Kentucky Trivia ● Kentucky Tweets
April 16, 1880, the 2nd “organized” football game in Kentucky occurred between Transylvania University and Centre College in a Danville cow pasture. Transy won 5 ½ to zero. Transy hosted a week earlier in a Lexington cow pasture.
On April 16, 1910, Falmouth native Frank Browning, 27, made his MLB debut with the Detroit Tigers.
April 16, 1924, Mount Sherman native Hi Bell, 26, made his MLB debut with the St. Louis Cardinals. Mount Sherman is in LaRue County.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Paducah native Julian Morton Carroll, born in 1931. The 54th governor vehemently disliked third parties in Kentucky.
On April 16, 1933, Deputy Sheriff Isaac Pennington, Harlan County Sheriff’s Office, died by gunfire at the Black Mountain Coal Company’s camp in Kenvir by a subject seeking revenge against him for a previous arrest.
April 16, 1946, UK’s head football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, pictured with his 1st UK staff in the spring of 1946.
April 16, 1951, Army PFC, Jonas B. Webb from Henderson died in the Korean War.
April 16, 1953, Army PVT Elbert R. Lunce from Perry County died in the Korean War.
April 16, 1955, Racing Hall of Famer Steve Brooks became the 1st jockey to win five Keeneland races on a single card. He scored five wins, including four in a row, from eight mounts.
On April 16, 1960, over 200 baseball buffs turned out two hours early at the Fairgrounds Stadium for the Kentucky Colonel’s season opener, the 4,298 attendance disappointed the franchise.
April 16, 1967, Army SP4 Benjamin L. Barrick from Shelbyville died in the Vietnam War.
April 16, 1968, Army SSG Billy Joe Cole from Guthrie in Todd County, Marine Corps PFC Larry G. Moore from Owensboro, and Maine Corps LCPL Joe R. Melczek from Insko in Morgan County, all died in the Vietnam War.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Lexington native Joseph “Joe” Arvin, born in 1971. Joe authored the cookbook Madlove Cooking and has appeared on numerous cooking shows, including Cutthroat Kitchen and The Taste and Big Brother 14. He also created FoodTruckers TV.
April 16, 1972, Army PFC Charles D. Landis from Ashland and Air Force MAJ Alan P. Mateja from Louisville, both died in the Vietnam War.
April 16, 1978, at Fenway Park, Fort Knox native Len Barker (then with the Texas Rangers) threw a pitch that sailed upward onto the screen above and behind the backstop. Partly due to this, he didn’t make the majors for good until 1979. He did, however, throw a perfect game in 1981.
April 16, 1982, Deputy Sheriff Randall Cook, Knott County Sheriff’s Office, died when his vehicle collided with another at an intersection near Hindman.
April 16, 1983, EKU voted to raise tuition prices. The cost for instate undergraduates rose from $398 a semester to $427. For out-of-state students the cost jumped from $1,163 a semester to $1,278.
April 16, 1986, Leslie Combs, II announced Spendthrift Farm, Inc. would sell more than half of its real estate and all broodmares. They sold 1,200 acres, leaving the farm with 800. Three lawsuits against the farm drove the restructure.
April 16, 1993, at 9:25 p.m., the largest fireworks show in the world began. Thunder Over Louisville shot 15,000 explosives from six barges in the Ohio River. The show included 550 miles of wiring, 112 searchlights, and a 425,000-watt sound system.
April 16, 1998, investigator Brandon Heath Thacker, Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, died by gunfire as he was driving to an undercover assignment with three other agents on the Western Kentucky Parkway near Eddyville.
April 16, 2000, Pat Day tied Don Brumfield’s record of 716 wins at Keeneland. “I bet $100 on him; I was glad to see him win,” said Brumfield, who had been driving from Louisville every race day to see the record broken.
April 16, 2003, Police Officer Eddie Mundo, Jr., LaGrange Police Department, died when a vehicle struck his patrol car head-on by the car he searched for.
April 16, 2006, Army SGT Clinton W. Cubert, 38, of Lawrenceburg, died in the Lexington Veterans Affairs Medical Center of injuries sustained in 2005, fighting in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
April 16, 2011, Thunder Over Louisville took place, showcasing the largest annual fireworks display in North America. The event began in 1989 with daytime fireworks, and in 1990 it became a night show. An average of 625,000 people have attended each year since 1997, with 2007 attracting the largest crowd of 850,000.
April 16, 2019, Attorney General A. Beshear demanded the Labor Cabinet rescind its subpoenas for teachers’ name who called in sick to protest in Frankfort. Beshear claimed the Bevin Administration’s bullying reached a new level when they wanted to fine them $1,000.
On April 16, 2021, Kentucky had 436,445 positive coronavirus cases and 6,317 related deaths. “There are more than half a million Moderna and Phifzer vaccines available in Kentucky right now, and it takes a few minutes to find yours,” the governor said in a written statement. Kentucky parents had to decide whether or not to hold their child back a year due to the closed schools, isolation, and covid-19 restrictions.