Kentucky Trivia

November 1, 1780, Kentucky’s original three counties, Lincoln, Jefferson, and Fayette, became effective.  At the time, the territory had five established communities: Boonesborough, Fort Harrod/Boiling Springs, St. Asaph, later called Logan’s Station, McClelland’s Station, and Leestown.

November 1, 1793, forty-seven Kentucky assembly members met for the 1^st time in Frankfort; Maj. James Love hosted in his farmhouse.

November 1, 1811, Kentuckian James Allen dueled Thomas Fuller, an Englishman in Southern Illinois.  An argument over the war resulted in the challenge.  They used pistols after ten paces and on the 1^st fire, Fuller got hit.  Both fired again and Fuller took a bullet to the heart but did not fall.  Upon examination, “a Dutch blanket in eight folds and one quire of paper was opened and spread under his waistcoat.”  Allen, who received no wounds, “exposed the boasting Englishman to eternal contempt and disgrace.”  Famous Kentucky Duels by J. Winston Coleman, Jr.; pg: 137

On November 1, 1855, Edward Mann Butler passed away.  One of Kentucky’s most prominent early educators became the 1^st president of what would become UofL.  He also headed Kentucky’s 1^st public school.

November 1, 1903, Deputy Sheriff Tom Stewart, Bell County Sheriff’s Department, died while attempting to arrest a man.  They sentenced the convict to life in 1915 but not for Deputy Stewart’s murder.

November 1, 1913, Deputy Sheriff Albert Johnson Franklin, Metcalfe County Sheriff’s Office, succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained days earlier.  Two brothers shot him in the Shirley Hotel in Edmonton; they held a grudge against the Deputy for having arrested their father years earlier.

November 1, 1921, Deputy Sheriff Miles Hall, Letcher County Sheriff’s Office, succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained hours earlier while attempting to quell a disturbance.  While a doctor attended to another man’s head injury, the Deputy caught another man and shot him in the stomach.

November 1, 1924, UK’s football stadium, Stoll Field, renamed the grandstands McLean Stadium in honor of Price Innes McLean, a former center for the Wildcats who died from injuries sustained in the 1923 Kentucky-Cincinnati game.

November 1, 1929, Patrolman McKinley Massengale, Somerset Police Department, died while searching a restaurant for illegal whiskey.  One of the suspects inside the restaurant opened fire through a window, killing him.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Lexington native David “Davey” S. Moore, born in 1933.  The Featherweight World Champion from 1959-63, he retained the title for an impressive amount of time, successfully defending his title five times.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Hazard native Johnny Cox, born in 1936.  A 6’4″ guard from Hazard High School, Cox starred at UK from 1956-59.  He scored 1,461 points in 84 career games and won an NCAA Championship in 1958.  UK retired his #24 jersey.  Cox played one season (1962–63) in the NBA for the Chicago Zephyrs.  He averaged 7.8 points per game in 73 games.  He also played in the ABA.

On November 1, 1938, Seabiscuit met War Admiral in the “Match of the Century,” going1 3⁄16 miles over the Pimlico Race Course.  Around 40,000 fans jammed the grandstands and the infield, and 40 million listened on the radio.  Seabiscuit won by four over the 1-4 favorite.

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Lakeville native Larry Flint, born in Magoffin County, in 1942. 

November 1, 1947, Man o’ War had a heart attack at 30 in Lexington.  Three days later, more than 2,000 people attended his funeral, which NBC Radio broadcasted all nine eulogies.  He passed away less than a month after his longtime groom Will Harbut died.  Although Man o’ War never raced in Kentucky, he spent most of his life in the Bluegrass State.  There are estimates that as many as three million visitors traveled to Mr. Riddle’s Faraway Farm between 1921 and 1947 to see the legendary horse in retirement. Many also went to hear Will, who nicknamed him, the mostest horse that ever was.  Man o’ War made his debut on June 6, 1919, when attendance and purses at racetracks were at record lows.  In 16 months he became a national hero, joining Babe Ruth as the Roaring Twenties’ first shining stars.  The horse’s popularity brought fans back to the track.  He originally rested at Faraway Farm, but in the early 1970s, his remains moved to the Kentucky Horse Park.

On November 1, 1947, UK’s football team lost 13-0 to Alabama at Stoll Field in Coach Bryant’s 2^nd year.  Four games later, he led Kentucky to its 1^st-ever bowl victory, 24-14, over Villanova in the Great Lakes Bowl.

November 1, 1950, Army CPL James T. Higgins from Harlan County and Army PFC Ardell M. Neal from Ohio County both died fighting in the Korean War.

November 1, 1951, Army PVT Raymond E. Conner from Boyle County died fighting in the Korean War.

November 1, 1952, Army PFC Lenox Stacy from Perry County and Army PVT James W. Woods from Jefferson County both died fighting in the Korean War.

November 1, 1955, the Vietnam War begins.

November 1, 1961, Allen County native Mordecai Fowler Ham, Jr. passed away.  He once stated that “From the time I was eight years old, I never thought of myself as anything but a Christian.  At nine, I had definite convictions that the Lord wanted me to preach….”  Ham studied at Ogden College in Bowling Green.  He believed that problems involving liquor could best be resolved by conversion to Christianity.  In November 1934, Mordecai Ham converted Billy Graham in Charlotte, NC.

November 1, 1966, Army SP4 Randy B. Wright from Elkhorn City died fighting in the Vietnam War.

November 1, 1968, Army SGT James E. Graves From Drake in Warren County died fighting in the Vietnam War.

November 1, 1986, Santa Anita Park, under the majestic San Gabriel Mountains, hosted their 1^st Breeders Cup, the 3^rd edition.  A record BC crowd of 69,155 witnessed 4-year-old Lady’s Secret go wire to wire in the Distaff and became the 1^st BC champion to be named Horse of the Year.

Thursday, November 1, 1990, rampaging students smashed tables and windows at Magoffin County High School in Salyersville to protest schedule changes aimed at limiting their smoking.  They cancelled school for two days.

November 1, 1991, smoke from about 50 fires in Eastern Kentucky spread over much of the state, setting off smoke detectors in Lexington.  Around 11,000 acres were burning.

November 1, 1992, in Hopkinsville, V. P. Dan Quayle ridiculed Arkansas Governor B. Clinton as another Jimmy Carter, which led to a boisterous crowd of cheers in the conservative town.

November 1, 1993, a Frankfort board recommended UK and UofL Dental schools merge.  This prompted angry exchanges between UK President Charles Wethington and the Cabinet Secretary.  “It is clear to me we need one dental school and that Louisville needs to be the physical location.”  Wethington, clearly upset, asked why they were not discussing closing one of the three law schools?  The Secretary replied, “I do not know.”  Wethington replied, “how do you know about dentistry and not law?”  The Secretary responded that law schools do not need expensive equipment and extensive supervision and are cheaper to run than dental schools.

November 1, 2003, Arkansas beat Kentucky 71-63 in seven OTs at Commonwealth Stadium.  The game tied the NCAA record for the longest game in college football history.

November 1, 2004, marked the 1^st time Kentucky recognized and celebrated “Native American Indian Month.”

On November 1, 2007, reform groups in Washington demanded that Congress strip $25 million in earmarks that Senator McConnell designated to a British defense contractor facing criminal charges.  One group stated that public confidence in Congress continues to decline for actions like these.

Friday, November 1, 2013, the 30^th Breeders’ Cup kicked off at Santa Anita Park.

Saturday, November 1, 2014, day two at Santa Anita of the 31^st Breeders’ Cup, opened with a 62-1 longest shot winning the Juvenile Fillies in a 14-horse field.  D. Wayne Lukas’ extended his record number of BC victories to 20.  The Niarchos family won their 6^th BC Mile, and a nose and stewards’ inquiry settled the Classic.

November 1, 2015, Louisville native Justin Thomas won his 1^st PGA tour event, the 2015 CIMB Classic at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club in Malaysia.  The Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Razak, presented him with his trophy.

Friday, November 1, 2019, for the 2^nd year in a row, two-year-olds took center stage for Future Stars Friday for five Breeders’ Cup races.  All five winners won their races by less than four lengths to make for an exciting 1^st day for the 36^th BC hosted by Santa Anita Park.

November 1, 2019, the “Old Rivalry” between Male and Manual High Schools continued.  Kentucky’s oldest and the nation’s 2^nd oldest High School Football rivalry started in 1893.  Male, ranked #15 had a 15-game winning streak heading into the game.  Manual looked to end a six-game losing streak.  Male won in a thriller.

Monday, November 1, 2020, Kentucky ended the week with the highest number of new cases in one week since the pandemic began when the governor announced 1,423 cases on Sunday.  “If you are not alarmed by these record numbers of new cases, you should be,” the governor stated.

Positives:  1,423 / 108,642
Deaths:  4 / 1,489 – 1^st Death 3/16/20
50&over: 1,441 / 49-30: 37 / 29&under: 2