Interesting facts about Kentucky than NOBODY knows... (Louisville, Owensboro: hotel, home)

[censusdata]

..or at least very few people!

1. The first Public Library in the US opened to African Americans was began in Louisville in 1905 African Americans in Library Professions: The Kentucky Connection

2. Kentucky's Berea College was the first racially integrated college in The South Berea College - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

3. Both the Confederate and Union Presidents in the US Civil War were born in Kentucky, those being Jeff Davis and Abe Lincoln

4. Ex slave Garrett Morgan, a native of Paris KY, invented the Red-Yellow-Green traffic signal that's now used throughout the world
African Americans - Garrett Augustus Morgan, Gas Mask and Traffic Signal Inventor

5. Kentucky's Mammoth Cave is the LONGEST cave system in the entire world Mammoth Cave National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

[KYcoyote]

Great Idea!! Here's another for you: before absolutely settling on swampland in Wash DC for nation's capitol - it was Richmond KY considered runner-up best location with Western expansion in mind. Short-sighted sea trade importance alone is the reason whats now become Washington DC was favored.

[censusdata]

How about some University facts!

7. The University of Kentucky WT Young Library is the largest public college library in the US http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_T._Young_Library_(University_of_Kentucky)# _note-UK_FACTS

8. Researchers at the University of Louisville developed the world's first cervical cancer vaccine, marketed as Gardasil. It is manufactured in Owensboro, KY
Brown Cancer Center | News (http://www.browncancercenter.com/news/news_ind.aspx?id=185 - broken link)

9. University of Louisville doctors performed the world's first successful hand transplant in 1999 Hand Transplant

[virgo]

The State has a very rich history indeed!

[Davart]

Kentucky also has more counties (120) than any other state/commonwealth in the Union, which might explain our $500,000,000 budget shortfall.

But it also has more deer and turkey per capita than any other other state.

Louisville has the largest Victorian neighborhood in the United States.

Kentucky has County Judge Executives they actually aren't Judges.

Huntington/Ashland is the largest inland port in the country.

Newport Southbank Bridge is the longest pedestrian-only bridge in the United States connecting two states.

There is only one Amtrak stop in KY, which is in Fulton KY at about 2AM.

KY is the 4th largest producer of cars and trucks in the US.

KY has more farms per square mile than any other state, and 5th in total number of farms.

Bourbon is strangely enough named after Bourbon Co. KY.

September is 'National Bourbon Heritage Month' this was sponsored by Republican Senator Jim Bunning (R-Ky) in Aug 2007 during a rare event that he was awake.

Ky is also home to many past and present music, movie and stage stars. The least of which is Tom Cruise that we do not claim because he's a nutball.

Ky is home of the Hot Brown developed at the Brown Hotel.

And home and Harlin Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken. The first restaurant to be franchised. (So blame Harlin for all the same stores in every town)

[cartomanlex2]

Originally Posted by Davart

There is only one Amtrak stop in KY, which is in Fulton KY at about 2AM.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. The Amtrak Cardinal runs through Kentucky and stops in Auburn, Maysville, South Shore and Ashland. I have taken the train to New York and back and we stopped in each one.

[censusdata]

I knew I was forgetting something...

10. The Southern Exposition Fair, located where the present day Old Louisville neighborhood exists, was the first place in the world that the electric light bulb was shown to the public JPG Magazine: Stories: Photo Essay: Hey! LOOK over here!

11. Only Alaska has more miles of navigable rivers than Kentucky. It also has the largest man made lakes in both water volume (Lake Cumberland) and surface acreage (Kentucky Lake) Kentucky Geography - Wedding.Net

[Davart]

Originally Posted by cartomanlex2

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. The Amtrak Cardinal runs through Kentucky and stops in Auburn, Maysville, South Shore and Ashland. I have taken the train to New York and back and we stopped in each one.

I stand corrected, when was that route opened up. It hasn't been that long I don't think.

[Off Topic]

Originally Posted by Davart

Kentucky also has more counties (120) than any other state/commonwealth in the Union, which might explain our $500,000,000 budget shortfall.

Great post, so I hate piling on. But actually those darn Texans are first with 254. (Of course, they needed three times as much land to do it!) Then Georgia with 159, Virginia with 134, then us. I agree that's way too many for us.

The state with the fewest counties? Delaware, with just three. (Might be two more than they really need.)

County (United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

[cartomanlex2]

The Amtrak Cardinal is the same as the old C&O George Washington that runs from Chicago to Washington D.C. and has since the Forties. It runs 6 days a week(every other day in the opposite direction).