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TODAY IN KENTUCKY HISTORY

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Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Franklin native John William “Honest Dick” Tate, born in 1831.  He served as Kentucky’s state treasurer for 21 years, beginning in 1867, comfortably winning re-election every two years.  Citizens gave Tate free reign in his job until 1887 when people started to ask questions about his bookkeeping records.  He managed to delay the process by saying he needed time to get his papers in order.  Finally, in March of 1888, Tate boarded a train in Frankfort, with $100,000, never to be seen again.  The state then created the state examiner and inspector’s office to oversee the treasurer and auditor and imposed term limits on elected officials.

January 2, 1900, Democrats, with the backing of William Goebel and his Lieutenant J.C.W. Beckham, formally challenged Republican Governor William S. Taylor’s election victory in the General Assembly.  The Democrats wanted the November 1899 election reversed, and Goebel named governor.

January 2, 1903, Carnegie Corporation of New York awarded Paris $12,000 to build a new city library.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Middletown native Governor Lawrence W. Wetherby, born in 1908 and governor from 1950-55.  He and Governor A. Beshear are the only two governors from Louisville.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to La Grange native William James Crowe Jr., born in 1925.  William was a U.S. Navy Admiral who served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Presidents R. Reagan and G.H.W. Bush and as the ambassador to the United Kingdom under President B. Clinton.

January 2, 1939, Patrolman Frank Beard Bell, Kentucky Highway Patrol, died in a motorcycle crash at the intersection of U.S. 60 and Kentucky 151 in Graefenburg.  He was traveling on U.S. 60 when a vehicle failed to stop.

January 2, 1950, Bear Bryant lost his 1st bowl game as UK’s coach in the Orange Bowl when Santa Clara upset the Cats 13-21.  It was Bryant and Kentucky’s 1st major bowl appearance.  The Miami Orange Bowl hosted 64,816 spectators.

January 2, 1951, Army 1LT Earl Evans from Whitley County died in the Korean War.

January 2, 1960, Governor B. Combs, with his close friends’ urging, asked the General Assembly to change a judicial redistricting plan that gave Franklin and Anderson Counties a new judicial district.  Long-time Judge W.B. Ardery was out; Judge Hogg would now preside over Kentucky’s most powerful district.

January 2, 1970, Gradyville native Coach Edgar Allen Diddle passed away.  Coach Diddle became the 1st to coach 1,000 games at one school.  He coached Western Kentucky University’s (WKU) basketball team from 1922 to 1964 and was one of the early pioneers of the fast break.  He is also known for waving a red towel around along the sidelines which is now part of WKU’s official athletic logo.  Diddle experienced only five losing seasons in 42 years.

January 2, 1974, the Kentucky Democratic Party acknowledged they refunded $18,873 in illegal corporate gifts.  They also named the individuals who gave $128,071 in the controversial spring fundraising drive.  The party accounted for $96,572 of $438,752 senate watchdogs had questioned.

January 2, 1980, Kyle Macy watched as his game-winning, last-second shot go in against Auburn in Rupp Arena.  The Cats won 67-65 behind Macy’s game-high 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting.

January 2, 1987, Officer Russell Jay Estep, Louisa Police Department, suffered a fatal heart attack after pursuing two suspects on foot and then transporting one of them to jail.

On January 2, 1988, Ashland Oil created a diesel oil spill into the Monongahela River approximately 20 miles upstream from Pittsburgh.  Ashland filled a four-million-gallon tank for the 1st time after dismantling it from an Ohio location on this day.  At 4:58 p.m., a worker checked the full tank levels; four minutes later, he heard a loud boom and turned to find the tank’s roof collapsed.  The tank dumped nearly 1 million gallons of diesel oil into a storm sewer that led to the Monongahela River.  Ashland took full responsibility for the incident.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Louisville native to R&B singer Bryson Tiller, born in 1993.  At 15 years old, Bryson began writing and recording his music.  His debut single titled “Don’t,” peaked at 13th on the Billboard Hot 100.  His debut studio album Trapsoul reached number eight on the Billboard 200.  Before his fame, he worked at Papa Johns, making music part-time from his living room.

January 2, 1996, Governor P. Patton signed the death warrants of five individuals, for February 1, upon the request of Attorney General Ben Chandler.

January 2, 2001, Coach Smith’s unranked Cats beat Coach Crum’s unranked Cardinals 64-62 in Freedom Hall with 20,061 spectators.  Louisville (4-9) was off to their worst start in Denny’s 30 years.

January 2, 2005, Boone County High School product Shaun Alexander, after the Seahawks beat Atlanta, stated that Coach Mike Holmgren “stabbed him in the back.”  The reason for the statement; Shaun needed one more yard for the 2004-05 NFL Rushing Title and the Seahawks need one more yard for a touchdown with time running out.  Holmgren called a quarterback sneak for six points.  The Seahawks beat Atlanta 28-26.

January 2, 2006, #15 Louisville lost to #12 Virginia Tech, 24-35, in the Gator Bowl.

January 2, 2007, #5 Louisville defeated #12 Wake Forest, 24-13, in the Orange Bowl.  Jeff Brohm finished 24-for-34 for MVP honors.

January 2, 2008, Senate President David Williams used scary words like “crisis” and “quandary” in describing the pension funds for state retirees and teachers.  He stated legislators needed to resolve the issue or the state would go bankrupt.  In 2008, Kentucky had an $18 billion shortfall that affected 432,000 state employees and still does.

January 2, 2009, Kentucky defeated East Carolina 25-19 in the Liberty Bowl.  Coach Brooks won his 3rd bowl game a row.  Kentucky’s DT Ventrell Jenkins won the MVP.

January 2, 2010, Kentucky 71, Louisville 62, in Coach Calipari’s 1st game against Louisville.  The Cats had lost two years in a row to the Cardinals, and both teams played passionately.  Kentucky took an early 12-1 lead and never looked back.  Kentucky had its best start in 40 years at 15-0, and John Wall led the way.

January 2, 2013, #22 Louisville scored one of their greatest football victories and possibly the biggest BCS shocker when they stunned #4 Florida 33-23 in the 79th Allstate Sugar Bowl.  Sophomore Teddy Bridgewater slashed the nation’s No. 5 defense for 266 yards and two touchdowns in New Orleans’s Superdome.

On January 2, 2019, TVA announced the closure of their last coal-fired unit in Kentucky at the Paradise Steam Plant in Muhlenberg County, where commercial Kentucky coal mining began.  The power plant opened in 1950 with three coal units; in 2017, they shut down two.  Coal jobs in Muhlenberg County dropped from a high of 3,700 to 400.

On January 2, 2019, Pike County officials warned their landfill was running out of room with no plans or funds to cover an expansion.  The landfill took in 140 to 170 tons of trash a day.

January 2, 2020, former UK football star Houston Hogg an iconic player who integrated UK and SEC football passed away at age 71.

January 2, 2021, the Wildcats defeated the #24 Wolfpack in the 76th Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, 23-21.  Kentucky’s 3rd straight bowl victory followed the 2019 Citrus Bowl and then the Belk Bowl.  The last time Kentucky won three straight bowl games were 2006 to 2008, winning back-to-back Music City Bowls and Liberty Bowl.  This was Coach Stoops 5th straight bowl appearance earning a 3-2 record.

On January 2, 2021, Governor A. Beshear, late into the coronavirus endemic, “With more vaccines arriving in 2021, we have a new sense of hope, but right now, we must all continue to do our part to stop this virus including wearing a mask and avoiding large in-person gatherings.”  The virus is unstoppable.  Meanwhile, vandals spray-painted Mitch’s Louisville house.  They were upset the senate leader stopped the $2,000 relief checks, the amount many legislatures and almost all citizens wanted.

January 2, 2021, a Kentucky bred and Keeneland graduate won the GIII $100,000 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita.