10. Sanders Was A Colonel Of Kentucky, Not Of The US Military
Harland Sanders was indeed a "Colonel" - but not of the US military as many people have assumed over the years. In fact, Sanders was not a Colonel of the whole US - but merely of the state of Kentucky. Governor Ruby Laffoon gave him and 5,000 other Kentucky residents the honorary title in 1937. Sanders was then recommissioned as a Kentucky colonel by Governor Lawrence Wetherby in 1950, giving him the idea of growing a goatee and of wearing a black-frock coat (later to become the famous white suit) and a string tie. He then referred to himself as the "Colonel", also convincing his colleagues to do so - and so the famous KFC imagery was born.
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
