On June 21, 1761, four men left Alexandria for Kentucky . They fought through the trackless western Virginian woods, across the deep stream, and over the mountainous crags to the rugged canyon of the Red River tributaries. For eight years, John Swift and his three friends mined, smelted, and left much of it behind for current-day treasure hunters. The Kentucky by Thomas D. Clark, pg: 33
June 21, 1781, Daniel Boone represented the new Fayette County in Virginia’s General Assembly and presented a petition to Virginia’s House of Representatives for Lexington to become an established town. It would take another year, but Lexington finally became official.
Localtonians wish a Happy Anniversary to President Zachary Taylor (25), who wed Margaret Smith near Louisville in 1810.
On June 21, 1875, the U.S. Postal Service issued a postage stamp in honor of President Zachary Taylor, who had died nearly 25 years earlier . Taylor’s family moved to Kentucky in 1785 when he was eight months old, 1st living on Beargrass Creek and later living at the family plantation, “Springfield,” in Louisville. Zachary lived in Kentucky twice as long as Abe and four times as long as Jefferson Davis.
June 21, 1893, Aristides passed away after winning the 1st Kentucky Derby 18 years earlier . Hal Price McGrath bred the chestnut with a white star and two hind stockings, foaled in 1872. Aristides raced 21 times with nine wins, five places, and one show. In 1988, Churchill Downs inaugurated the Aristides Stakes. They also placed a life-sized bronze statue of Aristides, by Carl Regutti, at the Clubhouse Gardens entrance as a memorial, one of two horse statutes on the grounds.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Ashland native Ann Rice O’Hanlon , born in 1908. She painted a mural that UK took down because it depicted enslaved people.
June 21, 1912, a particular refrigeration car built for the Lexington & Interurban Railway to ship products from the Elmendorf Dairy went into service . In 1905, James Ben Ali Haggin of Elmendorf Farm began expanding his dairy cattle herd to replace his thoroughbreds. Eventually, Haggin, in collaboration with UK, developed one of the nation’s leading “model” dairies. This collaboration led to the development of the modern dairy industry.
June 21, 1919, Man o’ War won the 7th running of the Youthful Stakes at Jamaica Park, going 5.5 furlongs in 1:06.60. His connections won $3,850 of the $5,000 purse.
On June 21, 1925, the public noticed the number of Kentucky women going in politics . Several Kentucky counties had women on the ballot where men neglected vital community issues.
June 21, 1930, Constable W. P. Damron, Pike County Constable’s Office , died from a gunshot while assisting two Kentucky game wardens investigating illegal fishing near Nigh.
June 21, 1940, Newport native and inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, John T. Thompson passed .
On June 21, 1946, five women and 13 men graduated from the College of the Bible in Lexington . The women received Masters of Religious Education degrees, and the men received Bachelors of Divinity degrees.
June 21, 1949, the University of Kentucky accepted enrollment of African-American students . Among the 1st to register were Augustus Mack, center, vocational agriculture teacher at Douglass High School, and to his left, Mrs. Arnetta Neal, Douglass elementary school principal. Both entered the UK graduate school for Masters Degrees in education.
June 21, 1952, Army PFC William M. Bennett from Hardin County died in the Korean War.
June 21, 1956, Governor A. Chandler appointed Robert Humphreys as a Class II Senator . After Senator W. Barkley’s death, the seat sat empty for 52 days. Robert only served 138 days.
June 21, 1957, Constable Arlin Elvis Curneal, Hopkins County Constable’s Office , died in an automobile accident while pursuing a speeding vehicle.
June 21, 1964, Southgate’s Jim Bunning pitched MLB’s 7th perfect game as a Philadelphia Philly, defeating the Mets 6-0 in the 1st game of a doubleheader at Shea Stadium . A father of seven children at the time, Bunning pitched his perfect game on Father’s Day. It was the 1st regular-season perfect game since 1922 (a perfect game occurred in the 1956 World Series). He faced 27 batters, no one reached base, struck out ten, and threw only 89 pitches or fewer than ten an inning. As the perfect game developed, Bunning defied the baseball superstition that no one should talk about a no-hitter in progress, speaking to his teammates about the perfect game to keep himself relaxed and loosen up his teammates. Bunning had abided by the tradition during a near-no hitter a few weeks before, determining afterward that keeping quiet didn’t help. South Portsmouth native John Stephenson was Bunning’s last strikeout of the game. He was the only person to throw a perfect game and serve in the U.S. Senate.
June 21, 1967, Army SSG Billy J. Watkins from Paducah died in the Vietnam War.
June 21, 1968, Army SGT William L. Law from Greenup and Marine Corps James L. Luttrell from Owensboro , died in the Vietnam War.
June 21, 1974, local officials held groundbreaking ceremonies for Lexington Center/Rupp Arena .
June 21, 1975, Ruffian won the Coaching Club American Oaks (GI).
June 21, 1980, Lexington’s WTVQ-TV, Channel 62, left the air for 24-hours and returned as Channel 36.
June 21, 1987, Dayton native Todd Benzinger made his MLB debut for the Boston Red Sox.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Lawrenceburg native Tyler Childers, born in 1991.
June 21, 1999, Conservation Officer Bernard Dean Ratliff, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources , suffered a fatal heart attack after participating in his agency’s physical fitness program.
June 21, 2000, for only the 3rd time in Kentucky history , the Judicial Conduct Commission removed a state judge, District Judge William R. Woods, from his bench.
June 21, 2004, Marine Lance CPL Deshon E. Otey 24, of Hardin, died in Iraq fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
June 21, 2008, Andy Pelphrey from Stambaugh caught a state record Blacknose Dace weighing 0.008 lbs. in Hood Creek in Lawrence County.
On June 21, 2023, the 24-year-old Houston woman at the center of an intricate web of fraud that nearly cost Lexington $4 million entered a guilty plea in federal court. The charges included conspiracy to commit money laundering, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft. She had the money electronically but was never able to spend it.
