June 27, 1778, George Rogers Clark’s army of about 200 faithful followers landed on nearby Owen’s Island at Falls of Ohio. A small hunting party appeared soon afterward, giving valuable information about the Kaskaskia. Clark recruited them and proceeded under severe hardship to defeat the British and save Illinois Country for the U.S.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Louisville native Mildred Jane Hill, born in 1859. Mildred composed the melody for Good Morning to All, later used as the melody for Happy Birthday to You.
June 27, 1860, Carleton Racetrack in Toronto hosted the Queen’s Plate’s inaugural running. The colt Don Juan earned 50 guineas with Queen Victoria’s blessing. It is the oldest continuously run race in North America.
June 27, 1899, Fulton County lynched Henry Stewart, a black male, for an alleged robbery and assault.
June 27, 1906, the Louisa – Fort Gay Bridge officially opened at 4 p.m., connecting two rivers (Levisa and Tug), two states (Kentucky and West Virginia), two counties (Lawrence County, KY and Wayne County, WV), and two towns (Louisa, KY and Fort Gay, WV).
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Blackford (Webster County) native Robert Allen Baker Jr., born in 1921. Robert was a psychologist, professor of psychology emeritus at UK, skeptic, author, and investigator of ghosts, UFO abductions, lake monsters, and other paranormal phenomena.
June 27, 1932, Calumet Farm recorded its 1st victory in a thoroughbred race when two-year-old Warren Jr. won by a nose at Arlington Park. He earned $850.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Kentucky’s 58th governor, Brereton Chandler Jones, born in 1939.
On June 27, 1940, the Republicans started to ballot for the presidential nod, as ten candidates made the nomination process. Convention Hall in Philadelphia hosted the convention, which promoted peace. F.D.R. would win again, and the war ended five years later. Meanwhile, in Kentucky, 150 took the Bar Exam, Mammoth Cave held a fish fry, and tobacco firms raised cigarette prices to .10 to .25 cents a pack.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Lexington native and horse trainer John Veitch, born in 1945. John won the Breeders’ Cup Classic with Proud Truth in 1985.
June 27, 1959, Chief of Police William Page Mason, Ravenna Police Department, died from a gunshot while attempting to make an arrest. The suspect was also shot and killed in the incident.
June 27, 1961, safety and medical leaders launched a campaign to put seat belts in every car. Studies showed you had a 7 out of 10 chance of being in one traffic accident in the next five years. In 1968, the federal government began to require lap and shoulder seat belts of all new passenger cars sold in the U.S. Kentucky got serious on July 15, 1988.
June 27, 1967, Marine Corps LCPL Kenneth R. Wright from Paducah died in the Vietnam War.
June 27, 1968, a truck overturned off U.S. 421 in Leslie County and spilled 5,000 pounds of fatty acid into Beech Fork Creek. The highly toxic acid killed all wildlife living in the water for an eight-mile stretch downriver. As a result, the state threatened to implement a 1966 law for the 1st time to recoup the cost of stocking/cleaning the pond from the truck company that caused the damage if they didn’t offer to make good.
On June 27, 1971, deadly chlorine gas leaking from a barge on the Ohio River in Louisville’s Rubbertown area killed one worker, injured 13 persons, and killed some trees and plants nearby.
June 27, 1972, Muhammad Ali (37-1) fought Jerry Quarry (43-5-4) in the Las Vegas Convention Center. Ali had little trouble in his second go-around with Quarry. By round 5, he told the ringside media and the crowd, “This is an easy way to make a living.” In Round 6, Ali decided to try to close him out, but Quarry remained on his feet. The fight ended early in round 7 after Ali, seeing that Quarry had nothing left, asked the referee to stop the fight.
On June 27, 1974, Fayette County approved funds for Henry Clay’s crumbling cemetery statute which had needed repairs for 30 years. In 1903, the head and shoulder toppled after a storm. However, the last repairs came in 1910 after lightning struck the right hand and part of the right leg.
June 27, 1980, the suspense ended when Commissioner Boyd McWhorter announced Kyle Macy as the SEC Athlete of the Year in Lexington. Eight-year-old Stephen Dawahare handed Macy a t-shirt as the All-American walked to the dais; the young man was a veteran of Kyle’s basketball camp. Florida’s football player Chris Collinsworth, whose dad played for the Basketball Cats, didn’t mind driving to the banquet and losing out to Macy.
June 27, 1986, jockey Kent Desormeaux rode in his 1st race ever, and finished 3rd aboard a $2,500 claimer named Ducknest Coal Mine, at odds of 35-1, in the 2nd race at Evangeline Downs.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Louisville native Dominique Hawkins, born in 1994, Kentucky’s 2013 Mr. Basketball.
On June 27, 1996, a housekeeper found John Elswick stabbed to death in his home close to Mt. Sterling (Montgomery County) in a gruesome scene. The housekeeper’s son and John’s widow pleaded not guilty when charged. Robin Elswick broke down and ratted on the killer. They both got 20 years each.
June 27, 1999, Police Officer Joey Tremayne Vincent, Greenville Police Department, died from a gunshot after being ambushed by a suspect to whom he served a mental health warrant on a week earlier.
June 27, 2007, Jockey Julien Leparoux, a 25-year-old native of Senlis, France, rode six winners from nine mounts at Churchill Downs.
On June 27, 2009, Rachel Alexandra won her 3rd GI of the year, the Mother Goose. She set the record for the fastest time and margin of victory, topping the great Ruffian.
June 27, 2017, Louisville native Chris Smith made his MLB debut for the Toronto Blue Jays.
On June 27, 2020, a Kentucky bred won the GII $500,000 Stephen Foster Stakes going 1 1/8 miles. The favorite won easily in a blistering 1:47.30, coming close to the 1:47.26 track record set 40 days earlier. The stands were empty, and the public would not return till September for the Kentucky Oaks.
On June 27, 2022, Matt Jones might have sent a few of his fans to the ER when he released the tweet below. The Canadian Shaivonte Aician Gilgeous-Alexander, also known as SGA, played one year as a Wildcat. His final college basketball moment was a missed three-pointer at the buzzer when the Cats lost to Kansas State by three in the Sweet 16.
On June 27, 2024, President Biden and former President Trump participated in their first debate, one of the lowest points in U.S. Presidential history. Following the event, Rand Paul tweeted, “In boxing, if you’re punch-drunk, the referee calls a TKO. It would be a blessing if CNN would call the fight now and put Biden out of his misery.” Biden withdrew from the race 24 days later. Trump won in November by promising Americans he would end the Ukraine and endless wars. However, in his first five months of his presidency, he bombed Iran, reneged on Ukraine, and picked a political fight with Thomas Massie, starting a Civil War inside MAGA.
