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TIL Colonel Sanders was never in the military

2026-05-03 06:37 UTC

Today I learned that Harland Sanders was never a military colonel. He never actually served in the military. Instead, Kentucky Governer Ruby Laffoon gave Harland Sanders the title of “Kentucky Colonel” in order to boost his political support. The whole “Colonel Sanders” branding is a sham designed to promote the state of Kentucky.

Replies (5)

  • @darklamer@feddit.org 2026-05-03 06:55

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_Colonel

    Open ##2488209

  • @flamingo_pinyata@sopuli.xyz 2026-05-03 06:56

    Disclaimer: I knew nothing about him until this moment other than his image at KFC restaurants. A short wiki search comes up with Kentucky Colonel which is an order of merit given by the state of Kentucky. This is a real award given by Kentucky, and Sanders legitimately received it.

    Open ##2488210

  • You didn’t learn anything today.

    Open ##2488211

  • From Wikipedia In 1930, the Shell Oil Company offered Sanders a service station in North Corbin, Kentucky, rent-free, in return for paying the company a percentage of sales. Sanders began to serve chicken dishes and other meals such as country ham and steaks. Initially he served the customers in his adjacent living quarters before opening a restaurant. It was during this period that Sanders was involved in a shootout with Matt Stewart, a local competitor who had painted over a sign directing traffic to Sanders’s station. Stewart killed a Shell employee who was with Sanders, and was convicted of murder, eliminating Sanders’s competition.

    Open ##2488212

  • Huh? Where’s the conspiracy theory? A Kentucky colonel is a thing, and it’s been around much longer than Sanders. Nor has it ever been a secret that’s what he was, rather than a military officer. Or is this a joke post? If not, I’m really interested in the conspiracy theory because I’ve never run across it at all, despite having seen a lot, including a couple of documentaries and short form videos, about Sanders over the years.

    Open ##2488213