Kentucky Trivia

October 16, 1800, Lexington organized the 1^st Grand Lodge of Kentucky.  Prominent Kentucky Masons included: John C. Breckinridge, Cassius M. Clay, the Crittendens, John Hunt Morgan, Beriah Magoffin, Robert Worth Bingham, A.B. Chandler, George Rogers Clark and Henry Clay who was Grand Master from 1820-21.  The main Lodge eventually moved to Louisville.
The Squire’ Sketches of Lexington by J. Winston Coleman, Jr.; pg: 24

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Mercer County native John Bryan Bowman born in 1824.  Mr. Bowman founded Kentucky University and the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, known today as the University of Kentucky.

On October 16, 1827, Scott County native Daniel Pope Cook passed away.  Illinois named Cook County after him, where the city of Chicago resides.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Murray native Cleanth Brooks, born in 1906.  An American literary critic and professor, Cleanth was the preeminent critic of Southern literature, writing classic texts on William Faulkner and other classic writers.  He also co-founded the influential journal The Southern Review with Robert Penn Warren.

October 16, 1909, Kentucky defeated Tennessee 17-0 in Lexington.  The 7^th game in the series set the record to 3-3-1.

October 16, 1913, Louisville native Ralph Waldo Rose passed away.  A six-time Olympian in throwing events, he won medals in three games: 1904, 1908, and 1912.  An impressive 6′ 5½” and 250 pounds, Rose was the 1^st shot putter to break 50’, a world record he held from 1909 till 1925.

On October 16, 1916, McCracken County lynched two black males: Luther Durrett for alleged attempted rape and Brack Kinley for being part of a mob.

October 16, 1948, sculptor Herbert Haseltine unveiled his statue of Man o’ War at Samuel Riddle’s Faraway Farm, his original resting place.  Herbert began in 1941 when he would spend two hours a day for six months with the horse.  He made three consecutive models, each progressively larger than the first.  Made of bronze, the final sculptor has nine different pieces and weighs 3,000 pounds.  The statue came from New York two weeks before the unveiling, and Haseltine flew in from France.

October 16, 1958, Police Officer Stanley “Tex” Pitakos, Newport Police Department, died during a gunshot during a robbery in progress of a loan company.  Other officers rushing to the scene shot and killed the suspect.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Lexington native Tamara McKinney, born in 1962.  She won four World Cup season titles, most notably the 1983 overall title, the last American woman title holder for a quarter century until Lindsey Vonn in 2008.

October 16, 1970, an officer in the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) spoke at the Kentucky DAR chapter at Berea College.  She claimed many people wanted to rewrite history, “the trend is toward multi-ethnic literature, and that more than 200 history books are being dropped and replaced by new books such as The Autobiography of Malcolm X at a cost to taxpayers of $1.6 million.”

October 16, 1976, the Wildcats defeated the LSU Tigers 21-7.  The Cats would go onto win the Peach Bowl under Coach Currci with All-Americans Warren Bryant, Art Still, and Derrick Ramsey.

October 16, 1979, Daniel Lee Hay of the Maysville Police Department, died from a gunshot while investigating a grocery store burglary.  The suspect fled the store through an air duct.  They captured, convicted, and sentenced the murderer to 40 years.

Click to see the October 16, 1983, scene in downtown Mt. Sterling during the annual Court Day.  Since 1794, the festival has entertained Kentuckians in Montgomery County.

October 16, 1983, Kelso passed away of colic.  The day before, the 26-year-old Kelso and Forego paraded before 32,000 spectators before the start of the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park.  Kelso the gelding had a second career as a hunter and show jumper.  In 1967, they elected him to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.  He lays in rests at Allaire du Pont’s Woodstock Farm in Chesapeake City, Maryland.

October 16, 1992, Governor Brereton Jones took the controversial step of bringing his top political-fundraiser, Jack Hall, into the administration as a member of his inner circle and director of an obscure state agency.  Hall raised $10 million for Jones.

October 16, 1993, the Wildcats defeated the LSU Tigers 35-17 in Lexington.  The Cats went onto to loose in the Peach Bowl by one point to Clemson.

October 16, 1995, an elaborate welcoming event took place on the Louisville airport runway to welcome United Parcel Service’s new Boeing 767 cargo freight liner.  The plane was one of a kind, but many more were to follow as part of UPS’s expansion.

October 16, 2010, the Kentucky Wildcats upset the 10^th ranked South Carolina (SC) Gamecocks in Lexington.  The 1^st quarter ended with the score 14-0, and at halftime SC was winning 28-10.

October 16, 2010, eight went to post in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup GI; half were Keeneland graduates.  A Kentucky bred won $240,000 for 1^st place.

October 16, 2012, an Eastern Kentucky amateur astronomer observed a UFO that he described as “like two fluorescent bulbs, side by side, parallel, shining very brightly.”  Months later, the government explained away the UFO as a test flight for a “solar-powered internet balloon.”

October 16, 2017, the U of L Athletics Board fired Rick Pitno amid the “pay to play” recruiting scandal.

On October 16, 2019, Governor M. Bevin went into attack mode in the 2^nd debate when he called Att. Gen. A. Beshear incompetent in understanding how the legislative process works.  The polls had the race at a dead heat.  Meanwhile, as D.C. prepared for impeachment, the warmongers from both parties, which represented 94% of the legislative body, condemned President D. Trump for pulling out of Syria and Turkey.  In addition, the war hawks’ leader, Nancy Pelosi, walked out of a White House meeting in support of continual wars.  President Trump stated after she walked out, “The U.S. has no business in the region.”

On October 16, 2020, Governor A. Beshear brought religion into his pleas when asking citizens to follow coronavirus protocols.  As Kentucky reported the 3^rd straight day of positive cases over 1,000, the number of hospital patients with the virus fell.  The hysteria heightened when schools began permitting fewer students in class, and people hunkered down in their homes.  Meanwhile, the lockdowns fueled domestic violence, according to Greenhouse 17.

Positives:  1,319 / 85,506
Deaths:  4 / 1,300 – 1^st Death 3/16/20
50&over:  1,263 / 49-30: 35 / 29&under: 2