TODAY IN KENTUCKY HISTORY

Kentucky Trivia ● Kentucky Tweets

Localtonians wish a Happy Anniversary to Matthew Harris Jouett and Margaret (Peggy) Henderson Allen, who wed in 1812 in Fayette County.  They met while he was a student at Transylvania, accidentally in a field.  She was riding a spirited Indian pony bareback and sideways, while he scouted for turkey nests.

May 25, 1895, Belmar won the 20th Preakness.  He went the 1 1/16 miles in 1:50 1/2.

Thursday, May 25, 1899, Jean Beraud won the 33rd Belmont Stakes setting a new track record for the 1 3/8 miles in 2:23.  Morris Park Racecourse in New York hosted the Belmont for the 10th time.  Future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame trainer Sam Hildreth won his 1st of seven.  The winning connections earned $9,680.  The Triple Crown races ran Derby, Belmont, and Preakness in 1899.

May 25, 1900, Deputy Sheriff Felix Davidson, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained one week earlier while attempting to arrest a man who had been in town with his gun.

Wednesday, May 25, 1904, Morris Park hosted their last Belmont Stakes when Mr. Keene’s homebred, Delhi, took the 38th Belmont Stakes and earned $13,685.  The field of eight went 1 ¼ mile in 2:05 3/5.  They were at the post for four minutes before the 4:00 p.m. start.

May 25, 1910, Milton Oliver, an enemy of the Knight Riders, got shot in the left hip while standing in his Hopkinsville front yard.  Governor Willson sent Kentucky State Guards to keep watch over Oliver’s farm and protect the surrounding neighborhood, all part of the Black Patch Tobacco War.  The Kentucky guard’s presence angered local Lyon County residents.

On May 25, 1921, three prisoners, “hardened characters” by description, stole an automobile within the walls of the Frankfort state penitentiary and sped through the gates, during a rainstorm.  They almost ran down a trusty who had opened the gate for them.  All three had been working in a shirt factory within the prison.

May 25, 1926, Deputy Sheriff Louis Casebolt, Pike County Sheriff’s Office, succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained two days earlier by a man who was attempting to free a prisoner.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Olive Hill native Tom T. Hall, born in 1936.  He wrote 12 #1 hit songs, with 26 more that reached the Top 10, including the #1 international pop crossover smash “Harper Valley PTA.”

Kentucky Trivia:  Tom T. Hall’s first band was The Kentucky Travelers.  Also known as “The Story Teller,” his smash hit, The Year Clayton Delaney Died, told a story about his neighbor and childhood hero, named Easterly.

May 25, 1951, Army CPL Edward Hyatt from Laurel County died in the Korean War.

May 25, 1965, Muhammad Ali (21-0) fought Sonny Liston (35-2) in St. Dominic’s Hall, Lewiston, Maine.  Because of the way the first fight ended, boxing authorities order a rematch in remote Lewiston.  Only 2,434 fans were present, the lowest attendances ever for a heavyweight title fight.  The end of the battle remains one of the most controversial in boxing history.  Halfway through the first round, Liston fell to the canvas in what many have argued was not a legitimate knockdown.  Ali did not retreat to his corner but stood over Liston, yelling at him, “Get up and fight, sucker!”  The photo that captured that moment became one of the most famous in all sports.  Referee Jersey Joe Walcott, a former heavyweight champion, appeared confused, and 20 seconds passed.  By then, Liston had gotten up and resumed boxing.  But Nat Fleischer, publisher of The Ring, alerted Walcott that Liston had been down more than the requisite 10 seconds, and Walcott stopped the fight, giving Ali a first-round knockout.  Some claimed that Liston had bet against himself and took a dive because he owed money to the Mafia.  Liston said years later in an interview that he feared for his safety from Nation of Islam extremists who supported Ali.

May 25, 1967, Army PFC Robert G. Staton from Salt Lick in Bath County died in the Vietnam War.

May 25, 1968, Army PFC Kelly Fields from Pikeville died in the Vietnam War.

May 25, 1970, Army CPL Harold R. Burton and Army CPL Charles R. Stevenson both from Louisville died in the Vietnam War.

May 25, 1973, the Catlett House, also known as Beechmoor Place in Catlettsburg appeared on the National Register of Historic Places.

May 25 Claret house
By Nyttend

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Murray native Molly Simms, born in 1973.  Sports Illustrated frequently hired Molly as a swimsuit model in the early 2000s.  She also walked the runway for the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 2001.

May 25, 1983, six hundred and fifty-eight moviegoers attended a midnight showing of Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi at South Park Cinemas in Lexington.

On May 25, 1999, the Kentucky State Penitentiary (KSP) in Eddyville, under Patton’s administration, electrocuted a murderer.

May 25, 2005, Marine SGT David N. Wimberg, 24, of Louisville, died from a gunshot, in Iraq, fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

May 25, 2010, London native Darrell Scott released his album, Crooked Road.  He collaborated with Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, and many others.

May 25, 2013, Police Officer Jason Scott Ellis, Bardstown Police Department, died in an ambush on an exit ramp off the Bluegrass Parkway shortly before 2:50 a.m.

May 25, 2013, Seth Goodin from Smith caught a state record Coosa Bass weighing 1.21 pounds in Martin’s Fork of the Cumberland River.

May 25, 2019, Clarence Michel of Garrard County received five years, eleven months, and a $20 million fine for his role in a massive tax fraud conspiracy.  His Kentucky company provided industrial staffing and helped prepare tax returns.  His lawyer cited his contributions to churches, and other charities deserved a lesser sentence.  The judge said the two Bentleys in his garage begged to differ.

May 25, 2020, nail and hair salons reopened after a two-month shutdown due to coronavirus.

On May 25, 2021, black Louisville residents accounted for about half of all new coronavirus cases in the city, which the mayor called “alarming.”  Louisville reported 592 positive cases and 55 deaths in the previous week.  Many residents declined the vaccines.  Meanwhile in Frankfort, Governor A. Beshear stated, “The incidence rate, in the newer cases, is much higher among younger Kentuckians than older ones.” But, he added, “It is directly associated with whether you are vaccinated.”