1. On February 16, 1862, during the Civil War, Union forces led by General Ulysses S. Grant captured Fort Donelson in Tennessee. This victory opened up the Confederate heartland to Union forces and became known as a turning point in the war.

2. In 1918, on February 16, the first cases of the Spanish flu were discovered in Christian County, Kentucky. This outbreak would eventually become a global pandemic and claim the lives of millions of people.

3. On February 16, 1930, Kentucky Governor Flem D. Sampson signed into law the legislation that gave Kentucky the nickname "Bluegrass State." The state is named after the bluegrass that grows in the central region of Kentucky.

4. On February 16, 1994, Kentucky executed its first female prisoner since 1868. Judi Ann Neelley was put to death by lethal injection for the murder of 13-year-old Lisa Ann Millican.

5. In 2005, on February 16, the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team defeated the Florida Gators 69-66, ending Florida's 18-game winning streak. This win helped propel Kentucky to the SEC regular-season championship and secure a number one seed in the NCAA tournament.