Abraham Lincoln, Kentuckian.

When we first started HerKentucky, it was for the purpose of celebrating the Bluegrass State, not to tear down other states. For nearly five years, I've tried to stick to that plan. Buuutttt....

I've got a little bone to pick with Illinois.

Illinois is a perfectly lovely state. It's the home of the "world's most beautiful drive." It's the home of Superman. And Ronald Reagan. But you know what it's not? The Land of Lincoln. I don't care what their license plates say.

Abraham Lincoln was born 207 years ago today in Hodgenville, Kentucky. He married a Lexington girl. 

And, he never forgot how important the Commonwealth was to his political strategy.

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Here's to the birthday boy, Abraham Lincoln, the original hipster.

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And don't be sad, Illinois. "Reagan's still pretty good" would look nice on a license plate.

More HerKentucky posts about Abe:

• Why Sarah is obsessed with Abraham Lincoln.
• I Hope to Have God on my Side, but I Must Have Kentucky.
• Photos of Lincoln's Birthplace.
• Searching for Mary Todd Lincoln

Five Things You Probably Don't Know About Dwight Yoakam

Dwight David Yoakam was born on October 23, 1956 in Pikeville, KY, to keypunch operator Ruth Ann Tibbs Yoakam and gas station owner David Yoakam. Soon after, his family moved from their Floyd County home to Columbus Ohio. Dwight remained fiercely proud of his Kentucky roots, and he sang of the trip North up U.S. Highway 23 that many Eastern Kentuckians -- like his own parents -- were forced to take in order to find factory jobs.

In honor of Dwight Yoakam's birthday, here are five facts you probably didn't know about the singer and actor:

• Dwight was briefly enrolled at the Ohio State University, but dropped out in order to move to Los Angeles and pursue a career in entertainment.  He was later awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Ohio Valley University in Parkersburg, WV.
• He has released four albums that were comprised solely of cover songs, including one album of Buck Owens songs.
• Dwight's acting career includes roles in Slingblade, Panic Room, Wedding Crashers, and Bandidas.
• He owns a food brand known as Bakersfield Biscuits.
• Johnny Cash once said that Yoakam was his favorite country singer.

Happy Birthday, Dwight!

Five Things That Kind of (Maybe a Little) Connect Tom Cruise to Kentucky

Thomas Cruise Mapother IV was born on July 3, 1962, in Syracuse, NY. But, anybody who's lived in Kentucky any time knows that, before he became the superstar actor Tom Cruise, he spent some time around here. There was a period in the '90s where it felt like every Louisville native I met had an older brother who'd attended high school with Tommy Mapother. In the spirit of exceptionally large classes at St. X and my general belief that I can put a Kentucky spin on just about anything, here are five factoids that connect Birthday Boy Tom Cruise to Kentucky.

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Image via Kentucky for Kentucky.

• The same model of U.S. Navy "Tomcat" fighter plane that Cruise's character Maverick flew in Top Gun is on display at the Aviation Museum of Kentucky, located beside the airport. So, the next time you're catching a cheap flight out of the LEX, you can take a photo of that plane, sing the chorus of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" and pour a little out for Goose before you board. Everybody knows you don't need to be early for a flight out of Lexington, and you're basically commemorating a seminal piece of Kentucky history.
• Even if it was only for a brief time, Tom Cruise attended Louisville's St. Xavier High School. If you've lived in Louisville (or even visited for more than 5 minutes), you know that going to St. X is The Most Louisville Thing Ever. There you go: Tom's a Louivillian.
• Tom's grandfather, Thomas Cruise Mapother Jr, founded the Louisville bankruptcy law firm Mapother & Mapother. So, if you went to law school and hated studying the bankruptcy code, or even if you've ever gotten a collection letter from Mapother, you're basically a cousin to Tom, right?
• Speaking of cousins, Tom's cousin and Mission Impossible 2 co-star William Mapother is also an actor, and a full-on Louisville native. 
• Before matriculating at St. X, Tom also attended St. Francis Seminary in Cincinnati, a city which everyone knows is just an extension of the Northern Kentucky Metro Area.
  
  So, there you go. Tom Cruise's Kentucky roots run deep. 

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Happy birthday, Tom, you Crazy Kentuckian!!

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{Lest you doubt the veracity of these claims, please note that much of this article was influenced by Kentucky for Kentucky's blog post Tom Cruise Briefly Attended High School in Louisville," which, in turn, references "multiple biographical sources gleaned from the Internet in a great haste.' Never let it be said that the HerKentucky girls don't do their research.}