Fun Facts About Kentucky

This state is just south of Ohio. In fact, all you have to do is cross the Ohio River and you're in Kentucky. This state is known as the Bluegrass State. It's because of the specific species of grass that grows here that has a bluish-green tinge to it. But there are quirky, interesting and unique facts about this state that even born and raised Kentuckians may not even know

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-The world's largest Toyota plant outside of Japan resides in Georgetown, Kentucky

-Kentucky was the first place that Thomas Alva Edison introduced the lightbulb to

-In Henderson, Kentucky, in 1887, the first Mother's Day was held

-In the Appalachian Region of Kentucky, bluegrass music got its start

-Bardstown, Kentucky is called the Bourbon Capital of the World for the massive number of bourbon distilleries, from Jim Beam in Clermont, Kentucky to Four Roses, Buffalo Trace, Maker's Mark, Wild Turkey and more

-The massively successful Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) got its start in Corbin, Kentucky. It started out being sold out of a gas station, but when Harlan Sanders realized he was selling more chicken than gas, he decided to make a restaurant to sell his chicken. And the rest is history

-Kentucky is known as the "horse capital of the world"

-Cumberland Falls is one of the very few places in the US where you can witness a "moonbow"

https://library.louisville.edu/ekstrom/gov_states/kyfacts

Chewing gum was invented in Louisville, Kentucky in 1873 by a pharmacist named John Colgan

Cave City, Kentucky features a hotel whose rooms are shaped like Native American teepees. This Wigwam Village was built in 1937 by Frank A. Redford

Kentucky is home to more resort and state parks than any other state

https://www.movoto.com/guide/ky/kentucky-facts/

Duncan Hines, the creator of the famous cake mix named after himself, was born and raised in Bowling Green, Kentucky

There is a continuously burning underground coal fire in Breathitt County, Kentucky called the Lost Mountain Coal Mine. It's been abandoned for over 40 years and it's burning for nearly that long, if not longer

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https://www.visitlex.com/guides/post/14-fun-facts-about-central-kentucky/

Quite a few famous names come from Kentucky. Actors George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Josh Hutcherson, actress Jennifer Lawrence, boxer Muhammad Ali, bluegrass musician Ricky Skaggs, country musician Chris Stapleton, Loretta Lynn, Naomi Judd

Multiple big names in bourbon production are located in Kentucky. Woodford Reserve, Jim Beam, Four Roses, Buffalo Trace, Maker's Mark, Wild Turkey. They are part of the iconic "Bourbon Trail"

https://funworldfacts.com/kentucky-america/

Originally, the only inhabitants of Kentucky were the Cherokee, Chickasaw and Shawnee people. Now people in those tribes only make up 0.2% of Kentucky's population

Kentucky is the second largest producer of tobacco after North Carolina

Kentucky also holds the record for highest percentage of cigarette smokers, with 28.8% being men and 27.8% being women

This fact is not fun at all. It's actually scary and sad. It's known to locals as the Beverly Hills Fire. This nightclub, called The Beverly Hills Supper Club, burned to the ground on 5/28/1977, taking 165 lives with it, either directly at the club or as a result of their injuries. This club was located in the Kentucky city of Southgate, overlooking I-471. This fire was said to be one of the region's most devastating fires, thought to have been caused by faulty electrical wiring in a small room called the Zebra Room. Over 2000 people were crammed into the building that night, due to various events, such as musician Tommy Davidson performing in the Cabaret Room, the main large entertainment area. Or a local choral group holding a dinner there in one of the rooms on the second floor, along with several weddings and receptions taking place in the garden rooms outside. The building was well over safe capacity for people. And because of this fire, fire inspectors mandated that signs posting the capacity for rooms be posted in buildings along with updated fire safety

https://thefactfile.org/kentucky-facts/

Harrodsburg was the first permanent settlement in Kentucky. Established in 1774 as Fort Harrod, the settlement was named after the man who was supervising the construction, James Harrod

Kentucky is the second largest provider of hardwood after Florida. The reason being that 48% of Kentucky is covered with forests

Kentucky has a mountain. Called Black Mountain, it rises to a staggering height of 4,145 above sea level. To climb it, you must sign a waiver. It's located near Paducah, at the most southwestern tip of Kentucky

There are more than 11,000 elk roaming in Kentucky. This means Kentucky is home to the largest population of elk on the eastern coast of the United States

The best baseball museum outside of Cooperstown, New York is the Louisville Slugger Museum

Transylvania University in Lexington is extremely selective about the students they choose to admit. Chartered in 1780, it never grew into a massive university. It's considered to be the oldest university west of the Allegheny Mountains

1877 seen the highest railroad bridge over navigable water opening. The Nicholasville High Bridge in Jessamine County is 1,125 long and 275 feet

While Kentucky features many lakes, only three are natural. The rest are man made

Post-It Notes were invented in Kentucky by complete mistake. Spencer Silver, an employee at 3M, was trying to create an adhesive for use in aerospace technology in 1968. While his invention failed, it resulted in a new creation. The new result was that his adhesive didn't leave sticky residue on anything. Post-It Notes originated in Cynthiana, Kentucky

Kentucky bourbon was invented by Elijah Craig, a Baptist minister. He created the drink in 1785

https://lextoday.6amcity.com/city-guide/live/interesting-facts-lexington-kentucky

Clark County, Kentucky, the the neighbor to the east of Lexington, Kentucky, is said to be home of the popular snack Beer Cheese

In Lexington, Belle's Cocktail House is named after local madam Belle Brezing. She ran a high class brothel in the Victorian days, using the Mary Todd Lincoln home as her brothel. It's said she was the inspiration for Gone with the Wind character Belle Watling

Belle Brezing

The first African American congregation in Kentucky was established in 1790. It was the First African Baptist Church. It's also the third largest African American congregation in the US

-Lexington has a yearly tradition of reenacting the Michael Jackson video "Thriller." Around Halloween every year, people gather in the downtown area to recreate the famous dance scenes

https://www.factretriever.com/kentucky-facts

Louisville is home to the Kentucky Derby, one of the largest and most popular horse racing events in America. It's also one of the oldest continuously running events in America

Mammoth Cave is the longest running cave system in the world. It runs for 400 miles underneath Kentucky

The Kentucky Vietnam Veterans Memorial features a sundial that, in shadow, touches the name of each person on the date they died

All Chevrolet Corvettes since 1981 were manufactured in Kentucky

Because of climate change, Kentucky and neighboring states have seen an increase in tornadoes

Valtteri Bottas Believes That Formula 1 Caused Him to Develop an Eating Disorder

Valtteri Bottas, a Formula 1 driver on the Alfa Romeo team, believes Formula 1 caused him to develop an eating disorder

Three points related to this include: he went to extremes to keep his body weight low early in his career, he is of the firm belief he developed an eating disorder that has gone undiagnosed and the limits on drivers' weights have been strict, but have relaxed in years past

Valtteri Bottas is a happier, and also healthier driver in Formula 1. In his home country of Finland, Bottas did a recent interview where he stated that, early in his career, he pushed himself to extreme limits to keep his weight down. Because of this, he developed an undiagnosed eating disorder. "I trained myself to pain, physically and mentally. It got out of hand, and became an addiction. No eating disorder was officially diagnosed, but it was definitely there." Between long workouts, he would only eat steamed broccoli and other diet choices from the team he was on. "It wasn't very healthy. I wanted to be the best, and I thought I had to do that. If the team says that I have to weigh 68 kilos (150 pounds) and I naturally weigh 73 kilos (161 pounds), then they will do everything for that."

Size and weight limits in Formula 1 are strict, but have been improved

Any extra weight slows the car down, so teams want their drivers lightweight and streamlined. That means the drivers have to train hard to keep their bodies in top condition, which means being at or below the 161 pound minimum. If they're under that, weights must be added to the cars to reach the required weight.

Bottas does not have the height of other drivers. He's only 5'8'' while Thai-British driver Alexander Albon is listed as 6'2''. Bottas has more bulky muscle behind him, though. Thankfully, F1 has made a change to the rule about weight. The minimum weight is now 80 kgs (171 pounds), including the fireproof gear they wear. The gear the drivers wear is 15 pounds (7 kgs) and this figures in with the drivers' weight

Bottas describes his second year in Formula 1, 2014, as being especially hard. That season had strict requirements on weight, meaning heavier drivers were even more under the gun to lose weight. That year saw Daniel Ricciardo being forced to lose weight to get his weight down by at least 4.5 pounds (2 kilos). Ricciardo was 5'10'' and weighed 143 pounds (65 kilos). The drivers had extreme pressure on them to keep their weight down otherwise their jobs were on the line. Because of his size, 6' and 165 pound (75 kg) driver Nico Hulkenberg was, supposedly, kept from a position on the McLaren team because of his size. Then McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh said in a 2013 Sky Sports interview "Heavier drivers will be less attractive. It has happened by accident. We have raised the minimum weight, but the new powertrains are heavier than people expected, and now have a situation where heavier drivers could be a disadvantage."

In his 2007 autobiography, former McLaren and Red Bull Racing driver David Coulthard said that what he put himself through as a teen trying to get into Formula 1, including conditions sounding too close to bulimia. "It was an essential part of being an oversized teenager in karting, making weight. I would have my dinner, weigh myself and if I was too heavy, I'd go swimming and exercise and try to control my weight by being sick."

Bottas said that the rule changes in 2019 helped immensely. He stated they helped his immune system because he was not cutting as much weight off. "I think the regulation is good, especially for the taller drivers. It makes life a bit easier. Many drivers had to be below our natural weight, and it is very easy to get ill or sick. This is the first winter for many years that I didn't get any flu or any sickness."

Impressive Police Cars

Every country has different models of car that the local police use. Here are some impressive examples of equally impressive cars used by the police.

1. Italy - Lamborghini Huracan LP-640

-Despite the fact that the Italian police keep a hot exotic or two like this in stock for PR and special occasions, these two facts don't apply to this hot exotic. This is a legit police car, with specially included police-issue-only interceptor engine. The driver uses it to issue speeding and other driving-related tickets in and around Turin and Milan

2. Dubai - McLaren MP4-12C

-If you're in Dubai, don't even think about speeding or breaking the law. This police car will be on you in record time!

3. Dubai - Bugatti Veyron 

-Not only is Dubai one of the countries to use Bugatti Veyrons as police cars, several Middle Eastern countries use Veyrons as police cars.

4. United States - Lamborghini Gallardo

-Italy is not the only country to stop law breakers with the famed golden bull. The LAPD uses a Gallardo for PR and occasionally will send people home with selfies, the same people also pulled over by said Gallardo for speeding

5. United Arab Emirates - Lykan Hypersport

-Not surprisingly, the Middle East tends to have a lot of money from oil, diamonds and things. And their police cars are certainly no different. This Lykan Hypersport is $3 million, with diamonds in its headlights. A civilian version was used in one of the Fast & The Furious films

6. United States - MRAP

-Looking like something out of an end-of-the-world apocalypse movie, these 30-ton fully armored vehicles can take a licking and keep on ticking like Timexes. In an act known as the National Defense Authorization Act, departments have to pay $2,000 for vehicle while taxpayers pay a cool $700,000 each

7. United States - Dodge Charger Pursuit Special

-This is one of the most common types of police cars used anymore. This specially made Dodge Charger has everything a police car needs and more, including a highly powerful Interceptor engine

8. Colombia - INKAS Unique Armored Personnel Carrier

-Ironically, it was built by a company called INKAS. This is used by Colombia to patrol the streets and keep trouble at bay; one of those forms of "trouble" being issues with cocaine

9. Germany - Porsche 911

-Leave it to Germany to chase down offenders using one of its own inventions. Forget putting offenders in the back seat; there are none. Hopefully the officer calls for backup...

10. Japan - Nissan Skyline GT-R R35

-This car might not look impressive, but the engine hiding in the car is. The cost of speeding tickets in Japan is ridiculous. You might think you can outrun an officer, but if they are driving this, forget it. Give up!

11. Poland - Ford Armored Sandcat

-This car, simply put, looks ready for all out war to break out

12. United States - Ford Taurus SHO

-One cool thing about Ford-they have a specially built line of cars for our men and women of the police department. Who would ever think they would see the day that the most powerful engine on Earth, a police-issue Interceptor engine, would be put into a Ford Taurus? If you see the flashing lights on this little car, just give up. The fight is over!

13. Argentina - Giant Awesome Terrifying Deathmobile

-This just screams WTF? It almost looks like a military pickup truck. But this is used by Argentina's Federal Police Force

14. Israel - Ford Sandcat

-A slight variation on the Polish Ford Sandcat, this car is used by the Israeli Police Departments. With the interesting terrain Israel has to offer, it's good to have a car built for off road

15. France - Subaru WRX

-It might be not impressive, but small and mighty sometimes prove to be more successful than large and imposing.

16. Australia - Holden Monaro

-Similar to Britain with the checker design on police cars, Australia does the same thing-put a checker design on their police cars. This is said to be the last generation Pontiac GTO. This four door Corvette is called a Monaro

17. India - Hindustan Ambassador

-Starting out life as a British car built in India during the British-ruled days of 1958, this company had done some serious changing over the years, but the Ambassador has not changed. This car is so synonymous with India, it's shocking all of their police cars are not Hindustans

18. Mexico - Chevrolet Colorado Pickup

-Considering the off road-like terrain Mexico has on offer, they're going to need a car, or in this case truck, that can stand up to whatever terrain comes their way

19. Argentina - Police Street Chaser

-Looking more like a meter maid's car than an actual police car, you can laugh all you want. But these small cars are perfectly built for the tightly compacted streets of Buenos Aires

20. Russia - Ford Focus

-Russia might be big, but that does not mean their police cars have to fit that model. Small, yet mighty works fine for them

21. Britain - BMW 3-series, 5-series, X5

-With the size of Britain and the amount of highways, roads the police have to cover, it's a good thing the police have a car with a massively powered engine to keep up. Most if not all of the police in Britain use BMW cars and motorcycles to keep trouble off the streets

BMW X5

Cars 2 (2011)

This is the second film in the Cars series

Summary
-Legendary race car Lightning McQueen and his tow truck friend Mater are off to Europe to compete in the World Grand Prix. But trouble arises for Mater as he gets caught up in international espionage

Cast
-Larry the Cable Guy: Mater
-Owen Wilson: Lightning McQueen
-Michael Caine: Finn McMissile
-Emily Mortimer: Holley Shiftwell
-Eddie Izzard: Sir Miles Axelrod
-John Turturro: Francesco Bernoulli
-Joe Mantegna: Grem
-Thomas Kretschmann: Professor Z
-Peter Jacobson: Acer
-Bonnie Hunt: Sally
-Franco Nero: Uncle Topolino
-Tony Shaloub: Luigi
-Michael Michelis: Tomber
-Jason Isaacs: Siddeley
-Bruce Campbell: Rod "Torque" Redline
-Vanessa Redgrave: Mama Topolino/The Queen
-Cheech Marin: Ramone
-Lewis Hamilton: Himself
-Paul Dooley: Sarge

Did You Know?
-In Japan, one of the cars is named Kimura Kaizo. In Japanese, "kaizo" means modified or hacked. This refers to the flashy, expensive auto modifications for street racers in Japan

-The two Japanese cars that greet Mater and Finn McMissile in the airport lounge are named Mei and Satsuki. This references the twin sisters in My Neighbor Totoro, which was directed by Hazao Miyazaki, who happens to be a good friend of John Lasseter

-Eddie Izzard's voice was digitally altered to provide the voice for Big Boss Lemon

-This is Sir Michael Caine's second animated movie after 2011's Gnomeo & Juliet

-Luigi's Uncle Topolino and Mama Topolino are voiced by real life couple Franco Nero and Vanessa Redgrave

-The Queen is a 1950s-era Rolls Royce Phantom IV while "Prince Wheeliam" is a Bentley Continental GT

-Tomber is a Reliant Regal three-wheeler. This car is hideously notorious for its poor controls and ease of rolling over, even in light turns

-Finn McMissile's license plate, which reads 314-FNMC, includes Sir Michael Caine's birthday, March 14

-Professor Z is a German-based car called a Zundapp Janus. It was a microcar made by the Zundapp motorcycle company. It had an odd configuration in that passengers in the rear faced backwards and doors to get in were at the front and back

-Eddie Izzard's character Axelrod is inspired by one of his stand-up skits about the invention of the wheel and axle