April 4, 1818, Congress requested that President James Monroe present Kentuckian Richard Mentor Johnson a sword in honor of his “daring and distinguished valor” at the Battle of the Thames. Only Johnson and 13 other military officers received a sword by Congress before the American Civil War.
April 4, 1833, the town of Maysville caught fire and destroyed five businesses and one home. The Kentucky Encyclopedia edited by John E. Kleber; pg: 622
April 4, 1841, President William Henry Harrison died after 30 days in office . President John Tyler took the oath to become the 10th U.S. President.
Monday, April 4, 1843, the 1st Tater Day began in Benton in Marshall County . The festival started as a spring celebration where locals came together to trade goods such as guns, ‘coon hounds, tobacco, livestock, potatoes, and other Ag products. The tradition continues with a parade, carnival rides, vendors, and flea markets the 1st week of April. Many sources have 1842 as the 1st year.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Lexington native Isaac Scott Hathaway , born in 1872. The artist and educator created masks and busts of influential African American leaders. He also designed the 1st two U.S. coins to feature black Americans.
April 4, 1890, the General Assembly approved a resolution “providing for the relief of the sufferers from the recent tornado that passed through Kentucky .”
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Louisville native Sylvester Weaver , born in 1897. Sylvester worked a number of jobs in his hometown while playing blues guitar and becoming a pioneer of country blues.
April 4, 1911, Lawrenceburg (Anderson County) native James Beauchamp Clark became the 36th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Scottsville native Norris “Norro” Denton Wilson, born in 1938. The country music singer-songwriter, producer, is a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member.
April 4, 1949, UK retired the jerseys of Ralph Beard #12 from Louisville (Male), Wallace Jones #27 from Harlan (High), Ken Rollins #26 from Wickliffe, Alex Groza #15 and Cliff Barker #23.
April 4, 1951, Army PFC Archie L. Reynolds from Owsley County and Army PVT Jack W. Hughes from Letcher County died in the Korean War.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Kelso, born in 1957 on Claiborne Farm in Paris.
April 4, 1960, the 118th Tater Day happened in Benton, Marshall County.
April 4, 1967, Army SFC Robert T. Sickels from Richmond died in the Vietnam War.
April 4, 1968, a sniper shot and killed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. around 6:05 p.m. in Memphis.
April 4, 1968, Army SGT Jerry W. Shain from Cromwell in Ohio County died in the Vietnam War.
April 4, 1973, Lieutenant Smith, Kentucky State Police , died from a gunshot wound he received on November 10, 1972 while arresting a murder suspect in Warren County. The state eventually convicted the suspect.
Torrential rains from April 2-5, 1977, caused devastating flooding in Southeast Kentucky . Record floods occurred on the Tug, Levisa Forks of the Big Sandy River, the upper Cumberland River, the Guyandotte River, the Clinch and Powell Rivers, the North Fork of the Kentucky River, and the Holston River. As a result, the Feds declared 15 Kentucky counties disaster areas, including Bell, Breathitt, Floyd, Harlan, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Lawrence, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, Perry, Pike, and Whitley. Ten Kentuckians died with $175 million in damages, $711 million in 2016 dollars.
April 4, 1983, John McDonogh from Jeffersontown caught a state record Lake Trout weighing 5.31 pounds in the Cumberland River, Lake Cumberland Tailwaters.
By U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
April 4, 1989, Kentucky Governor Wallace Wilkinson bought the state’s 1st lottery ticket in a Louisville Thorntons gas station.
On April 4, 1990, President G. Bush, while honoring the 1990 Teacher of the Year in a White House ceremony, singled out Kentucky as a state that used “creative thinking” to transform its public schools. “In Kentucky, an entirely new philosophy of management based on accountability is in place.” He further explained that schools are being decentralized to give them more freedom. George wanted to be known as the “Education President,” but that never happened. Instead, he is known for laying the groundwork for America’s endless wars.
On April 4, 1994, a Fayette County judge ruled that participating in high school sports is a privilege, not a student’s right, in a case where a Lafayette student wanted to be back on the baseball team. The ruling backed up the 1989 case when Lafayette kicked a different student off the baseball team after being arrested for suposdly trafficking cocaine.
April 4, 2007, Army CPL Joseph H. Cantrell IV 23, of Ashland , died in Iraq fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
April 4, 2015, Keeneland’s GI $1,000,000 Bluegrass Stakes was a Keeneland graduate superfecta. The winner finished 10th , the place horse finished 5th , and 3rd place did not run for the Roses.
On April 4, 2015, Kentucky lost to Wisconsin in the semi-finals of the NCAA . Kentucky reached the Final Four with a 38-0 record. No D1 team had completed an unbeaten season since the 1796 Indiana Hoosiers. With a deep roster, Calipari had options, and the Wildcats overwhelmed ordinary opponents. The Cats held a 44-7 halftime lead against UCLA and prepared for their Wisconsin semi-final by watching a video of Secretariat crushing his opponents in the Belmont Stakes. After the 71-64 Badger loss, “We know we had a great season,” said UK guard Tyler Ulis. “But everybody understands that we did it for nothing.”
On April 4, 2016, the Hal Rogers Leadership PAC paid $5,913 to Casa Luca, a popular Italian restaurant near the White House where the aging representative enjoys dining. The PAC also paid $5,915 over 17 meals at the private Capitol Hill Club, where the “Prince of Pork” likes to have lunch, just a short stroll from his office.
April 4, 2017, the Carroll County Sheriff resigned from office after pleading guilty to 11 charges of stealing painkillers from a cancer patient.
On April 4, 2018, several hundred people marched to the Capitol on the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s death to reflect on his legacy.
On April 4, 2019, the Kentucky Racing Commission reported that horse fatalities at Kentucky horse tracks nearly doubled in 2018. Deaths went from 17 in 2017 to 36 in 2018. Since the commission began tracking deaths 13 years ago, Kentucky has not reported numbers like this, and they could be higher. The Commonwealth only reported track deaths, not training fatalities like California.
April 4, 2021, Chuck Norris sued Harlan County promoter, Chris Lewis . Chuck said Chris stiffed him after he appeared at Bubba Fest, a southern fried comic con held in TN. News about the coronavirus started to fall off the front pages of major newspapers.
On April 4, 2022, while Frankfort lawmakers chipped away at a strong Farm Pollution bill to please their corporate donors, Meanwhile, Elon Musk bought 9.2% of Twitter; he would buy a majority of the stock months later.
On April 4, 2023, shortly after former President D. Trump was fingerprinted in NY as an accused felon, and his arrival at his Palm Beach mansion, his political rival, Mitch McConnell, the ultimate swamp creature, remained silent. The aging senator, who had taken another fall days earlier, continued his pattern of silence in between the Trump presidencies.
This video took place on June 14, 2023
On April 4, 2024, Governor A. Beshear traveled to Madison County to dedicate a historical marker for Richmond native Frank Douglas Walker and Richmond’s Tuskegee Airmen.
