Kentucky pride stems from more than just our friendly people, beautiful land, great bourbon, and college sports. There are plenty of Kentucky firsts that we should be proud of. The people of our state have not always done historically great things, but each action has helped us grow into what we are today. We may not be the first in everything, but we have a healthy abundance of groundbreaking history thanks to all of the things that were invented in Kentucky.

Here are 10 things Kentucky was the first to do:

1) Appalachians
Wikimedia Commons/Ken Thomas - KenThomas.us (personal website of photographer)
In 1792, Kentucky became the first state west of the Appalachians adopted into the U.S.
2) Enamel Tub
Wikimedia Commons / No machine-readable author provided. Ytrottier assumed (based on copyright claims).
The very first enamel tub was created in Louisville in 1856. The original designs were much different than modern-day plastic and fiberglass tubs.
3) Common Core Standard
Flickr/John C. Chu
We were the first out of 45 states to adopt this style of education in 2010.
4) Education
JBCurio / Flickriver
Kentucky was the first state to raise the legal high school dropout age to 18 in 2013.
5) Obamacare
Will O'Neill / Flickr
We were the very first "southern" state to embrace Obamacare.

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6) Hemp
Flickr/Lesley L.
On April 19, 2013, Kentucky was the first state to adopt hemp legally into the pilot hemp research project for the Agricultural Act of 2014.
7) Mother's Day
Wikimedia Commons/This image was originally posted to Flickr by Xurble at https://www.flickr.com/photos/xurble/119278179/. It was reviewed on 20 December 2006 by FlickreviewR and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0.
A teacher, Mary S Wilson, held the first observance of Mother’s Day in 1887 so her class could honor their moms. It was made into an actual holiday to celebrate mothers everywhere in 1916.
8) Kentucky Fried Chicken
Wikimedia Commons/Biswarup Ganguly
Although the first KFC was opened in Utah, its founder, the great Colonel Harland David Sanders, got the idea for the franchise from selling fried chicken in his Depression-era diner in Corbin, Kentucky. Of all the inventions from Kentucky, we have a feeling the world is especially thankful for this one.
9) The First Cheeseburger
Rachel Barr / Flickr
The first-ever cheeseburger was sold at Kaelin's Restaurant in Louisville. Unfortunately, it is now Kaelin’s Coffeehouse and no longer serves its incredible cheeseburgers.
10) Thunder Over Louisville
David Harpe / Wikimedia Commons
Kentucky kicks off its Derby celebration with Thunder Over Louisville, the largest fireworks display in the United States.

There are some other great Kentucky firsts; things like Edison showing his light bulb creation at the Southern Exposition in Louisville – however, that was recently featured in another article. The Bluegrass State has more unique first-time events than this list, all swelling with pride.

Did you know about these inventions from Kentucky? Please share your opinions or knowledge of things Kentucky was the first to do in the comments.

As if we didn’t highlight enough reasons to love Kentucky, our state also has one of the best hiking trails in the nation. Learn about the Cumberland Falls via Eagle Falls Trail (and lots of other incredible hikes across the U.S.) in this video by us at OnlyInYourState:

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Reasons To Love Kentucky & Related Info

Katie Lawrence | June 13, 2023

What are the best small towns in Kentucky?

Rather than making a beeline for the big cities, I always seek out the most charming small towns when I visit a new state. Some of the best small towns in Kentucky include:

Tucked away between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, Grand Rivers is sometimes referred to as the "Gateway to the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area." In addition to its stunning natural beauty, this quaint little town also features great food, lively entertainment, top-notch accommodations, and more.

Berea is nestled on the very edge of the Appalachian Mountains and is the perfect destination for a weekend trip. With an artsy spirit, locally-sourced food, historic hotels, and - of course - breathtaking surroundings, this charming small town will steal your heart in no time.

Home to just over 1,000 people, Augusta is a historic small town on the banks of the Ohio River that dates to 1786. The town is full of old buildings that will take you back in time, and you just might even see an old-fashioned paddlewheel steamboat chugging along on the river.

What are the most popular foods in Kentucky?

Besides KFC, Kentucky has some really great food. Some of the most popular foods in Kentucky are:

These boozy, chocolatey candies were popularized by Ruth Booe of Rebecca Ruth Candy and remain a Kentucky staple (especially around the holidays) to this day.

Invented at the Brown Hotel in the early 1900s, the Hot Brown is an open-faced turkey sandwich with tomato, bacon, and Mornay sauce.

A bit of an "everything but the kitchen sink" meal, Burgoo is as flexible as the sky is blue. It's basically a stew made with any meats and vegetables you have on hand - no need to toss leftovers when you can throw them in a pot of Burgoo!

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