March 8, 1775, locals had 55 cabins built 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, 1871, a Louisville court and all parties involved, allowed testimony from a Black man .
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.
Tuesday, March 8, 1910, Georgetown College hosted State University, Lexington (UK) and lost 24-23 in Buell Armory Gymnasium. It was the 8th season, the 67th game of the young school and 15th time they played the Georgetown, the first team Kentucky ever played.
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.
On March 8, 1933, Kentucky’s AG told his staff to stop working with Lt. Gov. Happy Chandler upon returning to the state. Acting governor Chandler took control and ran afoul while Governor Ruby Laffoon and the AG worked in Washington. Chandler managed to pardon three murderers and two barn breakers. He also commuted three life sentences to less than seven years for each man. He also shortened the sentences of four more murderers.
On March 8, 1943, Senator Happy Chandler, Chairman of the Military Affairs Subcommittee, spoke from Arizona and told the press that about 60% of the Japanese at an undisclosed prison camp gave their allegiance to the Emperor. “There is no question in my mind thousands of these fellows were armed and prepared to help Japanese troops invade the West Coast right after Pearl Harbor, but thanks to the FBI, they were rounded up immediately.” When asked, he declined to comment on how he arrived at the 60% figure.
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, 1967, Flemingsburg (Fleming County) native Herman “Ivory” Chittison died in Cleveland at 58. The jazz pianist wowed audiences on three continents and accompanied such musicians as Louis Armstrong, Pearl Bailey, and Ethel Waters. Some claim he is the best jazz musician from Eastern Kentucky.
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: Army CPL Alfred E. Alvey Jr. from Morganfield in Union County , Army SGT Jewell C. Blankenship from Hopkinsville Christian County , Army CPT Emrath P. John from Lexington , Air Force LtCOL Paul E. Garrett from Bowling Green in Warren County , Army PFC Paul D. Haydon from Louisville , and Army SP4 John R. Hornsby 19470113 from Paducah McCracken County.
On March 8, 1970, a child found the bullet-ridden body of a well-known Bullitt County school teacher in a barn stall. William Paul Kidd, a fifth-grade teacher, had been missing five days and was found dead from four bullets in an execution-style murder. Authorities believed he picked up a hitchhiker. They were right. The man who shot William served a life sentence in Florida for another murder.
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.
On March 8, 1986, Richard Madison, left, and Winston Bennett carried Coach Eddie Sutton off the court after the Cats’ victory over Alabama, 83-72, to capture the SEC Tournament in Lexington . Rupp Arena hosted the conference tournament thrice: in 1982, 1986, and 1993. The Wildcats won two tournaments, losing in the 1982 tourney finals by two points to Alabama.
March 8, 1990, police arraigned 38 people in Floyd District Court on cruelty to animal charges stemming from a weekend raid on an organized chicken fight in Minnie. The police had to. CBS’s 48-Hours aired a special chicken fight edition that focused on Floyd a few days earlier.
March 8, 1991, Marine Corps CPT Reginald Underwood from Lexington died fighting in the Desert Storm.
On March 8, 1995, HBO announced, and the Herald-Leader made it the top story on the front page, that Kevin Costner would star and direct in Kentucky Cycle , a play that won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It debuted in Seattle, Washington, and became the first play to win the Pulitzer that did not open in New York. It would have been Costner’s first directing gig, but HBO dropped Kevin, and it never happened.
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.
On March 8, 2005, on the last night of the General Assembly at the last hour, Frankfort legislators tripled the amount of money political donors can legally give to political parties and other state entities. The new law killed a 1992 finance reform bill aimed at private money. Governor E. Fletcher signed the bill days later.
On March 8, 2006, the House approved bills that would require youngsters under 16 to wear helmets while riding ATVs and prohibit them from riding in the bed of a pickup truck, with few exceptions: a truck on private property or children in a parade. Critics warned the bill infringed on private rights, while supporters claimed it would save lives.
March 8, 2014, Santa Anita Park hosted the GII $300,500 San Felipe Stakes for three-year-olds. The winner won the Roses in May.
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. Nothing helped, it was already a lost cause.
Sunday, March 8, 2020, Kentucky announced three coronavirus cases, bringing the total to four in Harrison (1), Fayette (1), and Jefferson (2) 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 and 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 Uncle Sam would stop importing Russian goods while closer to home, we learned that the state’s public pensions had $62 million invested the former Soviet Union.
On March 8, 2023, following a comprehensive investigation , the Justice Department announced the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) and the Louisville County Metro Government engaged in a pattern of conduct that violated the U.S. Constitution and federal law. Specifically, the Justice Department found that LMPD: