January 30, 1777, George Rogers Clark, John McClelland, Robert Patterson, Captain Edward Worthington, Robert Todd, and others, with their families, arrived to reinforce Fort Harrod . They had survived an attack at McClellands’ Fort in Georgetown and knew more fighting would be inevitable. Historical Sketches of Kentucky: History of Kentucky , Volume II by Lewis Collins
January 30, 1861, John W. Stevenson, representing the 10th district in the U.S. House, denounced radical Republicans in a speech the Dictionary of American Biography called the most notable of his career. He blamed them for not following many compromises on the table and ensuring the civil war. Stevenson would go onto be the 25th governor then the 18th Class II U.S Senator.
January 30, 1872, Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia, the son of Russia’s Czar, arrived in Louisville . The following day, he visited Mammoth Cave. He arrived in New York on November 21, 1871, escorted by the Russian Navy. Two days later, President Grant received him at the White House. The highlight of his trip was his big buffalo hunt in Nebraska on his 22nd birthday after he left Kentucky. His entourage sailed from Florida on February 22 for the Far East. The press claimed he focused more on the “pretty girls and music” than his surroundings. Still, he did spend most of his time trying to get an understanding of the country.
January 30, 1885, Lexington ushered in a new era when the Lexington Hydraulic & Manufacturing Company provided water from Lake Ellersile on Richmond Pike to the new courthouse in downtown. The Squire’s Skethces of Lexington , by J. Winston, Jr. Coleman, pg: 64
January 30, 1885, Oldham County native Richard James Oglesby became Illinois’s 14th governor . He served three non-consecutive terms.
On January 30, 1900, Deputy William S. Wright, Letcher County Sheriff’s Office , died from ambush by two Ku Klux Klan (KKK) members. The sheriff got caught up in a Klan war, protecting a woman and her son who KKK members had beaten. Two different governors pardoned both men.
January 30, 1910, Deputy Sheriff Gordon Givens, Bell County Sheriff’s Department , died while arresting a drunk miner.
On January 30, 1911, Bell County publicly hanged James White after being convicted of rape . The intellectually disabled young black man dated a 14-year-old while he was 16.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Elroy native Evelyn West, born in 1921 in Adair County. The adoring public knew her as Evelyn “$50,000 Treasure Chest” West or the “The Hubba-Hubba Girl.”
January 30, 1923, Special Policeman George Yaden, Corbin Police Department , died from a gunshot in Corbin’s Louisville & Nashville Railroad yards.
On January 30, 1925, while working to enlarge the Sand Cave’s small passage, Auburn native Floyd Collins became trapped in a narrow crawlway 55 feet below ground . The rescue operation to save Collins became a national newspaper sensation and one of the 1st major news stories reported using the new technology of broadcast radio. The rescue attempt grew to become the 3rd -biggest media event between the world wars.
January 30, 1926, Kentucky, coached by Ray Eklund, defeated Georgetown College, coached by Walter Hovater, 25-20 in Lexington’s Alumni Gymnasium . Winchester native Gayle Mohney received high-scoring honors for Kentucky with ten points.
On January 30, 1934, nearly 500 persons attended two balls in Lexington to celebrate President Roosevelt’s birthday and to aid the Warm Springs Foundation in treating Infantile-Paralysis sufferers. About 250 attended the Phoenix Hotel Ball, and the same amount enjoyed the Pythian Temple Ball on Main Street.
January 30, 1941, the UK Senate met in McVey Hall and approved the names of 121 candidates for degrees . These included 80 bachelor’s degrees and 41 advanced degrees. On February 2, the graduation ceremony took place in Memorial Hall, and UofL President Dr. Kent provided the commencement speech.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Louisville native Michael Dorris , who was born in 1945. The novelist and scholar became the 1st Chair of the Native American Studies program at Dartmouth College. His works include the novel A Yellow Raft in Blue Water (1987) and the memoir The Broken Cord (1989).
January 30, 1951, Harlan native, 1st Lt. Carl Henry Dodd , distinguished himself by going beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy during the Korean War. For his selflessness on this day, he received the Congressional Medal of Honor, from President Truman, later in the year.
January 30, 1953, Mrs. Mary Breckinridge, founder and guiding spirit of the world-famed Frontier Nursing Service, received the Kentucky Press Association’s Kentuckian of the Year award at a banquet at the Brown Hotel.
January 30, 1968, Army 1LT Lawrence D. Greene from Ft. Knox died in the Vietnam War.
January 30, 1972, on a frigid day, Lexington held its annual Bluegrass Day , where small businesses provided large discounts for shoppers throughout the city.
January 30, 1973, the Kentucky Public Service Commission told Columbia Gas of Kentucky to refund 114,500 customers and reduce rates dating back to 1971 . Meanwhile, Millersburg police captured four Bourbon County inmates after they overpowered guards and a lawyer. They stayed loose for 3 hours.
January 30, 1980, 61-year-old Claude Canada, a multimillionaire Pike County coal operator, died from his estranged wife’s shotgun at 3:00 a.m. in a Jessamine County farmhouse . Police charged Leona Canada, who sued him for divorce three weeks prior, with murder and they placed her in jail. She claimed Claude was going to “do away with” her and their 14-year-old son. Central Kentucky received seven inches of snow this night.
On January 30, 1992, Deputy Arthur Clay Briscoe and Sheriff Steve Bennett, Powell County Sheriff’s Department , died from gunshots while arresting a suspect with outstanding warrants.
January 30, 2000, an assassin shot Governor William Goebel 100 years ago to the day . He was sworn in on his deathbed a day after being shot and lingered three days before dying.
January 30, 2006, Exxon Mobil Corporation reported the highest profit in U.S. history : $10.71 billion for the 4th quarter of 2005 and $36.13 billion for the year. The high profits during the Middle Eastern Wars sparked renewed calls for legislators to tax oil companies and seek alternative energy methods. In 2021 Pfizer’s reported $24.3 billion in revenue .
On January 30, 2006, meteorologists reported the average temperature for January was 42.7 degrees , making it the 5th warmest Kentucky January in 111 years.
January 30, 2011, the world-famous Lipizzaner Stallions performed in Rupp Arena .
On January 30, 2019, the man who stole $900,000 when he drove off in an armored truck in Louisville on December 5, 2018, got caught in Connecticut trying to obtain a fake driver’s license. They found a majority of the cash nearby.
On January 30, 2020, Senator R. Paul challenged the U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice to read out loud, on national television, the alleged whistleblower’s name, whose complaint sparked Trump’s impeachment . Judge Roberts did not take the bait, and the stunt caused an uproar. This was the 18th day of the 1st impeachment trial.
On January 30, 2023, Governor A. Beshear tweeted , “Our public school system is experiencing a dangerous teacher shortage and we need to take action. I joined @KASAEdLeader to discuss my Education First Plan, which would provide a 5% pay raise, student loan forgiveness and universal pre-K to addresses these challenges head on.”