Fun Tidbits on Kentucky’s 229th Birthday

When I was a kid, my mom often referred to "Uncle Daniel." And I guess I wasn't paying close enough attention to the REST of what she was saying, because the PHRASE "Uncle Daniel" didn't make any sense to me.

I have no Uncle Daniel. She had no Uncle Daniel. My dad didn't either.

So I asked her one day what she meant and she told me was referring to Daniel Boone and then told me she and my aunt were members of the Boonesborough Society, which celebrates all things related to, arguably, Kentucky's most famous resident.

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My mom, her siblings, me, my sister, my grandmother, and all of HER siblings (and on and on) are direct descendants of Hannah Boone, Daniel's sister.

Maybe it's why the history of the Commonwealth has always been of interest to me. And honestly, if it is to you, too, you should make a stop at the big cemetery in Frankfort. It's a goldmine of Kentucky history. In fact, Daniel Boone is laid to rest there.

And for those who love Kentucky history, today is a red-letter day. (Ope, maybe it should be a BLUE-letter day here.)

On June 1st, 1792, Kentucky became our nation's 15th state and the first one west of the Appalachian Mountains. That's a fact I already knew, but I found it at History.com along with some other fun tidbits about the Commonwealth's history, like the identities of the two sisters who came up with the melody for the Happy Birthday song. They were from Kentucky. And I knew almost all of those OTHER interesting points as well.

I did NOT know that most Americans killed in the War of 1812 were from Kentucky. I would've guessed the Civil War if I'd been asked, "In what war were most of the American fighters killed from Kentucky?"

I wonder if there are any Kentucky-shaped birthday cakes out there? Or maybe burgers? You could do that at home, you know.

Anyway, a big happy birthday to my home state, which is looking pretty spry at 229.