On March 28, 1775, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs for the Southern District wrote Lord Dartmouth and stated the importance of stopping Henderson’s enterprise.
March 28, 1777, Shawnee Chief Blackfish attacked Fort Boonesborough again, killing two men. Blackfish kept his forces around the fort to harass the settlers until at least May 6.
March 28, 1795, one of the last recorded skirmishes between Native Americans and colonists in Kentucky occurred at the salt works and Cherokee burial grounds on Goose Creek in Clay County.
On March 28, 1861, Cassius M. Clay declined President Lincoln’s appointment as Minister to Spain; however, Abe persuaded him to accept the post of Minister to Russia.
March 28, 1871, the 1st execution in Louisville in three years, occurred when Thomas Smith (colored) hanged in front of 7,000 people for killing a white male. He prayed incoherently and begged for a little more time before he died. The body stayed in view for 20 minutes.
On March 28, 1872, locals incorporated the small town of Beatty as Beattyville from land that Samuel H. Beatty donated many years earlier.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Lexington native Mary LeGrand Didlake, born in 1878. UK’s 1st female valedictorian in 1895, worked in the Department of Entomology from 1891 until her retirement in 1957.
March 28, 1923, Deputy Sheriff Kelly Walker, Leslie County Sheriff’s Office died from a gun shot as he and other prohibitions officers served warrants at a home to search for illegal stills.
On March 28, 1928, Charles Lindbergh landed in the original Lexington airport near the Meadowthorpe neighborhood. When the public discovered the secret that he had visited a friend, 3,000 people showed up to watch him take off the next day.
March 28, 1937, Lexington native Marion Miley came close but lost the Augusta Invitational Golf Tournament in Georgia while 2,000 fans followed the players.
March 28, 1949, Woodvale Farm’s lightly regarded Halt came from far back to nip Johns Joy at the wire to win the $20,000-added Blue Grass Stakes. Halt, trained by Kentuckian Woody Stephens, placed 5th in the Kentucky Derby.
March 28, 1950, WHAS aired T-Bar-V Ranch Time for the 1st time. Randy Atcher, the beloved singing cowboy, entertained children on television for two decades.
March 28, 1953, Army PFC Clyde Branham from Pike County died in the Korean War.
On March 28, 1962, Muhammad Ali (12-0) fought Don Warner (12-6-2) in Miami Beach Convention Hall. Warner was a two-handed puncher who had a good record of wins inside the distance. “He was a tough left hooker from Phily, said Dundee, Ali’s trainer. Clay said Warner, 22, would go down in the 5th round; however, Ali sent a bloodied Warner through the ropes in Round 4. The press asked Clay why he took him down in the 4th. Ali stated, “Because he wouldn’t shake his hand during the weigh-in.”
March 28, 1967, Marine Corps LCPL Larry C. Dye from Bowling Green died in the Vietnam War.
March 28, 1968, Army PFC Douglas F. Loudenback from Ashland died in the Vietnam War.
March 28, 1969, Army 1LT Alvin C. Schulte from Louisville died in the Vietnam War.
March 28, 1970, Army PFC Darrell Smith from Manchester in Clay County died in the Vietnam War.
On March 28, 1974, the Senate passed, and later President Nixon signed, a .25-cent hike in the minimum wage to $2.00 an hour. One sitting congressman said it was three years too late.
Tuesday, March 28, 1978, click to see 7,000 Kentucky basketball fans packed into the Blue Grass Airport terminal to welcome home the Wildcats after they had won the 1978 NCAA National Championship in St. Louis’s Checker Dome Monday night.
March 28, 1979, the U.S. Register of Historic Places accepted the Dinsmore Homestead. In 1839, James Dinsmore purchased approximately 700 acres in Boone County, growing grapes, raising sheep, and growing willows for a basket-making business. Construction ended in 1842. The Dinsmore family’s connections reached people like George Washington, James Bowie, Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, Benjamin F. Goodrich, Henry Cabot Lodge, John Jacob Astor IV, Theodore Roosevelt, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
On March 28, 1980, the Kentucky Senate imposed stricter penalties for the possession and sale of marijuana. As time was running short, the legislators also voted to increase the gas tax and permitted local governments to sell property that had been seized by police. Furthermore, after 100 days in office, Governor J.Y. Brown proposed the idea of succeeding himself.
On March 28, 1986, Rupp Arena hosted the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament. The Final Four contenders included Texas, Tennessee, Western Kentucky, and USC. Texas came out on top on March 30. This would be WKU’s 2nd Final Four appearance.
March 28, 2002, the state accused a former Kentucky bridge inspector of soliciting bribes from companies painting the Kennedy Bridge. He pleaded guilty to violating a federal anti-corruption statute.
On March 28, 2007, Pulaski County native Jack Daws intentionally put his “Counterfeit Penny Sculpture,” made of gold, in circulation at Los Angeles International Airport. Jessica Reed, a graphic designer and coin collector, discovered it in Brooklyn 2.5 years later. “Most counterfeiting takes something that is nearly worthless and turns it into something perceived to have value. Mr. Daws did just the opposite. He took value and turned it into one cent.
March 28, 2010, President Obama landed in Afghanistan for a surprise visit to the troops.
March 28, 2011, President Obama told the American public the U.S. intervention in Libya was needed to stop Moammar Gadhafi.
On March 28, 2014, UK defeated Louisville 74-69 to advance to the Elite 8 and eventually the championship under Coach Calipari. Meanwhile, Keeneland applied for 600 instant racing machines, some for themselves and The Red Mile. The famed race course wanted to build an entertainment facility to house the slot-like terminals and be up and running by 2015.
March 28, 2015, Kentucky defeated Notre Dame 68-66 in Cleveland to advance to the Final Four. Karl-Anthony Towns scored a game-high 25 points. This would make four Final Fours in five years, the longest span in the school’s history. Wisconsin defeated UK and Duke won it all. Kentucky has not been back since.
March 28, 2016, Tyrone Booker, Jr., died on the streets from a gunshot to the back. In 2015, Tyrone and three others received a $1.5 million settlement from the city from the “Misidentified 4” lawsuit.
On March 28, 2018, President Trump went to the EPA with coal miners and signed an executive order to roll back President Obama’s Clean Power Plan that cut carbon emissions from power plants. Unfortunately, the order did little to help the fledgling industry.
On March 28, 2019, as Ivanka Trump toured the Georgetown Toyota plant with Governor M. Bevin, Frankfort lawmakers pushed through a batch of new corporate tax breaks on their last day of work.
March 28, 2021, the General Assembly continued to pass bills limiting Governor A. Beshear’s power, the governor continued to veto them, and the Assembly continued to override his vetoes. The bills targeted his alleged “abuse of emergency powers,” claiming they went far beyond the pandemic.
On March 28, 2022, Ukraine’s President Zelensky declared its neutrality, wanted to compromise contested areas, and have a face-to-face meeting with President Putin to end the war.
On March 28, 2023, sports gambling caught everyone’s attention, and Matt Jones kept a close eye on it. Governor A. Beshear placed the first bet ($20) in September 2023 on an NCAA football game.
On March 28, 2024, Kentucky State Parks gave a well-deserved shoutout to Rosetta Hurd.