Dudes, Kentucky gets plenty of credit for bourbon, baseball bats and horse racing.

But we've also quietly given the world some things you probably wouldn't expect to have a Kentucky connection.

Here are a few that made me say, "Wait... Kentucky invented that?"

A Kentuckian helped change the way the entire world drives.

Garrett Morgan, born in Paris, Kentucky, invented a three-position traffic signal in 1923 that became an important predecessor to the modern traffic light. He also invented an early gas mask used by rescue workers.

Not bad for a guy who basically helped invent "Don't run that red light, dude."

Morgan was apparently not finished.

He also developed the Safety Hood, an early gas mask, in 1914.

It became famous after Morgan and several other men used it to rescue workers trapped in a tunnel explosion in Cleveland.

A Kentucky-born guy basically invented a better way to breathe when everything around you is trying to kill you.

Pretty useful.

Long before everybody was carrying a computer in their pocket, Nathan Stubblefield of Murray, Kentucky, was experimenting with wireless communication.

In the late 1800s, Stubblefield demonstrated a system for transmitting voices without wires.

Think about that.

A Kentucky farmer was messing around with wireless technology before most people had electricity in their homes.

This one sounds like a joke.

It isn't.

John Bibb, a Kentucky farmer, developed the lettuce variety that eventually became known as Bibb lettuce in the 1860s.

So somewhere along the way, Kentucky didn't just grow vegetables.

We apparently decided one needed a surname.

You know the song everybody is legally obligated to sing at birthday parties?

It has Louisville roots.

Sisters Mildred and Patty Hill, both Louisville natives, wrote the melody in the late 1800s. The words came later, but the tune became the world's most recognizable birthday song.

So yes, Kentucky helped invent the awkward moment where everyone stands around a cake staring at one person.

Kentucky didn't just invent bourbon drinks.

In 1926, G.L. Wainscott created Ale-8-One in Winchester, a ginger-and-citrus soft drink that is still produced today. The recipe remains a closely guarded family secret.

Basically, Kentucky looked at Coca-Cola and said:

"Yeah, but what if it had ginger?"

Louisville's Brown Hotel invented the Hot Brown in the 1920s after chef Fred K. Schmidt wanted to give late-night diners something besides ham and eggs.

Turkey. Bacon. Texas toast. Mornay sauce.

Then it gets broiled until everything is bubbling.

That's not a sandwich.

That's a decision.

The funny thing is that none of these are what Kentucky usually gets associated with.

But a guy from Paris helped change traffic forever, two Louisville sisters gave the world its birthday soundtrack, Winchester gave us Ale-8, and Louisville decided turkey needed cheese sauce and bacon.

Kentucky's résumé is considerably weirder—and more impressive—than most of us realize.