Kentucky Trivia ● Kentucky Tweets

June 24, 1778, George Rogers Clark and 175 men “shot the falls” of the Ohio River in canoes during a total eclipse of the sun.
Gateway : Dr. Thomas Walker and the Opening of Kentucky by David M. Burns; pg: 44

June 24, 1882, Marshal James B. Day, Frenchburg Police Department, died by a gunshot by a group of men who were upset with Marshal Day over an arrest of several friends the previous evening.

June 24, 1890, Breckinridge County lynched Henry Watson, a black male, for an alleged rape.

June 24, 1893, Cushing’s Boundless won the 10^th American Derby at Washington Park in Chicago.  Regarded as one of the greatest racing events in the history of the West, a record crowd of 65,000 witnessed a record $50,000 purse.  The track entertained Chicagoans and the metropolitan area from 1884 until 1977.

June 24, 1898, John Howard died by gunshot at his home on Sexton Creek as he sat in his home.  Grabbing his pistol, he ran outside, saw a man running toward the woods, and dropped him with a single shot, only to be hit again and killed.  There were no arrests.  This murder was one of many that rose from the feud between the Baker and Howard/White families in Clay County’s Hundred Year War.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Lee City native Edgar Tolson, born in 1904 in Wolfe County.  Tolson first came to national attention through the “Grassroots Craftsmen,” an initiative of Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty that helped Appalachian craftspeople sell their works.

June 24, 1946, upon appointment by President Truman, Frederick Moore Vinson became the 13^th chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.  It is generally believed that his tact reduced personal animosities that had arisen on the court.  As a judge his interpretation of the powers of the federal government often led him to reject claims of individual right asserted in opposition to the exercise of governmental authority.  Perhaps his best-known opinions, however, are those upholding the rights of members of racial minorities under the equal protection clause of the 14^th Amendment.

June 24, 1951, Army PFC Jessie J. Bretz from Nicholas County died in the Korean War.

June 24, 1952, Marine Corps PFC Charles C. Goff from Louisville, Marine Corps FC Billy J. McDaniel from Philpot in Daviess County, and Army PFC Edward N. Stinnett from Jessamine County, died in the Korean War.

June 24, 1953, Army SGT Forest Embry from Grayson County and Army CPL William M. Schardein from Jefferson County, died in the Korean War.

June 24, 1965, Marine Corps PFC Frank L. Adamson from Dayton in Campbell County died in the Vietnam War.

June 24, 1966, Marine Corps PVT Ronnie C. Jones from Louisville died in the Vietnam War.

June 24, 1967, Army PFC Jeffrey D. McGuire from Louisville died in the Vietnam War.

June 24, 1968, Army SSG Carl B. Helm from Louisville died in the Vietnam War.

June 24, 1969, Army SSG James T. Moore from Bloomfield in Nelson County died in the Vietnam War.

June 24, 1977, a horse thief stole Franfreluche, 1970 Canadian Horse of the Year, from Claiborne Farm.  The mare was in foal to Secretariat, which created national attention and set off an international search.  They found her on a Tompkinsville Farm, 196 miles away, being ridden by children.

On June 24, 1979, the dedication of Six Mile Island Nature Preserve occurred, an 81-acre island in the Ohio River.  The island is known for a variety of water birds.  The goal is to return the island to its natural state, a unique opportunity to study the riverine island systems’ ecology.  During the Kentucky Derby Festival, the Great Steamboat Race turns around at Six Mile Island as the halfway marker.

June 24, 1980, Governor J.Y. Brown, Jr. entered a hospital for chest pains, while his close associate told the press the feds had monitored the governor’s calls with Jimmy Lambert.  Federal authorities also monitored phone calls of at least 50 other high-profile Kentuckians.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Whitesburg native Jessamyn Laurel Duke, born in 1986.

June 24, 1994, two coal trucks stopped and had lunch at Burger Queen in Bell County.

On June 24, 2000, Whitney Boyles, center, became Miss Kentucky 2000.  Miss America Heather Renee French, left, with reigning Miss Kentucky Shanna Moore at Transylvania University’s Haggin Auditorium.

June 24, 2001, the 1^st year Kentucky celebrated Kentucky National Guard Day in the Commonwealth.

June 24, 2010, Kentucky made history again when the Wildcats had five players drafted in the 1^st round of the NBA draft.  John Wall became the 1^st Wildcat to be the # 1 pick when selected by the Washington Wizards.  DeMarcus Cousins was selected 5^th by the Sacramento Kings, Patrick Patterson went 14^th to the Houston Rockets, Eric Bledsoe went 18^th to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Orlando Magic picked Daniel Orton 29^th.

Effective June 24, 2015, the Hurricane Creek coal mine site in Leslie County, where 38 miners lost their lives on December 30, 1970, became a state historic site.

June 24, 2019, Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton told locals she would not aid ICE raids without a warrant.  President Trump wanted to deport millions of undocumented individuals.

June 24, 2020, during a morning video conference with Jonathon Webb, founder of AppHarvest, the Dutch government, Governor A. Beshear, and several universities, AppHarvest stated they wanted to create an agriculture technology epicenter in Appalachia in Kentucky.

On June 24, 2021, the governor announced 229 new cases of COVID-19, pushing the total to 14,363 cases less than a week before Kentuckians can gather in groups of 50 people and go to bars.  He also urged people to wear their masks and get tested and announced an increase of around 5,000 tests.