall.” This is one of those Kentucky fun facts that lets us know where the state stands on things.
- KY is the abbreviation for Kentucky.
- The official state dance is clogging. Dancers use the bottoms of their shoes to make a beat off of the ground.
- Milk is the state drink of Kentucky. The same state drink as 21
other states. - Kentucky has 120 counties.
- Louisville is pronounced locally like “Loo-a-ville” (not “Loo-ey-ville” or “Louis-ville”).
- Bibb lettuce was invented by John Bibb of Frankfort, Kentucky.
- Traffic lights were invented by former slave Garret Morgan from Paris, Kentucky.
- Mother’s Day holiday was created by Mary Towles Sasseen of Henderson to honor her own mother. This is a great Kentucky
- Explorer and pioneer Daniel Boone, boxer Muhammad Ali, 16th president Abraham Lincoln, actress Jennifer Lawrence, actors George Clooney and Johnny Depp, and musicians Loretta Lynn, Billie Ray Cyrus, and Dwight Yoakam are all from Kentucky.
- Kentucky has more barrels of bourbon than people. There are currently over 9 million barrels of bourbon aging in the state, that’s more than the 4.5 million people. This is one of the funnest and funniest of the Kentucky fun facts.
- Founded in Rhode Island, Fruit of the Loom and in Indiana, Papa Johns, both companies are headquartered in Kentucky.
- Kentucky’s state flowers is the goldenrod.
- You can do whatever you like on Sunday. Working on Sunday is now not illegal.
- If you take a turtle, snake, crocodile or lizard with you to a religious service you can get a fine of up to $100, according to Kentucky law.
- Dogs had a special place among early indigenous tribes in Kentucky and were often buried with their owners.
- Bill Monroe was from Kentucky.
- Daniel Boone National Forest spans 21 counties in Kentucky.
- Kentucky Fried Chicken, better known as KFC, started back in Corbin, Kentucky. (And during the depression? This is one of the best of the Kentucky Fun Facts.
- Kentucky used to own the Ohio River.
- Kentucky borders seven other states.
- Kentucky is the 26th most populous state.
- Middlesboro Kentucky is built into a crater.
- It’s illegal to throw flowers, tomatoes, or rotten eggs at a public speaker.
- The state tree of Kentucky is the tulip tree.
- The highest Kentucky temperature on record was 114 degrees.
- Benedictine is a state specialty in Kentucky.
- Post-It Notes were once only made in Kentucky.
- Black Mountain is Kentucky’s highest point.
- Kentucky is the most fertile state for agriculture.
- The Kentucky Derby is the oldest continuously held sport in the United States. This is the coolest of the Kentucky fun facts.
- Kentucky is said to mean “on the prairie.”
- William Goebel from Kentucky remains the only US governor assassinated while in office.
- Kentucky is home to the largest elk herd east of the Mississippi River.
- The thoroughbred horse is the state’s official mammal of Kentucky.
- The most common mammals in this state include coyotes,
skunks, white-tailed deer, and foxes. - The black bears, black widow spiders, cottonmouth snakes, and copperhead snakes are the most dangerous animals in Kentucky.
- The median age is around 38 years in Kentucky.
- Only 68.94% of Kentuckians were born in Kentucky.
- Kentucky is home to the US’s first commercial winery.
- It’s illegal for a woman to marry one man more than three times.
Would you marry the same person three times? Yike. Let me know what you thought of these Kentucky fun facts in the comments!