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TODAY IN KENTUCKY HISTORY

August 4, 1800, the 2nd U.S. Census officially began.  The government lost the original records from Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Virginia.

Saturday night, August 4, 1849, 13 enslaved people escaped to Ohio from a Lewisburg neighborhood in Mason County.  That same night, 42 enslaved people in Fayette and Bourbon counties attempted to escape.  However, after traveling 38 miles to Claysville in Harrison County, a gun battle broke out, and all 42 men were captured and brought back to Fayette County.  

August 4, 1884, the Rowan County War started with the death of Solomn Bradley on Election Day.

On August 4, 1907, Lexington’s Union Station on Main Street opened with great fanfare with the arrival of C&O passenger train No. 24.  A crowd of 3,000 people met the locomotive.  The terminal fronted Main Street, just west of Walnut Street, which the city renamed Martin Luther King Boulevard.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Winchester native Helen Thomas, born in 1920.  The “First Lady of the Press,” also known as the “Sitting Buddha,” covered every U.S. President from Kennedy to Obama.

August 4, 1922, Deputy Sheriff Richard J. Crawford, Perry County Sheriff’s Office, died from a gunshot while arresting a man on a warrant for breaching the peace.

8:05 a.m., August 4, 1930, Delaware Senator T. Coleman du Pont’s representatives, including his son and three sons-in-law, arrived in Lexington to inspect and oversee the future purchase of the Cumberland Falls property for a state park.  Unfortunately, the senator was unable to travel due to illness.

On August 4, 1940, four buildings in Butler State Park caught fire, causing $6,500 in damages.  One of the buildings included Katie Vanlandingham’s home, the park’s custodian.

August 4, 1950, Army PFC Johnie B. Rutherford from Pulaski County died in the Korean War.

August 4, 1951, Army PFC Bobbie E, Watts from Jessamine County died in the Korean War.

August 4, 1967, Marine Corps LCPL Everett Stratton, Jr. from Ludlow in Kenton County died in the Vietnam War.

On August 4, 1969, Ford Motor Company opened its largest operation worldwide.  The $100 million truck plant in Eastern Jefferson County had three million square feet.  Its cutting-edge technology enabled Ford to grab market share from Peterbilt and Kenworth.

August 4, 1970, Army SGT Paul A. Johnson from New Haven in Nelson County died in the Vietnam War.

August 4, 1973, a record crowd of 30,119 gathered at Saratoga to watch Secretariat run in the Whitney Handicap.  The fans made Big Red the 1-10 favorite, with Onion as the 5-1 second choice, the outcome was priceless.

August 4, 1978, Madison County native Fiddlin’ Doc Roberts passed away.

August 4, 1987, Florence native Kenny Price died in his hometown.

Saturday, August 4, 1990, the five likely candidates for governor traded barbs at the 110th Fancy Farm; Gatewood Galbraith, Martha Wilkinson, Lt. Governor Brereton Jones, Scotty Baesler, and Dr. Floyd G. Poore.

August 4, 1996, James Paul David Bunning, from Southgate, became a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Jim Bunning, Bill Foster, Ned Hanlon, and Earl Weaver made up the 58th induction class.  “I am most proud of the fact I went through nearly 11 years without missing a start.  Bunning won 224 games, an eight-time All-Star, one 20-win season, but would win 19 games four times and have one perfect game.  Besides throwing no-hitters in the American and National leagues, Bunning was also the 2nd pitcher behind Hall of Famer Cy Young to win 100 games and collect 1,000 strikeouts in both circuits.  When Bunning retired, he was 2nd on the all-time strikeouts list to Walter Johnson with 2,855.

Kentucky Trivia:  Bunning is one of only seven pitchers to throw both a perfect game and an additional no-hitter, the others being Randy Johnson, Sandy Koufax, Addie Joss, Cy Young, Mark Burlie, and fellow Phillie Roy Halladay.  He also became one of five players to throw a no-hitter in both leagues, the others being C. Young, R. Johnson, Nolan Ryan, and Hideo Nomo.

August 4, 1997, Governor Nunn wrote a two-page letter to his son Steve Nunn accusing him of mental and physical abuse, both to him and other family members.  The letter, written over a decade before he committed murder, stated that you would wake up and be all alone one day, and God will humble you. 

August 4, 1999, the Public Service Commission announced that Northern Kentucky and Lexington would receive a new area code.  By leaving 606 in Eastern Kentucky, the commission went against SOP to allow larger cities to keep their area codes.  Kentucky has five area codes: 270, 364, 502, 606, and 859.

On August 4, 1999, some 15-month-olds to 6-year-olds from the Bardstown-Springfield-Lebanon area participated in a Pharmaceutical experiment to replace the shot with a nasal squirt.  An early trial found the spray to be very effective at preventing the flu.  Bill Gates invested heavily in nasal technology before the COVID-19 outbreak.

August 4, 2000, Churchill Downs announced a Derby post time of 6:04 p.m.  That was 30 minutes later than what had become a tradition and was the latest start in Derby history.  The move was the most significant post time change since 1969.  NBC requested a 6:30 p.m. post.

On August 4, 2007, Attorney General Greg Stumbo walked around with blood hounds at the annual Fancy Farm political picnic held at the St. Jerome Catholic Church in Fancy Farm.  He said the blood hounds were “hunting for a real U.S. Senator,” referring to Mitch McConnell.

August 4, 2009, record-breaking rains fell in Jefferson County.  Officially at the Louisville airport, 4.53 inches of rain fell, which broke the old record for the highest rainfall in a single day, set in August 1879.  In some places, rainfall fell up to an astounding 8.80 inches per hour!  As a result, Interstates 65 and 264 were closed.  In addition, it prompted the evacuation of more than 40 horses from three barns from Churchill, and the Derby Museum reported $4 million in damages and shut down for a year for repairs.

Saturday, August 4, 2012, the non-attendees, Governor S. Beshear, Lt. Governor S. Abramson, Jack Conway, Adam Edelen, and Todd Hollenbach, all missed the Obama bashing at the Fancy Farm political picnic.  The only democrat to attend, Greg Stumbo, replied to the attacks, “If ever there is a worse president than George W. Bush, I want to know who it is.”

August 4, 2018, Governor M. Bevin avoided Fancy Farm and the wrath of teachers.

Kentucky Trivia:  Governor A. Beshear missed Fancy Farm in 2022 to “deepen his faith” by traveling to Israel during the Catholic political picnic.

August 4, 2018, a Keeneland graduate won the GI $1,200,000 Whitney Handicap Stakes for three-year-olds and upward at Saratoga.

On August 4, 2019, a 24-year-old man shot and killed nine people and wounded 17 others in Dayton, OH.  Police officers shot him dead soon afterward.  Again, some politicians called for more gun laws, and others offered prayers.  Nobody knows the answer.  Still, we do know, what you put in is what you get out.

On August 4, 2020, Michelle Sanborn, President of the Children’s Alliance of Kentucky, stated that COVID-19 struck Kentucky’s child welfare system like a “natural disaster.”  Shutting down society had an equivalent impact on government operations as floods or tornados.

August 4, 2020, Kentucky reported 700 new cases / seven new deaths (45, 50, 53,69, 70, 81, & 95).
Kentucky:  positive cases 32,197 / deaths 751. 
Indiana:  positive cases 69,255 / deaths 2,794.

On August 4, 2021, UK Healthcare and CHI St. Joseph, both in Lexington, became the latest hospitals in the state to mandate the vaccine to their employees due to the Delta variant.  Meanwhile, Dr. Fauci warned the public that a worse variant than the delta was coming.

On August 4, 2022, the U.S. Attorney charged four current and former Louisville police officers in their role for the botched search warrant executed at 26-year-old Breonna Taylor’ apartment, resulting in her death in March 2020.  They charged the officers with civil rights offenses, unconstitutional uses of force, obstruction, and conspiracy.

On Friday, August 4, 2023, the American Bar Association honored four individuals for outstanding commitment to volunteer legal services for low-income and disadvantaged persons.  One of the honorees, Ned Pillersdorf of Prestonsburg, committed himself to finding representation for Eric Conn’s clients in the Social Security disability fraud.  The representational crisis, now entering its ninth year, involved as many as 4,000 disabled Appalachians.