November 12, 1788, Virginia approved the creation of Woodford County from Fayette County . Named in honor of William Woodford, Revolutionary War General, it would be the last county created by Virginia. The county seat is Versailles. Other localities include Huntertown, Midway, Millville, Milner, Nonesuch, Mortonsville, Pinckard, Pisgah, Wallace, and Troy. The 9th county created currently covers 192 square miles County.
On November 12, 1866, John H. Grassup and John Blair, both of Bowling Green and Confederate soldiers, dueled in their hometown over an SC girl. The agreed upon pistols at ten paces. At first fire, Grassup received a slight wound in the right arm; Blair hit through the left breast, the ball coming out of his shoulder. Both parties made up, shook hands, and parted friends. Famous Kentucky Duels by J. Winston Coleman, Jr.; pg: 145.
November 12, 1881, UK played its 1st football game as A&M College or Kentucky State College. Their opponent was Kentucky University, known today as Transylvania University (UT). The contest resembled more of a rugby match than football, and scoring procedures are still unclear. UK beat UT 7 ¼ to 1. The UK team finished 1-2 in their 1st year, but the 2nd season would have to wait nine years. The Battle on Broadway lasted 30 years.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Liberty native Carl Mays, born in 1891, who pitched 15 seasons in MLB from 1915 to 1929. During his career, he won over 200 games, 27 in 1921 alone, and played on four World Series-champion teams. Mays threw the pitch that fatally injured Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians on August 16, 1920.
November 12, 1913, in Louisville’s 1st season at Eclipse Park they hosted Kentucky for the 2nd “Governor’s Cup.” Kentucky won 20-0.
November 12, 1915, Officer Rufus A. Beagle, 52, of the Cynthiana Police Department , died from a gunshot by a drunken man after responding to a public disturbance call. The suspect received a life sentence.
November 12, 1927, the Louisville Cardinals played the EKU Colonels . The game took place in Richmond, and the Cardinals won 21-13. The Cardinals currently have 20 wins to EKU’s 7, with one tie.
November 12, 1933, the legendary Pauline Tabor opened her 1st brothel in Bowling Green. Pauline’s clientele included wealthy business people, political figures, and GIs from nearby Ft. Knox/Ft. Campbell and regional students. Around the 1980s, urban renewal took her house on Clay Street and entrepreneurs sold the bricks as souvenirs. The Kentucky Encyclopedia edited by John E. Kleber; pg: 713
November 12, 1940, locals dedicated the Livermore Bridge in a grand affair accompanied by a banquet . Governor K. Johnson gave the dedication address. The Livermore Bridge does not contain a distinctive architectural structure or a one-of-a-kind design. However, the bridge is like no other in the world. It claimed to be the only river bridge that begins in one county (McLean) but spans two rivers (Green and Rough) and crosses another county (Ohio) to end in its county of origin (McLean). The Livermore Bridge crosses Ohio County in only a tiny sliver.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Mount Sterling native Governor Ernie Fletcher , born in 1952. Before politics and becoming our 60th governor, Fletcher was a family physician and a Baptist minister. He is the 2nd physician to be elected governor, the 1st being Luke P. Blackburn in 1879.
November 12, 1965, Army SP4 from Earnest G. Sears from Alcalde in Pulaski County died fighting in the Vietnam War.
On November 12, 1966, Kentucky let the Allstate Insurance Company raise its rates on some types of automobile coverage. Earlier in the year, the State Insurance Department let Aetna Casualty & Surety Co. and Hartford Insurance raise their rates. The three companies accounted for 12% of Kentucky auto insurance companies.
November 12, 1968, Marine Corps CPL Marvin E. Gay from Lexington , Marine Corps PFC Ronald L. Reed from Benton in Marshall County, and Marine Corps CPL William H. Schaeffer from Louisville all died fighting in the Vietnam War.
November 12, 1970, Army PFC David B. Hockensmith from Frankfort died fighting in the Vietnam War.
November 12, 1984, Covington native Ben Lucien Burman, an author and journalist, passed away . The Harvard graduate fought in both World Wars. He married Alice Caddy, who illustrated many of his children’s books, including the Catfish Bend books, published in eleven languages.
November 12, 1985, Rockcastle County native John Lair, pioneer country music broadcaster, music collector, and community historian, passed away. Mr. Lair supposedly wrote more than 500 songs. One of them, Freight Train Blues , which Bob Dylan, Doc Watson, Roy Acuff, Hank Williams, and the Weavers covered. His real mark came in the Ohio and Kentucky music scene via the Renfro Valley Barn Dance which he started in 1937 in Ohio and then back to his home a few years later.
November 12, 1988, Governor W. Wilkinson dedicated the Kentucky Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Overlooking the capitol, the memorial honors the 125,000 Kentuckians who served during the war (1962-1975) and the 1,105 Kentuckians who died. Each name is precisely located, so the shadow of the sundial pointer, or gnomon (pronounced ‘noman’), touches each veteran’s name on the anniversary of his death. Thus, each individual is honored with a personal tribute. Helm Roberts (1931-2011), a Veteran from Lexington, designed the unique memorial. Kentucky provided $100,000 of the $1 million price tag; the remainder came from private donors.
On November 12, 1990, President H. W. Bush reassured the Democrats that he would notify them of any attack on Iraq after amassing troops in the Persian Gulf for an extended period. He bombed Iraq two months later to get Hussein out of Kuwait and start American’s endless wars. The conflict marked the introduction of live news broadcasts from the front lines, principally by CNN. Meanwhile, I-75’s expansion from four lanes to six continued between Frankfort and Georgetown.
On November 12, 1999, President B. Clinton repealed the Glass Steagall Act for his corporate donors, enabling bankers to gamble with previously untouchable monies. Many economists point to this as the critical factor in the 2008 global financial crash. Clinton signed NAFTA six years earlier. Together, the two acts crushed the middle class and widened the gap between rich and poor.
November 12, 2008, the Army began draining and neutralizing lethal nerve agent, 15 months after they identified a leak at the Blue Grass Army Depot . The project named “Operation Swift Solution” did not go as swiftly as the Army or Depot had hoped.
On November 12, 2010, Andy Barr, 10 days after the election, finally conceded to Ben Chandler for the 6th congressional seat. Barr said, “I can find no substantial reason or compelling evidence to justify a petition for a recount.” Barr called the five-term congressman before the press conference.
November 12, 2014, Churchill Downs announced they bought Seattle-based Big Fish Games , which billed itself as the world’s largest producer and distributor of online games, for $885 million. It would be the largest social media acquisition to date. In 2018, Churchill Downs sold Big Fish to an Australian slots manufacturer, Aristocrat Leisure, for $990 million.
On November 12, 2017, at 2:20 p.m., Kentucky State Police, Post 3 Bowling Green, was notified of an aircraft accident that had occurred near Bewleytown Road in the Fountain Run community of Barren County after a single-engine aircraft struck multiple tree tops in a wooded area.
By November 12, 2021, UK placed 24 employees on administrative leave without pay for not complying with COVID-19 vaccination policies. Additionally, 146 students refused the shot and were not allowed to register for classes. The university required weekly tests or proof of vaccinations to be compliant.
November 12, 2022, Governor A. Beshear touted some state stats.
On November 12, 2023, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved Cheryl L. Nixon as its 10th president of Berea College, the first woman to serve in the role.
