June 28, 1792, Kentucky created Logan County from Lincoln County and named it in honor of Benjamin Logan, Revolutionary War General. Russellville is the county seat. Other localities include Adairville, Auburn, Lewisburg and Olmstead. Logan County today covers 557 square miles and was the 13th county created.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Elizabethtown native John Young Brown, Kentucky’s 31st governor, born in 1835. Governor Brown signed two major pieces of legislation that progressed the women’s suffrage movement.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Hartford native James Earp, born in 1841 in Ohio County. James was the lesser-known older brother of Old West lawman Virgil Earp and lawman/gambler Wyatt Earp. Unlike his brothers, he kept a saloon and did not attend the gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
June 28, 1879, Brighton Beach Race Course opened at Brighton Beach on Coney Island, NY., by the Brighton Beach Racing Association. Real estate developer William A. Engeman placed the one-mile track behind his Brighton Beach Hotel.
By N.Y. Lith. Co. – Library of CongressSaturday, June 28, 1884, Washington Park held its inaugural race day. Forty thousand fans packed the Chicago roads leading to the new track. Ten gaily attired buglers sounded Boots and Saddles in unison before each race. The 3rd race featured an event that would quickly become one of the country’s biggest. The American Derby rivaled the Travers Stakes as the premier event in America for three-year-olds. Both races at the time were far more prestigious than the Kentucky Derby.
On June 28, 1895, Tom Smith hung on the courthouse lawn for killing a Dr. John Rader, in bloody Breathitt County.
June 28, 1920, “Democrats Prepared To Fight” read headlines across the country as the National convention opened in San Francisco. Much of the focus centered around The League of Nations, which officially formed six months earlier. WWI ended in 1918.
June 28, 1937, Patrolman Bert Hampton, Louisa Police Department, succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained the previous evening while attempting to arrest a drunk driver.
June 28, 1941, while Bracken County stayed dried by 235 votes, out of just under 3,000 votes, the IRS warned Kentucky farmers they had days to obtain a permit to grow hemp. Around 300 growers applied. Meanwhile, Madison County received the 1st hint the U.S. Army Depot would be coming to town.
June 28, 1951, Army PVT James W. Scolf from Fayette County died in the Korean War.
June 28, 1952, Army PVT James W. Phillips from Washington County died in the Korean War.
On June 28, 1955, Kentucky’s largest newspapers and the national press saw the 1st showing of Berea’s Wilderness Road at Indian Fort Theater, a symphonic drama of Southern Appalachia locals. ‘Wilderness Road is more than a pageant or acting; it is the spirit of right shining through the darkness of ignorance and prejudice.“
June 28, 1960, Dunmor in Muhlenberg County set a state record for rainfall with 10.4 inches.
June 28, 1977, Steve Cauthen, on his 1st day as a jockey, won with his 1st three mounts at Belmont Park.
June 28, 1979, Lexington native Edgar Hayes died after a successful jazz career.
June 28, 1980, between sips of diet soft drinks at the Long John Silver’s in Shelbyville, university officials resolved the Commonwealth’s most burning basketball question. Ending what he termed “one of the most emotional issues I’ve been involved in,” UK AD Cliff Hagan closed the deal along with Louisville’s acting AD Jack Lengyel. Ticket distribution and referees caused the most significant hurdles for the four games in a four year deal.
On Sunday, June 28, 1981, Lexington Herald-Leader‘s top story explained how two Kentuckians, on a golf course, first planned to profit off Americans’ being sick, on a Kentucky golf course. With help from their close friend, Mitch McConnell, it became an American tradition. The newspaper article glorified the two men’s riches. The 2nd story on the front page explained how the government wanted to reign in the cereal monopoly playing out in grocery aisles. They wanted the three large corporations divided into eight companies to bring down consumer costs. Of course, the monopoly stayed with a little help from the K Street players.
June 28, 1989, Arlington International Racecourse reopened in Arlington Heights, Ill., after a fire destroyed the old facility in 1985.
June 28, 2000, Fuchasi Pegaus, winner of the 2000 Kentucky Derby, sold for $72 million. Coolmore and Japan’s Shadai Farm split ownership 60/40. Unlike most owners, Mr. Sekiguchi gave up all future rights.
June 28, 2005, Thomas Dionysius Clark passed. In 1990, when the Kentucky General Assembly honored Clark by declaring him Kentucky’s Historian Laureate for life, Governor Brereton Jones described Clark as “Kentucky’s greatest treasure.”
June 28, 2009, Kenny Perry, 48, enjoyed his last and 17th PGA Pro tour victory at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut. Perry’s final round 63 brought him to 258 for the week which was the 4th best tournament score in PGA Tour history. He won $6 million.
On June 28, 2012, the Wildcats set an NBA draft record with six players picked in the 2012 NBA Draft. Anthony Davis became the 2nd UK player to be selected #1 overall, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist went #2 overall, becoming the 1st teammates in NBA Draft history to go 1-2 in the same draft.
On June 28, 2014, locals saw the farm census data for the Bluegrass State. We had 77,064 farms totaling 13 million acres; a family or individual owned 90%, and corporations only held 2.4%. A majority of farms had 50 to 179 acres. However, the average farm size was 179 acres. The bad news; Kentucky had the largest loss of land space between 2007 and 2012 than any other state.
On June 28, 2016, Donald Trump, at a steel mill in Pennsylvania, “Globalization has made the financial elite who donate to politicians very wealthy. But it has left millions of our workers with nothing but poverty and heartache. America became the world’s dominant economy by becoming the world’s dominant producer, creating the biggest middle class the world has ever known. But then America changed its policy, we allowed foreign countries to subsidize their goods, devalue their currencies, violate their agreements, and cheat in every way imaginable.” He aimed the insult at Bill, but Hilary had to deal with it. It must have resonated, Trump would be president in five months.
June 28, 2018, the U.S. Senate passed the 2018 farm bill, making hemp legal in the U.S.
June 28, 2020, Lexington announced another level of militarism and purchased 800 body cameras for $2.6 million. The police department tested several body cameras and chose the Taser Axon.
On June 28, 2022, 21 voting FDA advisers, including infectious disease experts and vaccinologists, met to approve the next experimental booster shot. Moderna President Dr. Stephen Hoge made a presentation which had not been subject to peer review, had not been published in a medical journal, and failed to mention infection data. The FDA advisers approved an Omicron variant for the Covid-19 booster vaccine 19-2. Dr. Offit, a professor of vaccinology and Dr. Henry Bernstein, a professor of pediatrics, voted in opposition. Over the next month, the U.S. government announced agreements to purchase the new cocktail from Pfizer ($3.2 billion) and Moderna ($1.74 billion).