June 3, 1781, Captain John “Jack” Jouett, Jr., a Revolution War hero, rode 40 miles from Monticello to Charlottesville to warn Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and other legislators the British were coming. Jack rests in peace in Bath County.
The only known depiction of Jack Jouett made while he was living, a silhouette by his son, Matthew Harris Jouett Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Christian County native, now Todd County, Jefferson Finis Davis, born in 1808 . From 1821-24, he returned to Kentucky from Mississippi, where he studied at Transylvania University. In 1835, his 1st marriage took place in Louisville; however, his wife died three months later in Louisiana.
June 3, 1845, Cassius M. Clay’s anti-slavery newspaper The True American made its appearance on the Lexington streets with the motto: “God and Liberty” as its masthead. The Squire’s Sketches of Lexington by J. Winston Coleman, Jr. pg 42
On June 3, 1877, Jackson hosted a State Democratic Party convention ; an ill-tempered gathering marked by frequent gunfire and no accomplishments. Local feuds dominated the scene.
June 3, 1882, Boyd County lynched George Ellis, a white male, for rape and murder , around the 4th recorded lynching in Kentucky.
June 3, 1909, Franklin County lynched John Maxey , a black male, for murderous assault. According to one source, John became the 121st out of 135 lynchings in the Commonwealth.
June 3, 1939, Johnstown won the 71st Belmont Stakes over five others . They went 1 ½ miles in 2:29 1/3 and earned $37,020. Mr. A.B. Hancock bred the winner. Johnstown won the May 6 Derby but placed 5th in the May 13 Preakness.
June 3, 1941, Police Officer Glenn Scalf, Corbin Police Department , died when he arrived at a local business to investigate a domestic disturbance involving a man and his wife. As he walked inside, the man shot him.
June 3, 1944, Bounding Home won the 78th Belmont Stakes over six others . He became the 1st horse to win the Belmont after the same horse (Pensive) won the Derby and Preakness; all the previous ones who won the 1st two legs also won the Belmont. The 1 ½ miles went 2:32 1/5 and earned $55,000.
June 2, 1955, The Seven Year Itch starring Owensboro native Tom Yewell premiered
June 3, 1957, B.B. Hardin from Mt. Eden caught a Kentucky record White Bass in Herrington lake, weighing five pounds. He shares the record with Lorne Eli, who caught one in 1943 in Kentucky Lake.
Localtonians wish a Happy Anniversary to Martha Layne Hall and Billy Louis Collins , who wed in 1959. Billy, a Hazard native and Georgetown College graduate, met Martha in her hometown of Bagdad at Cedarmore Baptist summer camp, where they both worked.
June 3, 1968, Army SP5 David R. Squires from Louisville died in the Vietnam War.
June 3, 1969, Army SP4 Charles E. Moore from Pine Knot in McCreary County and Army PVT Billie W. Reed from Murray in Calloway County , died in the Vietnam War.
On June 3, 1970, a young boy raised by monkeys stayed in a hospital for his 1st night in Kenya . Farmers spotted the 8-year-old amongst a band of apes and watched one climbing a tree much slower than his counterparts. They gave chase and found a boy covered in hair. When placed in a lunatic asylum, he lost his body hair and learned to stand upright.
On June 3, 1976, a bomb exploded on a Jefferson County school bus in front of the driver’s home at the end of the 1st year courts ordered desegregation. The violence put Louisville on high alert.
June 3, 1977, a private investigating team concluded that a short circuit in an electrical cord for a fountain pump caused the Beverly Hills Super Club fire that killed 161 persons in May.
On June 3, 1981, three men in their 20s died, and two were injured in a mining accident at a Grays Knob Coal Company about four miles south of Harlan. Investigators pointed to poisonous gas that caused the tragic mishap.
June 3, 1993, Lexington country singer John Michael Montgomery made a music video at Austin City Saloon for his song Beer and Bones .
On June 3, 1997, Humana bought a Miami-based health insurer in a $400 million deal , making the Louisville-based organization the 3rd largest publically traded managed-care company behind Aetna and United Health Care. Health Insurance companies are as bad as it gets.
On June 3, 2000, Kentucky discussed using the world wide web to help them provide better customer service to Kentuckians . Aldona Valicenti, Kentucky Chief IT Officer, “I think the internet has the potential to fundamentally change the way we interact with government.”
On June 3, 2006, while Governor E. Fletcher announced his new running mate for his reelection campaign, his chief communications director, Brett Hall, resigned after a very long week during which he accused a faction of his party of undermining the doctor’s political career. He also used profanity during an interview with reporters, never a good idea.
June 3, 2012, the 59th WHAS Crusade for Children raised $5.2 million . As of 2012, the organization had raised more than $143 million since it began in 1954. One-hundred percent went to special needs children in Kentucky and Indiana.
June 3, 2016, Muhammad Ali died at age 74 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
June 3, 2018, the national E3 College Competition selected the “Appalachian Mining Town” game, developed by students at EKU, as one of five finalists for event . “It’s an incredible honor and I know all of us were surprised,” said Nick Tiemeyer, one of 15 students who developed the game.
June 3, 2019, Lt. Governor Jenean Hampton demanded answers after Governor M. Bevin’s administration fired one of her top staffers without her consent. “In the future, you are not to execute any personnel action involving my staff unless you have my express, written permission.” Governor M. Bevin made several questionable strategic decisions leading to his defeat in 2020.
On June 3, 2021, the government released Dr. Fauci’s emails sent during the pandemic’s beginnings through the Freedom of Information Act. Senator R. Paul tweeted that the emails vindicated his accusations about Fauci and asked again that he be fired.
June 3, 2022, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and Lonnie Ali, the widow of Muhammad Ali, and other prominent figures launched a campaign to have the U.S. Postal Service create a postage stamp bearing his image of “The Greatest” at a press conference at the Ali Center. As Ali once said, I should be on a postage stamp. That’s the only way I’ll ever get licked.”
On June 3, 2023, between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m., Cumberland Falls displayed its moonbow. This rare optical phenomenon occurs when moonlight refracts through water droplets in the air, resulting in a beautiful rainbow at night. There are only two places on the entire planet where you can consistently see a moonbow. One of those places is Victoria Falls, located on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe in the southern half of the African continent. The other location is Cumberland Falls, the only spot in the Western Hemisphere where this phenomenon occurs.
