Kentucky Trivia ● Kentucky Tweets
On May 30, 1806, Andrew Jackson and Charles Dickinson, two Tennesseans, crossed the state border to settle their differences in one of Kentucky’s most famous duels. It started over a horse bet and woman issues. They met at Harrison’s Mill on the Red River in Logan County, where they stood eight paces apart and then turned and fired. Jackson’s first shot misfired, and according to the code duello, he should have stooped shooting. Re-cocking his gun, Jackson fired and killed his opponent. Although Jackson’s wound was not fatal, he suffered chronic pain from the wound for the remainder of his life.
May 30, 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act became law and divided the United States of America.
Tuesday, May 30, 1899, Half Time defeated two others in 24th the running of the Preakness Stakes, going 1 1/16 miles in 1:47 to earn $1,580. Half Time ran 2nd in the Belmont five days earlier and skipped the May 4 Derby.
May 30, 1904, Deputy Sheriff James Day, Letcher County Sheriff’s Office, died by a gunshot while attempting to arrest four men for dynamiting a river.
May 30, 1906, H.P. Whitney’s Burgom’r won the 40th Belmont Stakes. J.E. Madden’s colt finished 2nd and J.R. Keene’s entry finished 5th. The winning connections earned $21,700 for going 1 3/8 miles in 2:20. Burgom’r skipped the May 2 Derby and the May 22 Preakness.
On May 30, 1907, Peter Pan led wire to wire to win the 41st Belmont Stakes. The colt earned $21,765, defeating four others in the 1 3/8 miles test. Officials did not record a time. Peter Pan missed the May 6 Derby and the May 21 Preakness.
On May 30, 1908, J.R. Keene’s Colin won the 42nd Belmont Stakes. Officials did not record a time, but he did earn 21,765 for 1st place. Owners A. Belmont and J.E. Madden finished 2nd and 3rd respectively. Colin did not run in the Derby or Preakness.
May 30, 1922, Chief Justice William Howard Taft dedicated the Abraham Lincoln Memorial and presented it to President Harding. In 1911, President Taft signed the bill to create the statue.
The Memorial under construction, July 1916
Photographer UnknownMay 30, 1924, Chief of Police Porter White, Evarts Police Department, died by a gunshot while questioning several men who had come into town. The men were waiting in line at a fortune-telling tent when Chief Porter asked where they were from.
May 30, 1925, Deputy Sheriff Jesse Ferrell, Pike County Sheriff’s Office, died from a gunshot while serving a warrant for bootlegging.
On May 30, 1930, while UK held its 63rd annual commencement ceremonies, farmers assessed damage after a heavy frost in Central Kentucky. Meanwhile, Bobby Jones won his 1st major with a British Amateur victory.
May 30, 1941, Town Marshal Marvin “Jack” Triplett, Lackey Police Department, died from a gunshot by the former town marshal who had held a grudge against him. The former marshal had also been charged with murdering Marshal Triplett’s stepfather.
May 30, 1950, Louisville native Gus Bell made his MLB debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
May 30, 1951, Army CPL John Stanley from Martin County died in the Korean War.
Friday, May 30, 1952, General Lucius Dubignon Clay, the principal commencement speaker for the 962 UK graduates, promoted revolutions to overthrow communist dynasties. The general, who was at the end of his militay career, didn’t think an intrusive foreign policy would create endless wars.
On May 30, 1962, the Shakertown Restoration Project concluded a significant purchase when they secured three tracts of land with 11 minor structures. The project now owned all the buildings in the historical village except for the store and the church, which was under contract for October. Meanwhile, Lexington Police arrested two men with one pound of marijuana. Police estimated the weed would bring $100 on the streets.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Ashland native Wynonna Ellen Judd, born Christina Claire Ciminella, in 1963.
May 30, 1970, Army WO1 William H. Stepp from Inez in Martin County died in the Vietnam War.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Fort Campbell native Charlie Hall, born in 1973.
May 30, 1978, one year and two days after the fire, a New York woman filed the final lawsuit in the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire. The 255 plaintiffs sought nearly $2.8 billion dollars.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Owensboro native Roger Lee Haydon, born in 1983. Roger is a professional motorcycle racer and the younger brother to 2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden and AMA Superbike Championship rider Tommy Hayden.
On May 30, 1996, Woody Harrelson spoke at Kentucky Industrial Fiber Hemp Conference in Simpsonville. He also talked to the 5th grade class of the city’s elementary school, where he told them hemp was good and why.
May 30, 1996, Holly Bull won the Met Mile by 5½ widening lengths in 1:33.98. Jimmy Croll made an inspired decision and diverted his colt from the Triple Crown trail for Belmont’s Met Mile. The three-year-old would get a weight break and only carry 112 lbs. It was his 1st race against older horses, and he earned a stratospheric 122 Speed Figure. He became the 6th three-year-old to win the famed race.
May 30, 1998, several people took Somerset police up on their offer to swap guns for Beanie Babies at the local mall. During the three hour exchange, 19 guns were turned in to be destroyed.
May 30, 2007, Army CPL Joshua M. Moore 20, of Russellville, died in Baghdad fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
May 30, 2014, Rev. James Schook, 66, a convicted child molester lost his final bid to stay out of prison. The dying catholic priest went from the court room to prison ending another sordid chapter in the Louisville Archdiocese’s priest-abuse scandal.
On May 30, 2016, many Northern Kentucky residents turned up at the Cincinnati Zoo to show concern for Harambe, a 17-year-old endangered gorilla. Unfortunately, a zoo employee shot the caged animal after some parents enabled their child to enter the cage.
On May 30, 2018, as Governor M. Bevin worked to implement the nation’s 1st work requirements for Medicaid, a former Lexington St. Joseph Hospital employee faced a judge after illegally steering hospital construction projects to a con artist.
May 30, 2019, a judge ruled that the foundation that billed patients and collected millions of dollars for UK HealthCare doctors is a public agency and must turn over documents under the Kentucky Open Records Act. Meanwhile, the Federal government cut off payments to the Pineville Hospital in Bell County after a seething inspection.
May 30, 2020, demonstrators gathered in Lexington and Louisville for two nights in a row to show solidarity with other protestors around the country to end police violence. Governor A. Beshear called out the National Guard in Louisville to restore peace while the mayor issued a dawn-to-dusk curfew.
May 30, 2021, Kentuckians began discussing Governor A. Beshear’s legacy related to his coronavirus policies. Everyone seemed to have a party line comment, about his popular “Beers with Beshear” podium updates to recording license plate numbers of churchgoers. Meanwhile, the Federal Highway Administration added Old Frankfort Pike to their acclaimed National Scenic Byways list.
On May 30, 2022, Dr. Anthony Fauci told Americans the coronavirus was here to stay and that everyone would get regular boosters in the future like that of the annual flu shot. This new attitude marked a change from Dr. Fauci wanting to “defeat” the virus since it first appeared.
