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TODAY IN KENTUCKY HISTORY

Kentucky Trivia ● Kentucky Tweets

June 7, 1750, Dr. Thomas Walker and his Loyal Land Company companions crossed the creek, once it lowered, and continued to the main fork of the Big Sandy River, which they named Louisa in honor of the sister of the Duke of Cumberland.  Earlier in June, the men crossed Big Paint Creek near Paintsville.  It was here that heavy rains and fallen timber made their path impassable, forcing the men to camp in Johnson County.

On June 7, 1769, Daniel Boone saw the forests and valleys of present-day Kentucky for the first time.  Along with his company, they arrived in Estill County at Red Lick and made camp.  They named the creek Station Camp, as this was their operating headquarters for some time.  Some five weeks from their start in North Carolina, they had been on the trail.  For more than a century, the Kentucky Historical Society has celebrated June 7 as “Boone Day.”

June 7, 1796, James Garrard, a farmer, Baptist minister, and Democratic-Republican, became Kentucky’s 2nd governor.  Democratic-Republicans favored state rights and were the 2nd political party in the U.S., formed by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in opposition to America’s 1st political party, Hamilton’s Federalist Party.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Henderson County native Lucy Furman, born in 1869.

June 7, 1873, Springbok won the 7th Belmont Stakes going the 1 5/8 miles in 3:01 ¾ on a fair track.  He beat nine others by four lengths to win $5,200.  None of the horses in the 1st Preakness ran, and the Kentucky Derby had not begun.

Tuesday, June 7, 1881, the favorite, Saunterer, won the 15th Belmont Stakes by a neck.  The 1 ½ miles went in 2:47 to win $3,000.  Saunterer also won the Preakness but did not enter the Derby.

June 7, 1924, Mad Play won the 56th Belmont Stakes over ten others going the one 1 3/8 miles in 2:18 4/5 on a good track to win $24,880.  Jockey Earl Sande won his 3rd of five Belmonts.  Mad Play finished 3rd in the Preakness and 10th in the Derby.

June 7, 1924, the Jefferson Davis Memorial in Fairview, opened their doors to tourists.  Fairview is a small census designated place on the boundary between Christian and Todd Counties in Western Kentucky.

Kentucky Trivia:  The J.D. Memorial standing at 355 feet tall is the highest poured in place concrete obelisk in the world and is the fourth tallest monument in the U.S.

June 7, 1930, Gallant Fox won the 62nd Belmont over four others to win the 2nd Triple Crown.  The rainy weather made for a good track and the 1 ½ miles went in 2:31 3/5.  The winning connections of owner Belair Stud, trainer James Edward Fitzsimmons, and jockey Earle Sande earned 66,040.  The Preakness ran before the Derby.

June 7, 1951, Army CPL James C. Caudill from Knox County died in the Korean War.

June 7, 1952, Army PVT Willie K. Wright from Clinton County died in the Korean War.

June 7, 1959, the commencement speaker told 543 graduating students from UofL that the world did not realize how close to extinction they were, as they sat in 88-degree temperatures in a 2 ½ hour ceremony.

June 7, 1966, Army PVT Robert L. Emerson from Mayfield in Graves County died in the Vietnam War.

June 7, 1967, Marine Corps Buckner Crump, Jr. from Cadiz in Trigg County died in the Vietnam War.

June 7, 1969, Marine Corps LCPL Ronnie L. Clayburn from Franklin in Simpson County, Army SP4 Anthony Duty from Neon in Letcher County, Marine Corps CPL Dale E. Griffith from Tollesboro in Lewis County, and Marine Corps LCPL John T. Paulin from Owensboro, all died in the Vietnam War.

June 7, 1972, Governor Wendell Ford’s Special Session began in Frankfort.  The legislators debated redistricting and a constitutional amendment for women’s equal rights.

On June 7, 1973, Henry Clay baseball players carried their coach Walter Hill off the field after winning the State High School Baseball Championship, 5-4, over St. Xavier at the University of Kentucky’s Shively Field.

June 7, 1980, Temperance Hill won the 112th Belmont Stakes ran on the track nicknamed “Big Sandy.”  Temperance Hill died in Bangkok, according to his owner, a high-ranking military official in Thailand.  The 26-year-old son of Stop the Music began his stallion career at Gainesway Farm near Lexington.

On June 7, 1995, Governor Paul Patton backed a law mandating a daily moment of silence in Kentucky’s public schools instead of school prayer.  He reasoned that prayer would be too controversial to win legislative approval.

June 7, 1996, after a 17-year marriage Phyllis George Brown filed for divorce from John Y. Brown, Jr. in Fayette County.  In addition, she asked for custody of Lincoln Tyler George Brown, 15, and Pamela Ashley Louise Brown, 12.

June 7, 1997, Kentucky bred and Keeneland graduate Touch Gold won the $721,000 Belmont Stakes and ended Silver Charm’s chance at the Triple Crown, who finished second.

June 7, 2000, a federal judge ruled that Microsoft Corporation should be split into two separate companies to remedy antitrust violations and foster competition in the computer industry.  Bill Gates implied the fight had just begun.

June 7, 2003, Kentucky bred Empire Maker beat five others to win the $1,000,000 Belmont Stakes and end Funny Cide’s run at the Triple Crown.

June 7, 2008, Big Brown’s attempt to win the Triple Crown failed when he finished last in the 140th Belmont Stakes.  The winner, a Kentucky bred and Keeneland graduate, Da’Tara, paid $79.00 to win and earned $600,000 of the $1,000,000 purse.

June 7, 2009, K9 Shiloh of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources drowned in Lake Cumberland while his handler investigated a boating accident involving a houseboat at the Jamestown Marina on Lake Cumberland.  The Jamestown Fire Department Water Rescue Unit recovered Shiloh a week later.

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On June 7, 2011, federal officials indicted two Iraqi citizens living in Bowling Green on terrorism charges, making it the 1st time defendants from Iraq were ever charged for such violations in the U.S. despite nearly 1,000 terrorism prosecutions since September 11, 2001.

On June 7, 2014, Tonalist won the 146th Belmont Stakes in a thriller over Commissioner.  Christopher Clement conditioned the Kentucky bred colt by Tapit. The winning connections divided $800,000 of the $1.5 million purse.  California Chrome failed to win the Triple Crown when he finished 4th.

June 7, 2015, the 62nd annual WHAS Crusade for Children raised $5,674,721 for kids with special needs, exceeding last year’s total by $37,041.

On June 7, 2016, Louisville’s mayor and a Muhammad Ali family spokesperson addressed the press.  They announced the world would be coming to Louisville to pay their last respects to “The Greatest.”  The press conference addressed logistics and event details to honor the Kentucky native.  He died June 3rd and was laid to rest on June 10th.

June 7, 2020, small towns such as Morehead, Corbin, Richmond, and other communities held Black Lives Matter rallies.