Kentucky Trivia
Let lessons of stern yesterdays . . . be your food, your drink, your rest. Joseph Seamon Cotter, Jr.
September 2, 1777, Kentucky held the 1st official court session in Fort Harrod.
September 2, 1828, the 9th governor, Joseph Desha, finally left the governor’s mansion after refusing to leave for eight days. He felt the new governor, Thomas Metcalfe, was not worthy of the office.
September 2, 1840, Robert P. Letcher became the 15th governor with the support of Henry Clay, John J. Crittenden and the Whig Party. He would soon be the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico.
On September 2, 1851, Lazarus Whitehead Powell became the 19th governor. He made Kentucky one of the top educational systems in the South, improved our transportation system, and vetoed legislation that created an overabundance of banks.
Tuesday, September 2, 1862, about 11,000 Confederate troops entered Lexington to bands playing and crowds cheering. They came looking for recruits, but shockingly enough, only a few joined.
On September 2, 1879, Luke P. Blackburn became the 28th governor and the 1st physician to serve. The respected medical doctor and philanthropist allegedly attempted to create a yellow fever outbreak targeting northern civilians and soldiers during the Civil War. Despite widespread outrage at the time, he won by a landslide.
September 2, 1891, John Young Brown became the 31st governor. John is a native of Claysville which is near Elizabethtown in Hardin County.
Kentucky Trivia: Governor John Y. Brown became the last Kentucky governor sworn into office in September. Governors are now sworn into office in December.
September 2, 1893, Lincoln County lynched William Akerson, a black male, for rape.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Louisville native Joseph Seamon Cotter Jr., born in 1895; an American playwright, author, and poet.
September 2, 1899, League Park, or Eclipse Park II, hosted Kentucky’s last major-league baseball game, with Louisville blasting Washington 25-4. Six weeks earlier, Eclipse Park I burned to the ground.
September 2, 1899, Deputy Bill Lewis, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, died from a gunshot when he attempted to arrest a man wanted for murdering Deputy James Stubblefield two months earlier.
September 2, 1922, Deputy Sheriff John Mays, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, died from gunshots while attempting to arrest two brothers at the Locust Grove Church.
September 2, 1928, Deputy Sheriff Joner Cornett, Letcher County Sheriff’s Office, died from a gunshot while searching for a man wanted for murdering Patrolman Jim Clem of the Poor Fork Police Department in 1925.
September 2, 1940, President F.D.R. arrived in Corbin at 11:55 p.m.
September 2, 1945, World War II ended and the Kentucky State Fair opened, talk about good timing.
September 2, 1950, Army CPL Carl Callahan, Jr. from Henderson and Army PFC Elza M. Cummins from Campbell County died in the Korean War.
September 2, 1951, Army PVT Charles Blankenship from Perry County and Army PFC Francis G. Schmitt from Jefferson County died in the Korean War.
On September 2, 1967, Marine Corps CPL, 20-year-old Nichols Owen Wagman, from Ludlow, died in the Vietnam War.
On September 2, 1971, Cheryl White became the 1st female African American jockey to win a professional thoroughbred race when Jetolara crossed the finish line 1st at Waterford Park.
September 2, 1984, Darrin Van Horne made his professional debut in New Orleans, LA.
On September 2, 1992, a picture of Diane Sawyer talking to farmers in Bath County about welfare reform. She interviewed John Botts, a Bath County tobacco farmer, for ABC News’s PrimeTime Live.
Kentucky Trivia: Diane Sawyer was a cheerleader for the 1963 State Champion Seneca High School Red Hawk basketball team, which boasted future Boston Celtic Mike Redd and future Washington Bullet Wes Unseld.
September 2, 1994, the National Corvette Museum opened.
On September 2, 1995, in their 8th meeting, Louisville beat Kentucky for the 1st time; in the 2nd year, the rivalry restarted. Ron Cooper won his 1st game as head coach by beating Bill Curry in his 6th of seven seasons. The series record now stood at 7-1 after the 13-10 game. The Cards would use the win as a springboard to a 7-4 season, while UK finished the year 4-7.
September 2, 2000, on the 1st possession of the Governor’s Cup overtime, Anthony Floyd intercepted Jared Lorenzen’s pass. Tony Stallings then scored to give Louisville a 40-34 victory. Freshman QB Jared Lorenzen passed for 322 yards in his 1st career game in Hal Mumme’s last year. UK had a 19-14 lead when lightning stopped the game in the 3Q. After an hour and 12 minutes delay, play resumed. The record now stood at 9-4.
September 2, 2007, Army Staff SGT Delmar White, 37, of Wallins, died in Iraq fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
September 2, 2007, Somerset native Josh Anderson made his MLB debut with the Houston Astros while Dueling Grounds cancelled their card due to bad weather.
September 2, 2009, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. agreed to pay $2.3 billion, the largest health care fraud settlement for the Department of Justice, to resolve criminal and civil liability cases for illegally promoting certain pharmaceutical products.
September 2, 2012, Lexington native Nick Maronde made his MLB debut for the Los Angeles Angels.
On September 2, 2012, the #25 Cardinals defeated the Wildcats in Louisville. The Joker vs. Charlie Show grabbed the attention but credit sophomore Teddy Bridgewater, for getting things going. Coach Phillips lost in his last year for a 1-2 record against the Cards. The series stood at 14-11.
On September 2, 2017, Kentucky won their opener against the University of Southern Mississippi 24-17. They finished the season 7-6 and lost in the Music City Bowl by one point, 23-24, to Northern University. Coach Stoops had the reins for four years.
September 2, 2017, a Kentucky bred won the GI $750,000 Woodward Stakes by 10.
Monday night, September 2, 2019, the University of Louisville set an attendance record of 58,187 to open the season in a losing effort against Notre Dame 35-17 in Coach Scott Satterfield’s debut.
On September 2, 2020, the state reported 18 new deaths. “Sadly, I think we’re going to have a lot more days like today,” Beshear said. As the Derby and Labor Day approached, he begged, “I need you to keep your gatherings small — 10 or less.”
Positives: 816 / 49,991
Deaths: 18 / 966 – 1st death March 16, 2020
50&over: 938 / 49-30: 27 / 29&under: 1
September 2, 2021, Congressman Hal Rogers became the longest serving member of Congress in Kentucky history.