The Birthplace of Lincoln & Jefferson Davis – Both Abraham Lincoln (16th U.S. President) and Jefferson Davis (President of the Confederacy) were born in Kentucky.

That 95% of the world's bourbon is produced in Kentucky. There are more barrels of bourbon aging than there are people in the state!

Mammoth Cave National Park – Home to the world’s longest cave system, stretching over 400 miles of explored passages, is in south-central Kentucky.  

That Colonel Harland Sanders opened his fried chicken restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky, in the 1930s.  His famous recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken became the foundation of the worldwide KFC. 

The Kentucky Derby is longest-running horse race in the U.S. since 1875, held every first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville.  Oliver Lewis, a Black jockey, won the first-ever Kentucky Derby in 1875 on a horse named Aristides.

Nicknamed the Bluegrass State due to the bluish-green grass found in its pastures, perfect for raising racehorses.

State of Firsts – Kentucky was home to the first public library west of the Appalachian Mountains, the first cheeseburger (in Louisville, 1934), and the first commercial winery in the U.S. (started in 1799).

That famous frontiersman Daniel Boone blazed the Wilderness Road, opening Kentucky to westward expansion, through the Cumberland Gap (now a National Historical Park.) 

Aviation Legacy – The first American to orbit Earth, astronaut John Glenn, trained in Louisville, and the famous WWII fighter pilot Colonel Gregory "Pappy" Boyington was from Kentucky.

“Niagara of the South”--Cumberland Falls, near Corbin,  is one of the only places in the Western Hemisphere where you can see a moonbow (a nighttime rainbow).

Thunder Over Louisville, held at the beginning of the  Kentucky Derby Festival, is one of the largest annual fireworks displays in North America.

A City with an Underground Zipline – Louisville Mega Cavern offers the world’s only fully underground zipline course, inside a former limestone mine.

State of Hidden Water – Kentucky has more miles of navigable waterways than any other state in the U.S. except Alaska.

Kentucky was once part of Virginia – Before becoming the 15th state in 1792, Kentucky was originally part of Virginia's western territory.

Post-It Notes were invented here – The special adhesive used in Post-It Notes was developed at a 3M plant in Cynthiana, Kentucky.

The Hot Brown Sandwich – One of Kentucky’s signature dishes, the Hot Brown, was created at the Brown Hotel in Louisville in the 1920s. It’s an open-faced turkey sandwich topped with Mornay sauce and bacon.

World’s Largest Baseball Bat – The Louisville Slugger Museum features a 120-foot-tall baseball bat, making it the largest in the world.

Kentucky Has a Lost City – The town of Burning Springs in Clay County disappeared overnight when an underground coal fire ignited in the 1800s.

Moonshine Heritage – Kentucky has a long history of moonshining, with many distillers today tracing their roots back to Prohibition-era bootleggers.

Home to the Corvette – Bowling Green, Kentucky, is the official home of Corvette production—every Corvette since 1981 has been made there!

World’s Largest Cave Fish – Kentucky’s underground caves are home to the Amblyopsis spelaea, a blind cavefish that is the largest known cave-dwelling fish species.

Lexington is the "Horse Capital of the World" – With more than 400 horse farms, Lexington is recognized globally as a center for thoroughbred horse breeding.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Connection – The sculptor of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, Louisville native Moses Ezekiel, was a Kentucky-born artist.

Kentucky has two time zones – The eastern part of the state is in Eastern Time, while the western part follows Central Time.

The First Mother’s Day Celebration – Mary Towles Sasseen of Henderson, Kentucky, began the tradition of Mother's Day in 1887—years before it became a national holiday.

Lexington Had One of the First Air Mail Routes – In 1918, Lexington was included in the first U.S. Air Mail routes, helping pioneer modern postal air service.

The L&N Train Tunnel Mystery – Near Louisville, the abandoned L&N Train Tunnel is rumored to be haunted and is a popular spot for paranormal investigators.

The First Enamel Bathtub – The first enamel-coated cast-iron bathtub was invented in Louisville in 1856.

Kentucky Has a "Grand Canyon" – The Breaks Interstate Park, located on the Kentucky-Virginia border, is often called the "Grand Canyon of the South."

UFO Sightings – The Kelly-Hopkinsville encounter in 1955 is one of the most famous UFO and alien encounter stories in U.S. history. It inspired the term “Little Green Men.”

Famous "Ale-8-One" Soda – This ginger-citrus soft drink, known as "Ale-8," is Kentucky's official soft drink and is only produced in Winchester, KY.

Dueling was once legal – In the 1800s, Kentucky politicians used to settle disputes through duels. Today, state officials still must swear an oath that they never fought in a duel before taking office!

Kentucky Has the Most Per Capita Deer and Turkey Hunters – It’s a haven for outdoorsmen and hunters, with some of the best deer and turkey hunting in the country.

Cumberland Gap – This historic passage through the Appalachian Mountains was a major route for pioneers moving westward in the 1700s.

Flooded Ghost Town – The town of Birmingham, Kentucky, was flooded in the 1940s to create Kentucky Lake, and it remains still lie beneath the water.

Gold Reserve – Fort Knox, located in Kentucky, holds one of the largest reserves of gold in the world, though no one has seen inside since 1974!

America’s Oldest Paved Road – The Maysville Road, first paved in the early 1800s, is one of the oldest paved roads in the U.S.

A Mysterious Swamp Monster – Legends of the "Bluegrass Bigfoot" or the "Spottsville Monster" have been told for decades in rural Kentucky.

The Only Moon Tree in Kentucky – A tree in Louisville was grown from seeds taken to the moon on Apollo 14 in 1971.

The Oldest Family-Owned Distillery – The Evan Williams Distillery in Louisville is America’s oldest commercial distillery, dating back to 1783.

The Land of Feuds – The famous Hatfield-McCoy feud took place along the Kentucky-West Virginia border in the late 1800s.

Kentucky Has More Than 12 million Acres of Forest – About 48% of the state is covered in forests, making it one of the greenest states in the country.

First Town Named After a U.S. President – Kentucky's Washington, KY, founded in 1780, was the first town in the U.S. named after George Washington.

The Oldest Running Ferry in America – The Valley View Ferry, operating since 1785, is the oldest continually running ferry service in the U.S.

The Origin of Bluegrass Music – The genre Bluegrass music got its name from Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys, a Kentucky band that pioneered the sound.

Home to America’s First Commercial Oil Well – In 1818, Kentucky drilled the first commercial oil well in the United States in McCreary County.

The Largest Elk Population in the Eastern U.S. – Kentucky has the biggest wild elk herd east of the Rocky Mountains, thanks to a successful reintroduction program.

Kentucky’s State Fossil is a Brachiopod – The state fossil is an ancient sea creature, brachiopods, which lived in the region over 450 million years ago.

Largest Hand-Carved Wooden Crucifix in the U.S. – The largest wooden crucifix in the country is in the Abbey of Gethsemani near Bardstown.

Bardstown is the Bourbon Capital of the World – Not only is Bardstown home to famous distilleries, but it hosts the annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival.

One of the Most Haunted Places in America – Waverly Hills Sanatorium, in Louisville, is considered one of the most haunted places in the U.S., once treating tuberculosis patients.

Kentucky Is One of the Few States with an Official “State Bat” – The gray bat, an endangered species, is the official state bat of Kentucky.

The First American Performed Abdominal surgery – Dr. Ephraim McDowell, from Danville, performed the world’s first successful abdominal surgery in 1809—without anesthesia on Jane Todd Crawford removing a 22.5 ovarian tumor.

Largest Collection of Ventriloquists Dolls – Kentucky is home to the Vent Haven Museum, the world’s only museum dedicated to ventriloquist dummies.

The Kentucky Bend – There is an isolated piece of Kentucky surrounded by Tennessee and Missouri, caused by an old earthquake shift in the riverbed of the Mississippi.  

You Can Walk from Kentucky to Ohio on a Bridge – The Purple People Bridge in Newport, KY, is a pedestrian bridge connecting Kentucky to Ohio.

The Longest Running Family-Owned Newspaper – The Sentinel-Echo in London, KY, has been in publication since 1878 and is still run by descendants of its founders.

"Dark Fire" Tobacco – Kentucky produces a unique variety of dark-fired tobacco, which is slow-smoked instead of air-dried.

The Kentucky River Has Palisades – The Kentucky River Palisades is a series of stunning limestone cliffs, unlike anything else in the state.

Only State Where You Can Find "Kentucky Agate" – A rare, colorful mineral found only in certain Kentucky riverbeds.

The Site of a Famous Chess Match – The 1959 U.S. Chess Championship, where Bobby Fischer made his rise to fame, was held in Louisville.

A Town with No Stoplights – The town of Rabbit Hash, KY, is famous for having no traffic lights—and its mayor is a dog!

Kentucky Is a Major Producer of Limestone – The state’s high-quality limestone is a key ingredient in bourbon and was used in the construction of the Lincoln Memorial.

Famous Film Locations – Movies like "Rain Man," "Goldfinger," and "Seabiscuit" were filmed in Kentucky.

Kentucky Had Its Own Gold Rush – In the 1800s, Gold was found in eastern Kentucky, attracting prospectors.

The State Has a High Number of Covered Bridges – Kentucky still has more than 13 historic covered bridges in various counties.

Largest Go-Kart Track in the World – Kart Kountry in Shepherdsville has the longest go-kart track on the planet.

Kentucky Has a Dinosaur Park – Dinosaur World in Cave City is one of the largest dinosaur-themed attractions in the U.S.

One of the Few States with an Official “State Honey” – Sourwood Honey is Kentucky’s official honey due to its unique taste.

Kentucky Has the Shortest Street in America – “Mammoth Street” in Danville, KY, is only 20 feet long, making it one of the shortest streets in the U.S.

Most Miles of Navigable Water in the Lower 48 – Kentucky has more miles of rivers, lakes, and streams than any state except Alaska.

Frankfort is Kentucky’s state capital, but other Kentucky cities claim capitals of:

Hopkinsville, Batter Capital of the world
Winchester, Beer Cheese Capital of the world
Owensboro, Bluegrass Music capital of the world
Bowling Green, Corvette capital of the world 
London, Cycling capital of Kentucky
Lexington, Horse Capital of the world 
Somerset (Lake Cumberland) Houseboat capital of the world
Morehead, Musky fishing capital of Kentucky
Paducah, Quilt capital of the world 
Oldham County, Farm Tour capital of Kentucky

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