On March 8, 1777, Native Americans set fires to isolated cabins around Fort Harrod to draw the settlers out . Some settlers fought through the woods and made it to the fort, with four settlers wounded and one killed.
March 8, 1775, locals had only built 55 cabins outside the walls of the Lexington Fort. The History of Pioneer Lexington by Charles R. Staples, pg: 6
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Wayne County native Preston Hopkins Leslie , Kentucky’s 26th Governor, born in 1819. Preston Leslie was born in Clinton County, Kentucky (then a part of Wayne County). He worked with his father on the family farm until 1835, then supported himself with odd jobs, including driving a stagecoach, running a ferry, and being a store clerk.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Lexington native Mary Deshea , born in 1850; a founder of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
March 8, 1880, workers completed the Cincinnati-Southern Railroad through Kentucky over much heated opposition by L&N. Today in Kentucky History by Robert A. Powell pg: 28
March 8, 1898, Murray native Nathan B. Stubblefield received patent #US600457A for the electric battery.
March 8, 1908, Flemingsburg native Herman “Ivory” Chittison, jazz pianist, passed over .
Tuesday, March 8, 1910, Georgetown College hosted State University, Lexington (UK), and lost 24-23 in Buell Armory Gymnasium.
March 8, 1918, the 1st Kentucky High School basketball Tournament took place at Centre College in Danville. Lexington High School beat Somerset to win the championship.
March 8, 1919, the University of Kentucky basketball team lost to Miami of Ohio 38-14 in the Buell Armory Gymnasium under Coach Andrew Gill. From the Lexington Herald , “In the second half the University of Kentucky five failed to score a single point, while Miami men threw eight field goals and two fouls.”
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Park native, Louie Broady Nunn , Kentucky’s 52nd governor, born in 1924. Park is located in Barren County.
March 8, 1922, Kentucky authorized Murray State College as a teacher training institution . It would gain university status in 1966.
March 8, 1951, Virgil Munday Chapman passed over after an automobile accident in Washington D.C. The Middleton native died representing Kentucky as the 34th Class II U.S. Senator.
March 8, 1951, the following died in the Korean War:James I. Burns from Pike County Willie l. Collier from Floyd County Allen Higgs Jr. from Daviess County John J. Magda from Camp Taylor in Jefferson County Irvin H. Packo from Christian County William T. Wirotzious from Jefferson County
March 8, 1953, Army PVT Clifford E. Sizemore from Whitley County died in the Korean War.
March 8, 1961, President John Kennedy met with Kentucky Governor Bert Combs , center, and Senator John Sherman Cooper, right, to discuss aid for the depressed Appalachian coal region.
March 8, 1968, Army SP4 Larry R. Redmon from Salvisa in Mercer County died in the Vietnam War.
March 8, 1969, the following died in the Vietnam War: Alfred E. Alvey Jr. from Morganfield in Union County Jewell C. Blankenship from Hopkinsville Christian County Emrath P. John from Lexington Paul E. Garrett from Bowling Green in Warren County Paul D. Haydon from Louisville John R. Hornsby 19470113 from Paducah McCracken County
Sunday, March 8, 1970, a small boy found the body of a well-known Bullitt County teacher , who had been missing for six days, in his family barn. William Paul Kidd died execution style by a 22-year-old kid who shot him four times in the head. The killer served a life sentence in Florida for another murder.
On March 8, 1971, Muhammad Ali (31-1) fought Joe Frazier (27-0) in Madison Square Garden . In The Fight of the Century, the two men split an unprecedented $5 million purse for history’s richest and most publicized bout. Ali called Frazier an Uncle Tom. Frazier fumed and trained like never before. Frazier won a unanimous 15-round decision in one of the fiercest fights ever while handing Ali his 1st loss.
March 8, 1971, Army 1LT John D. Hale from Brandenburg in Meade County died in the Vietnam War.
March 8, 1976, Kentucky Senate Bill 150 designated the Kentucky coffee tree as the official tree of the Commonwealth. Today, the state tree is the Tulip Poplar.
March 8, 1983, Richmond indicted five city officials over bribery charges after the city started a discussion on extended drinking hours.
March 8, 1986, Coach E. Sutton and the UK Wildcats beat Alabama , 83-72, in the SEC Tournament finals at Rupp Arena in Lexington.
March 8, 1991, Marine Corps CPT Reginald Underwood from Lexington died fighting in the Desert Storm.
March 8, 2000, after a lengthy debate in which some lawmakers shared their emotional ties to tobacco , the House approved a compromise bill to divide much of the settlement money among counties instead of placing it in one pile to prop up agriculture.
March 8, 2014, Santa Anita Park hosted the GII $300,500 San Felipe Stakes for three-year-olds.
March 8, 2018, Pearse Lyons, the Irish-born Kentucky billionaire who founded the international agribusiness and beverage giant Alltech, died at age 73 . Pearse and his wife, Deirdre, started the company in their Lexington garage.
March 8, 2019, standing under a new Bevin/Alvarado campaign sign , with a Marine Corps fighter jet behind him, V.P. Mike Pence talked at the Bluegrass Airport to support Governor M. Bevin’s reelection. President Trump also sent his full endorsement.
Sunday, March 8, 2020, Kentucky announced three coronavirus cases, bringing the total to four in Harrison, Fayette, and Jefferson Counties . Simultaneously, the Surgeon General told the public, “Masks do not work for the general public.” Also, on this day, Dr. Fauci stated on 60 Minutes “people should not be walking around with masks on.”
March 8, 2021, for the 1st time in a year, Lexington students returned to middle and high schools where they practiced virus protocols . These included temperature checking, masks, desk shields if requested, contact tracing, wiping desks, and SOP for students entering and leaving classes.
March 8, 2022, Russia, Russia, Russia; the xenophobia continued as America built its case for war. President J. Biden announced America would stop importing Russian goods while closer to home, we learned that the state’s public pensions had $62 million invested in the foreign country-Russia.
On March 8, 2023, following a comprehensive investigation , the Justice Department announced the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) and the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government (Louisville Metro) engaged in a pattern or practice of conduct that violated the U.S. Constitution and federal law. Specifically, the Justice Department found that LMPD:
Conducted searches based on invalid warrants;