If you go buy the candles, we’ll pick up the cake. LEXtoday, can you stop for some balloons?
Get the supplies ready, LOU, we’ve got a birthday to celebrate. The Commonwealth of Kentucky turns 232 years old on Saturday, June 1. A cake with 232 candles? We might need the fire marshal to be on hand.
The commonwealth’s first birthday
On June 1, 1792, Kentucky was granted statehood and became the 15th state to join the Union. It was the first state west of the Appalachian Mountains, and in 1775, explorer Daniel Boone created the Wilderness Road trail that would become the main route settlers used to reach Kentucky from the east.
Bonus: June 7 is Daniel Boone Day. Consider visiting Red River Gorge in the Daniel Boone National Forest — about a two-hour drive from Louisville to explore its trails, arches, and rock climbing.
A sibling rivlary
That’s right. “Happy Birthday to You,” one of the most famous songs in the world, was written by two Louisvillians. Sisters Mildred and Patty Hill wrote the tune in the 1890s. Listen to this three-minute NPR podcast about the song’s full history.
