November 4, 1778, the Virginia Legislature voided the Transylvania Purchase made by Richard Henderson, again. A History of the Daniel Boone National Forest, 1770-1970 by Robert F. Collins; pg: 102
November 4, 1788, the 7th Kentucky Convention in Danville commenced . We had three remaining. Kentucky in Retrospect 1792-1967 by Lila J. Kingston pg: 25
November 4, 1824, fire consumed the 2nd permanent state capitol building and 5th building to be used as a capitol . They used the building for eight years. The two-story brick structure had only two rooms on the 1st floor; used by the house and senate. The courts occupied the 2nd floor. Two wings detached from the main building and housed the state officials’ offices. The fire destroyed the main section and west wing, however, the east wing still stands.
November 4, 1842, on a Friday evening, Abraham Lincoln (33) wed Mary Todd Lincoln (23) in the front parlor of Mary Todd’s sister Elizabeth’s home in Springfield, IL. About 30 relatives and friends, all hastily invited, attended the ceremony conducted by Episcopal minister Rev. Charles Dresser. James Matheny, 24, was asked by Lincoln to be the best man on the wedding day! Neither Mary’s nor Abraham’s parents attended. Mary wore a muslin wedding dress that belonged to her sister Frances with a pearl necklace but no veil. The wedding ring’s inscription read “A.L. to Mary, November 4, 1842. Love is Eternal.” The couple honeymooned at Globe Tavern, a very ordinary two-story Springfield boardinghouse made of wood. The couple stayed married for 23 years.
November 4, 1896, Patrolman Aquilla W. White, Owensboro Police Department , died while attempting to disperse a group of men who were acting disorderly on Lower Fifth Street, near the Southern Iron Works. A man grabbed his service revolver and shot him. On December 26, 1896, a mob seized the suspect from the Owensboro jailer at gunpoint and hanged him.
November 4, 1926, Chief of Police Tom Blackburn of the Garrett Police Department , died from a gunshot after responding to a home where a group of drunk men were involved in a large brawl.
November 4, 1930, Phar Lap won the Melbourne Cup Race in Australia , its most prestigious race. The legendary colt won as the shortest-priced favorite in history and the only favorite to win at odds on 8/11. He placed 3rd the previous year. Due to his outstanding success, criminals tried to shoot Phar Lap three days earlier after completing a track work. They missed, and later that day, he won the Melbourne Stakes and, three days later, the Melbourne Cup.
On November 4, 1939, a young man’s dream came true. A proud John Lair welcomed guests to the 1st Renfro Valley Barn Dance in Kentucky . That 1st Saturday night performance made country music history and served as a foundation for wholesome and clean fun for decades.
November 4, 1950, Marine Corps PFC Huil D. Sparks from Martha in Lawrence County , Army SFC James M. Clevenger from Morgan County, and Army PVT Ira V. Trent from Letcher County , all died fighting in the Korean War.
November 4, 1951, Army CPL Owen D. Chilton from Henry County died fighting in the Korean War.
On November 4, 1956, Patrolman Rufus Edward Froedge, Owensboro Police Department , died while pursuing a speeding vehicle when his patrol wagon collided with a patrol car at 4th Street and Triplett Street.
On November 4, 1957, The League of Women Voters set up a goose display in downtown Lexington near Union Station urging everyone to vote. More than 43,000 Fayette County voters were eligible to vote. Officials expected 25,000 to actually vote. Click to see picture.
On November 4, 1962, click to see a picture of the city’s 1st canine unit with Patrolman Robert Waggoner, left, with Buddy, and Patrolman Eugene Bowling with MacDuff.
November 4, 1965, Army SP5 Benjamin R. Pinkerton from Ft. Knox died fighting in the Vietnam War.
November 4, 1967, Army PFC Jimmy R. Baggarly from Stanley in Daviess County died fighting in the Vietnam War.
November 4, 1968, Sergeant James Ryan, Sr., Danville Police Department , succumbed to gunshot wounds received the previous night while responding to a burglary call with another officer on South 4th Street. The officers encountered a man with an automatic rifle. The suspect opened fire, striking Sergeant Ryan six times.
November 4, 1975, Kentuckians elected Paducah native and Democrat Julian Carroll the 54th governor of Kentucky over Robert E. Gable with 62.84% of the vote.
November 4, 1980, Senator Wendell Ford set a state election record in defeating Mary Louise Foust with 720,891 votes. No other candidate running in Kentucky received more votes.
November 4, 1985, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Kentucky vs. Indiana that the boundary between the states is “a series of straight lines between sequentially numbered geodetic points, 1927 North American Datum.” Resolving a long-standing dispute between the two states. The Kentucky Encyclopedia edited by John E. Kleber; pg: 103
On Saturday, November 4, 1989, Florida held its 1st Breeders’ Cup, the 6th edition . Gulfstream Park featured the greatest rivalry of the 1980s when Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Sunday Silence from California met Belmont Stakes winner Easy Goer from New York, in the Classic, for the Horse of the Year title. Many say it was the race of the decade.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Whitley County native Jordan Mackenzie Smith , born in 1993. In 2015, he gained national recognition when he won season nine of The Voice. Jordon became the show’s 1st artist to reach #1 in sales of pop songs in the iTunes store, and set new sales marks on Billboard charts.
November 4, 1996, President Clinton and 1st Lady Hillary Clinton talked with UK coach Rick Pitino and his wife, Joanne, on the speaker’s stage at UK. On election eve, Clinton finished months of campaigning with a high-energy pep rally at UK; in front of about 14,000 supporters.
November 4, 2000, the 17th Breeders’ Cup started with two huge upsets in the Distaff and Juvenile Fillies . Defending champion Cat Thief returned to the Classic. Fusaichi Pegasus, the $4 million yearling who parlayed himself into a $60 million stallion, took center stage for the final time. Win or lose; he would retire after only nine races. It was one heck of a battle, down Churchill’s home stretch.
November 4, 2003, Ernie Fletcher defeated Ben Chandler to become the 1st GOP governor in 32 years and the 2nd doctor to win the governorship in 119 years.
November 4, 2009, Governor S. Beshear urged quick action to protect Kentucky’s interest in response to Ohio’s voters decision to authorize casino gambling. The governor joined horse racing leaders in pushing lawmakers to expand gambling after casino construction quickly moved ahead in Cincinnati and other Ohio cities.
November 4, 2013, Marietta Strange from Louisville caught a state record Logperch in Lake Berkley weighing .08 lbs.
November 4, 2014, Ralph Alvarado became the 1st Hispanic person in the Kentucky General Assembly after he won the Senate seat to represent Winchester, Clark County.
Friday, November 4, 2016, the 33rd Breeders’ Cup World Championships will long be remembered as an event that lived up to its giant expectations . For a record ninth time, Santa Anita Park hosted for record two-day crowd of 118,484. The 1st BC race on Friday, the $1 million Juvenile Turf, had a Hollywood theme, as Oscar Performance scored a 1 ¼ length victory. The park is less than 30 miles from Tinseltown.
Saturday, November 4, 2017, Del Mar hosted the 34th Breeders’ Cup (BC) Championships. The two-day on-track handle of $25,181,317 was the highest for the event, which expanded from one day to two in 2007, and a 21.4% increase over the two-day total of $20,742,847 in 2016.
November 4, 2021, Senator R. Paul accused Dr. Fauci of changing the Gain of Function Research definition on the National Institute of Health (NIH) website , while Dr. Fauci denied the NIH funded research at a Wuhan lab. Meanwhile, in Kentucky, Governor A. Behsear began to tout the experimental coronavirus vaccine for children. Health officials hailed shots for children ages 5 to 11 as a major breakthrough in fighting the coronavirus. Dr. Steven Stack, Kentucky’s public health commissioner, stressed that the vaccinations were safe for children and eventually, there could be “plenty of vaccine to go around.”
On November 4, 2022, Future Stars Friday opened the 39th Breeders Cup, with Keeneland hosting for a 3rd time. International competition was at its finest right from the get-go.
On November 4, 2023, The 10th annual Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards (MAHA) occurred. The winners included: Daniel Lubetzky received the first-ever Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for Civility & Compassion for his social entrepreneurship and empowering people.Jason Flom received the Muhammad Ali Lifetime Achievement Award.Holly Robinson Peete received the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian of the Year Award.Officer Nickolas Wilt earned the Kentuckian of the Year.
On Saturday, November 4, 2023, the 40th Breeders’ Cup (BC) returned to Santa Anita Park for a record 11th time. Three BC Champions successfully defended their titles, beginning with Godolphin’s 5-year-old Cody’s Wish in the Mile. In the day’s most dramatic finish, odds-on favorite Cody’s Wish defeated Preakness winner National Treasure by a nose. His connections had to wait out a stewards’ inquiry.
