Kentucky Trivia
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to President Zachary Taylor , born in 1784. In 1785, his family moved to a plantation in Louisville called Springfield. Taylor maintained Kentucky as his official residence during most of his adult life. He owned stock in two Kentucky banks and purchased warehouses and town lots in Louisville. In 1849, during his last visit to Kentucky on the way to his inauguration in Washington, Taylor visited Frankfort, where the locals honored him.
November 24, 1830, the Louisville Daily Journal made its debut . Henry Clay created the newspaper to promote his candidacy for the presidency. A.J. Buxton financed and published the paper, with Clay’s biographer, George D. Prentice, as the editor. It was one of the most widely circulated newspapers west of the Appalachian Mountains, primarily because of Prentice’s writing. Following the Whig party’s demise with Lincoln’s 1860 election, the Louisville Daily Journal endorsed the Native American (or Know-Nothing) party. Finally, the Louisville Daily Journal merged with the Louisville Daily Courier , Louisville’s Democratic newspaper, becoming the Louisville Courier-Journal . History of Kentucky by Lewis Collins; pg: 390
November 24, 1845, Constable John Holton, Augusta Police Department , died from knive wounds while serving a warrant. Police found the warrant in Holton’s pocket at the scene.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Lowes native Alben William Barkley , born in 1877 in Graves County. The 35th Vice President at 71 years old, he was the oldest to hold the office.
November 24, 1894, administrators filed the articles of incorporation for the new Louisville Jockey Club in the County Clerk’s office . The incorporators included Messrs. Emile Bourlier, Henry Wehmhoff, and W.E. Applegate, each of whom held twenty shares valued at $100 per share, W.F. Schulte and C.J. Bollinger, fifteen shares, and M.S. Simonton, ten shares. They fixed the capital stock at 110,000.
November 24, 1912, Deputy Sheriff George M. Hart, Clark County Sheriff’s Department , died from a gunshot while investigating a shooting at a railroad camp at the corner of Main and Broadway a few minutes after 6 o’clock. Kentucky convicted him in January 1913 and executed him the next month.
November 24, 1929, Chief of Police John H. Ashby, Madisonville Police Department , died from gunshots while arresting two brothers who had robbed a group of children. A posse shot and killed one suspect. Kentucky convicted and executed the other in 1932.
November 24, 1948, Thanksgiving Eve, Kentucky’s 1st television station, WAVE-TV, went on air from its studios at Preston and Broadway in Louisville.
November 24, 1950, Army CPL Benjamin J. Gossman from Campbell County died fighting in the Korean War.
November 24, 1951, Army PFC Kenneth R. Flowers from Jefferson County and Army PVT William T. Jackson from Jefferson County , and Army PVT Arnold Watts from Perry County all died fighting in the Korean War.
November 24, 1962, Kentucky defeated Tennessee 12-10 to bring home the beer barrel.
November 24, 1964, a 13-mile stretch of combined interstate I-64 & I-75 in Northern Fayette County opened with fanfare . The brief ceremony was at the Newtown Pike interchange. The $16 million project connected I-75 with I-64 to the east and I-75 to the south at the Athens-Boonesboro interchange. Governor Edward T. Breathitt attended.
November 24, 1966, Army SGT Ronnie C. Anderson from Russell County , Marine Corps 2LT Arthur Brumagen from Richmond , and Army SP4 Donald R. Duncan from Morning View in Kenton County all died fighting in the Vietnam War.
November 24, 1968, Army SSG Larry J. Mason, Jr. from Louisville died fighting in the Vietnam War.
November 24, 1969, Army SGT Joseph R. Harris from Versailles died fighting in the Vietnam War.
November 24, 1970, Kentucky closed 139 dirty meat processing plants throughout the state under the federal “Wholesome Meat Act.” Dr. R.J. Henshaw, Director of meat inspection for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, offered no apologies and stated the processors would not reopen till facilities were properly cleaned.
November 24, 1991, STS-44, a Space Shuttle mission, launched at night with Story Musgrave on board as the Mission Specialist. Their primary objective was the successful deployment of a Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite. Story considers Lexington his hometown.
Kentucky Trivia : Story Musgrave is the only astronaut to fly aboard all five Space Shuttles.
November 24, 1995, Trooper Johnny Gordon Adkins, Kentucky State Police , suffered a fatal heart attack while responding to a domestic disturbance call.
November 24, 1997, Louisville insurance executive Dinwiddie Lampton, Jr. bought the 503-acre Elmendorf Farm on Paris Pike in Lexington for $5 million from the estate of Jack Kent Cooke . He told the press he planned “to enjoy the hell out of it,” and he did till age 94 when he died on the farm in 2008.”
On November 24, 1999, the Fayette County attorney dropped obscenity charges against The Kentucky Theatre in downtown Lexington, acknowledging they could not prove their obscenity case.
November 24, 2012, Joker Phillips coached his last game for Kentucky football in a losing effort against the Volunteers 37-13 . He coached for three seasons and went 13-24.
November 24, 2015, presidential candidate Donald Trump “physically mimicked” a disabled news reporter in a S.C. campaign rally. Trump denied doing it. The conflict derived from Kovaleski’s 911 news story. Serge Kovaleski, a New York Times journalist born with AMC, a spinal defect, also investigated the Aaron Hernandez drama.
November 24, 2016, with another drive-by shooting and another death of a young black man, Louisville marked their 112th homicide, the highest one-year total since 1960 , since the city began keeping such records. Two homicides happened earlier in the day at the traditional Juice Bowl in Shawnee Park, where people gathered to smoke meats and have motorcycle races. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer attended and stood 20 feet away when the shootings occurred.
On November 24, 2020, the coronavirus hysteria hit a new high . Things got crazy around Turkey Day. UK Chandler Medical Center closed five operating rooms to prepare for a possible surge that never happened over the holidays, reminiscent of UK’s $7 million mobile hospital that never saw a patient. The state ordered a Lexington coffee shop to close for not following state mandates. Two families sued the governor for mandating indoor gatherings to eight people. Meanwhile, many families stayed apart.
Positives: 2,690 / 162,838Deaths : 17 / 1,809 – 1st Death 3/16/2050&over 49-30 29&under
On November 24, 2021, Big Pharma’s role in the opioid crisis took top headlines from coronavirus for a day. The news also reported 59% of Kentuckians were vaccinated. Meanwhile, Governor A. Beshear appointed the 1st black man to the Fish and Wildlife Commission, Jerry Ferrell.
November 24, 2022, the Bourbon County High School Marching Colonels of Paris marched in the 96th New York City Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in the school’s 1st appearance.