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TODAY IN KENTUCKY HISTORY

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Scottsville native Emma Guy Cromwell, born in 1865 in Simpson County.  Emma was a suffragist, women’s rights activist, and early female politician.  She became the 1st woman to hold a statewide office in Kentucky when elected State Librarian in 1896 by one vote in the Kentucky Senate.  Later she won elections for Secretary of State and Kentucky State Treasurer.  She also served as State Park Director, State Bond Commissioner, and Director of Archives.

September 28, 1875, the Red Mile ran their 1st race, named the Lexington Stakes.  A small crowd witnessed Odd Fellow cross the finish line 1st.  Today, the Red Mile hosts the Kentucky Futurity, the 3rd leg in the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Trotters.  The track is the 2nd-oldest harness racing track globally and the oldest horse racing track in Lexington.  The historical track is one mile and made of red clay.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Waltersville native Harold Hurst, born in 1933 in Powell County.  Harold played under Coach Rupp for two seasons and won two SEC Championships.  In 1953, his first season, the Wildcats were also the Helms Foundation National Champions.  This team finished unbeaten 25-0.  Though they won the Southeastern Conference title and could have played in the NCAA title, they chose not to participate because star players Frank Ramsey, Cliff Hagan, and Lou Tsioropoulos had already graduated, thus making the team invalid.  The rule no longer exists.

September 28, 1934, Detective Sergeant Eugene M. Hagan, Louisville Police Department, died from a gunshot while on a stakeout investigating a series of holdups. 

September 28, 1941, just days after playing in the U.S. Women’s Amateur tournament, Marion Miley was brutally murdered in an apartment in the Lexington Country Club.  Miley was 27-years-old.  Her 50-year-old mother, Elsa Miley, was mortally wounded.  In an era of great amateurs, Miley had established a period of her own.

September 28, 1951, Marine Corps PFC Kenneth J. Boothe from Bracken County and Army PFC Robert L. Green from Bell County both died fighting in the Korean War.

On September 28, 1953, at 4:17 p.m., 22 persons perished in a chartered plane crash at Standiford Field.  The plane destination was Ft. Knox, with 38 soldiers on board.  Those aboard the crashed airliner, except the crew, were Puerto Rican.  Two crewmen died.

On September 28, 1960, UK held registration day at Memorial Coliseum.  “In three years, I have stood in many lines and waited on slow and disorganized people and systems, but this takes the cake,” said one student who spoke for 1,000s.  UK tried a new method using a series of IBM cards for each student.  The day was a disaster, said the tenured professor.

September 28, 1969, Army SGT Thomas J. Gabbard from Highland Heights in Campbell County died fighting in the Vietnam War.

September 28, 1971, Governor and Mrs. Louie B. Nunn held an auction at their Glasgow home.  Even though Kentucky’s First Family didn’t attend, Mrs. Nunn commented, “I would rather go to an auction sale than eat when I am hungry.”  Governor Nunn’s term expired in two months, and the family moved to Lexington.

September 28, 1976, Muhammad Ali (53-2) fought Ken Norton (37-3) in Yankee Stadium, New York.  Promoters offered Ali $6 million to fight Ken Norton for the 3rd time.  Ali knew it would be difficult, and it was.  Norton was well ahead after seven rounds, but Ali fought back and pulled even by the 14th round.  However, Norton’s corner thought he was ahead and they told him to stay out of trouble.  Ali won the 15th round and the fight.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Louisville native Sarah Wright, born in 1983.  Sarah is best known for her starring roles on Quintuplets and Marry Me.  She has also had recurring roles on Parks and Recreation and Mad Love. 

On September 28, 1993, Jamal Mashburn stated, “Everybody should have the same opportunity I had,” when he announced his $500,000 gift to UK to endow a scholarship program for needy youngsters.  The “Kentucky Excel Program” seeks to identify promising eighth-graders from low-income minority backgrounds and match them with a UK mentor.

Kentucky Trivia:  In the years after his retirement, Jamal built an investment portfolio that would make the average hedge fund billionaire blush.  Today, he owns over 100 food franchises, including Papa John’s, Outback Steakhouse, and Dunkin Donuts.  The UK basketball legend also owns five car dealerships, a waste management company, and even sits on the board of directors of newspaper chain McCLatchy.  He was also an early investor in a cannabis company.

September 28, 1994, proved that you may have to protest if you want something done.  One Hundred UK students marched into Chancellor Robert Hemenway’s office and demanded answers as to why he denied tenure to an architecture professor.  Two WVA radio stations started a ban on J.M. Montgomery records after he didn’t sign autographs for kids waiting in line for hours after a Pikeville Concert.  Lastly, many Harlan locals questioned a new paved road that led to the Harlan Country Club months after protesting potholes that lined their streets.

On September 28, 2000, the First Baptist Church of Frankfort voted to sever its 122-year-old ties to the Southern Baptist Convention, saying the denomination “moved dramatically away from…historical Baptist beliefs.”  The church is believed to be the 1st in Kentucky to leave the nation’s largest Protestant denomination since it revised its statement of faith in June.

On September 28, 2001, weeks after the Twin Towers fell, America acknowledged CIA operatives and military commandoes had entered Afghanistan to hunt Bin Laden.  Presidents Bush, Obama, and Trump kept the war going.  President Biden wanted a new war in Ukraine and exited so quickly and disorderly that he left $7 billion worth of military equipment behind.

On September 28, 2006, Kentuckian Joseph “Joe” Johnson received the Carnegie Medal for Heroism and $4,000.  Joe said he never considered himself a hero when he rescued Joshua Woosley from a burning car in Butler County.  The driver died and while Joe was saving a life, bystanders were yelling at him not to get close.

September 28, 2008, congressional leaders and President Bush agreed to bail out their donors/friends after a $700 billion losing streak on Wall Street.  The largest U.S. bailout in American history purchased billions of home mortgage-related assets held by cash-starved financial firms.  Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley made long-shot bets after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) loosened the net capital rule in April 2008.  When Barry became president in 2009, he gave Citigroup a $306 billion bailout in the 1st significant act of his presidency.

September 28, 2013, a Keeneland graduate exacta won Santa Anita’s GIII $250,000 Zenyatta Stakes for fillies and mares three-year-olds and upward.

September 28, 2017, an anonymous law enforcement official stated that Rick Pitino was Coach 2 in the FBI’s investigation of bribery in college basketball.  The complaint cited Coach 2 as a central figure in the recruitment sting operation, which rocked the UofL’s men’s basketball program and resulted in Pitino’s suspension as head coach.  Louisville placed Pitino on leave the next day and he lost his job in November.

On September 28, 2020, Governor A. Beshear reported another record week for positive tests and decried, “Too few citizens wearing masks are partially to blame for the state’s 3rd surge.  The virus is here, and it waits for us to get casual.  We have to do better; we have to act with urgency.”  Also, legacy media ran a headline that read, “UK students still party off-campus,” knowing that students didn’t abide by the arbitrary campus rules of social distancing and masks while off-campus.

On September 28, 2021, the Fayette County Public Schools board approved a new plan to address the transportation worker shortage, which all of America faced.  The board voted to pay stipends for drivers and monitors who showed up for work and they voted to pay a one-time payment of $200 to employees who got vaccinated.  Uncle Sam covered the cost, he just printed more coronavirus money.

September 28, 2022, Mitch McConnell projected big-time when he tweeted about the Uniparty.  McConnell has been the leader of the Senate Republican Conference since 2007, including as majority leader from 2015 to 2021, making him the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history.  He should not be complaining about waste, inflation, and the war on the middle class.  He is a significant cause of it all, with a bit of help from his friend, Nancy P.  Making them the most intelligent, longstanding, powerful, and corrupt duo in American History.

On September 28, 2023, James Comer announced he would hold the 1st hearing on the President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. impeachment inquiry.  Nothing ever became of it but a sideshow and Comer’s 15 minutes of fame, which he did not use wisely.  There are no more consequences in Washington, D.C., because if one falls, the rest go like dominoes.

On Thursday, September 28, 2023, Kentuckians could wager through mobile sports betting apps like Draft Kings and Fan Duel—a milestone event for the Commonwealth.  The Kentucky brick-and-mortar corporations started booking bets the following week.