On August 3, 1863, Saratoga opened for the 1st time on the grounds still used today. “Mr. Morrissey deserves great credit for the excellent manner in which the whole detail of his attractive entertainment is managed.” So wrote an approving reporter on August 4, 1863, edition of the Daily Saratogian . John Morrissey, a gambler, casino owner, ex-boxing champion, and future congressman, opened his track a month after the Battle of Gettysburg.
August 3, 1866, the Gallatin County Race Riot took place between whites and blacks, in Northern Kentucky, where the black population was relatively small. According to historians Lowell H. Harrison and James C. Klotter, “A band of five hundred whites in Gallatin County forced hundreds of blacks to flee across the Ohio River.”
On August 3, 1872, Bowling Green native Franklin M. McDonald escorted a mail coach from Jacksboro to Fort Griffin in Texas . Fifteen miles from Fort Belknap, a band of eight to ten Kiowa Native Americans Natives attacked. For his bravery, he received the Medal of Honor. On December of 1873, McDonald deserted the Army and was never heard from again.
August 3, 1878, the Golden Crown Steamboat landed at the public wharf in Fulton County . Days later, Charlie Hendricks and his sister Louisa became Hickman’s 1st reported yellow fever cases. By the end of August, 42 new cases developed. Unfortunately, tracking accurate numbers of deaths proved difficult. Additionally, all of the resident physicians, save for one, died. Ultimately, 32.2% of the 1,500 Hickman residents would die from yellow fever.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Stanford native Sophia Kindrick Alcorn , born in 1833. The inventor of the Tadoma communication method for the deaf and blind; she advocated for the rights of people with disabilities as a profession.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Paducah native John Scoops , born in 1900. John taught school in Dayton, TN, when the Volunteers charged him with violating their Butler Act , which prohibited teaching human evolution in Tennessee schools.
August 3, 1907, Special Officer Marcus M. Martin, Gracey Police Department , died from a gunshot while patrolling a section of town by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad tracks in Christian County.
August 3, 1920, Patrolman John G. Tyler, Louisville Police Department , died when he struck a milk truck that had no lights, parked in the street.
August 3, 1936, Sheriff Fred B. Mason, Laurel County Sheriff’s Department , died from a gunshot by a former prisoner as he and a deputy attempted to break up a disturbance at a church meeting. Sheriff Mason and his deputy returned fire killing the suspect. The state paroled the suspect for a 1921 murder years earlier.
August 3, 1937, Officer Frederick F. Barton of the Louisville Police Department died after accidentally getting shot by another officer clearing his jammed firearm.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Louisville native George M. Whitesides , born in 1939. George is a chemist and taught chemistry at Harvard for years. He is known for his work with nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, organometallic chemistry, microfluidics, and nanotechnology. A prolific author and patent holder, he received the highest Hirsch Index Rating of all living chemists in 2011.
August 3, 1951, Deputy Sheriff Dave Coleman, Jr., Pike County Sheriff’s Office , died from a gunshot in Phelps, while investigating a disturbance.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Louisville native Johnny Graham , born in 1953. Johnny played lead/rhythm guitar, trumpet, and percussionist in the funk band Earth, Wind & Fire from 1973-1983.
August 3, 1966, Marine Corps SSGT Edwar T. Crooks from Mt. Sterling died in the Vietnam War.
August 3, 1967, Army PFC Freddie D. Lawson from Siler in Whitley County died in the Vietnam War.
Thursday, August 3, 1972, the American Party Convention began at the state fairgrounds. Freedom Hall hosted over 2,000 delegates and alternates as they chose their presidential nominee.
August 3, 1977, President J. Carter signed the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA). The act arose out of environmental concerns from strip mining. The U.S. had mined coal since the 1740s, but surface mining became widespread in the 1930s. Yes, it took many decades for Washington to address the issue.
August 3, 1985, in an off-year election, the 105th Fancy Farm still provided the beef in Graves County for bingo, barbeque and political speeches. In keeping with tradition, Governor M.L. Collins, the guest of honor, kicked off the oratory at 2:00 p.m. Lt. Gov. S. Beshear followed then, Ford & McConnell, Rep. Hubbard, Forgy, and more.
Saturday, August 3, 1991, before one of the raucous crowds ever at Fancy Farm, U.S. Rep. Larry Hopkins called Lt. Gov. B. Jones an indecisive leader who had not questioned the scandals of Governor Wilkinson’s administration. The governor was present to defend himself.
August 3, 1995, an Indiana Congressman, while investigating the raid on Branch Davidian compound in Waco, TX, insulted Kentucky. The attention-grabbing politician said the only law David Koresh broke was having sex with minors. “Do you send tanks and government troops into large sections of Kentucky and other places where this occurs?”
August 3, 1996, a Kentucky bred, Keeneland graduate exacta won the GI $600,000 Whitney Handicap Stakes . It is never over till it’s over.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to the Lexington Legends, born in 2000 . The team mascot, Big L, was a muscular ball player with a massive mustache. The Legends owner, Alan Stein, stated that any resemblance between him and the mascot was purely coincidental.
On August 3, 2010, UK announced they wanted more money for basketball tickets even after record revenue from the SEC . The tickets themselves raised $7. However, the mandatory donation to the K-Fund seemed extreme, from $1,350 to $5,000 annually for lower arena.
Friday, August 3, 2018, incoming NRA President Oliver North spoke at the annual “night before Fancy Farm event” in Calloway County . He addressed the January Marshall County School shooting.
Saturday, August 3, 2019, the Fancy Farm Line-up
August 3, 2019, a Kentucky bred and Keeneland graduate won Saratoga’s GI $1,000,000 Whitney Handicap Stakes for three-year-olds and upward.
August 3, 2020, calling it a positive day, the governor announced, from the rotunda, only 323 new cases and two deaths, ages 75 and 99 from the coronavirus . This came after daily numbers in the 500s and 600s. Approximately 31,508 Kentuckians had caught the virus and 744 had died.
August 3, 2022, as Chris Stapleton and Tyler Childers helped the victims of last week’s Eastern Kentucky flood , the governor announced he wanted a special session to address, among other things, the historic flood. The Commonwealth could afford to be generous. Frankfort had a budget reserve “Rainy Day” trust fund of $2.7 billion thanks to the coronavirus money from the federal government.
On August 3, 2023, the U.S. Eastern District Court indicted Sandybell Fierro, 22, of Lexington, on several charges including wire fraud . She stole coronavirus money by lying on a loan application for struggling businesses. She received a 21-month sentence plus fines. The AP reported that more than $280 billion in U.S. COVID-19 relief money was probably stolen. Meanwhile, America’s proxy war continued in full force on Russia’s border with the arrival of new U.S. weapons for Ukrainian soldiers.