Kentucky Trivia ● Kentucky Tweets

If these United States can be called a body, then Kentucky can be called its heart.  Jesse Stuart

August 30, 1809, David Tremble and Henry Daniel, both Mt. Sterling attorneys were drinking in a bar and got into a dispute, which lead to a duel at an unknown location.  At first fire, Mr. Daniel was dangerously wounded.   He received the ball on the right side, at the 7^th true rib, and it penetrated the liver.  Mr. Trimble escaped unhurt.
Famous Kentucky Duels by J. Winston Coleman, Jr.; pg: 137

August 30, 1814, George Walker, a Republican-Democrat, became Kentucky’s 5^th Class II Senator.  Governor Shelby appointed George for five months.

On August 30, 1836, James Clark became Kentucky’s 13^th governor.  Governor J. Clark created a state board of education and public schools in every county in the state. Unfortunately, he died in office with less than a year to serve after serving in all three branches of Kentucky’s government.

August 30, 1859, Beriah Magoffin became the 21^st governor.  He served during the early part of the Civil War and sympathized with Confederates.  Nevertheless, when the General Assembly adopted a neutrality position in the war, Magoffin held to it, refusing calls for aid from both sides.  Unable to provide effective leadership due to a hostile legislature, Magoffin agreed to resign in 1862, provided he could choose the next governor.

August 30, 1906, Jamestown native Eros Bolivar “Cy” Barger made his MLB debut with the New York Highlanders.  He went from Transylvania to the big leagues.

August 30, 1919, in his 9^th race, Man o’ War held up the start for 12 minutes, after breaking through the webbing four times, in the 7^th running of the 6F Hopeful Stakes, before winning in 1:13.00.  The Spa held 20,000 fans to see Big Red race four colts and three fillies, including Upset and Constancy, for a $30,000 purse.  As horses lined up in front of starting tape for the final time, clouds burst open with heavy rain.  Man o’ War possibly kicked the filly Ethel Grey.  He did kick another filly, Cleopatra.  Reporters had a hard time seeing the action due to the rain.  Nevertheless, Man o’ War won by four, ears flicking up with ease.  One reporter recalled Sam Riddle celebrating, “like a seventeen-year-old, he had hopped and skipped about the clubhouse and paddock and congratulated his jockey and trainer over and over.”

August 30, 1923, Nancy Green, the original model for “Aunt Jemima,” died in an automobile accident after a truck flipped over onto the sidewalk where she was standing in Chicago.  Born a Montgomery County slave in 1834, Nancy would become a household name across America.

August 30, 1930, Night Police Chief Joseph Gertrude Lockard, Barbourville Police Department, died from a gunshot responding to a disturbance in the downtown area.  Despite the wounds, Chief Lockard returned fire and killed the man.

August 30, 1944, the Kentucky Dam reservoir began to fill.  Six years earlier, the massive project began.  At the peak of construction, TVA had nearly 5,000 people working.  Kentucky Dam created the largest human-made lake in the Eastern U.S., covering 160,300 acres, featuring 2,300 miles of shoreline.

August 30, 1951, Army PFC William Holbrook from Pike County died in the Korean War.

On August 30, 1964, Louisville native Bobby Nichols won the Carling World Open by one stroke over Arnold Palmer for his 5^th tour victory.  He won his only major, the PGA Championship, weeks earlier.

August 30, 1967, Army PFC Edward L. Rankin from LaGrange in Oldham County died in the Vietnam War.

August 30, 1968, Marine Corps CW03 William L. Vick from Paducah died in the Vietnam War.

August 30, 1970, Bobby Nichols won the Dow Jones Open Invitational by one stroke for his 9^th PGA tour win.  Nichols had 12 holes-in-one in his professional career.

August 30, 1971, Army SP5 Samuel O. Small from Evarts in Harlan County died in the Vietnam War.

August 30, 1972, Governor W. Ford announced the suspension of seven strip-miming permits in Pike County and called for a “full legal investigation of strip-mining and the pillage which had taken over the past several years.”

On August 30, 1981, Willie Shoemaker became the 1^st jockey to win a $1 million thoroughbred horse race when John Henry won the inaugural Arlington Million by a nose over The Bart.

August 30, 1982, Tammie McKenney cut 500 sticks of tobacco in five hours during the women’s speed-cutting event at the Bluegrass Tobacco Festival in Scott County.  Officials thought her feat to be an unofficial women’s world record.  McKenney, 17, was a high school senior from Mount Zion.

On August 30, 1996, thousands showed up in Paducah to see President B. Clinton’s 14-bus caravan end his 1^st full day of campaigning after he became his party’s nominee.  Clinton would repel Glass-Steagall at the end of this term.  The Kentucky Racing Commission closed Dueling Grounds and later that night Coach B. Curry auctioned off the 1994 UK/UofL football at the annual “Bash.”

August 30, 1997, the Hal Mumme Era, labeled as “Air Raid,” started off well.  UK tied a school record with 21 first-quarter points in a 38-24 defeat of Louisville.  Sophomore quarterback Tim Couch set a then-school records for completions (36) and passing yards (398).  It was UK’s 500^th victory and the first game that Tom Leach was the “Voice of the Wildcats.”

Kentucky Trivia:  Mumme’s final record at Kentucky was 20–26, after a 20–18 start and an 18–17 record in his first three years, compared to Kentucky’s 9–24 mark in the three years before his arrival.

August 30, 2008, Jalil finished 3^rd in his North American debut at Suffolk Downs at 1-5 odds.  Sheikh Mohammed bought him for $9.7 million in September 2005 and got sent to Europe to start his less-than-average career.  He never materialized.

August 30, 2014, for UK’s opener, the Wildcats blew out Tennessee-Martin 59-14, with Patrick Towles in Coach Stoop’s 2^nd year.  This was Kentucky’s largest margin of victory since 2002.

August 30, 2019, a political consultant testified that Jerry Lundergan left $20,000 in cash and a $25,000 check in his couch.  He implied Jerry made a secret illegal contribution to his daughter’s 2015 reelection campaign for Secretary of State.

On August 30, 2020, UK implemented a new strategy to contain the virus after a failed process; they kept positive kids on campus instead of sending them home.

Positives:  462 / 48,032
Deaths:  9 / 930 – 1^st death March 16, 2020
50&over:  903 / 49-30: 26 / 29&under: 1

On August 30, 2021, America’s longest war ended in Afghanistan, and we immediately sent $5 billion to Ukraine to fight a war on Russia’s border.  Ukraine’s President and First lady later made the cover of Vogue to promote the war.  You can’t make it up.  Meanwhile, the governor announced the highest number of positive virus cases for one week; 2,619.  He stated, “This is tragic because it is preventable.”