On Saturday, February 8, 1778, as Daniel Boone hunted by himself and after he tied the buffalo’s best meat upon his horse, four Natives surprised him. It is a date long remembered by the Kentucky frontier’s settlers; the Shawnee and British captured him near Blue Licks. Fearing Boone had died, Fort Boonesborough saw some of its darkest days.
February 8, 1837, the U.S. Senate elected Louisville native Richard Mentor Johnson the 9th U.S. Vice President. His selection marked the 1st and only time the Senate exercised its prerogative under the U.S. Constitution’s 12th Amendment, which provides, “if no person has a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President.”
February 8, 1839, Kentucky created Breathitt County from Clay County, Estill County, and Perry County and named it in honor of John Breathitt, Kentucky’s 11th governor. Jackson is the county seat. Other localities include: Altro, Bays, Caney, Canoe, Chenowee, Clayhole, Cockrell Fork, (on a line between Breathitt and Perry Counties) Crockettsville, Elkatawa, Evanston, Fishtrap, Flintville, Frozen/Frozen Creek, Fugates Fork, Gauge, Haddix, Hardshell Caney, Hayes Branch, Leatherwood, Lost Creek, Morris Fork, Ned, Nix Branch, Noble, Noctor, Oakdale, Portsmouth, Quicksand, River Caney, Riverside, Rose Branch, Rousseau, Rowdy, Saldee, Sebastians Branch, Shoulder Blade/Shoulderblade, Smith Branch, South Fork, Stevenson, Troublesome Creek, Turners Creek, Vancleve, War Creek, Watts, Whick, Wilstacy, and Wolf Coal. The 89th county created, Breathitt County, covers 495 square miles.
By David BenbennickFebruary 8, 1893, Kentucky philanthropist, social reformer, school founder, and letter writer, Miss Jennie Casseday passed over.
February 8, 1900, Governor W. Goebel’s body returned to Frankfort from Covington for his official funeral. Around 6,000 strong attended the event despite a miserable rainy day.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Millersburg native Mae Street Kidd. In 1904, she was born to a black mother and a white father, who refused to acknowledge her existence. Nevertheless, from a segregated education, she became a pioneer in business, politics, and civil rights, who broke ground for Kentucky women and African Americans. After her successful life insurance career, she served the Red Cross, and then opened her cosmetics line. In addition, she helped create the Louisville Urban League Guild and joined Kentucky’s House of Representatives.
February 8, 1908, State University, Lexington (UK) hosted and defeated the Louisville Coliseum Club, 29-28, in the State College Gymnasium. The Lexington Herald provided two different names for UK, depending on the article; they were “State College Cadets” and “Kentucky State College.”
February 8, 1918, UK defeated Tennessee 40-12, Kentucky also beat them the night before. They played both games in the Buell Armory Gymnasium. The Lexington Herald referred to this team as the University of Kentucky Wildcats. Pat Campbell of Lexington High scored a game-high 10 points for Coach Boyles.
February 8, 1922, via the Lincoln County Representative, Frankfort addressed Isaac Shelby’s neglected grave. The bill requested $3,000 to mark Kentucky’s 1st & 4th governor properly.
February 8, 1930, bandit James Grayson received a life sentence by a Warren County jury. He murdered Mr. Kirby, a Smiths Grove banker, who died while pursuing three bandits that robbed the Bank of Oakland for $1,753.
February 8, 1942, officials announced the token fares on Louisville street cars and buses increased from 3-for-20 cents to 2-for-15 cents. The cash fare remained at 10 cents.
February 8, 1946, Patrolman Cleophus John “Clay” Eifert, Covington Police Department, died from a gunshot to the chest, climbing a staircase while responding to a domestic disturbance at a downtown rooming house. Before collapsing, the officer fired six shots, striking the gunman in the leg.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Louisville native John Richard Gott III, born in 1947. The professor of astrophysical sciences at Princeton University is known for his work on time travel and the Doomsday argument.
February 8, 1949, Rupp’s Cats crushed the visiting Vols 71-56 in the Alumni Gymnasium. Alex Groza scored 34 points.
February 8, 1950, in a resounding triumph for Governor E. Clements, the House killed a proposal to allow $12,200,000 a year more to education after a 6.5-hour session. The Kentucky Education Association suffered one of its worst defeats in recent years.
February 8, 1960, Kentucky lawmakers, by a vote of 58 to 18, increased their daily expense allowance from $10 to $25 a day. Twelve members did not vote, and eleven were absent.
February 8, 1968, Army SP4 Larry J. McCubbins from Fairdale in Jefferson County, Marine Corps PFC Ronald L. Pembleton in Nicholasville in Jessamine County and Army PFC Joseph B. Robinson from Ashland in Boyd County died in the Vietnam War.
February 8, 1969, Army SP4 Robert H. Parcher from Louisville and Army SP4 Henry L. Palmer from Madisonville in Hopkins, died in the Vietnam War.
February 8, 1971, Army SGT Joseph W. Miley from Covington in Kenton County died in the Vietnam War.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Fort Campbell native and MLB player Aaron Lane Cook, born in 1979.
February 8, 1981, the Boston Celtics retired Newport native Dave Cowens’s #18 jersey.
On February 8, 1992, Humana Inc. propped up Dr. Rich with a thriving Kentucky practice after Kansas took his medical license. During his brief Commonwealth tenure, patients sued him for malpractice, and police charged him twice for shoplifting.
February 8, 1996, corporate America’s media division won another major battle in the war against U.S. citizens when President Bill Clinton signed the Telecommunications Bill into law.
February 8, 2000, Louisville announced a $60 million investment into turning human waste into fertilizer pellets. The project would have diverted 250 million tons of sludge from landfills.
February 8, 2019, the Commissioner and Operations Director of the Kentucky Department of Corrections received a pink slip, part of the Justice Cabinet’s desire to change leadership.
February 8, 2022, Rep. Hal Rogers (white male) told Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty, (black female) to kiss his ass after she told him to put on a mask in the Capitol Subway. The incident reflected how Americans walked around each day.
On February 8, 2023, legendary journalist Seymour Hersh accused the U.S. of blowing up the undersea Nord Stream gas pipelines after President Joe Biden gave the green light in 2022. Hersh detailed how “skilled deep-water divers” from the U.S. Navy planted C-4 explosives and then detonated them remotely three months later. The legacy media immediately attacked the Pulitzer-winning reporter.
