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TODAY IN KENTUCKY HISTORY

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Richard Henderson, born in Hanover County, Virginia in 1735.  Even though his Transylvania government failed, North Carolina and Virginia compensated him for improvements he made to Kentucky lands.

April 20, 1898, as Baldy George Baker’s family laid him to rest in Laurel County, shots rang out from the woods and the funereal hastily moved to another location.  Not even a short truce seemed possible for the infamous Clay County feud between the Howards and Bakers.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Mayfield (Graves County) native Ellis Wilson, born in 1899.  In 1928, Wilson moved to Harlem, where he joined the Harlem Artists Guild.  At the time, black artists could not exhibit their work in mainstream galleries.  He became an active member of the Harlem Renaissance, a collaborative effort to promote and display the work of black artists.  The artist participated in many of the exhibitions associated with the movement.

Landscape

On April 20, 1904, one of the earliest recorded Kentucky coal mine disasters happened when dust ignited 30 miles from Somerset.  The Stearns mine in McCreary County killed five negroes and fatally injured another.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Louisville native Lionel Leo Hampton born in 1908.  Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, Buddy Rich, Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, and Quincy Jones.  He received the National Medal of Arts in 1996.

On April 20, 1911, the infamous Livermore Lynching occurred with the world watching McClean County.  The black manager of a segregated poolroom, Will Potter asked Clarence Mitchell, a young white man to leave.  A fight ensued and Potter fired two shots at Mitchell.  The city marshal immediately arrested Potter and brought him to the local theater, securing him in a dressing room behind the stage.  A mob of 50 gathered, took Potter to the center of the stage, tied him to a pole, and turned on the stage lights.  The mob sat in the orchestra pit, and on cue, fired 200 shots; nearly half entered the body of Mr. Potter.  The Kentucky Encyclopedia edited by John E. Kleber; pg: 563

April 20, 1920, Deputy Sheriff Jerry Cornett, Perry County Sheriff’s Office, succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained two weeks earlier while arresting several men for possessing moonshine at the Fourseam Block Colliery Company mine camp on Buffalo Creek, three miles from Hazard.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to River native Frank Brown, born in 1922 in Johnson County.  He earned his memorable nickname, Hylo, after he wowed a DJ with his voice range on The Prisoner’s Song, a 1920s hillbilly hit.  The Grand Ole Opry member lost a bet with Bill Monroe to see who could grow the longest sideburns.

On April 20, 1929, with the Kentucky Theatre’s success, the Lafayette Amusement Company opened a 2nd theater right next door in downtown Lexington.  This 950-seat State Theatre, with a 200-seat racially segregated balcony, showed second-run features with lower ticket prices complementing the Kentucky.

April 20, 1933, Deputy Sheriff John C. Carnes, Harlan County Sheriff’s Office, died from injuries received in an ambush 11 days earlier outside of a dance hall in the mining community of Laurel. 

April 20, 1940, despite dog racing being illegal, a group of Northern Kentucky men began a movement to reopen the greyhound dog racing facility at Tacoma Park.  The park closed three years earlier after the State Police raided the track by Governor Chandler’s orders. 

April 20, 1956, Lt. Governor Harry Lee Waterfield and his family moved into the newly renovated Old Governor’s Mansion in downtown Frankfort.  The 2nd oldest governor’s residence in the U.S., the Federal-style structure housed 35 governors.  From James Garrard, the 2nd governor, in 1797, to James McCreary’s 2nd term, #27, in 1914.

On April 20, 1960, Union College in Barbourville (Knox County) installed Dr. Mahlon A. Miller as the 12th president.  Today, the 20th president serves Union Commonwealth University.

April 20, 1960, UK President Frank Dickey asked all students to attend Temperance lectures on the main campus and the branches throughout the entire state.  He directed the School of Journalism to arrange for lectures on the effects of alcohol on the human body as required by state law.

April 20, 1966 Army CPL Ronald V. Silbersack from Cold Spring in Campbell County died in the Vietnam War.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Louisville native Allan Houston, born in 1971.  In 1988, he led Ballard to a State Championship, and in 1993 he graduated from Tennessee as the all-time leading scorer, a record he still holds.  He played in the NBA from 1993-2005 as a shooting guard.

April 20, 1973, Patrolman Tommy Ray, Louisville Police Department, succumbed to gunshot wounds received one month learlier while responding to a burglary call at a supermarket.

April 20, 1980, in an uplifting, revival-style ceremony, Dr. Martin Luther King, Sr. brought his message of love and brotherhood to Louisville, twelve years after a sniper killed his son.

April 20, 1981, the Kentucky State Racing Commission scratched Johnlee n’ Harold from the upcoming Derby.  The owner refused to take a lie detector test.  The commission felt the horse’s real owner was Harold Smith, a man under a $21 million federal embezzlement investigation.  Harold was also the promotor for Muhammad Ali Professional Sports, Inc.  The well regarded colt placed 2nd in the Santa Anita Derby.

On April 20, 1991, Martha Wilkinson’s gubernatorial campaign announced they wanted to make it illegal for individuals doing business with the state to give gifts or money to lawmakers’ campaigns.  The 1st Lady of Kentucky proposed ending them because she got tired of reading “story after story after story” about her campaign donors who had received large state contracts from her husband’s administration.  She added, “I will help newspapers write about other stories.”

Kentucky Trivia:  Martha Wilkinson created “Martha’s Army” to fight adult illiteracy.  The army used a telephone hotline and financial incentives to encourage Kentucky high school dropouts to earn a GED.  In 1990, country-music singer Waylon Jennings, who dropped out of school in the 10th grade, earned a GED through Martha’s Army.

April 20, 1996, Kentucky named Patrick Witty, of Glasgow and a Western Kentucky University student, College Photographer of the Year.

April 20, 1996, the 5th Thunder over Louisville began.  Skydivers, three helicopters, Howitzer cannons, and a MIG-17 Jet participated in the Hollywood theme boom, including a 420,000-watt sound system—an estimated 600,000 attended.

April 20, 2000, on the 1st anniversary of the shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado, law-enforcement students at Prestonsburg Community College staged a mock takeover of the college’s administration building.

April 20, 2007, Sara Walter Combs, Chief Judge of Kentucky Court of Appeals, and Project Director Joe Bowen unveiled Governor Bert T. Combs Statue in Stanton (Powell County).

April 20, 2008, Nashville’s Walk of Fame dedicated a star to Paducah (McCracken County) native Steven Curtis Chapman for his contributions to Christian music.

April 20, 2011, Mickey Nilsson, a 62-year-old resident of Bardstown (Nelson County), demonstrated his car that ran on Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey.  According to Mickey, it ran on almost any bourbon created; however, the engine preferred Maker’s Mark.

April 20, 2014, Owensboro native Justin Marks made his MLB debut for the Kansas City Royals at age 26.

April 20, 2018, the Trump Administration touted Ashland (Boyd County) native Gina Haspel’s love of UK basketball.  They wanted her to appear more likable before her nomination to lead the CIA.  Her critics, including Senator R. Paul, claimed she was a waterboarding cheerleader.  She led the agency many want to abolish from 2018-2021.

How To Handle A Heckler

Friday, April 20, 2018, Stonestreet Farms won the GIII $100,000 Doubledogdare Stakes for fillies and mares four-year-old and upwards.  The farm owner, Barbara Banke, was a former land and constitutional law attorney who spent more than a decade arguing cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal.  She made her millions with her husband in wine country.

April 20, 2019, SPC Ryan Riley, 22, of Richmond, died in Iraq, in a non-combat-related incident while fighting in Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.

April 20, 2019, a Kentucky bred paid $16.60 to win in the GII $250,000 Elkhorn Stakes.  Owners Kenneth L. Ramsey and Sarah Kathern “Kitten” Ramsey have won more races as owners at Keeneland than anyone or any entity.  They started in the infant mobile phone industry with cell towers.

April 20, 2020, Governor A. Beshear told superintendents that K-12 schools would not reopen for in-person classes for the remainder of the school year.  Instead, he wanted all schools to continue non-traditional learning and be creative for celebrations like graduations.  At the time of the announcement, 3,000 Kentuckians had tested positive, and 154 persons had died from the flu strain.

On April 20, 2021, Capitol Police published a report claiming they issued Rep. Hal Rogers a $5,000 fine for failing to comply with a security screening before entering the House chamber.  The Prince of Pork set off the metal detector, entering the House chamber, but continued walking.  An Officer then told Rogers he needed to be hand-wanded.  “Maybe later, I have to vote,” Rogers replied.  Rogers returned after voting.

By April 20, 2021, 37 state workers allegedly paid themselves $116,978 in jobless benefits during the department’s 2020 dysfunction.  Kentuckians were spending their stimulus money while Lexington held anti-violence protests after setting a homicide record of 34 in 2020.  Also, after a long search, the F.B.I. arrested Stephen Randolph, a Harrodsburg resident.  He participated in the January 6 riots and told agents the riot was fun.

On April 20, 2021, The Nature Conservancy added 460 acres to the Big South Fork National River and Recreational Park in Southeastern Kentucky.  The McCreary County tract was one of the largest remaining pieces of privately held land, called an inholding, inside the 125,000-acre TN/KY park, which is commonly known as Big South Park.

April 20, 2021, Chase Kirk from Lexington caught a state record Fantail Darter weighing .01 pounds in Hickman Creek in Jessamine County.

Painting by Ellen Edmonson

On April 20, 2023, America learned that Facebook censored Seymour Hersh’s article about the U.S. imploding the Nord Stream Pipeline, causing the largest man-made environmental disaster known.  Facebook likes to please its customers, the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security, who pay hundreds of millions for technical services.

On April 20, 2024, Governor A. Beshear got the ball rolling.

On April 20, 2024, a Kentucky bred won the GIII $400,000 Lexington Stakes for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the current ruler of Dubai.  Encino is still trying for a GI.