Kentucky Trivia

Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart.  Henry Clay

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to John Brown, a Kentucky founding father born in 1757.  His colleagues elected him as the Commonwealth’s 1^st U.S. Senator in Class I until 1805, when his peers voted him out.

September 12, 1816, Kentucky artist Joseph H. Bush wrote Henry Clay and apologized for being unable to refund the money that Clay loaned to him.  Jouett-Bush-Frazer Early Kentucky Artist by William Barrow Floyd

On September 12, 1850, Presley O’Bannon died in Henry County.  As a Marine in 1805, his superiors gave him a sword for his work in a foreign war.  In 1825, the Mameluke Sword, similar to Presley’s, became part of the official Marine Corps uniform.  In 1920, the Daughters of the American Revolution re-interred his remains on State Monument grounds in Frankfort.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Louisville native William Gilbert Barron, born in 1894 in a dressing room at the Hopkins Opera House in Louisville.  The comedian, actor, writer, and film director capitalized on a comic sneeze routine.  He appeared in over 200 feature films, short subjects, and television shows starting in 1929.

September 12, 1901, Ballard County lynched three black males, Frank Howard, Samuel Reed, and Ernest Harris, for murder.

September 12, 1910, with only 12 members remaining, the Shakers of Pleasant Hill near Harrodsburg faced their colony’s demise and contracted to sell their 1,800 acres of land and buildings to Col. George Bohon.  In return, Bohon agreed to care for them and allow them to stay on their property for the rest of their lives.

September 12, 1915, Ford Motor Company opened their new plant in Louisville on a 2.5-acre site on South 3^rd Street.  Initially, the plant employed 53 people and produced 15 cars per day, many of which were Model T’s.  The Kentucky Encyclopedia edited by John E. Kleber; pg: 309

September 12, 1923, Winchester locals tried to save a church or “Ancient Stone Meeting House” built before 1793 on Lower Harrod’s Creek, a Kentucky River tributary.  The Clark County Historical Society claimed the structure hosted pioneers for 100 years.

September 12, 1925, a California girl arrived on campus to begin classes the following week.  UK had already started to attract out-of-state students, and the local newspaper ran a front-page article on her decision to attend.  Her father, a wealthy LA banker, drove her daughter to visit the campus and then on to NY for a bankers’ convention.  He wanted his daughter educated near his hometown of La Grange.

September 12, 1935, Louisville native Earl Browne made his MLB debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

At 4:00 p.m. on September 12, 1945, the 47^th year of Oneida Baptist Institute, James Anderson Burns, founder, builder, and President Emeritus, passed away in his room in Anderson Hall.

September 12, 1950, Army PVT Bobby R. Harris from Warren County and Army PFC Thomas E. Maye from Bourbon County died in the Korean War.

September 12, 1951, Army PFC Leo Chaffins from Knott County died in the Korean War.

September 12, 1952, the U.S. Government announced they would acquire 36,000 acres in Bullitt and Hardin Counties to expand Ft. Knox.

On September 12, 1953, the Hollywood Playground Auditorium held a banquet to honor Louisville native Madame Sul-Te-Wan, the 1^st black actress to sign a Hollywood film contract.

September 12, 1964, UK’s football coach Charlie Bradshaw, announced it would junk three unit football and would revert back to two platoons.

September 12, 1967, Army SP4 Frank E. Lyon from Louisville died in the Vietnam War.

September 12, 1968, Army CPL Donald R. Butler from Morehead, Marine Corps LCPL Clifford L. Scholl from Louisville, Marine Corps PFC David M. Sowards from West Liberty, and Army PFC Edgar L. Tomlinson from Williamstown in Grant County, all died in the Vietnam War. 

September 12, 1970, judges crowned Phyllis George as Miss America 1971.  The Women’s Liberation Front demonstrated at the event.

September 12, 1974, an Atlanta jury sentenced Winchester native Marcus W. Chenault to death for the slaying of Mrs. Martin Luther King, Sr, known as Alberta, as she sat the church organ.  He shot her on his birthday.  As a youth, he adopted the theology of the Black Hebrew Israelites.  Chenault’s mentor, Rev. Hananiah E. Israel of Cincinnati depicted black civil rights activists and black church leaders as evil and deceptive.

September 12, 1981, comedian Bill Cosby performed at Rupp Arena as part of IBM’s celebration of 25 years in Lexington. Click to see picture.

On September 12, 1998, Kentucky wide receiver Craig Yeast celebrated after catching a 54-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tim Couch during the Wildcats’ 52-7 over Eastern Kentucky University, their 1^st ever meeting on a gridiron. Click to see picture.

September 12, 2006, hip number 425, a colt by Seattle Slew sold for $11,700,000.

On September 12, 2009, locals found Bill Sparkman, Jr., a school teacher and U.S. Census employee, hanging from a tree.  In rural Clay County.  After a two-month investigation, police concluded a suicide occurred and staged so his family could collect insurance. in the inquiry the rumors were flying.

September 12, 2014, in a court case watched by many outside the Commonwealth, a judge found a bicyclist had violated a law of careless driving.  Police ticketed her three times on Lexington’s Nicholasville Road in Jessamine County for causing a hazard for motorists.  On the day of the trial, the state added three more charges.

September 12, 2019, Lexington native Kelly Kraft became the 30^th U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.  Her husband, over the last decade, dropped millions of dollars inside the circle, the reward exceeded expectations.

September 12, 2021, the vaccine hysteria continued over the Delta variant.   Lexington doctor Mark Dougherty told CNN that “an increasing number of unvaccinated teachers were in local hospitals on ventilators and oxygen over the weekend.”  The article or the doctor gave no specific data on how many teachers, what hospitals they were in, or what counties were affected.  The doctor may have had two goals: to provide the experimental vaccine to kids two years and up and increase the vaccination rate for kids 12 and older.

September 12, 2022, Americans’ satisfaction with the U.S. healthcare system hit a new low, according to a national poll.  We had similar views about health care for older adults, because navigating the system is exceedingly frustrating.  The public also gave lower marks for prescription drug costs, nursing homes, and mental health care.