Kentucky Trivia ● Kentucky Tweets

He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life. Muhammad Ali

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to John Jordan Crittenden, born in 1787.  John represented Kentucky in the U.S. Senate four different terms in both classes.  In addition, he served as the U.S. Attorney General in two separate terms, the 17^th governor, and Kentucky’s 22^nd Secretary of State.

September 10, 1905, Pete Browning passed away.  A genuine pre-modern national baseball star, one of the major league game’s pioneers, and one of the sport’s most enduring and intriguing figures, Louis Rogers “Pete” Browning hailed from Louisville.

On September 10, 1910, Knox County native James Black became the 8^th President of Union College.  The following year, his alma mater awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.  He served as president until 1912.  He would become Kentucky’s 39^th governor in 1919.

September 10, 1930, the State Highway Commission took bids to construct eight bridges.  Three bridges would span the Ohio River in Ashland, Maysville, and Carrollton.  The inland bridges were to be over the North Fork of the Cumberland at Burnside, over the Cumberland River at Canton and Smithland; over the Kentucky River at Boonesboro  and Tyrone, over the Tennessee River at Eggners Ferry and Paducah, and over the Green River at Spotsville.

September 10, 1950, Army PFC Ray L. Banks from Breathitt County, Army SGT Pearl G. Derossett from Floyd County, and Army CPL Charles E. Jordan from Boyd County, died in the Korean War.

September 10, 1951, Army SFC Preston J. Proffitt from Montgomery County died in the Korean War.

September 10, 1955, the Louisville Conference representing more than 100,000 Methodist in 52 Western and Central Kentucky counties, went on record in favor of keeping a separate subdivision of the church for Negro Methodist.

On September 10, 1956, on the 1^st day of public school, Louisville integrated peacefully, long before their counterparts in the Deep South.  This received national attention.  According to UofL History professor Tracy K’Meyer, there were only five white protesters.

September 10, 1960, Farmington native Adrian Howard “Odie” Smith won a gold medal in the Rome Olympics in basketball.  Touted as the greatest basketball team in Olympic history, the 1960 U.S. squad was so perfectly balanced that, unlike previous USA Olympic cage teams, no one player emerged as a dominant star.

September 10, 1965, the Kentucky State Fair opened.

September 10, 1966, Marine Corps CPL Thomas G. Richmond from Middlesboro died in the Vietnam War.

September 10, 1966, Muhammad Ali (26-0) fought Karl Mildenberger (49-2-3) in Wald Stadium, Frankfurt, West Germany during his European tour.  Besides the foreign tour, he stressed over the continued fight against the military draft and was nowhere near his best.  He cut Mildenberger in the 4^th and dropped him in the 5^th, but the German rallied to cause Ali discomfort as the champion worked to finish off the fight.  In the 12^th round, with Mildenberger on the ropes, referee Teddy Waltham stopped the fight.  Ali must have been grateful.  At the airport the next day, Waltham’s fee of 1,000 pounds was stolen.  When Ali heard, he gave Waltham the money from his own pocket.

September 10, 1968, Latonia Racetrack ushered in night racing for the 1^st time in Kentucky.  Over 7,600 fans showed up in the pouring rain, and created a handle of $400,258 which set two new records.  The rain made it difficult to see horses on the turn, especially for the chart caller.  However, the bright orange saddlecloths used instead of the traditional white cloths did help.

September 10, 1972, Jim Mattingly of Somerset caught a state record Rainbow Trout weighing 14 lbs., 6 ozs. on Cumberland River at the Lake Cumberland Tailwaters.

September 10, 1973, Muhammad Ali (42-2) fought Ken Norton (30-1) at The Forum, Inglewood, CA.  They promoted the fight as “The Revenge: Battle of Broken Jaw.”  Ali said of Norton:  “I took a nobody and created a monster.  Now I have to punish him bad.”  Ali, who never lost a rematch to someone who had beaten him, was able to overcome Norton’s awkward style and win the 12^th and final round to take the decision.

See what downtown Corbin looked like on September 10, 1985, looking south down North Main Street.

September 10, 1997, Kentucky’s engineer-governor, who designed his inauguration platform and office suite, unveiled the state’s new license plate, which he took a direct role in creating.  Governor P. Patton had rejected other designs before selecting the winner.

September 10, 2007, Army PFC Sammie E. Phillips, 19, of Cecilia, died in Iraq fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

September 16, 2016, Da Big Hoss, a Kentucky bred, takes Kentucky Down’s GIII $594,180 Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup for three-year-olds and upward.

On September 10, 2014, President Obama announced he authorized more bombs dropped on Iraq and Syria.  As a result, Obama became the 4^th consecutive President to bomb Iraq.  Syria became the 14^th Islamic country the U.S. invaded, occupied, or bombed.  Syria also made the 7^th Muslim country Obama bombed during his presidency (that did not count Obama’s bombing of the Muslim minority in the Philippines).

September 10, 2019, known for its specially waxed and colored bottles, Maker’s Mark announced a limited edition bottle named “The Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series 2019.”  Although the company created special bottles for friends, it was the 1^st bottle they did for themselves.

Kentucky Trivia:  Margie Samuels came up with the bottle’s iconic red wax cap.  The wife of T. William “Bill” Samuels Sr. baptized the 1^st bottle in her kitchen in a deep fryer from wax melted to 350˚F.  The 1^st wax-dipped bottle was essentially Kentucky deep-fried.

On September 10, 2020, on the day the Kentucky State Police honor guard placed a wreath in the Capitol Rotunda to honor the Kentuckians who died from coronavirus, the governor announced the largest single-day death toll at 22; all individuals were over 50 years of age.

Positives:  805 / 54,772
Deaths:  22 / 1,035 – 1st death 3/16/20
50&over:  1,007 / 49-30: 27 / 29&under: 1

On September 10, 2021, a frustrated Governor A. Beshear chided state legislatures for removing the state’s mask mandate for public schools and banning any statewide mask mandate.  The governor stated it was “wrong,” and it put him in a position of trying to fight the alarming spread of the coronavirus pandemic “with one hand tied behind my back.”  If he had the authority, Beshear said, he would immediately implement a masking mandate for indoor settings and hoped more businesses would impose mask mandates.