National Kentucky Day Date in the current year: October 19, 2025

Kentucky is a landlocked state in the Southeastern United States. It is bordered by Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The name “Kentucky” is thought to be of indigenous origin, but its exact meaning is unknown. Kentucky’s nickname is the “Bluegrass State” because of the Kentucky bluegrass, a species of grass brought by European settlers that has long sustained the state’s thoroughbred horse industry.

There is a misconception that Native Americans never permanently inhabited Kentucky but rather used the area as a “hunting ground” contested by multiple tribes. However, it is now believed that Native Americans abandoned their permanent settlements in Kentucky in the 17th century due to turmoil caused by war, disease, and indirect contact with Europeans via trade networks.

The first Europeans to visit Kentucky were French and British explorers in the 1670s, but they did not establish any settlements. After that, exploration of the region halted until the mid-18th century. Before 1763, France, the Colony of Virginia, and multiple Native American tribes had overlapping claims to the land south of the Ohio River, including the area of present-day Kentucky. France lost its claim after its defeat in the French and Indian War. Although the British secured land concessions from some Native American tribes, such as the Cherokee and Iroquois, other Native nations continued to fight the British for land.

Kentucky County was formally established within the Commonwealth of Virginia on December 31, 1776, during the Revolutionary War. It part of the western theater of the war, where several important sieges and battles took place.

Following the war, Kentucky was divided into several counties that continued to be administered as the District of Kentucky. Kentuckians petitioned several times to secede from Virginia due to geographic isolation, political neglect, and the need for local governance. The Appalachian Mountains made traveling to and communicating with the government in Richmond difficult, leaving settlers feeling disconnected and underserved. They also wanted better protection from Native American raids, a more responsive local administration, and the ability to trade with New Orleans, a Spanish colony at the time.

Virginia finally gave its consent to Kentucky’s statehood under the new U.S. Constitution on December 18, 1789. Congress approved Kentucky’s petition for statehood on February 4, 1791, and accepted the Constitution of Kentucky on June 1, 1792. This made Kentucky the 15th state to join the Union.

National Kentucky Day is part of the National State Days project initiated by National Day Calendar in 2017. This project celebrates states in the order they joined the Union rather than on their admission anniversaries. In this cycle of celebrations, National Kentucky Day falls on October 19.