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TODAY IN KENTUCKY HISTORY

April 6, 1842, Charles Dickens arrived in Louisville on the steamboat Pike and spent the night in the Galt House as part of his travels through the Midwest.  He stopped at the Falls to meet and interview “Big” Jim Porter, The Kentucky Giant.

On April 6, 1862, Washington (Mason County) native Albert Sidney Johnston died in the Battle of Shiloh, the highest-ranking officer, Union or Confederate, killed during the entire war.  President Jefferson Davis believed the loss of General Johnston “was the turning point of our fate.”

On April 6, 1865, Louisville native Corporal John Hughey received the Medal of Honor for capturing the Confederate Army’s 38th Virginia Infantry’s flag during the Battle of Sayler’s Creek in Virginia.

On April 6, 1900, an exhausted Kentucky welcomed the Court of Appeals 6-1 ruling that the General Assembly unseated Gov. W. Taylor legally.  The deceased Goebel’s lieutenant governor, J. C. W. Beckham, ascended to the governorship.  During his short term as governor, Taylor made a few appointments and issued a few pardons.

April 6, 1908, the Carnegie Corporation of New York granted Lawrenceburg $5,800 to build a new public library.  Today it is the Anderson County History Museum.

Kentucky Trivia:  The Carnegie Corporation of New York gave 27 grants for Kentucky libraries.  Twenty-three were public and four were academic libraries totaling $101,500.  

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Burkesville native William Marrion Branham, born in 1909.

April 6, 1917, America, led by President Woodrow Wilson, entered into World War I.

April 6, 1919, Deputy Sheriff Richard Johnson, Harlan County Sheriff’s Office, died after answering a domestic disturbance in the Wisconsin Steel Company camp at Benham.

On April 6, 1919, the steamer Advance struck a snag puncturing an oil barge; the vessel caught fire and sank within minutes.  Shipping oil and gas continued down the Kentucky River from Lee County until pipelines came into play.  When that happened, the Kentucky River lost another source of income.  The Kentucky River by William E. Ellis, pg: 168

On April 6, 1920, the 6th Kentucky bank robbery of the year took place dramatically in Cave City.  At noon; two persons stole $8,500 after overpowering the bank’s president and shoving him into the vault.  The president stayed there until a teller returned from lunch a half-hour later.  The thieves escaped in an automobile.  A posse in motor cars gave chase toward Glasgow Junction, caught up to them but lost them after they abandoned the vehicle and took off on foot in Mammoth Cave National Park.  They later stole a horse and buggy from a farm in Hart County.

April 6, 1936, Universal Pictures released Flash Gordon.  Elizabethtown (Hardin County) native Charles Middleton played Ming the Merciless.

On April 6, 1938, Mr. Peter Bruner passed away.  Born an enslaved person in Winchester in 1845, he escaped at 19 after many attempts.  He traveled 41 miles to join the Union Army at Camp Nelson, making him a free man.  His escape to freedom, and his life as an enslaved person and soldier, are detailed in his memoirs written with the assistance of his daughter, A Slave’s Adventures Toward Freedom; Not Fiction, but the True Story of a Struggle.

April 6, 1942, Louisville’s two-mile-long Army Day Parade took place downtown.  The event showcased the newest fighting vehicles from Fort Knox.  Two brand new M-4 tanks took center stage.  They ended the festivities with a night War Rally, attended by Generals and civilian notables.

On April 6, 1949, the U.S. government stated that if used barrel-whiskey was transformed into new barrels and aged in the latter 24 months, it could be labeled as “straight” and claim age for the period in old and new barrels.  The department revoked the ruling after a united outrage from Kentucky.  The issue arose in 1948 when several distilleries couldn’t find new barrels for sale.

Kentucky Trivia:  While bourbon can be made anywhere in the US, to be called “Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey,” it must be at least 51% corn, be aged in new, charred oak barrels, and distilled and aged in Kentucky for at least one year.  The bourbon can only use water for flavoring; no other additives are allowed.  It must be bottled at a minimum of 80 proof, distilled to no more than 160 proof, and added to the barrel at no higher than 125 proof.

On April 6, 1950, Louisville set a new cold record when the temperature hit 28.3 degrees breaking the 1898 record of 28.4,

April 6, 1953, Marine Corps PFC Kenneth L. Beasley from Fordsville in Ohio County died in the Korean War.

April 6, 1963, Edward T. “Ned” Breathitt held a $25.00 dinner for his campaign workers in Freedom Hall called “Bucks For Breathitt Rally.”  Between 11,000 and 12,000 people attended to hear Ned.  Afterwards, he became the frontrunner in the Democratic primary and in December won the governorship.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Florida bred Dr. Fager, born in 1964.

April 6, 1971, Igor Stravinsky passed over, the most influential composer of the 20th Century.

On April 6, 1972, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew visited Fort Knox and stated that the U.S. involvement in Vietnam may be “the most moral act the United States ever performed.”  The following year he pleaded no contest to a single felony charge of tax evasion and resigned from office.  Nixon resigned in 1974.

April 6, 1989, Pikeville native John Paul Riddle passed over.  The pilot and aviation pioneer trained Allied air crews in WW2 and co-founded the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU).

April 6, 1993, Shelbyville native Lee Owen Tinsley made his MLB debut with the Seattle Mariners.

April 6, 1999, two volunteer firefighters, Kenneth Nickell (28) and Kevin Smith (30), died while battling a blaze at the Daniel Boone National Forest in Rowen County.

By April 6, 2002, Kentucky racetracks’ bid to expand gambling got further in the General Assembly than ever before, but it still fell short, thanks to a coalition of Kentucky churches.  Meanwhile, Turfway Park faced significant challenges, with attendance struggling to reach levels last seen in 1977.

April 6, 2007, Navy Chief Explosive Diver Gregory J. Billiter, 36, of Villa Hills, died in Iraq fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

April 6, 2007, Kentucky named Billy Gillispie its new head basketball coach and introduced him to a crowd of more than 4,000 fans at a Rupp Arena pep rally.  He replaced Tubby Smith, who left after 10 seasons to coach Minnesota.  Billy hung on for two.

On April 6, 2010, prosecutors decided to seek the death penalty for ex-Rep. Steve Nunn, 11 months and 26 days after he shot his girlfriend, Amanda Ross.

April 6, 2015, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced Kentucky coach John Calipari and Louie Dampier as members of the 2015 class.

 

April 6, 2015, Powderly native Jewel Franklin Guy, known professionally as James Best, passed over.  He is better known as Roscoe Tanner on the Dukes of Hazzard.  Powderly is located in Muhlenberg County.

April 6, 2016, Stopover (Pike County) native Donald Leon Blankenship received one year in federal prison for his role in the deadliest U.S. mine explosion in four decades.  At sentencing, the judge told the coal executive he was part of a “deadly conspiracy.”

On April 6, 2018, AP reported that Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), had cost taxpayers around $3 million for his security detail, which reportedly comprised 20 full-time members—three times the size of the former EPA administrator’s part-time security staff.  The Danville native lasted four more months.

April 6, 2019, Tennessee Tech named Paintsville (Johnson County) native John Leslie Pelphrey their 13th basketball coach.

April 6, 2019, a Keeneland graduate and Kentucky bred won the GII $1,000,000 Bluegrass Stakes.  Unfortunately, the winner finished 12th in the Kentucky Derby.

April 6, 2019, eleven went to post in Aqueduct’s GII $750,000 Wood Memorial, and a Kentucky bred won $400,000 for 1st place and later 3rd place Derby money.

On April 6, 2019, a Keeneland graduate exacta won the GI $1,000,351 Santa Anita Derby.  The winner finished 15th in May.  The 2019 Derby included a DQ with Country House taking the Roses.

On April 6, 2020, Kentucky’s streets, downtowns, highways, and airways remained silent.  Spring time public events and family gatherings were all canceled as the legacy media scared their listeners.  The state had tested 19,955 Kentuckians.  Covid-19 became the leading “cause” of death in the U.S.

On Monday, April 6, 2020, Louisville and Lexington began Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI).  Governor A. Beshear ordered in-person learning end until at least May 1. Teachers were available online, and they took attendance.  To get prepared, some schools offered drive-thru pick-up of materials.  Each of Kentucky’s 172 school districts made their own decisions and were originally offered 40 NTI days for the coronavirus.

April 6, 2021, the Capitol Police unsealed indictments against a Kentucky man connected to the 1/16/21 U.S. Capitol riots.  Clayton Mullins of Benton (Marshall County) had already been charged with attacking one officer; however, these new indictments entailed several other charges.

April 6, 2021, Forbes Magazine claimed a record 493 new billionaires joined their list propelled by a red-hot stock market and six unprecedented economic coronavirus stimulus packages.  At least 40 new entrants drew their fortunes from companies involved in fighting Covid-19, Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel and BioNTech cofounder Uğur Şahin.  Others got rich by making everything from PPEs, diagnostic tests to antibody treatments, and software that helps authorities schedule vaccination campaigns.

April 6, 2021, Alice Headley Chandler died at age 95.  The oldest of three children born to Keeneland co-founder Hal Price Headley and Genevieve Molloy Headley, she built Mill Ridge Farm, part of the original Headley Farm, into a major Kentucky breeding farm respected worldwide.

On April 6, 2022, Lexington reported the season’s 1st influenza death.  The 60-year-old victim had underlying health issues.  The Lexington Health Department claimed an average of ten people die from the flu annually.  In 2020 there were zero deaths, and in 2019 nine.

On Thursday, April 6, 2023, hours after New York fingerprinted Donald Trump as an accused felon and upon returning to his Palm Beach mansion, Senator M. McConnell stayed mum on his political nemesis.  Mitch was tight-lipped for most of Trump’s post-presidency when his relationship with the former White House occupant deteriorated, likely beyond repair.  Trump has consistently called for McConnell’s ouster as Republican leader.

On Saturday, April 6, 2024, a Kentucky bred won Keeneland’s GI $1 million Blue Grass Stakes.  The winner placed in the Kentucky Derby.

April 6, 2024, a Kentucky bred won Aqueduct’s GII $750,000 Wood Memorial Stakes.  The winner finished 6th in May.

On April 6, 2024, a Kentucky bred won the GI $750,000 Santa Anita Derby.  The winner ran 7th at the Kentucky Derby.  The Arkansas Derby winner, Mystic Dan, won the Roses.