Kentucky Trivia ● Kentucky Tweets
April 23, 1775, Richard Henderson called for an election for members to the “House of Delegates of the Transylvania Colony.” The new government met beneath a giant elm tree where Rev. John Lyth of the Church of England held the first official service in Kentucky.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Jefferson County native Dr. John Croghan , born in 1790. The good doctor helped establish the U.S. Marine Hospital of Louisville and organized some tuberculosis medical experiments in Mammoth Cave.
On April 23, 1818, Lexington’s John Boswell and Charles Durand from New York City dueled with pistols near Lexington. On the 1st fire, Boswell received a severe injury and died the next day; Durand only received a slight injury. The Squire’s Sketches of Lexington by J. Winston Coleman, Jr., pg: 31
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Lexington native Linda Neville , born in 1873. Ms. Neville led the eradication of trachoma in Kentucky. The disease resulted in blindness if untreated, and it affected 33,000 residents of the remote areas of Eastern Kentucky. After organizing eleven permanent clinics and several traveling medical units, her team eradicated the disease in 1952. She then went on to establish the Kentucky Society to Prevent Blindness.
April 23, 1889, Taylorsville native Jack Bellman made his MLB debut with the St. Louis Browns at age 25.
April 23, 1892, Special Policeman Philip H. Goins, Frankfort Police Department , suffered a fatal heart attack shortly after he and another officer arrested a man for disorderly conduct at a polling location during the Democratic Primary election.
April 23, 1906, Policeman George Pollard, Lancaster Police Department , was shot and killed by a man who he had just arrested. After posting bond, the man located Policeman Pollard and killed him.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to LaGrange native Jack Retherford Starkey , born in 1922. Buddy Pepper, as he was known on stage, was a pianist, songwriter, arranger, and actor. He wrote several songs for Universal Pictures films, including Mister Big (1943). In 1959, he wrote the title song for the Oscar-winning film Pillow Talk , which actress Doris Day sang during the opening credits.
April 23, 1926, City Marshal Hiram Gregory, Burnside Police Department , was shot five times and killed while attempting to arrest a man for being drunk in public.
April 23, 1930, the Kentucky Association ran three allowance tests for the 8th day of their Spring Meet . The Mt. Sterling limited to colts and geldings, the Danville for three-year-old maidens, and the Lawrenceburg for older horse going one mile and 70 yards.
April 23, 1938, Deputy Sheriff Horace Mulberry, Fayette County Sheriff’s Office , suffered a fatal heart attack while serving as a bailiff in a lengthy murder trial at the Fayette County Courthouse.
April 23, 1944, during a battle in WWII near Padiglione, Italy, Louisville native John C. Squires repeatedly braved enemy fire to carry messages up to reinforcements, fighting the Germans throughout the night and into the following day. He died in action a month later after having been promoted to Sergeant. He received the Medal of Honor posthumously.
On April 23, 1950, the Communists released two more Kentuckians . Vernon Bowling of Grayson in Carter County and Charles Dick of Spann in Wayne County. Pfc. Dick said ten men in his POW group died on their march to North Korea.
April 23, 1954, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th president from 1953‐1961, spoke at Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace in Hodgenville . An excerpt from the speech: “Senator Cooper, my fellow citizens: Long have I looked forward to an opportunity to visit this Shrine, which is so truly American. Now, never in my wildest moments did I picture in my mind this kind of occasion. I saw myself driving up in an ordinary jalopy, and stopping with my family to look and visit this great spot.”
April 23, 1959, Tommy Lee won the 35th running of the $32,550 Blue Grass Stakes by a half-length . Nine days later, Bill Shoemaker and his English-bred mount won the Kentucky Derby, becoming only the 2nd foreign-bred horse to win the Roses. However, he did not run in the remaining two Triple Crown races because his trainer didn’t like to run races so close together, so Tomy Lee went to California to rest.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Louisville native Jodie Mudd , born in 1960.
April 23, 1962, Bobby Nichols won the Houston Classic in a play-off over Jack Nicklaus . It made for Bobby’s 2nd PGA victory. His last one would be in 1974.
April 23, 1967, Army PFC Charles R. Nunn from Henderson died in the Vietnam War.
April 23, 1968, Army SP5 James W. Allen from Ashland and Army SP5 William G. Baney from Radcliff died in the Vietnam War.
April 23, 1971, nearly 1,000 people, predominantly young people, marched and rallied in support of the Billy Graham Crusade for Christ in front of the Fayette County Courthouse.
April 23, 1973, Trooper Joe Ward, Jr., Kentucky State Police , died when a vehicle struck him in foggy conditions while assisting at the scene of another accident.
April 23, 1981, Keeneland hosted the Blue Grass Stakes, and Spendthrift Farm accommodated the Lexington Ball . Mrs. C.V. Whitney, Mr. and Mrs. Widener, and many other socialites kicked up their heels after Proud Appeal kicked off a shoe, in midrace, on his way to the winner’s circle.
April 23, 1984, reflecting the attitude of the day toward drinking and driving , a 27-year-old Olive Hill man may have received the 1st life sentence in Kentucky for a murder conviction in an alcohol-related traffic accident. Ronald Lewis struck 8-year-old Brian Fraley as he stepped off a school bus in Rowan County.
April 23, 1996, locals found an Ashland doctor dead in a locked bathroom at King’s Daughters’ Medical Center with a hypodermic needle in his arm. The doctor had Sufentanil Citrate nearby, which is five times more potent than fentanyl.
April 23, 2000, Officer Jason Wayne Cammack, Kentucky State Police – Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division , died in a single vehicle accident.
April 23, 2001, the Boone Society, Kentucky Historical Society, and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet dedicated Kentucky Highway Historical Marker No. 2059 in memory of Edward Boone . Native Americans killed Edward close to the marker’s location.
April 23, 2006, Army SGT Robert W. Ehney, 26, of Lexington , died in Iraq, fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
On April 23, 2010, Vest locals talked about the issues they faced with the booming Elk population that Kentucky started 12 years earlier. From eating gardens and small trees to causing car wrecks, the herd almost reached 10,000, the goal state officials set.
April 23, 2016, Keeneland ran the GII $250,000 Elkhorn Stakes for four-year-olds and upward going one and one-half miles on the turf.
On April 23, 2018, Senator Rand Paul changed his mind and decided to vote for Secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo after President Trump lobbied the Senator hard. The Texas-born Kentucky Senator knew Pompeo was a war hawk who wanted to stay in the Middle East “forever.”
April 23, 2020, Kentucky’s coronavirus infection rate leveled off , according to the governor, who also said 302 Kentuckians were hospitalized, 163 in intensive care, and 1,335 people “recovered.” Meanwhile, UK announced they furloughed 1,500 hospital workers due to coronavirus-related revenue shortfalls. Many people had questions about what the recent trillion-dollar relief package was for. In good news, the shutdowns let road crews throughout Kentucky get caught up and ahead of schedule.
On April 23, 2021, the state announced their medical audit uncovered 17 more Covid-19 deaths than initially thought, along with the five persons that died on this day, the state’s total reached 6,403.