On July 19, 1865, Louisville hosted the first baseball game west of the Alleghenies, played under standard rules. The Louisville Grays hosted and defeated the Nashville Cumberlands. In 1887, baseball’s first major scandal led to the demise of the Grays and the banishing of four players for life.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Midway native Augustus Weisenberger , born in 1892. Augustus played UK basketball for three years and scored four points. He also owned and operated the Weisenberger Sanitary Flour Mill for 40 years.
July 19, 1897, Honus Wagner made his MLB debut for the Louisville Colonels.
July 19, 1911, Lexington indicted Belle Brezing for selling liquor without a license, selling to a minor, and selling on a Sunday. Madam Belle Brezing by Buddy Thompson, Pg: 190.
July 19, 1925, Deputy Sheriff Nathaniel Payton Meredith, Edmonson County Sheriff’s Office , died from a gunshot while arresting a man who had assaulted his wife earlier in the day at a picnic.
July 19, 1929, Town Marshal Harry Collins, Glasgow Police Department , died from a bullet to the neck after a suspect had just murdered two other men.
On July 19, 1930, Governor R. Laffoon started to Washington to claim Kentucky’s share of the $3,330,000,000 in federal money to restart the nation’s economy ; they wanted $15,000,000 for Kentucky roads. Before he left, he announced a special session when he returned to deal with the new funds.
At 12:25 a.m., Friday, July 19, 1940, President F.D. R began his acceptance speech for a historical third term by radio to the Democratic Convention in Chicago from the Oval Room. During the convention, he clarified that he would step down if the corporatist wing picked his V.P. F.D.R., “The Republican Party has made its nominations this year at the dictation of those who, we all know, always place money ahead of human progress. The Democratic Convention, as appears clear from today’s events, is divided on this fundamental issue.”
July 19, 1943, N. L. Young, Jr., 13, won 1st prize and a $25.00 war bond at UK’s Food Show Exhibit . Grown in his parent’s yard, the winning display showcased broccoli, onions, lima beans, tomatoes, and a large head of cabbage. Over 600 people attended the two-hour program, which included a live band and dancing.
Monmouth Park reopened its doors on June 19, 1946, for the third time and after a 53-year hiatus. The Monmouth Park Jockey Club was born under the new leadership of Haskell, Philip H. Iselin, Reeve Schley, Joseph M. Roebling, Townsend B. Martin, John MacDonald, and James Cox Brady. The Monmouth Oaks, not contested since 1893, returned for the inaugural season. They hosted the 2007 Breeders’ Cup.
July 19, 1950, Army PFC William T. Boyd from Henderson County and Army SFC John P. Little from Breathitt County , both died in the Korean War.
July 19, 1951, Air Force 1st LT Marion M. Jones from Magnolia in LaRue County died in the Korean War.
July 19, 1953, Army SGT Donald W. Gibson from Mercer County , Marine Corps PFC Ransom Pack from Louisa in Lawrence County , and Marine Corps PFC Dalton J. White from Ashland , died in the Korean War.
July 19, 1960, the Soviet Union gave the United States a blunt warning: “Don’t Touch Cuba.”
July 19, 1964, Louisville native Bobby Nichols won his only major PGA title taking the 46th PGA Championship in Columbus, Ohio. He defeated runners-up Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer by three strokes to pocket $18,000.
July 19, 1977, West Virginia Governor Jay Rockefeller addressed a group at La Citadelle in Hazard as part of a federal transportation task force to “ensure that adequate transportation capacity was in place to move coal when needed.”
July 19, 1983, Snaafi Dancer became the world’s 1st eight-figure Thoroughbred sale yearling when Aston Upthorpe Stud spent $10.2 million at the Keeneland July Yearling Sale. The bid board could not accommodate the price. Consignor Crescent Farm appeared pleased.
On July 19, 1990, Pete Rose received a $50,000 fine and five months in prison for tax evasion in Cincinnati . In Yorba Linda, CA, President H.W. Bush, President G. Ford, and President J. Carter helped President R. Nixon dedicate his library.
July 19, 1996, Muhammed Ali ended months of speculation and dramatically emerged as the last of 12,000 torch-bearing relay runners to light the Olympic Flame during the opening ceremony of the 100th anniversary of the modern Olympic Games in Atlanta.
July 19, 2003, Seabiscuit premiered at the Kentucky Theatre
July 19, 2006, the board of directors of Churchill Downs Inc. announced that Robert L. Evans , a horse owner and breeder with a background in technology, manufacturing, and private equity capital, would succeed Tom Meeker as company president and chief executive officer. Carl F. Pollard, CDI Chairman, made the announcement.
July 19, 2009, Red River George officials claimed 700,000 acres of forests faced an “ecological crisis ” from invasive foreign plants, mainly groundcover, that kill “native” plant species.
On July 19, 2012, the Rev. Debbie Wallace-Padgett, 54, minister of the St. Luke United Methodist Church in Lexington, gave an interview to discuss being the first woman elected a Methodist bishop in Kentucky.
On July 19, 2013, Donald Webb, the developer who, along with his brother Dudley , had changed Lexington’s skyline, passed away at age 74 while Jim Gray ran the city.
On July 19, 2016, Donald Trump and the Republicans picked Mike Pence as vice presidential candidate. That ruling came from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who presided over the party’s convention in Cleveland. The Indiana governor became the nominee by acclimation, meaning no formal roll call vote was needed.
July 19-22, 2018, Nicholasville’s Keene Trace Golf Club hosted the Barbasol Championship for the 1st time . Kentucky enjoyed the 1st PGA Tour event (excluding majors) in the state in 59 years since the Kentucky Derby Open in 1959.
On July 19, 2019, NYRA announced that Marylou Whitney died at age 93 in Saratoga Springs and called her “the Queen of Saratoga and racing’s most dedicated supporters.” In 2015, Churchill Downs named her the 1st Lady of the Oaks for the 141st running.
On July 19, 2020, Kentucky reported:
On July 19, 2021, Governor A. Beshear adjusted his stance on masks and recommended that fully vaccinated people “should also” wear them indoors due to the fast-spreading Delta variant. Some found the constant updates to mask guidelines confusing and frustrating.
July 19, 2022, according to Rand, Mitch went around his back and cut a deal with the Biden White House that didn’t work out . Therefore, a federal judge they both wanted did not get nominated. Mitch and Joe have teamed up for the benefit of their corporate donors for decades, almost completely unchecked.
On July 19, 2023, while the governor declared a state of emergency for record rainfall in Western Kentucky , AG D. Cameron picked Sen. Robbie Mills from Henderson as his running mate. Mayfield broke a Kentucky record when the city received 11.2 inches of rain in an hour, breaking the Louisville record of 10.48 inches. Sen. Mills wasn’t the best choice; he lost his hometown in the 2024 election, possibly due to stance on reproductive rights.