December 16, 1802, the 1st organized form of banking in Kentucky incorporated its 1st bank, the Kentucky Insurance Company. The bank failed in the general depression of 1818. The Squire’s Sketches of Lexington by J. Winston Coleman, Jr.; pg: 24
On December 16, 1811, at about 2:15 a.m., far Western Kentucky experienced the initial New Madrid earthquake , followed by quakes and aftershocks that continued through February 7, 1812. From Sam Terry’s blog, “Combined with the appearance of Halley’s Comet earlier in 1811 and the horrific Battle of Tippecanoe, the event was enough to cause many Kentuckians to believe the world was about to be devoured in a flame of fire and Judgement Day was soon to come.”
December 16, 1840, Bourbon County native Thomas Corwin became Ohio’s 15th governor .
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Stoney Point native, John Fox , born in 1862 in Bourbon County. As an author, John had many honors in his lifetime, including membership in the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1899 and a medal for his literary contributions from the Emperor of Japan. His dedication and lobbying led to the passing of the Federal Copyright Act.
December 16, 1897, Madison County native Lewis Garrard Clarke died a free man in Louisville . Clarke published the story of his life as an enslaved person in 1845 after he had escaped from Kentucky to become a well-regarded abolitionist lecturer throughout the North. His book was the 1st work by an enslaved person to be acquired by the Library of Congress and copyrighted; Narratives of the Sufferings of Lewis and Milton Clarke, Sons of a Soldier of the Revolution, During a Captivity of More than Twenty Years Among the Slaveholders of Kentucky, One of the So-Called Christian States of North America/Dictated by Themselves. His body lay in state at the Kentucky State Capitol on the order of Governor Bradley; and later buried in Westwood Cemetery in Oberlin, Ohio. The author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin based the character George Harris on Mr. Clarke.
December 16, 1908, Russell County lynched Elmer Hill , a white male, for alleged rape and murder. There were 135 documented lynchings in Kentucky from 1882 – 1921.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Paris native William Stephen “Bill” Arnsparger , born in 1926. Bill created two of the most distinctive defenses in NFL history: the famed “No-Name” and “Killer B’s” defenses for the Miami Dolphins. The 1st unit powered the only unbeaten season in NFL history in 1972. The latter took the Dolphins to the Super Bowl following the strike-shortened 1982 season.
December 16, 1929, Deputy Sheriff Thomas C. Tackett, Pike County Sheriff’s Office , died when he and another man investigated a car that was stopped in the middle of a roadway. As the two approached the car, Deputy Tackett’s friend observed one of the men inside the vehicle hiding a gun behind his back.
December 16, 1950, Kentucky played a much-anticipated game versus Kansas, the 1st time the two schools competed in basketball. Bill Spivey matched up against Jayhawks center Clyde Lovellette. The Wildcats won by 29 points as Spivey outplayed Lovellette in what he later called the best performance of his college career. After one steal, he drove to the Kansas basket for a slam dunk, a rare feat for Kentucky basketball, as Rupp instructed players not to dunk during games.
December 16, 1951, Air Force 1LT Lawrence B. Kelly from Louisville died in the Korean War.
December 16, 1955, Kentucky courts outlawed separation of races in public parks , the 1st time the state’s highest court declared such practices unconstitutional. The ruling came in a Louisville case.
December 16, 1970, in the ongoing legal turf battle over the 1968 Kentucky Derby disqualification, the Kentucky State Racing Commission announced they would appeal a court decision that gave the winner’s purse to Dancer’s Image.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Grayson native Jason Smith, born in 1977. Jason is a self-taught professional chef and reality TV star best known for winning the Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship.
December 16, 1981, Kentucky dedicated the Bat Cave and Cascade Caverns State Nature Preserves in Carter County . The preserve consists of two tracts totaling 146 acres that house and protect the federally endangered Indiana Bat, with wintering numbers estimated at 28,000.
December 16, 1985, hitmen shot and killed Paul Castellano, head of the Gambino Family, the nation’s most powerful mafia family, in midtown Manhattan . Paul was about to walk into a restaurant when the three men pulled guns from their trench coats and opened fire.
On December 16, 1992, the Commonwealth released the Kentucky Rivers Assessment , the first comprehensive source of information about the state’s many rivers and streams. The report identified the best fishing holes, river bottoms for farmers, and much more.
On Wednesday, December 15, 1998, Tim Couch and Craig Yeast poised for pictures to hype the January 1, 1999 Outback Bowl against Penn State. We lost 26-14.
On December 16, 2003, Jenkins native Gary Ronnie Stewart passed away . The musician and songwriter is known for his distinctive vibrato voice and his outlaw country sound influenced by Southern rock. At the height of his popularity in the mid-1970s, Time Magazine described him as the “King of Honkytonk.” He had a series of country chart hits from the mid-to-late 1970s; the biggest was She’s Actin’ Single I’m Drinkin’ Doubles , which topped the U.S. country singles chart in 1975.
December 16, 2004, Neon native Martha Carson, born Irene Amburgey, passed away .
Saturday, December 16, 2006, Tubby Smith’s Cats defeated Pitino’s Cards 61-49 in Freedom Hall ; both teams were unranked. Jodie Meeks scored 18, and David Padgett had 16 for Louisville. Kentucky now won three Dream Game wins in a row.
On December 16, 2007, Lexington allowed people to buy wine, bourbon, and beer on Sundays beginning at 11 a.m. In December 2023, the city allowed retailers to start selling at 6:00 a.m.
December 16, 2009, Steven Troxell, 21, died in Sloans Valley Cave in Tatesville in Pulaski County . Steven died of blunt force trauma, and crews worked for hours to recover the body. According to Pulaski officials, the cave system is one of the longest in the world and is one of the most treacherous caves to explore.
December 16, 2015, the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center coordinated with the Kentucky Blues Society to teach fifth-graders at McNeill Elementary School, in Bowling Green, about the Blues.
December 16, 2019, a three-week online auction that offered more than 80 pieces of glass art blown by protégés and friends of Stephen Rolfe Powell ended . All proceeds from the auction benefited the Stephen Rolfe Powell Memorial Fund to ensure that the hot glass program he developed at the Centre College would continue at a high level. The auction featured distinctive pieces inspired by the iconic Maker’s Mark bourbon bottle design.
On December 16, 2020, at the beginning of the vaccine rollout, Thomas Massie and the head of the Center for Disease and Control (CDC) talked on the phone about misinformation the agency was providing the public. The CDC claimed the vaccine was highly effective for people who already had tested positive for coronavirus. Massie told the CDC, “You are giving people the impression that the vaccine will save your life or lessen the suffering, even if you’ve already had the virus and recovered.” Neither Pfizer nor the Moderna data proved this to be true, and the CDC’s Captain Amanda Cohn agreed that people with coronavirus shouldn’t rush to get vaccinated.
The big question on December 16, 2021, was why were seven Graves County inmates working in a candle factory along with 100 other citizens during the collapse caused by the tornadoes.
On December 15, 2022, Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell clashed over government spending once again. “This brings upon us the lie that Republicans are fiscally conservative,” Paul told the press. “We have completely and totally abdicated the power of the purse. Republicans are emasculated, they have no power, and they are unwilling to gain that power back.” Mitch’s devotion to the Uniparty was unwavering, proven by his devotion to his corporate donors.
On Saturday, December 15, 2023, #14 Kentucky defeated #9 Tar Heels in Atlanta 87-83. Today, Kentucky is #1 in most games won, 2,398. Kansas, with 2,393, passed UNC with 2,372.
