1. Can’t Stop the Derby!

2. Can’t Stop the Derby!

3. Kentucky Derby ran on time less than two months later.
Tornado (1890)
Potatoes grown in Churchill Downs’s infield, proceeds donated to the Red Cross.
Kentucky Derby ran on time less than two months later.

4. Churchill Downs Bankruptcy (1894)
Potatoes grown in Churchill Downs’s infield, proceeds donated to the Red Cross.
Original racetrack owners sell to new group.

5. The Kentucky State Fair (1902)
Potatoes grown in Churchill Downs’s infield, proceeds donated to the Red Cross.
The first Kentucky State Fair held at Churchill Downs.

6. First Model T car built by Henry Ford (1908)
Affordable automobiles provided easier transportation to the racetrack.

7. First recorded airplane flight in Kentucky (1910)
Potatoes grown in Churchill Downs’s infield, proceeds donated to the Red Cross.
Took off from Churchill Downs Infield

8. Titanic sinks in the Atlantic Ocean (1912)
Five year old Johnny Longden and family miss boat on trip to America – grows up to ride and train a Derby winner.

9. World War I Begins ( )
Potatoes were grown in the Infield at Churchill Downs, proceeds donated to the Red Cross.
Potatoes grown in Churchill Downs’s infield, proceeds donated to the Red Cross.

10. Beginning of the Great Depression (1929)
Potatoes grown in Churchill Downs’s infield, proceeds donated to the Red Cross.
Sports provided an escape from daily life – Derby attendance soared.

11. The Great Flood (1937)
Potatoes grown in Churchill Downs’s infield, proceeds donated to the Red Cross.
The waters receded and the Derby ran on schedule. War Admiral wins and goes on to win Triple Crown.

12. America enters World War II (1941-1945)
Potatoes grown in Churchill Downs’s infield, proceeds donated to the Red Cross.
Due to travel restrictions, people took streetcars to Churchill Downs.

13. Civil Rights Unrest (1967)
Potatoes grown in Churchill Downs’s infield, proceeds donated to the Red Cross.
Many expected riots after a tense Derby Week, but Martin Luther King Jr. helped diffuse the situation.

14. Smoke Bomb Thrown on Track (1976)
National Guard Sergeant Gary Wall races under rail, throws bomb in helmet and buries it. No one hurt.
Potatoes grown in Churchill Downs’s infield, proceeds donated to the Red Cross.