Kentucky Trivia ● Kentucky Tweets
June 20, 1778, Daniel Boone arrived back at Fort Boonesborough after being held captive for approximately five months by the Shawnee . He made the brave escape from his capture when he became aware of their plan to attack Fort Boonesborough, and his arrival was critical in preparing for the violence. After a few miles, Boone abandoned his horse and made the rest of the way on foot. He covered over 160 miles in four days, eating only one meal and a bit of jerked venison en route. For ten days, the fort was a beehive of activity. The pioneers reinforced the main gates, stockades, and the posts between the outer cabins. No attack came, but it did lead directly to the Great Siege of Fort Boonesborough in September. A History of the Daniel Boone National Forest, 1770-1970 by Robert F. Collins; pg: 101
June 20, 1854, locals changed the name of the county seat of Perry County from Perry Court House to Hazard . The town and county were named for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the hero of the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812.
June 20, 1892, Del Mar Race Track in St. Louis, Missouri , became the 1st to conduct a meeting under electric lights.
June 20, 1914, Luke McLuke defeated two others to win the 46th Belmont Stakes , going 1 3/8 miles in 2:20 and earned $3,025 and a $250 plate. Jockey Merritt Buxton carried 126 lbs. to win his only Triple Crown race. James R. Keene bred the colt at Castleton Stud.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Lawrenceburg native Anna Mac Clarke , born in 1919.
On June 20, 1923, the two-day Good Roads Tour began in Hazard . One Hundred and eighteen Lexingtonians left Hazard carrying messages of goodwill, good roads, and good cheer from the Bluegrass to the mountains. By the day’s end, the men had visited Haddix, Jackson, Beattyville, Ravenna, and Irvine. From Irvine, the special train went to Winchester and switched to the main line of the L&N Railroad, and headed to Lynch.
June 20, 1925, Roger Ward Babson, an American entrepreneur, economist, and business theorist, predicted that the kitchen would become extinct in the average American home of the future and common cooking utensils would only be in antique shops. He felt the new era with modern machinery would revolutionize housekeeping for women.
June 20, 1930, the U.S. House appropriated $5,325,000 for a “Drug Farm” in Fayette County . The lawmakers designated 5,000,000 for land and the remainder for preliminary work. They snuck in $25,000 for Mammoth Cave. The Senate voted next.
June 20, 1931, the people of Barbourville for a state park donated to the Dr. Thomas Walker State Historic Site.
January 20, 1950, Audubon Country Club, Owl Creek Country Club, Pastime Boat Club, Big Spring Golf Club, and other private Louisville clubs removed their slot machines overnight, at least temporarily, due to a feud between the Sherriff and County Judge. Many establishments ignored the spat and continued to gamble without fearing repercussions.
On June 20, 1960, Richmond police arrested a Lexington man for driving while drunk , fined him $100, and released him. He also paid $25 for not having a valid license. Meanwhile, two other Richmond men received ten days in jail for being drunk.
On June 20, 1967, the federal government arrested Kentuckian Muhammad Ali in Houston for refusing induction into the U.S. armed forces.
June 20, 1970, Army SGT Melvin N. Rutherford from Nicholasville and Army SP4 Billy R. Sargent from Williamsburg in Whitley County , died in the Vietnam War.
June 20, 1975, seventy-seven women arrived at Fort Knox to begin coed training, a 1st for the U.S. Army base.
June 20, 1980, the Federal Election Commission’s quarterly report stated that 60 Kentuckians had already given the maximum $1,000 donation to their favorite presidential candidate in the 1981 race.
On June 20, 1984, Pat Day set a Churchill Downs record for the most wins on a single card when he won seven of eight races in which he rode . He had won five races at the track five times in the past 14 months. Two other riders had brought home six winners, Jimmie Lee in 1907 and Steve Brooks in 1948, but no rider had ever posted seven wins. Day lost only the 4th race, while aboard Hatchet Job, to a horse named Pat’s Rullah. The record was tied in 2008 by Julien Leparoux.
June 20, 1991, eight hundred coal companies allegedly tampered with coal dust samples intended to protect miners and received a record $6.5 million in fines. Kentucky mines earned $1.4 million in penalties, 2nd behind WVA.
June 20, 1995, Churchill Downs announced they would conduct the nation’s 1st test of an in-home wagering system . Kentucky was chosen because it was one state that already allowed betting by phone. The Kentucky Racing Commission approved the partnership between Churchill and Tulsa-based On Demand Services with reservations about who would share the profits. Alex Waldrop, chief counsel for the track stated, “We think this is the wave of the future.”
June 20, 2005, The Kentucky Theatre’s Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ located in Lexington became the official theatre pipe organ of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
June 20, 2010, Governor S. Beshear sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Education asking to become the 1st state to police themselves in regard to education standards .
June 20, 2014, the members announced they would induct Larry Seiple into the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame .
June 20, 2018, while Franklin Circuit Judge Philip Shephard struck down Kentucky’s controversial new public pension law and told Governor M. Bevin he could not implement it, one of Kentucky’s oldest houses in Paris would be torn down unless someone bought it. Revolutionary War Captain James Wright built his structure in 1791.
June 20, 2020, the 152nd Belmont Stakes started the 1st leg of the 2020 Triple Crown Series due to the coronavirus . Tiz the Law, backed by Sackatoga Stable and Barclay Tagg, became the 1st New York-bred to win since Forester in 1882. The winning connections campaigned the 1st New York-bred to win the Kentucky Derby in 2003.