June 26, 1861, Cynthiana (Harrison County) native Orville Hickman Browning became an Illinois U.S. Senator.  Five years later he became the 9^th Secretary of the Interior.

June 26, 1888, Louisville native Hercules Burnett made his MLB debut with the Louisville Colonels.

June 26, 1921, locals found 11 dead bodies of two families — men, women, and children in Northern Graves County.  Police never solved the mystery, and many speculated a gang committed the act, it appeared impossible for one person to do.

Friday, June 26, 1925, a community sing-along with 300 strong occurred at the Lincoln School playground in Lexington.  Eleanor Knox played old-time and popular music on the piano, and the audience gave rousing renditions of many of her numbers.

June 26, 1930, the 1930 census reported that Kentucky’s population stood at 2,614,289.

June 26, 1931, while Lexington leaders threatened to arrest and prosecute street beggars, the 2^nd annual Country Fair opened at Col L.L. Haggin’s Mt. Brilliant Farm on Russell Cave Park.  The festivities included a bathing beauty contest, horse show, dancing, fireworks, and more.

June 26, 1937, the pilgrimage commemorating the 300^th anniversary of the 1^st Lincoln arriving in America concluded.  The journey began in Boston and ended in Hodgenville at the Abraham Lincoln Shrine.  The group made a stop near Louisville, where the president’s grandfather died in a Native American attack 150 years earlier.

June 26, 1938, Nearco ended his career a perfect 14-for-14 by winning the Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp.

June 26, 1951, Army PFC Chester Pritchett from Calloway County died in the Korean War.

June 26, 1957, Deputy Sheriff Willie James Lewis, Sr. Leslie County Sheriff’s Office, died in an ambush near his home by two brothers in retaliation for an earlier incident.

June 26, 1959, the Stephen Foster Story debuted in Bardstown’s J. Dan Talbott Amphitheater.  The story, by Paul Green, told the composer’s life story.  Before the show, the city hosted a parade down Main St. with floats carrying performers culminating with speeches in front of the Nelson County Court House.  Locals said 1,158 turned out for the opening night, including Governor & Mrs. A. B. Chandler.  Considered a great success, over 70,000 attended the first season.

June 26, 1961, Muhammad Ali (7-0) fought Kolo “Duke” Sabedong (15-11-1) in the Las Vegas Convention Center.  Clay, fighting for the 1^st time in Las Vegas, the new mecca of boxing, won a 10-round unanimous decision against Sabedong, a strapping 6-6 Hawaiian.  Sabedong, 31, started out fighting dirty and hit Clay below the belt to try for an upset.  But he lacked the speed and skill to bother Clay, who blamed his sluggish showing on trainer Angelo Dundee’s decision to fly them to Las Vegas rather than take the train.  Sabedong died in 2008 at the age of 78.

On June 26, 1962, three Kentucky sectarian educators who spoke at UK’s conference on moral and spiritual values agreed that public schools can and should play a leading role in children’s character development.

June 26, 1971, Shirley Jean Ford married William Riley Dexter, the 1^st wedding in the Old Governor’s Mansion in over 100 years, and the 2^nd known to historians.  Lt. Gov. Wendell Ford gave his daughter away in the formal room of his residence.

On June 26, 1975, officials finally admitted that Lexington’s proposed $18 million solid waste energy plant might cost the city money yearly.  For two years, the backers touted that the technology that burned trash for fuel by steam would make money.  It never materialized after years of publicity.

June 26, 1978, Chief of Police Jimmy Ray Tolson, Campton Police Department, died from a gunshot by an 19-year-old youth as he sat in City Hall.

On June 26, 1981, Hollywood released Stripes.  The plot: Within a few hours, Louisville cab driver John Winger lost his job, his apartment, his car, and his girlfriend Anita, who has grown tired of his immaturity.  Realizing his limited prospects, he decided to join the Army.  Much of the filming took place in the Commonwealth.

On June 26, 1986, jockey Sandy Hawley won his 5,000^th career race, aboard Mighty Massa, at Canterbury Downs.

June 26, 1989, the Supreme Court ruled on Stanford v. Kentucky and agreed with Kentucky courts that the death penalty was valid for offenders who were at least 16 years of age at the time of the crime.  This decision came one year after Thompson v. Oklahoma, where the state could not execute a 15-year-old offender because to do so would constitute cruel and unusual punishment.

June 26, 1992, jockey Dave Gall became the 8^th rider in history to ride 6,000 winners when he rode Nanas Nice Boy to victory at Fairmount Park.

June 26, 1994, jockey Chris McCarron rode his 6,000^th career winner, Andestine, in the Milady Handicap at Hollywood Park.  He was the 11^th rider to reach 6,000 and the third-youngest, behind Bill Shoemaker and Laffit Pincay Jr.

June 26, 1996, Deputy Sheriff Eric Shane Stafford, Edmonson County Sheriff’s Office, died and another deputy received injuries after their patrol car got struck from behind by a tractor-trailer on I-65, at the Barren County line.

June 26, 2000, Hall of Fame trainer Lucien Laurin, conditioner of 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat, died at the age of 88.

Effective June 26, 2007, Frankfort designated Bluegrass Music as the official state music of Kentucky.

On June 26, 2009, as Governor S. Beshear prepared to bring a lithium-ion car battery plant to Glendale’s (Hardin County) 1,551-acre industry site, locals learned Economic Development Secretary Larry Hayes and Transportation Secretary Joe Prather owned 90 acres very close by.  The Transportation Cabinet planned to spend millions building roads and a new I-65 intersection nearby.  Hayes failed to list the property on his annual financial disclosure statement but did so after a journalist notified him of his oversight.  Andy capitalized on his father’s work when construction started in 2022.

On June 26, 2013, a federal judge told Kentucky that he would issue a final warning within 24 hours, requiring the Commonwealth to recognize same-sex marriages performed outside the state immediately.  Meanwhile, in Frankfort, a senate panel okayed the medicinal use of oil derived from hemp after locals begged them to do so.

June 26, 2014, Louisville native Adam Duvall made his MLB debut with the San Francisco Giants.

June 26, 2018, after decades of legal battles and impassioned pleas, the wife of a Kentucky World War II veteran accepted his posthumous Medal of Honor from President D. Trump.  Mitch helped pass legislation for the cause and acknowledged the Aaron (Clinton County) native on the Senate floor the previous day.  Garlin Murl Conner fought for 28 months on the front lines in 10 campaigns, participated in four amphibious assault landings, and was wounded seven times.  He passed in 1998 at 79.

On June 26, 2019, M. McConnell got nearly as many mentions in the 1^st Democratic national debate as Donald.  Mitch relished his role as a villain.  Rep. Tim Ryan said, “If you want to defeat Mitch, this better be a working-class party.”  Of course, both parties (the Uniparty) remain fiercely loyal to corporate America.  Thus, Mitch and Nancy stayed in power.

On June 26, 2020, Governor A. Beshear communicated in a written statement, “The people we have lost are why we have to keep up the fight for as long as this virus is out there.”  The governor’s advisors failed to educate him that the virus is endemic and it will never go away.  It will always be out there.  The state reported seven new deaths, and all were over 85, except for a 47-year-old man with underlying health conditions from Monroe County.  Meanwhile, Dr. Bill Collins reopened the Red Bird Dental Clinic in Bell County.  The facility enables the underprivileged to afford dental work.

June 26, 2023, the Fayette County School Board had an eventful day when they announced plans for a new $147 million Henry Clay High School.  Meanwhile, transgender supporters stood outside the Central Office to ask for new bathroom standards.

By June 26, 2024, Kentuckians got their vote’s worth from Thomas Massie’s constant discussion of critical issues.  James Comer, however, posted a picture of himself looking fancy in a cool striped tie that was too long.  He had perfectly positioned the Washington Monument between himself and Amy—a job well done.