Kentucky Trivia ● Kentucky Tweets

On March 18, 1813, Rebecca Boone passed over.  Her family laid her to rest in the Boone Family Cemetery overlooking Tuque Creek, on a farm owned by her cousin David Bryan in Missouri.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to William O’Connell Bradley, the 32^nd governor, born in 1847 in Garrard County.  Key Democrats backed him to become the 1^st Republican governor.

On March 18, 1859, a runaway slave wrote his former master, To Mr. Wm Riley Springfield, KY., Sir: I take this opportunity to dictate a few lines to you.  I am happy to inform you that I am in Canada in good health and have been here for several days.  He then gave his former owner a piece of his mind.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Beverly native Edgar Cayce, born in 1877 in Christian County.

On March 18, 1879, facing foreclosure, the Kentucky Association (a.k.a. Kentucky Racing Association or Kentucky Association for the Improvement of the Breeds of Stock) went up for sale.  Charles Green of St. Louis, MO, a trustee for the stockholders, purchased the track in 1901 for $1.00 plus other considerations.

March 18, 1925, a series of tornadoes swept across the Commonwealth.  Seventeen individuals lost their lives in Kentucky and around 750 in four neighboring states. It Happened Today In Kentucky History by Robert A. Powell pg: 31

March 18, 1966, Army PFC James S. Williams from Munfordville in Hart County died in the Vietnam War.

March 18, 1967, Tyrone Hobson’s rebounded shot with one second left capped off a wild last two minutes to give Earlington a 54-53 victory over Covington Catholic to win the 50^th Kentucky High School Basketball Championship.  Tyrone got to keep the ball.  Coach Rupp congratulated him after his semi-final round victory.

March 18, 1968, Army PVT William D. Price from Samuels in Nelson County, Army PFC Thomas R. Ramey from Tomahawk in Martin County and Army 2LT Jimmy L. Sherrill from Morgantown in Butler County, all died in the Vietnam War.

March 18, 1970, Army PVT Dorris W. Trainer from Hopkinsville in Christian County died in the Vietnam War.

March 18, 1971, Army SSG John R. Champlin from Hebron in Boone County died in the Vietnam War.

March 18, 1971, the WKU Hilltoppers defeated Kentucky in the NCAA Mideast Regional semi-finals 107-83 to advance to the Elite Eight.  Governor L. Nunn and 10,999 other fans filled the stands in Georgia.  WKU would place 3^rd in the tournament.

On March 18, 1972, Adolph Rupp coached his last game at UK, a 73-54 loss to Florida State in the NCAA Tournament.  He started in 1930 and had to leave at 70, the mandatory age for UK employees.

March 18, 1976, Kentucky finally ratified the 14^th Amendment; 107 years after the U.S. Government ratified it and eight years after Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination.  It granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States.  The Amendment officially freed the former slaves after the Civil War.

Kentucky Trivia:  Rep. Mae Street Kidd (D-Louisville) was one of three blacks, then in the Kentucky legislature, who filed the resolution in 1976 to finally pass the 14^th Amendment.

March 18, 1980, one of Kentucky’s great scam artists received four more years after talking his way out of jail in Christian County.

March 18, 1985, Capital City Communications bought ABC for $3.5 billion, at the same time Texaco closed their gas stations in Kentucky due to severe competition.

March 18, 1992, Sheriff Cecil E. Cyrus, Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, died while arrestting a suspect who had escaped during a rape trial.  Locals convicted the suspect of capital murder.

March 18, 1996, an employee for the state’s largest health insurance company told Frankfort lawmakers the 1994 Health reform law would drive up health insurance rates.  An actuary testified and vehemently disagreed.  No one suggested the health insurance employees’ salaries drove up costs.

March 18, 1997, Gallatin County students gathered for a pep rally in the junior high gym to celebrate the high school ending a 38-year-old drought.  The Lady Cats returned as the girls’ Sweet 16 basketball tournament champions.  The only other Gallatin team to become state champions was Jock Sutherland’s boys’ team in 1959.

March 18, 2005, the average gas price in Kentucky reached $2.20 a gallon.

Scotty, an African elephant, born on March 18, 2007, at the Louisville Zoo, became the 1^st known elephant born in Kentucky.

On March 18, 2009, a congressional hearing addressed $165 million in bonuses given to corporate executives that caused the 2008 global financial crisis.  The hearings helped calm the public outrage over the amount of control corporations have, and still do, over the American government.

March 17, 2011, Demonte Harper drained a three-pointer from the top with 4.2 seconds left to give Coach Donnie Tyndall’s #13 Eagles a 62-61 NCAA tourney stunner over intrastate power #4 Louisville.

March 18, 2013, Kentucky’s Executive Branch Ethics Commission charged Richie Farmer with a record 42 state ethics violations, the most ever against a single individual in Kentucky state government; the previous high was 16.

March 18, 2017, Oaklawn’s GII $900,000 Rebel Stakes for three-year-olds was another Keeneland graduate trifecta.

Sunday, March 18, 2018, Covington Catholic defeated Scott County 73-55 for the 101^st Boys’ Sweet 16 State Basketball Championship in Rupp Arena with 12,637 fans watching. CJ Frederick received MVP honors.  He also picked up Gatorade Player of the Year and was a finalist for Mr. Basketball; however, Mercer County’s Trevon Faulkner took the honor.

March 18, 2021, Governor A. Beshear announced Kentuckians over 16 years of age could receive the vaccine starting April 12.  He also announced, “the state would dramatically ramp up its vaccine rollout in the coming weeks, in time to immunize all willing adults by the end of May.”