June 18, 1792, the Kentucky legislature elected their first two senators , John Brown and John Edwards, to the U.S. Senate.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Adair County native Jane Lampton Clemens , mother of Mark Twain, who was born in 1803.
June 18, 1812, the War of 1812 be gan: U.S. declared war on the U.K. America had their sights on Canada .
June 18, 1827, Governor Joseph Desha pardoned his son Isaac from murdering Francis Baker . Isaac Desha was twice convicted, but both times, the judge set aside the verdict on procedural grounds. While awaiting a third trial, Desha attempted suicide by slitting his throat. Still, doctors saved his life, reconnecting his severed windpipe with a silver tube. Shortly after the suicide attempt, Governor Desha issued a pardon for his son.
June 18, 1881, Ansel Williamson passed away in Lexington . Born into slavery in Virginia around 1806, Ansel was the first trainer to win the Kentucky Derby. Ansel chose Oliver Lewis to ride his star colt, Aristides.
Localtonians wish a Happy Anniversary to Governor Edwin P. Morrow and Katherine Hale Waddle , who wed in 1903, in Somerset.
June 18, 1910, thousands of spectators turned out to view Kentucky’s 1st air show, held at Churchill Downs . The highly publicized aviation demonstration featured the world famous aviator Glenn Curtiss. The event was the first demonstration of an airplane in Kentucky. The Encyclopedia of Louisville edited by John E. Kleber; pg: 8
June 18, 1911, Raywick native James Proctor Knott died in Lebanon . James was our 29th governor, and a strong Confederate sympathizer.
On June 18, 1924, the annual state encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic opened at Berea College. State Commander John T. Thompson presided. The two-night encampment hosted 125 Civil War veterans, a dwindling number from previous years.
June 18, 1925, Deputy Constable Ira Gibson, Bell County Constable’s Office , died from a gunshot as he and another deputy constable were searching a wooded, mountainous area near Edgewood for two suspects.
June 18, 1953, Army PFC Vernon E. Girdley from Jefferson County died in the Korean War.
June 18, 1963, Muhammad Ali (19-0) fought Henry Cooper (27-8-1) in Wembley Stadium, London . Cooper, 29, was a top fighter in Europe and had a powerful left hook, but he was a big underdog against young and brash Clay. Cooper came out strong and bloodied Clay’s nose in the first round. But by the third round, Clay had opened a bad gash over Cooper’s left eye. Instead of finishing him, though, Clay danced around and taunted Cooper. Late in the fourth round, Cooper connected with a left hook that floored and hurt Clay. He got up as the round ended. Clay then opened the gash further in the fifth round, and the fight was stopped. Clay’s fifth-round KO prediction came true.
June 18, 1966, Marine Corps PFC William K. Stoll from Lexington died in the Vietnam War.
June 18, 1968, Army PFC James T. Gibson from Amburgey from Knott County and Marine Corps PFC Calvin L. Terrell from Louisville , died in the Vietnam War.
June 18, 1971, the U.S. government lost a bid in court to stop the Washington Post from printing a secret Pentagon study of the Vietnam War. The government simultaneously fought a similar battle with the New York Times. Meanwhile, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration claimed a 4.5 billion old meteorite supported the theory of life in outer space.
June 18, 1972, Air Force SSGT Leon A. Hunt from Pleasure Ridge in Jefferson County died in the Vietnam War.
On June 18, 1982, recent UK grad Chuck Malkus opened Lexington Anti-Drunk Drivers (FL.A.A.D.) via a local press conference. The service offered intoxicated individuals a ride home because Lexington had just imitated the Traffic Alcohol Program, which increased D.U.Is. The luxury costs $50 a year and $20 per ride.
June 18, 1984, the city of Somerset agreed not to dump sludge into two creeks running into Cumberland Lake after federal and state governments won a restraining order against the town.
June 18, 1994, O.J. Simpson, one day removed from the white Bronco car ride , spent his first full day in jail in regards to his wife’s murder.
June 18, 2006, it was announced that Louisville would be the first stop in the inaugural World Series of Video Games . The series was a circuit-style competition for PC and Xbox games. The contest crowned the world’s first official video-game champion.
June 18, 2016, young and old take part in the 16th annual Kentuckiana Pride Festival in downtown Louisville .
Kentucky Trivia : Georgetown native, Sweet Evening Breeze, is best known for ushering in the drag scene in Lexington. Facing a judge after being jailed for breaking an old town law forbidding the dressing as the opposite sex in public (except on Halloween), Sweets managed to convince the judge the law was unconstitutional. Abandoned as a child at Lexington’s Good Samaritan Hospital, Sweets was taken in by the staff and given a room in the hospital where she lived into her teenage years. During this time, Sweets worked, entertained and delivered mail to hospital patients until being trained as an orderly, a position she held for over 40 years.
On June 18, 2017, Seth Rich’s family told a Fox News affiliate in Washington that there was evidence that proved the alleged contact between Rich and WikiLeaks. Wheeler also suggested that the Metropolitan Police Department tried to cover up the nature of Rich’s death on behalf of the DNC, an allegation the police department denied.
On June 18, 2021, locals continued receiving letters from the large utilities that service the Commonwealth that the COVID-19 bill moratorium had ended.
Saturday, June 18, 2022, Governor A. Beshear issued an executive order and declared a state of emergency for the City of Marion in Crittenden County due to a water shortage. Lake George, the locals’ primary reservoir, needed to be drained because of a levee failure. That, coupled with limited rainfall and unseasonably warm weather, has caused the water shortage to become critical.