Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Squire Maugridge Boone Jr. , born in 1744. Daniel’s younger brother was a pioneer, long-hunter, soldier, city planner, politician, land locator, judge, politician, gunsmith, and miller. In the Spring of 1779, after the siege of Boonesborough, he moved his family to the settlement at the Falls of the Ohio that would become Louisville. In 1780, he brought 13 families to “Painted Stone,” a tract of land in Shelby County and established Squire Boone’s Station, the county’s 1st permanent settlement.
On October 5, 1818, Nancy Hanks Lincoln died at age 34. Her nine-year-old son Abraham assisted his father in making her coffin by whittling the wooden pegs that held the planks together. Nancy’s daughter, eleven-year-old Sarah, cared for Abraham until their father remarried the following year.
On October 5, 1839, the second contest between Wagner and Grey Eagle took place at the Oakland Race Course in Louisville, five days after the original race . The Jockey Club supplied the $1,500 purse and 10,000 people attended. Racing enthusiasts made the long trek across the mountains from the Atlantic seaboard; to Louisville, led by Henry Clay. Grey Eagle won the first heat; Wagner the second. The intense excitement consumed the track for the third heat, but the race never finished. Grey Eagle gave way in the second mile, broken down and never raced again.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Newport native Thomas Pollock Anshutz , born in 1851. An American painter and teacher known for his portraiture and genre scenes, Anshutz co-founded The Darby School. One of Thomas Eakins’s most prominent students, he succeeded Eakins as director of drawing and painting classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.
Tuesday, October 5, 1852, Thomas White and Benjamin Johnson, both of Lexington, dueled at 5:00 p.m . on the Scott/Fayette line near Donerail on the James K. Duke Farm. Double-barreled shotguns were used, each loaded with a single ball at 40 yards. “At first fire, White fell, the ball passing through his brain and killing him instantly.” Both men were Transylvania students. Famous Kentucky Duels by J. Winston Coleman, Jr.; pg: 144
October 5, 1890, Eckstein Norton University at Cane Springs, Bullitt County, opened with twenty-four students and sixteen teachers . By 1911, it had provided aid to 1,794 students and had graduated 189. Governor Augustus E. Willson appointed one of the graduates, Juliet Carson Alvis of Henderson, to represent the state at the Negro Educational Conference. In 1912 the university merged with the newly established Lincoln Institute at Simpsonville.
On October 5, 1895, Kentucky State College (UK) opened its football season with a win against the Frankfort Athletic Club. It would end the year with a 4-5 record. In seven of the games, no one scored.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Central City native Bernard “Peck” Hickman , born in 1911. He led Louisville to their 1st championship on a national level by winning the NAIB Championship in 1948 and the school’s 1st NCAA Final Four in 1959. From 1954 to 1967, Hickman doubled as head coach and athletic director, a position he would hold full-time until his retirement in 1973. One of Hickman’s last acts as athletic director was to hire UCLA assistant coach Denny Crum. Peck starred in Western Kentucky basketball, where he majored in physical education.
October 5, 1918, the Wildcats opened their season with a win over Indiana at home 24-7. The abbreviated 1918 season included three games under Coach Andrew Gill. The Wildcats went 2-1, losing to Vandy and defeating Georgetown.
On October 5, 1929, Kentucky played its first night game in Stoll Field, defeating Maryville 40-0. Harry Gamage coached the shutout.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Adrian Howard “Odie” Smith , born in Farmington (Graves County) in 1936. The family lived in a farmhouse with no electricity and indoor plumbing. The nickname “Odie” came from a Grand Ole Opry comedienne. Odie played on Rupp’s Fiddlin’ Five, who won the 1958 NCAA Championship and the gold medal in the 1960 Olympics. In 1966 he earned the MVP of the NBA All-Star game in an incredible performance that his peers and fans still have not forgotten.
On October 5, 1941, Louis Dembitz Brandeis from Louisville passed away. President Woodrow Wilson appointed Judge Brandeis to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1916 . Congress bitterly contested the nomination and branded him a radical reformer. However, they did approve the 1st Jewish man to sit on the high court. At the time, The New York Times described Brandeis as “a contender, a striver after change and reforms.” He spoke out against and ruled against corporate monopolies when he thought it necessary. America needs him more than ever.
October 5, 1946, Wallace “Wah Wah” Jones caught Bill Boller’s 11-yard pass for a touchdown during the UL’s 70-0 win over Xavier at Stoll Field. Jones, widely considered the greatest all-around athlete in UK history, played football and basketball for the Cats.
October 5, 1957, the Louisville Cardinals, under head coach Frank Camp, defeated Toledo 48-20 at the Fairgrounds Stadium with a light crowd of 6,500 . In Coach Camp’s 12th season, he earned Louisville’s 1st bowl bid, defeating Drake in the Sun Bowl. Leonard “Bones” Lyles led the nation in scoring, set records for points in a season, yards gained in a season, and most rushing yards in a career. The Cardinals averaged 38 points per game in the 9-1 season.
October 5, 1950, Army PVT Henry Jones from Perry County died fighting in the Korean War.
October 5, 1951, Army CPL Roscoe Borders, Jr. from Lawrence died fighting in the Korean War.
October 5, 1970, Decca released Coal Miner’s Daughter
On October 5, 1980, Philadelphia 76ers legend Julius Erving, aka Dr. J, soared over Milwaukee Bucks Harvey Catchings in an NBA exhibition game at Rupp Arena. In just the first eight minutes, the small crowd of 3,685 received a dose of vintage Dr. J.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Owensboro native Kevin Olusola , born in 1988. He is best known as a member of the band Pentatonix, who won the 2011 season champions of The Sing-Off . Before fame, he performed at Carnegie Hall when he was just 17 years old and went on to attend Yale University.
On October 5, 1992, the National Historic Landmarks added the Middle Creek Battlefield in Prestonsburg to their list. The Union Army won the January 1862 battle, with future President James A. Garfield commanding.
October 5, 1996, an impressive field of six went to post for Belmont Park ’s GI $1,000,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup.
October 5, 2005, Professor Gunnar Öquist, Secretary General of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, announced that Marshall County native Robert H. Grubbs won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry .
October 5, 2008, Army Sgt. William P. Rudd, 27, of Madisonville died in Iraq, fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
October 5, 2011, Charles Lewis Napier from Mt. Union passed away . Charles acted in film and television, and became well known for his supporting and leading roles as police officers, soldiers, or authority figures. He appeared in Philadelphia , Married to the Mob , The Manchurian Candidate , The Silence of the Lambs , Blues Brothers , Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and Rambo: First Blood Part II .
On October 5, 2014, Henderson native James Wyne Feix passed away. A fixture at Western Kentucky University (WKU) since 1949, he played sports and became an administrator, alum director, and overall WKU ambassador. As a senior in 1952, he played quarterback and became WKU’s 1st All-American, leading his team to the school’s 1st OVC football championship and 1st bowl game appearance. WKU defeated Arkansas State 34-19 to win the Refrigerator Bowl.
On October 5, 2016, Bobby Keith, who guided Clay County to the 1987 Sweet Sixteen championship and may have been one of the greatest basketball coaches in Kentucky, passed away after suffering a heart attack. He was 75. Keith was an absolute basketball genius. He guided his beloved Clay County Tigers for 27 seasons, leading them to win the 13th Region 18 times. His 767 career victories are fifth on the state’s all-time list with a career record of 767-125 (86%).
October 5, 2017, Keeneland Race Course announced $994,967 in uncashed winning tickets . The tickets were one year old or older and had to be claimed by November 1. The unclaimed money went to charity.
On October 5, 2020, President Trump, still infectious, made a dramatic return to the White House . He immediately ignited controversy by declaring that the nation should not fear the virus despite his illness and entered the mansion maskless. Meanwhile, Governor A. Beshear announced 543 positive cases in Frankfort and stated, “Are we willing to live for other people? Wearing a mask is inconvenient at most. Don’t test the virus. It can come for anybody.”
On October 5, 2021, the United Soccer League (USL) announced the addition of Lexington Pro Soccer as a USL League One expansion club, with play set to begin in the 2023 season. The club’s inaugural season will start in a local collegiate facility. In 2023, after years of scouting different locations, the team announced they would build a stadium in Athens, beside I-75. They completed the stadium in 2024.
October 5, 2022, in a sign of the times, a U.S. District Judge sentenced a 49-year-old Richmond man to 19 years in prison for his involvement in a large-scale fentanyl trafficking conspiracy. He got caught with 17 grams. While in jail, he conducted his drug business from the pay phones, which police recorded. Seven others from Central Kentucky received a combined 75 years for helping distribute the potent synthetic opioid.
On October 5, 2023, Governor A. Beshear got to give away another Big Check! He awarded an additional $2.1 million to 15 local governments to repair and update local roads.