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TODAY IN KENTUCKY HISTORY

Kentucky Trivia ● Kentucky Tweets

October 27, 1869, Sheriff Lewis C. Story, Clinton County Sheriff’s Department, died from a gunshot while attempting to arrest a subject in Albany.  A group of citizens lynched the subject.

October 27, 1914, Deputy Sheriff James F. Smith, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, died from a gunshot while attempting to make an arrest in the Mills area along Stinking Creek.  

October 27, 1923, Kentucky hosted Georgetown to play their 5th game against each other.  Kentucky won 35-0, coached by J.J. Winn.  The following year would be the last time they played each other; Kentucky won them all.

October 27, 1928, Kentucky hosted Centre College to play their 12th game against each other.  Kentucky won 8-0, the 11th time their games ended in a shutout.  The following year would be the last time they met, finishing with eight wins for Centre to Kentucky’s five.

October 27, 1928, Western Kentucky University hosted Georgetown on the gridiron for the 2nd time and won 16-0.  Their last game would be in 1950.

October 27, 1934, Kentucky and Auburn met for the 1st time.  The Wildcats shutout the Tigers 9-0 under Kentucky head coach C.A. Wynne; they finished the season 5-5.

October 27, 1936, Marshal Meredith “Merdie” Wolford, Phelps Police Department, succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained two days earlier while attempting to arrest a county constable.  The constable had become upset because Marshal Meredith had arrested one of his friends the previous night.

October 27, 1952, Marine Corps PFC Melvin E. Goldsmith from Louisville, Marine Corps PVT James C. Massie from Lexington, and Marine Corps PFC from Brooksville in Bracken County, all died fighting in the Korean War.

October 27, 1952, according to the Wall Street Journal, GE’s Appliance Park (AP) annual payroll reached a total of $70 million.  By contrast, Louisville’s present payroll was about $515 million annually.  AP was an American success story.

October 27, 1961, locals found 19-year-old sophomore Betty Gail Brown murdered in her car, parked in front of Morrison Hall, at Transylvania University.  The case is still cold.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Mary Terstegge Meagher Plant, born in 1964.  In 1981, she improved her existing world records in the 100-meter butterfly (57.93) and 200-meter butterfly (2:05.96).  These times would stand as the respective world records for 18 and 19 years, and are considered to be among the greatest sports performances ever.

October 27, 1965, Marine Corps CPL Gary L. Dowell from Louisville died fighting in the Vietnam War.

October 27, 1968, Army MAJ Larry D. Delano from Murray died fighting in the Vietnam War.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Fort Thomas native Jeffrey Jacob Walz, born in 1971.  In his 2nd year as Louisville’s women’s basketball coach, he guided the Cardinals to a national championship appearance at the 2009 NCAA Tournament.  He led the Cardinals to a 2nd championship game appearance in 2013.  He attended Highlands High School in Fort Thomas.

October 27, 1973, Fran Curci’s Wildcats took down the Georgia Bulldogs 12-7 in Athens.  It would be the 1st of three straight wins; next was #14 Tulane and then Vanderbilt.  Kentucky would finish the season 5-6.

On October 27, 1980, dynamite exploded 175 feet underground in a wildcat coal mine, and three wildcat miners died.  Federal Mine Inspectors called the deaths “senseless.”  However, one of the brothers of a dead miner stated, “This will not be the last one; there will be more because we have to work and eat.”  Woodbine in Whitley County, where the accident occurred, had the worst record for illegal-mining deaths in the nation.

October 27, 1981, Mammoth Cave, located in Edmonson, Hart, and Barren Counties is named a World Heritage Site.

October 27, 1987, Henry S. Vance Jr. took the stand in his defense and vigorously denied having anything to do with the murder of a Florida prosecutor.  It was to no avail.  Two days later, a federal jury deliberated for 80 minutes after a two-week trial and convicted the outlaw for 15 years.  Many say his conviction put an end to the Bluegrass Conspiracy.

October 27, 1990, the Kentucky Wildcats under first-year head coach Bill Curry beat the Georgia Bulldogs in Lexington 26-24.  The Wildcats would finish the season with a 4-7 record.

On October 27, 1990, Belmont Park hosted Breeders’ Cup for the 1st time.  Tragedy and triumph marked the 7th edition when champion filly Go for Wand fell in the stretch against defending Distaff winner Bayakoa; she could not be saved.  In the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Kentucky Derby winner Unbridled broke from the outside post in a 14-horse field. Pat Day won his 3rd Classic.

Mile
Distaff
Classic

October 27, 1993, Lieutenant Floyd Cheeks, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, died from a gunshot while serving an emergency protective order sought by a woman against her half-brother. 

Localtonians wish a Happy Anniversary to Heather Renee French and then Lt. Governor Steve Henry, who wed in 2000.  The wedding led to controversy over state resources being used to plan the ceremony.  The Henrys repaid the state $3,200.  The couple has two daughters, Harper Renee (b.2001) and Taylor Augusta (b.2003).

On October 27, 2001, Belmont Park hosted the 18th Breeders’ Cup Championship with military-style police standing guard throughout the facility, including the roof where Ground Zero was visible.  Horse racing fans watched arguably the greatest Classic ever.

Classic
Sprint
Turf

October 27, 2003, Reynolds Tobacco Holdings Inc. bought Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation.  They took the Kentucky headquarters and 450 jobs to North Carolina.  B&W had worked in Louisville since 1927; their 2002 net sales were $3.57 billion selling popular brands Kool, Pall Mall, and Lucky Strike.  They provided $500 million annually to the state.  The federal government approved the merger of the #2 and #3 tobacco companies because our modern government has not seen a monopoly they didn’t like.

Saturday, October 27, 2007, in the 1st year of the two-day format, the 2nd day of the 24th Breeders’ Cup included eight races.  Monmouth Park hosted for the 1st time.

Classic
Dirt Mile
Sprint

October 27, 2017, Ford Motor Company invited local press and dignitaries to witness two redesigned SUVs roll off the Kentucky Truck Plant; the new Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator.  Ford redesigned both models for the 1st time in nearly twenty years with a $2 billion investment.

On October 27, 2020, after Governor A. Beshear announced the 2nd highest number of positive cases, 1,786, for one day, he told Kentuckians to cut down on contact with people.  With 18 new deaths, October became the deadliest month of the pandemic.  He begged people and businesses to shut down and get isolated.  For this, the governor received national attention for handling the pandemic, and whispers of a White House run were in the wind.

Positives:  1,786 / 99,637
Deaths:  18 / 1,428 – 1st Death 3/16/20
50&over:  1,390 / 49-30: 36 / 29&under: 2

October 27, 2021, two years after the Kentucky Republican party filed a complaint against Matt Jones, who considered a run against Mitch, the Federal Election Commission unanimously dropped it.  Looking back, Jones said, “This case demonstrates why folks are hesitant to run for office, especially if they are an outside candidate who lacks the support of the national Democratic or Republican parties.”  The donors to both parties dictate who will run locally.