February 19, 1812, Kentuckians Thomas Marshall and Colonel Charles S. Mitchell dueled in Ohio across from Maysville. On the 1st fire, Mitchell wounded Marshall in the leg. “Both gentlemen acted with great firmness and bravery, as well as good conduct.” This account came from the Lexington Reporter three days later. Famous Kentucky Duels by J. Winston Coleman, Jr.; pg: 138
February 19, 1845, Cassius M. Clay announced his antislavery Lexington newspaper, the True American . Lexington newspapers stopped printing Clay’s antislavery articles, so he secured a downtown office building on North Mill. Expecting militant opposition, he fortified the building with muskets, brass cannons, a keg of gunpowder, and an escape route. Citizens did seize the press and forced Clay to move to Cincinnati. He later sued and received $2,500 in damages.
February 19, 1868, Thomas Clay McCreery became Kentucky’s 17th Class II U.S. Senator .
February 19, 1884, Kentucky was one of 10 states hit by the Enigma Outbreak of tornadoes. They began late in the morning in Mississippi after severe thunderstorms hit Louisiana. The outbreak destroyed over 10,000 structures overall; Louisville and New Albany’s homes were swept into the Ohio River. Sadly, the number of deaths that resulted from the outbreak remains unknown.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Louisville native John William Sublett , known by his stage name John W. Bubbles, born in 1902. He performed in the duo “Buck and Bubbles,” who were the 1st black artists to appear on TV. He is also known as the father of “rhythm tap.”
February 19, 1913, Marshal Asa T. Pettit, Clay City Police Department , died as he and two other men attempted to arrest five drunkards who had come into town and started firing their guns in the air. As the officers approached, the men opened fire, killing Marshal Pettit.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to George Edward “Eddie” Arcaro , born in 1916. Eddie is the only jockey to win two Triple Crowns.
On February 19, 1917, Posseman Patton Bartley, Pike County Sheriff’s Office , succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained the previous day, assisting deputies apprehending a man involved in a shooting. The posse overtook the man about a mile from the scene and Posseman Bartley got hit in the abdomen.
On February 19, 1924, individuals, churches, civic and educational organizations urged state senators to pass the Bennett Bill. The bill repealed the pari-mutuel law and was viewed as the 1st step in “cleaning up politics in Kentucky.” Proponents also felt the Jockey Club controlled all of Frankfort. Bennett Bill supporters asked, if you can bet on one sport; you should be able to bet on baseball, boxing, football, and all other sports. The law must be consistent.
February 19, 1925, President Calvin Coolidge signed an act creating the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery in Louisville .
February 19, 1938, Governor Happy Chandler informally tossed his hat into the senatorial ring in front of a banner-waving crowd that had packed the new state Capitol . The superstitious Chandler wanted to wait and officially commit in Newport at the Chamber of Commerce dinner, where he announced his run for governor. Happy would not beat Barkley in the race because in 1939, Senator Logan died, and Chandler appointed himself to the seat.
February 19, 1940, the Kentucky House passed a bill 84-0 to pay pensions of $100 to $1,000 a year to public school teachers. The bill replaced a similar 1938 law deemed ineffective because legislatures did not provide the funds. This bill had earmarked $1,000,000.
February 19, 1950, Governor Lawrence Wetherby appointed Luther T. Goheen as Commissioner of Kentucky’s Department of Welfare. His previous jobs included Superintendent of the Masonic Widows and Orphans Home and the Kentucky Children’s Home in Lyndon.
On February 19, 1951, the Census Bureau estimated the U.S. population, including men and women overseas, to total 153,085,000 . The bureau estimated Kentucky’s population at 2,936,000.
On February 19, 1960, (click to see) Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong prepare for his show backstage at Memorial Coliseum for UK’s Greek Week . Six thousand fans endured an hour delay as Louis traveled 28 hours from Washington, D.C., over icy roads.
February 19, 1966, Army SGT Elizie J. Collins Jr. from Williamsport in Johnson County and Army SGT Raymond L. Naylor from Lancaster in Garrard County , both died in the Vietnam War.
February 19, 1968, Army SP4 Robert W. Seaton from Kevil in Ballard County and Army SSG Jimmy D. Winchester from White Oak Junction in McCreary County , both died in the Vietnam War.
February 19, 1969, Marine Corps PFC Steven D. Tanner from Bromley in Kenton County died in the Vietnam War.
February 19, 1970, Army SP4 Jimmie R. Marshall from Louisville and Army CPL Clifford W. Marshall from Richmond , both died in the Vietnam War.
On February 19, 1974, Clay Wade Bailey, Dean of the Capitol Press Corp, died in Lexington . The Nunn administration named a bridge after him connecting Cincy to the Commonwealth. Kentucky celebrated “Clay Wade Bailey Day” in 1970, where he addressed a joint session. Clay arrived in Frankfort in 1927, after working with all of Kentucky’s major newspapers, including the Kentucky Post . Survivors included a son who wrote for the Thoroughbred Record.
February 19, 1985, William Schroeder, the 1st artificial heart patient to leave a hospital, spent 15 minutes outside Humana Hospital in Louisville. He was the 2nd individual to receive a bionic heart called the Jarvik 7.
February 19, 1989, Owensboro native Darrell Waltrip won the 31st Daytona 500 . Waltrip and his Hendrick Racing Team decided to use fuel strategy, being the only car not to pit in the closing laps. The victory was Waltrip’s 1st (and only) Daytona 500 win in 17 tries.
February 19, 1998, Grandpa Jones from Niagara in Henderson County, died . Louis Marshall Jones lived to be 84 years, three months, and three days young.
On February 19, 2000, The Courier-Journal released a poll that claimed eight out of ten Kentucky adults supported posting the Ten Commandments in the state’s public schools.
February 19, 2004, Army 2LT Jeffrey C. Graham, 24, of Elizabethtown , died fighting in Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
February 19, 2006, the Kentucky Heritage Land Trust estimated that more than 130 acres of fields, farmlands, and wildlife habitats are converted to urban uses every day , over one square mile a week. Over three-quarters of a million forested acres were lost in the last ten years. Kentucky’s decimation represented one of the highest loss rates in the country.
On February 19, 2010, a Louisville man went to court charged with threatening to kill President Obama, testing the limits of the First Amendment. The public defender claimed the defendant’s poem might have been offensive, but it did not incite violence and should be protected under the Constitution as a work of art. The man received a three-year sentence.
On February 19, 2012, Lowes (Graves County) native John Paul Hogan died. He helped discover polypropylene and high-density polyethylene (HDPE). After earning Chemistry and Physics degrees at Murray State University in 1942, he taught high school and college. Unfortunately for the environment, he decided to go corporate with Phillips Petroleum Company in 1944. The rest, you could say, is history.
On February 19, 2015, in an extraordinary slap at several Louisville judges and criminal defense lawyers, the Kentucky Supreme Court banned lawyers from calling judges to get bail set aside after another judge had set one. Judge Don Armstrong sparked the high court into action after he freed two people of selling drugs after another judge set bail.
February 19, 2019, some lawmakers in Frankfort drafted a bill to weaken the state’s Open Records Act , making it harder to follow public incentives to attract new businesses. Meanwhile, Jacqueline Coleman a new candidate for Lt. Governor changed her mind on abortion and announced she supported a woman’s right to choose during her campaign.
February 19, 2021, a woman who gave birth in the Franklin County jail received $200,000 to settle a lawsuit . Kelsey Love claimed the guards were indifferent to her medical needs as she screamed on the floor during her labor and delivery.
Sunday, February 19, 2023, many well-wishers made the pilgrimage to the Carter Center in Atlanta as prayers and memories for former President Jimmy Carter a day after he entered hospice. He died one year, 10 months, and 10 days later. The U.S. did not fight against any countries during his presidency.