1. In 1862, Confederate forces under General Sidney Johnston attacked Union forces at the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee, which included soldiers from Kentucky. Although the Union forces ultimately won the battle, it was one of the bloodiest of the Civil War, with over 23,000 casualties.

2. On April 16, 1889, the Kentucky General Assembly approved the establishment of the Eastern Kentucky State Normal School in Richmond, which later became Eastern Kentucky University. The school's original purpose was to train teachers for the eastern part of the state.

3. Kentucky Derby winner Whirlaway was foaled on April 16, 1938, at Calumet Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. Whirlaway won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes in 1941, becoming just the fifth horse to win the Triple Crown.

4. In 1945, the Louisville chapter of the NAACP hosted a rally to support the desegregation of the Louisville Public Library. The rally, which featured prominent civil rights leader Dr. Benjamin Mays as the keynote speaker, was held on April 16 at Quinn Chapel AME Church.

5. On April 16, 1994, the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team won its fourth NCAA championship by defeating the Duke Blue Devils 76-67 in the championship game. The game was played in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Kentucky's Tony Delk was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.