Kentucky Trivia ● Kentucky Tweets

Let lessons of stern yesterdays . . . be your food, your drink, your rest.  Joseph Seamon Cotter, Jr.

September 2, 1777, Kentucky held the 1^st official court session in Fort Harrod.

September 2, 1828, the 9^th 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 15^th governor.  Robert was a strong supporter of the Whig Party, and a friend of Henry Clay and John J. Crittenden.  He would next be the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. 

On September 2, 1851, Lazarus Whitehead Powell became the 19^th governor.  Lazarus helped make Kentucky one of the top educational systems in the South.  He also improved our transportation system, and vetoed legislation that would have created an overabundance of banks.

Tuesday, September 2, 1862, about 11,000 Confederate troops entered Lexington to cheering crowds and bands playing.  They came looking for recruits, but surprisingly enough, not many joined.

On September 2, 1879, Luke P. Blackburn became the 28^th governor, and the 1^st physician to serve.  He was a respected medical doctor and philanthropist until he 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 31^st governor.  John is a native of Claysville which is near Elizabethtown in Hardin County.

Kentucky Trivia:  Governor John Y. Brown was 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.  Joseph was an American playwright, author, and poet.

September 2, 1899, League Park or Eclipse Park II, hosted Kentucky’s last major-league game 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.  The subject was also wanted for liquor violations.

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.

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 1^st female African American jockey to win a professional thoroughbred race when Jetolara crossed the finish line 1^stat Waterford Park.

September 2, 1984, Darrin Van Horne made his professional debut in New Orleans, LA.

On September 2, 1992, click for a picture of television journalist and Louisville native 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 cheerleaded 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 8^th meeting, Louisville beat Kentucky for the 1^st time; in the 2^nd year, the rivalry restarted.  This season opener also holds the distinction of being the lowest-scoring game in series history.  Ron Cooper won his 1^st game as head coach by beating Bill Curry in his 6^th season.  The series record now stood at 7-1.  The Cards would use the win as a springboard to a 7-4 season, while UK would finish the year 4-7.

September 2, 2000, on the 1^st possession of overtime, Anthony Floyd intercepted Jared Lorenzen’s pass.  On the next play, Tony Stallings scored to give Louisville a 40-34 victory over Kentucky in their season openers.  Freshman QB Jared Lorenzen passed for 322 yards in his 1^st career game.  UK had a 19-14 lead when the game was stopped in the 3Q by lightning.  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, 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 in their season openers.  The Joker vs. Charlie show grabbed the attention but credit sophomore Teddy Bridgewater, for getting things going.  Unfortunately, Joker lost in his last year for a 1-2 personal record.  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.

September 2, 2017, a Kentucky bred won the GI $750,000 Woodward Stakes by 10.

On September 2, 2020, the state neared the daily record for testing positive with 816 and, unfortunately, 18 new deaths; one person under 50 died.  “Sadly, I think we’re going to have a lot more days like today,” Beshear said.“ But, as the Kentucky Derby and Labor Day approached, he also declared, “I need you to keep your gatherings small — 10 or less.”

Positives:  816 / 49,991
Deaths:  18 / 966 – 1^st 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.