July 6, 1802, Edward West, a Lexington inventor and silversmith , received a patent for his steamboat. Robert Fulton’s better-known vessel on a larger scale received a patent the following year.
July 6, 1819, President Monroe and two future presidents, Gen. Andrew Jackson and Lt. Col. Zachary Taylor, left Lexington and traveled to Harrodsburg.
July 6, 1859, two surveyors representing Kentucky and Tennessee wandered off course from a marked Beech Tree on the bank of Drakes Creek in current Simpson County . They turned their compasses ¾’s of a mile north from a Black Jack Oak, creating a 100-acre indentation. Today this error is known as Black Jack Corner or the Middleton Offset.
July 6, 1863, Morgan’s Raiders took Burkesville in Cumberland County, after burning Lebanon (Marion County) and Bardstown (Nelson County) and crossed the Ohio River at Brandenburg. Kentucky In Retrospect 1792-1967 , by Lila Jones Kingston, pg: 83
Burkesville by Democratic Luntz
July 6-7, 1887, Kentucky’s 1st black female physician, Mary Britton, in her support for women’s voting rights at the 9th annual Kentucky Association of Colored Teachers in Danville , “No movement of any great importance has ever taken place in the world in which women have not taken a prominent part as a worker.” She argued: “that women, like men, had a right to define their own fate within the laws of the land, and that laws should be equally applied to both women and men.” “The Woman’s Suffrage: A Potent Agency in Public Reform later published her speech.”
July 6, 1893, Henry Whitestone passed away in Louisville , one of Kentucky’s most famous architects. Henry introduced the Italianate style to Louisville and is best known for his 1869 design of the 2nd Galt House and the 1877 offices of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad (now CSX Transportation). He also designed James C. Ford’s residence (1858-59) and the Ronald-Brennan house (1870), which is one of his many works listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Louisville native Ned Beatty , born in 1937.
By July 6, 1940, the Lexington health officer reported that “the dairymen of the Lexington milk shed over the past six months had made many improvements and all received Grade A ratings.” He then provided a list of the 50 raw milk dairies and eight pasteurized dairies in the Lexington Milk shed, which covered 7,854 square miles. The officer estimated that locals consumed 10,000 gallons, or approximately one pint per person, every day.
On July 6, 1952, V.P. Alben Barkley changed political course and actively sought the presidential nomination instead of waiting for an offer. He would be one of the 12 nominees to enter the race. The 74-year-old said his friends persuaded him to get active. Meanwhile, the 16th Lexington Junior League Horse Show started at the Lexington Trots Breeders Association track.
On Friday, July 6, 1956, Governor Happy Chandler crowned Miss Betty Vinson, a Nicholas County high school junior born in Mt. Zion, queen of the Blackberry Festival. The governor discussed the proposed bond issue for highways and schools.
July 6, 1963, Wise Charge won the $37,000, six furlongs Junior Derby in Miles Park.
July 6, 1970, Margo Jones and Tracy Knight brought the first lesbian marriage case in the U.S. in Louisville after being denied a marriage license. Two men in MN inspired them after being rejected a license weeks earlier. They lost the fight in 1973, but their case set a precedent for same-sex marriage in the 1990s and beyond.
July 6, 1971, Dale and Roy Rogers appeared at the Kentucky State Fair .
July 6, 1975, Ruffian and Foolish Pleasure entered Belmont’s starting gate in front of more than 50,000 spectators, ready to run a mile and a quarter.
July 6, 1977, in the 2nd of their ten meetings, Alydar defeated Affirmed to win the Great American Stakes at Belmont Park to even the rivalry at 1-1; Alydar would win two more.
By July 6, 1980, 13 Kentuckians had filed suit against the government, charging they developed vaccine-related problems in the almost four years since Americans received the swine flu shot. Millions took the jab after a soldier died in N.J., and thousands contended they experienced paralysis. Fifty-four Kentuckians filed claims, with one receiving $4,500 and the others dismissed. Then came the 13 lawsuits.
On July 6, 1983, a Bourbon County grand jury indicted the Bourbon County Judge Executive and seven magistrates on a misdemeanor for willfully neglecting the discharge of their official duties. Meanwhile, the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled 5-2 the state could not buy textbooks for private schools because the constitution didn’t allow it.
July 6, 1984, Walter Mondale, the likely presidential nominee, hosted and interviewed Governor Martha Layne Collins to be his V.P. nominee. Mondale stated that Collins, the nation’s highest-ranking woman Democrat was “clearly compatible.”
On Saturday, July 6, 1985, legislators welcomed Governor M.L. Collins’s plan to increase taxes on businesses to fund education reform in the special session, which started Monday. Meanwhile, hundreds attended a traditional Laotian wedding in Vine Grove (Meade County), witnessing the bride and groom being bound by yarn from the Paquouane, a ceremonial centerpiece.
July 6, 1990, Danville native William Richard Higgins died at the hands of his capturers in Lebanon.
On July 6, 1993, Kentucky Powerball sales skyrocketed when the jackpot surpassed $100 million. People were said to come from TN, OH, IL, and MI to buy tickets. In 1991, 10 people in California won the nation’s largest jackpot, which was a $118 million prize.
On July 6, 1996, Kentuckians learned about the tiny mites that devastated the honeybee community . In the seven years since they appeared in Kentucky, the mites cut the bee population by more than half. The mites completely killed the feral bee population which live in dead wood.
On Thursday, July 6, 2000, 12-year-old Felicia Jefferson laid down on her Aunt’s couch past midnight and fell asleep after a fun long day at King’s Island. At 6:00 a.m., she was shot in the head by a drive-by shooter, becoming Louisville’s 21st homicide victim. Her sister and cousin were also on the couch and were unharmed. The shooters fired 40 shots into the modest home.
On July 6, 2005, Kentucky indicted Governor E. Fletcher’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Dick Murgatroyd, and two Transportation Cabinet executives, Corey Meadows and Dan Duren , for allegedly firing government employees based on their political affiliation rather than their performance. The governor pardoned them all in August.
July 6, 2010, Army PFC Michael S. Pridham, 19, of Louisville , died in Afghanistan fighting in Operation Enduring Freedom.
July 6, 2013, Randy Kirk from Maysville caught a state record 5.50 pounds Bullhead Catfish in a private pond in Mason County.
On July 6, 2015, LG&E and KU dedicated their new $545 million, 650-megawatt natural gas power plant one month after they shut down their coal-fired burners at their Louisville Cane Run property. It is the first natural gas combined cycle power plant in Kentucky and will produce 14% more electricity than the old plant, running more efficiently with no visible emissions.
On July 6, 2016, Lexington’s Southland Christian Church eulogized “the Bob Hope of Ministry,” Wayne B. Smith, who passed away at the age of 87. The sometimes-controversial preacher grew the church from 152 followers in 1956 to 3,700 in 1995. He knew more jokes than scriptures, and KFC buckets surrounded his casket as a reminder of the numerous times he gave away chicken to those in need.
Saturday, July 6, 2019, New York arrested Jeffrey Epstein. They found him dead 35 days later.
July 6, 2020, Governor A. Beshear, “We can stay on this plateau and hopefully move to a steady decline in cases only if we follow the guidelines for social distancing, hand washing, wearing cloth facemasks, and limiting exposure to large crowds. Kentuckians need to get tested regularly and answer the phone when they are called by contact tracers.”
July 7, 2021, Kentucky State Senator Tom Buford R-Nicholasville, known in the General Assembly for his wit an intelligence, died unexpectedly at age 72. First elected in 1990, he was the 2nd longest-serving senator.
On July 6, 2022, while Governor Andy B. handed out another Big Check to the good people of Breaks Interstate Park (Pike County), Rep. Andy B. appeared to be sympathetic to the deadliest human smuggling tragedy on the Mexican border.
On July 6, 2024, the Kentucky Historical Society touted Alyssa Ollier!
