Louisville Fun Facts
10/21/2016
Miscellaneous
The city of Louisville was founded in 1778 by George Rogers Clark and is named after King
Louis XVI of France
The famous song "Happy Birthday To You" originated in Louisville, KY and dates back to the
mid-nineteenth century, when two sisters, Patty and Mildred J. Hill, wrote the song for Patty's
kindergarten class. Originally called "Good Morning to You," it was later changed to this
tradition birthday anthem.
Manliest City – GQ ranks Louisville the 'Manliest City' because of bourbon, baseball, and
horseracing.
The world's largest baseball bat (120 feet tall!) guides you to the Hillerich & Bradsby Louisville
Slugger museum and plant. H&B first made wooden bats in Louisville in 1884 and continues to
be the major league leader!
West Main Street – Second largest collection of cast-iron storefronts facades in the U.S. Only
New York City has more.
Thunder over Louisville Firework Display – Largest annual pyrotechnics display and air show in
North America
The Old Louisville is the largest Victorian neighborhood in the U.S.
Built in 1914, the Belle of Louisville – Oldest operating Mississippi-style sternwheeler
steamboat still in existence.
The Louisville Slugger Museum is home to the world’s biggest bat. At 68,000 pounds and 120feet tall, it’s an exact-scale replica of Babe Ruth’s 34-inch Louisville Slugger bat.
A 4 million square foot cavern lies beneath Louisville Zoo, called Louisville Mega Cavern.
Among other attractions, it holds the world’s only fully underground zip line course.
Legendary author F. Scott Fitzgerald was stationed at a camp near Louisville as a young Army
Officer. Parts of the city served as inspiration for his novel, “The Great Gatsby,” like the
Seelbach Hotel.
Lewis and Clark met in Louisville in 1803 before beginning their famous exploration, forming
one of the most famous and successful partnerships in history
The 1883 Southern Exposition in Louisville had the largest installation of incandescent light
bulbs to-date, which had recently been invented by Thomas Edison. The expo had 5,000
incandescent lamps, more than all the lamps installed in New York City at the time.
Famous thespians who have worked at Actors Theatre of Louisville include Holly Hunter, Kathy
Bates, Delroy Lindo, Julianne Moore,Kevin Bacon, John Spencer ("The West Wing") and John
Turturro.
Pharmacist John Colgan is credited with making the first flavored chewing gum in 1873 in
Louisville.
The Pamela Brown Auditorium at Actors Theatre is named for the actress who disappeared
while attempting to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a balloon in 1970.
Food & Beverage
The cheeseburger originated at Kaelin's Restaurant on Newburg Road. In 1934, Margaret
Kaelin's husband asked her to put a slice of American cheese on his hamburger and the legend
was born.
The official seal of the city of Louisville reflects its history and heritage – the fleur-de-lis
represents French aid given during the Revolutionary War, and the thirteen stars signify the
original colonies.
The University of Louisville, founded in 1798, is the oldest city-supported college in the U.S.
Jennie Carter Benedict, a Louisville Restaurateur, created Benedictine, a spread made of
cucumbers and cream cheese.
The Old Fashioned -- a mixed drink consisting of bourbon, bitters, water, sugar, cherry and
orange -- was invented at the Pendennis Club.
Derby
The winning trophy had an important makeover in 1999. The winner's gold cup trophy from
1925 is on display at the Kentucky Derby Museum. But if you look closely, you'll see the
horseshoe is pointed down. "The trophy stayed that way until 1999 when they turned the tines
up. and, the reason they did that is that horseman's lore says a horseshoe with tines turned
down makes the luck run out," said Chris Goodlett, Curator of Collections. One more note
about the trophy--the very first gold cup, from 1924, was stolen and never recovered.
The infield has supported American wars. In 1918, potatoes were grown in the infield to support
World War One. In the 1940s, during World War II, Sherman tanks were tested at Churchill
Downs while soldiers from Ft. Knox stayed in green tents in the infield.
The electric starting gate was first used at CD in 1940, and the original is in the Kentucky Derby
Museum. It was pulled by mules and later draft horses, but that was before tractors became
and option in 1950. Before that, a flag, a drum, and a whip were all used to start the races.
The photo finish was introduced in 1936. That took human error out of the equation. Before
that, judges determined the race, and bettors were sometimes not happy with the outcome.
In 1875, when the first Derby was run, the grandstand was on the backside where the track
kitchen now sits. "It took them 20 years, but they finally realized they were looking into the sun
and were down wind of the stables. So that's when they decided to move over here and the
twin spires were built in 1895," according to museum tour guide Barry Northern.
1937 Flood
Throughout January 1937, 19.17 inches (48.7 cm) of rain fell in Louisville, and by January 27,
the Ohio River crested at a record 57.15 feet (17.42 m), almost 30 feet (9.1 m) above flood
stage.
These events triggered the "Great Flood of 1937", which lasted into early February.
The flood submerged 60–70% of the city and forced the evacuation of over 200,000 residents
Ninety people died as a result of the flood .
Medical
In 1999, surgeons from the Kleinert Kutz Hand Care Center directed the first hand transplant in
the US. The procedure was performed on a New Jersey native, Matthew Scott, who had lost his
hand in a fireworks accident. Ironically, a couple years later, Scott had the honor of pressing the
button to kick off Thunder Over Louisville.
Parks
Several of the parks in Louisville were designed by famous architect Frederick Law Olmsted,
who also co-designed New York City’s Central Park, Central Park in New York, the U.S. Capitol
Grounds, and the Biltmore estate grounds.
Together Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. and his sons John Charles and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.
were responsible for 18 parks and 6 parkways that have shaped the city of Louisville and
provided a wealth of open spaces for its citizens.