TODAY IN KENTUCKY HISTORY

Kentucky Trivia ● Kentucky Tweets

January 19, 1809, Henry Clay and Humphrey Marshall held their famous duel just across the Ohio River from Shippingport.  Marshall missed the first shot, and Clay lightly grazed Marshall’s stomach.  On the second shot, Marshall missed again, and Clay’s pistol misfired.  Marshall’s third shot lightly wounded Clay in the thigh, while Clay missed Marshall entirely.  Clay insisted that they both take another shot, but Marshall declined because Clay’s injury put him on unequal footing with his adversary, and the matter ended.  The dispute came from one of Clay’s resolutions.

January 19, 1820, Monroe County was created from Barren County and Cumberland County and was named in honor of James Monroe, President of the United States.  The county seat is Tompkinsville.  Other cities and towns include: Fountain Run, Gamaliel, Akersville, Alexander, Bugtussle, Center Point, Emberton, Flippin, Gum Tree, Hestand, Jeffrey, Lamb, Mount Hermon, Mud Lick, Persimmon, Rockbridge, Stringtown, Sulphur Lick and Vernon.  Monroe County was the 65th county created and covers 332 square miles.

1280px Map of Kentucky highlighting Monroe County.svg
By David Benbennick

January 19, 1822, James Garrard, a farmer, Baptist minister and Kentucky’s 2nd governor died.  He was so popular; Kentucky imposed term limits in the 1799 state constitution.  A 1992 amendment allowed governors to serve two consecutive terms.

January 19, 1856, Rowan County was created from Fleming County and Morgan County and was named in honor of John Rowan, Congressman from Kentucky.  Morehead is the county seat.  Other localities include: Lakeview Heights, Farmers, Clearfield, Cranston, Elliottville, Gates, Haldeman, Hayes Crossing, Hilda, Paragon, Pelfrey, Rodburn, Sharkey, Smile, Triplett and Wagner Corner.  Rowan County was the 104th county created in Kentucky and covers 286 square miles.

1280px Map of Kentucky highlighting Rowan County.svg
By David Benbennick

January 19, 1862, the Battle of Mill Springs took place in Wayne and Pulaski counties, near current Nancy.  Mill Springs was a rare January battle and the first significant Union victory, much celebrated in the popular press.  Union General George H. Thomas, still under a cloud of suspicion because of his southern birth, did not receive as much credit as he should have after the battle.  However, he later had Fort Thomas in Northern Kentucky named for him.  Confederate Brig. General Zollicoffer died in the battle. Union losses were 39 killed and 207 wounded, Confederate 125 dead and 404 were wounded or missing.

January 19, 1927, Lieutenant J. J. Estes, Lexington Police Department, was shot and killed while chasing a bootlegger on Kenton Street.  The suspect was sentenced to life and paroled in 1944.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Augustus Owsley Stanley III, born in 1935.  Owsley was the grandson of governor and Senator Stanley.

January 19, 1959, President Eisenhower recommended Congress appropriate $1,172,500 for Mammoth Cave National Park construction, including reconstruction of the entrance and headquarters roads. 

Saturday, January 19, 1963, Louisville’s city and county police announced they would begin to enforce the Sunday-closing Law.  Enforcement began with warnings and then summons.

January 19, 1966, Army SGT Claude W. Tharp from Bedford in Trimble County died in the Vietnam War.

January 19, 1968, Army CPL Bert D. Lefler from Eubank in Lincoln County and Army PFC Johnny W. Lindsey from Fredonia in Caldwell County died in the Vietnam War.

January 19, 1971, Army SP4 Glenn Ethington from Lexington died in the Vietnam War.

On January 19, 1979, the Kentucky Department of Human Resources paid the $105,000 of outstanding bills for Hopkinsville’s Pennyrile Manor Nursing Home, enabling the home to feed and supply heat and water to the residents.

On January 19, 1982, the Supreme Court upheld independent political-action committees’ right to raise and spend money in presidential elections.  Common Cause, the group that brought the suit, claimed that group spending limits were necessary to protect the presidency from “corrosive effects of large aggregations of financial power.”

January 19, 1987, Kentucky celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

January 19, 1994, the coldest temperature ever recorded in Kentucky happened when Shelbyville hit -37 Fahrenheit.

January 19, 1996, Jamie Walz, a Highlands female basketball player, set the Kentucky career scoring record by reaching 4,386 points.  Jamie surpassed Geri Grigsby of McDowell High School (74-77).

January 19, 1998, Kentucky celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

On January 19, 2004, Coach Tubby Smith and Dell Computers teamed up to provide computers to hundreds of disadvantaged children in Lexington.  By the time the program was over 2,000 children had computers.

January 19, 2004, Western Kentucky leaders announce their intentions to attract more doctors.  Three counties in the region only had one doctor each; Carlisle, Hickman, and Ballard.

January 19, 2004, Kentucky celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  In Lexington, marchers braved 20-degree temperatures to pay their respects to the Nobel Peace Prize winner.

January 19, 2005, Kentucky celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

January 19, 2006, Wilson Pickett died.  He was later laid to rest in in a mausoleum at Evergreen Cemetery in Louisville.  Pickett spent many years in Louisville.

January 19, 2009, Kentucky celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  King was born Michael King Jr.  In 1934, however, his father traveled to Germany and became inspired by the Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther.  As a result, King Sr. changed his own name as well as that of his five-year-old son.

On January 19, 2010, ignoring many leading lawmakers’ advice, Governor S. Beshear unveiled a two-year budget that depends on $780 million in revenue from slot machines at racetracks.

January 19, 2013, Gulfstream Park hosted the 42nd annual Eclipse Awards.  Wise Dan wins champion older male, champion turf male, and takes home Horse of the Year for 2012.  He is the first horse since John Henry in 1981 to sweep the three categories.

January 19, 2015, Kentucky celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

January 19, 2018, three people died and six injured when a tug boat exploded on the Tennessee River in Marshall County on a dock near Calvert City.

January 19, 2019, a Kentucky bred and Keeneland graduate wins Santa Anita’s GII $200,351 Palos Verdes Stakes for four-year-olds and upward.

January 19, 2020, Kentucky Route Zero, the name of an indie game that debut seven years ago, released their “final act.”

January 19, 2021, UK’s football field hosted medical personnel, for the first day, to give the coronavirus vaccines.