1. On August 16, 1792, Kentucky became the fifteenth state to join the United States of America after being a territory for several years. It was named after the Kentucky River, and its capital is Frankfort.

2. On August 16, 1862, during the Civil War, Confederate forces under General Edmund Kirby Smith defeated Union forces at the Battle of Richmond. It was one of the most significant Confederate victories in Kentucky, and it allowed them to control much of the state for a time.

3. On August 16, 1977, the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, passed away at his home in Memphis, Tennessee. Although he was born in Mississippi, Elvis had strong ties to Kentucky, and his music and legacy continue to influence the state and the world.

4. On August 16, 1952, the speedboat Miss Pepsi set a world record by traveling over 160 miles per hour on the Ohio River near Louisville. The boat was piloted by Bill Cantrell, and the record stood for over a decade.

5. On August 16, 1888, the infamous Hatfield-McCoy feud erupted into violence once again when several members of the Hatfield family attacked the McCoy family in Pike County, Kentucky. The feud had been going on for years and involved two prominent families from the area, but this incident was one of the bloodiest and most well-known.