Kentucky: A Compendium from A to Z

Archaeology: Digs in the state indicate at least 12,000 years of human occupation.

Bourbon: Invented in Kentucky in 1789 (by a preacher, so the story goes); seven distilleries now offer tours.

Clark: Thomas Clark, the state's historian laureate; spry and venerable
at age 93.

Derby: The annual 1-1/4-mile Kentucky Derby, "the greatest two minutes
in sports."

Elections: A bellwether state for the winning presidential ticket in 17 of the last 20 elections.

Fancy Farm: Annual Kentucky political extravaganza that mixes country fair and political rally.

Gethsemani: Trappist monastery near Bardstown where Thomas Merton wrote his popular books on spirituality. The monastery now accepts
overnight guests.

Harvard: The loser to Centre in a 1921 football game that made
headlines worldwide.

Iroquois: One of several Indian tribes that prized Kentucky as a
hunting ground.

Jackson Purchase: Land deal in 1819 that expanded Kentucky by 2,000 square miles.

Keeneland: Racing association that hosts the world's largest horse auction.

Louisville Slugger: The Kentucky-made bat preferred by many of baseball's best.

Muhammad Ali: Kentucky native and Olympic champion who changed the face of boxing.

Nature: Eighteen state-sponsored nature preserves; Nature Conservancy office in Lexington.

Ohio River: The northern boundary of Kentucky, flowing 665 miles along the edge of the state.

Population: As of the 1990 census, 3,685,296 people.

Quilts: Art form sustained in traditional and modern forms; American Quilt Society headquartered in Paducah.

Rick Dees: "Weekly Top 40" DJ who lives in and broadcasts from
Central Kentucky.

Spanish conspiracy: Attempt by a few Kentucky leaders in the 1780s to have the state secede from the U.S. and become a province of Spain.

Technology: The foundation of thriving Kentucky companies including Lexmark, iHigh.com, and DataBeam, and a focal point for Kentucky's schools (which went from the bottom tier to the top tier of U.S. "wired" state systems after the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990).

Underground: The world's longest cave system, including Mammoth Cave.

Vinson (Fred): Centre grad and Supreme Court Chief Justice until his death in 1953; continues to attend Centre football games as "Dead Fred," via a portrait carried by his former fraternity.

Water: A dominant feature in a state with 1,100 miles of navigable waterway (some folks say we lead the nation in miles of shoreline if you include all our rivers, streams, and lakes).

Xavier: One of many outstanding parochial schools in the state
(nickname: St. X).

You, you all, y'all and you guys: Acceptable plural pronouns in a state that is a crossroads for Midwest, South, and North.

Zoo (The Louisville Zoo): World's largest breeding colony of woolly monkeys in captivity.

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Print sources: The Kentucky Encyclopedia of Kentucky (Kleber, 1992) and Atlas of Kentucky (Ulack, 1998)

On-line sources: Kentucky Virtual University Library (www.kcvl.org)

Contact: Centre Communications Office • 859-238-5714

Centre College, 600 W. Walnut Street, Danville, KY 40422