June 1, 1789, Native Americans broke into the house of Edmond Stephenson in Madison County and wounded one person. A number of horses had been stolen prior.
Friday, June 1, 1792, Kentucky, with an estimated population of 100,000, officially became a state when the Kentucky State Act took effect . Under the Presidency of George Washington’s 2nd term, the Commonwealth became the 1st state west of the Appalachian Mountains and the 15th state in the young Union. It took Virginia’s consent, eight years of prep work, ten statehood conventions, and four Congressional enabling acts, to make it happen.
June 1, 1800, Kentucky’s 2nd constitution went into effect and went unchanged for 50 years.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Boyle County native John Marshall Harlan , The Great Dissenter , born in 1833.
June 1, 1850, Kentucky’s population reached 982,405 , a 26% increase from the 1840 census. The Commonwealth ranked as the 8th most populated state.
June 1, 1883, 489 persons died from cholera within two months . However, most of the deaths in Lexington occurred in the first few weeks of June. A house near Short Street had ten persons die in it; reportedly, a house of entertainment.
June 1, 1899, Constable Jim Beltzer, Leslie County Constable’s Office , died from a gunshot as he escorted a prisoner to the county jail.
June 1, 1900, Garrard County native, Carry A. Nation struck her 1st saloon to fight the evils of liquor . In 1880, Kansas residents voted for prohibition, but saloonkeepers primarily ignored the law. Carry tried to change that. First, she prayed in front of the saloons, and then she used rocks, bricks, and other objects for attacks; she later turned to the hatchet.
June 1, 1912, Patrolman J. Coleman Dawson, Owensboro Police Department , died from a gunshot while arresting a suspected horse thief just across the Indiana state line.
On June 1, 1916, Louisville native Louis Brandeis became the 1st Jewish associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court with a 47-22 Senate confirmation vote . Congress had always approved nominations on confirmation day; however, Brandeis’s opponents changed that. Hoping to embarrass Brandeis, the Senate held a public hearing on a Supreme Court nominee for the 1st time in history. They confirmed President Wilson’s nominee four months later. The Robin Hood of the Law staved off the corporate takeover of America by decades.
June 1, 1942, the 3-cent postage stamp commemorating the 150th anniversary of statehood went on sale in Frankfort . The motif printed in purple ink showed the Capitol’s mural of Daniel Boone and three companions overlooking the Kentucky River painted by Gilbert White.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Henderson County native Sam Ball , born in 1944. Sam played on the Super Bowl Champion (V) Colts.
June 1, 1952, Army CPL Earnest L. Vinson from Lewis County died in the Korean War.
June 1, 1953, Britain crowned Queen Elizabeth II . She took time to congratulate the British expedition that successfully scaled Mt. Everest for the 1st time three days earlier.
June 1, 1960, a former Food and Drug Administrator (FDA) told the press that he advocated for a shakeup of the FDA staff and news laws to drive dangerous or untested medicines off the market . The FDA and big pharma had exchanged employees for decades, causing significant conflicts of interests.
June 1, 1970, Marine Corps SGT Roe Hopson, Jr. from Milo in Martin County died in the Vietnam War.
On June 1, 1971, the Kentucky school system and Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s (KHSAA) drawn-out conflict came to a head when the schools threatened to sue . The schools claimed Blacks lacked representation on the KHSAA Board of Control.
June 1, 1974, Kentucky announced the number of new strip mine permits more than doubled in the 1st three months of 1974 . The coal boom was on.
June 1, 1981, the 1st Corvette rolled off the assembly line in Bowling Green.
June 1, 1982, Governor J. Brown, Jr. created Garden Week, for the 1st week of June.
June 1, 1992, Kentuckians celebrated 200 years of statehood .
June 1, 2008, Kenny Perry won the Memorial Tournament by two strokes over four others to capture the 10th PGA event; he earned $1,080,000. Kenny joined Tiger Woods as the only three-time tournament winner founded by Jack Nicklaus.
Under a new Kentucky law, effective June 1, 2009, drivers who didn’t understand English could not get a license . Meanwhile, scientists found the Emerald Ash Borer in Jessamine and Shelby Counties. The Commonwealth experienced a significant loss of ash trees in 2009 and the following years due to the invasive insect. On the national scene, President Obama nominated the first Hispanic to the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayer.
June 1, 2015, Viper native Jean Ruth Ritchie , folk singer, songwriter, and Appalachian dulcimer player, called by some the Mother of Folk , passed away in Berea at age 90.
On June 1, 2017, members voted golfer Marion Miley into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame . Meanwhile, President D. Trump withdrew America from the Climate Accord. In Lexington, the downtown Peregrine Falcon population doubled from three to six.
On June 1, 2018, President D. Trump tried to bolster the struggling coal-fired power plants, calling it a matter of national and economic security . In Frankfort, the Martin County Concerned Citizens, the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, and the National Food & Water Watch Group asked AG A. Beshear to investigate the Martin County Water District for corruption.
On June 1, 2019, Henry Clay High School graduate Anna Marie Gilligan received admission to West Point, the Naval Academy, and the Air Force Academy, a feat rarely accomplished . Meanwhile, Governor M. Bevin escalated his political feud with the Beshear family when he announced an investigation into Steve’s administration.
On June 1, 2020, the Kentucky Army National Guard shot and killed David McAtee, 53, in his popular Louisville restaurant during nationwide protests following the murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. The Guard and police were in the area to enforce a curfew. The police deactivated the body cams during the shooting, in violation of department policy; and an internal investigation showed the Guard did not have the authority to fire the first shot. The Louisville mayor fired the Police Chief hours after the shooting over the cameras.
June 1, 2022, after over four decades of chronicling every detail of UK basketball, Jerry Tipton announced his retirement effective July 1 . Jerry is a member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Hall of Fame, the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame, and the Marshall University Hall of Fame.
On June 1, 2024, many of our elected officials wished Kentucky, also known as God’s Country, a happy birthday.
