Kentucky Trivia ● Kentucky Tweets

You don’t make it with your hands. You form it with hands.  You make it with your mind.  Edgar Tolson, 1971

Monday, September 7, 1778, the Great Siege of Fort Boonesborough began when the best war chiefs of the Shawnee, an estimated 444 Native Americans, 12 Frenchmen, and one Negro, surrounded the fort.

September 7, 1861, the Kentucky state legislature, angered by the Confederate invasion, ordered the Union flag to be raised over the state capitol in Frankfort, declaring its allegiance with the Union.

On September 7, 1889, Governor S. Buckner finally ordered the troops to Harlan.  He made it clear the troops came only to protect the court, not to intervene in the Howard-Turner trouble or relieve the elected officials of their duty.  The order did not please Judge Lewis, who continued to beg the governor to have the troops clean out the Howards.  The trial went on without interruption.  The county supported both families evenly, and at the same time felt both sides were to blame for the county’s troubles.

September 7, 1896, in step with the most popular pastime of 1896, a 100-mile bicycle race between Lexington and Covington occurred.  Cliff Nadaud won in a record 6 hours, 7 minutes, and 56 seconds.

September 7, 1903, Constable William Bolton, Pulaski County Constable’s Office, died from a gunshot wound in Mt. Victory, as he and another constable attempted to serve a warrant on two brothers.

September 7, 1915, Richmond native James Park made his MLB debut for the St. Louis Browns.

September 7, 1918, Prestonsburg native George B. Martin became Kentucky’s 25^th Class II Senator.

On September 7, 1935, Kentucky held two run-off elections.  Keene Johnson defeated J.E. Wise for Lt. Governor and Chandler defeated Rhea, securing the nomination for governor.

September 7, 1947, Constable William Coop, Clinton County Constable’s Office, died from a gunshot when he and two other constables served a warrant to search a home for illegal liquor.

September 7, 1950, Army PFC Frankie L. Barnett from Hopkins County, Army PFC Billy L. Geary from Muhlenberg County, Army PFC Robert M. Kouns from Boyd County, and Army PFC Alvin C. Williams from Ballard County, all died in the Korean War.

September 7, 1951, Army PFC Cecil E. Page from Monroe County, Army PFC Lloyd W. Reid from Jefferson County, Army PVT Earl E. Roberts from Montgomery County, and Army PFC Robert L. Roberts from Owsley County, all died in the Korean War.

September 7, 1952, Marine Corps PFC Edward E. Rowe from Hansford in Rockcastle County and Marine Corps PFC Edward Harper from Lynch in Harlan County, both died in the Korean War.

September 7, 1956, the Kentucky State Fair opened, with 36,672, more than doubling last year’s opening night count.  Governor and Mrs. Chandler opened the fair at 11:00 a.m. by cutting a blue ribbon.  The governor claimed the Exhibition Center as one of the finest in the world.   

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Golden Pond native W. Earl Brown, born in 1963 in Trigg County.  He is perhaps best known for his roles as Kenny in the film Scream (1996) and Warren in the film There’s Something About Mary (1998).

September 7, 1967, Army SGT James M. Wilson from Utica in Daviess County died in the Vietnam War.

September 7, 1968, Army SSG Edgar J. Grismer from Louisville, Army CPL Charles G. Russell from Louisville, and Army SP4 Carlos D. Vibbert from Louisville, all died in the Vietnam War. 

September 7, 1970, William Shoemaker won on Dares J. at Del Mar for his 6,033^rd victory, breaking the record held by Johnny Longden.

On September 7, 1971, Mrs. Madeline Hicks, 23, became the 1^st black female to start UofL’s Dental School.  In 1970, the school graduated the 1^st black dentist.

September 7, 1978, the Commonwealth of Kentucky opened the $35 million Kentucky Horse Park.

September 7, 1984, Lee City native Edgar Tolson passed away in Campton.  Today, Edgar’s woodcarvings are valuable pieces in the folk art community.

September 7, 1994, Dr. Peter W. Ross became Kentucky’s 1^st doctor to bill Medicaid one million dollars, having been paid $1,165,832 for treating Medicaid patients in one year period.  Dr. Ross worked 12-14 hours a day.  Most of his money went towards paying his practice’s bills.  None of Kentucky’s 5,000 honest doctors get rich of Medicaid.

On September 7, 2001, officials announced that pollution around the Paducah uranium plant spread and posed a serious enough threat to human health.   The state warned people not to eat fish from Big Bayou Creek, which flowed by the plant.

September 7, 2005, the University of Louisville announced their largest grant in school history when they received $22 million to build a research center to study infectious disease and bioterrorism.

On September 7, 2009, President Obama touched down in Northern Kentucky, travelled to Cincinnati, and spoke to the AFL-CIO Labor Day Picnic.  Meanwhile, in Washington, Congressmen, Pentagon officials, and soldiers warned against President Obama sending more troops to Afghanistan.

Obama Trivia:  In 2021 AFL-CIO boss Richard Trumka told HBO, “Former Presidents Clinton and Obama didn’t understand unions’ importance and were disappointments to organized labor because of it.  Both of them surrounded themselves with Wall Street people and so all of their advice was coming from a Wall Street lens.”  The first months of Obama’s administration, he sent 53,000 troops to Afghanistan.  In December 2009 he sent 30,000 more.  Before Obama left office in eight years he dropped 26,172 bombs in seven countries.  His war mongering was unprecedented.

September 7, 2017, Lexington native Walker Buehler made his MLB debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

September 7, 2019, a Kentucky bred won the GIII $1,000,000 Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes at Kentucky Downs.

September 7, 2020, Senator Biden said he would take the coronavirus vaccine “only if we knew all of what went into it.”

Positives:  291 / 53,064
Deaths:  0 / 996 – 1st death March 16, 2020
50&over:  968 / 49-30: 27 / 29&under: 1

September 7, 2021, while Governor A. Beshear continued to sound the alarm on coronavirus, Kentucky opened a Special Session to address coronavirus policies and introduced a bill that struck down the governor’s mask mandates in schools and daycare centers.  Thirty-four members of the 38-member Senate did not wear masks.