Answer of the Day
What kind of colonel is Colonel Sanders? Colonel Sanders, born on this date in 1890, is a Kentucky Colonel. Kentucky Colonel is an honorary title bestowed by the governor of Kentucky upon a person who has contributed to his state or nation; it is the highest honor awarded by the commonwealth. Governor Isaac Shelby commissioned the first Kentucky Colonel in 1813. In 1932, the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels organized and stated their mission: to work for the advancement of Kentucky and its citizens. Governor Ruby Laffoon was so taken with Harland Sanders's "finger-lickin' good Kentucky fried chicken" that he made the KFC creator a Kentucky Colonel in 1935. Other prominent Kentucky Colonels include Winston Churchill, Betty White, Muhammad Ali, John Glenn, Bill Clinton, Elvis Presley and Pope John Paul II.

Quote
"Kentucky Colonels... have held out a hand of brotherhood and goodwill to your neighbor, and in so doing have made America an even better place to live." — Ronald Reagan

Word of the day

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Today's History

Elvis Presley

• Mary, Queen of Scots: was crowned at the age of nine months (1543)
• United States: received its new name from the Second Continental Congress; it had previously been known as the Thirteen Colonies (1776)
• California: became the 31st state (1850)
• Elvis Presley: "Elvis the Pelvis" made his first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show; he was shown only from the waist up (1956)
• Attica Prison riot: erupted in western New York State; it lasted 4 days (1971)

Today's Birthdays

Hugh Grant

• Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1642): King Louis XIII's second-in-command
• William Bligh (1754-1817): naval captain whose crew mutinied on the Bounty
• Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910 [OS]): author of War and Peace; plus, writers James Hilton (1900-1954), Granville Hicks (1901-1982) and Cesare Pavese (1908-1950)
• Esther Cleveland (1893-1980): the first presidential child born in the White House
• Otis Redding (1941-1967): soul singer, "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay"; also, musicians Doug Ingle (64), John McFee (60), Dave Stewart (58) and Michael Bublé (35)
• Joe Theismann (61): football player and sportscaster; and, Houston Rockets forward Shane Battier (32)
• Hugh Grant (50): actor who specializes in romantic comedies; also, actors Cliff Robertson (85), Chaim Topol (75), Tom Wopat (59), Angela Cartwright (58), Adam Sandler (44), Goran Visnjic (38) and Michelle Williams (30)