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Timeline of Louisville, Kentucky facts for kids

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The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Louisville, Kentucky, USA.

Prior to 19th century

19th century

  • 1807 – Louisville Gazette newspaper begins publication.
  • 1820 – Population: 4,012.
  • 1828 – John Bucklin becomes mayor.
  • 1829
    • Lewis Pottery Company incorporated.
    • Dover's Pottery in business.
  • 1830
  • 1831 – Louisville Lyceum established.
  • 1837 – Louisville Medical Institute founded.
  • 1838 – Louisville Gas and Water established.
  • 1839 – Kentucky Institution for the Education of the Blind founded.
  • 1840
    • Belknap Hardware and Manufacturing Company began on the banks of the Ohio River.
    • Louisville Collegiate Institute founded.
    • Franklin Lyceum founded.
  • 1841
    • Louisville Law Library in operation.
    • Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville established.
  • 1842
  • 1844 – Louisville Morning Courier newspaper begins publication.
  • 1846 – University of Louisville formed.
  • 1848 – Cave Hill Cemetery dedicated.
  • 1850
  • 1851 – German Protestant Orphan's Home founded.
  • 1859 – J. F. Hillerich in business.
  • 1860 – Population: 68,033.
  • 1862 – Board of Trade organized.
  • 1868
  • 1872 – Industrial Exposition.
  • 1874 – Louisville Jockey Club and Driving Park Association formed.
  • 1875 – Kentucky Derby begins; Churchill Downs opens.
  • 1876 – Polytechnic Society of Kentucky organized.
  • 1877 – Southern Baptist Theological Seminary relocates to Louisville.
  • 1879 – Kaufman-Straus department store opens.
  • 1880 – Population: 123,758.
  • 1882 – Louisville Eclipse baseball team formed.
  • 1883 – Southern Exposition begins.
  • 1884
  • 1886 – Kentucky & Indiana Terminal Bridge opens.
  • 1888 - Louisville Camera Club formed.
  • 1889 – Union Station built.
  • 1890
    • Columbia Building constructed.
    • Tornado.
    • Population: 161,129.
  • 1893 – Southern Parkway opens.
  • 1894 – St. Peter's German Evangelical Church built.
  • 1895 – Big Four Bridge opens.
  • 1897 – Louisville Business Women's Club founded.
  • 1900
    • Louisville Bar Association established.
    • Jennie Benedict opens catering business.
    • Population: 204,731.

20th century

1901–1959

  • 1905
  • 1907 - The annual Kentucky State Fair moves permanently to Louisville.
  • 1908 - Louisville Free Public Library main branch opens.
  • 1910
  • 1920 – Population: 234,891.
  • 1921
    • Bowman airfield opens.
    • Legal Aid Society of Louisville and Urban League branch established.
  • 1923
  • 1926 - Zachary Taylor National Cemetery created by the Taylor family.
  • 1929 - Louisville Municipal Bridge opens.
  • 1930
  • 1932 - U.S. Post Office, Court House and Custom House built.
  • 1937
    • Louisville Orchestra is founded.
    • Ohio River flood.
  • 1941 - Standiford Field airport built.
  • 1946 - Jefferson County Memorial Forest inaugurated.
  • 1947 - Standiford Field opens for commercial flights.
  • 1949 - Carriage House Players active.
  • 1950 - Bellarmine College opens.
  • 1952 - Big Spring Country Club hosted the annual PGA Championship; Jim Turnesa won the event.
  • 1954 - The annual WHAS Crusade for Children telethon begins.
  • 1956
    • Freedom Hall opened on the Kentucky Fairgrounds.
    • Kentucky Derby Festival begins as two weeks preceding the first Saturday in May, the day of the Kentucky Derby.
  • 1957 - St. James Court Art Show held its first annual arts and craft show in the Old Louisville neighborhood.
  • 1958 - Freedom Hall hosted the 1958 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship; University of Kentucky won the National Championship.
  • 1959 - Freedom Hall hosted the 1959 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship; University of California-Berkeley won the National Championship.

1960–2000

  • 1962
    • Sherman Minton Bridge opened.
    • Mid-City Mall opened.
    • Freedom Hall hosted the 1962 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship; University of Cincinnati won the National Championship.
  • 1963
    • John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge opened.
    • Freedom Hall hosted the 1963 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship; Loyola University (IL) won the National Championship.
  • 1964
    • Kennedy Interchange (Spaghetti Junction) opened.
    • Actors Theatre of Louisville opened.
  • 1965
    • Louisville and Jefferson County Riverport Authority established as a public agency.
    • Republican Kenneth A. Schmied was elected mayor; he was the last Republican to be elected mayor.
  • 1967
    • Kentucky Colonels basketball team founded.
    • Freedom Hall hosted the 1967 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship; UCLA won the National Championship.
  • 1969
    • Louisville Zoo opens as "State Zoo of Kentucky".
    • Freedom Hall hosted the 1969 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship; UCLA won the National Championship.
    • Democrat Frank W. Burke was elected mayor.
  • 1971 - Romano Mazzoli becomes U.S. representative for Kentucky's 3rd congressional district.
  • 1973
    • Democrat Harvey I. Sloane was elected mayor for the first time.
    • Triple Crown Winner Secretariat ran the fastest time ever at the annual Kentucky Derby.
  • 1974
    • Tornado occurs in the east end of Louisville.
    • Actors Theatre of Louisville opened is designated the "State Theater of Kentucky"
    • TARC began operating as the city bus line in 1974.
  • 1977
    • Foreign trade zone established for the Riverport Authority.
    • Democrat William B. Stansbury was elected mayor.
  • 1982 - Democrat Harvey I. Sloane was elected mayor for the second time.
  • 1986 - Democrat Jerry Abramson was elected mayor for the first time.
  • 1987
    • Kentucky Kingdom amusement park opened the Kentucky Exposition Center.
    • The Courier-Journal was purchased by media giant Gannett.
  • 1988 - Louisville Motor Speedway opened.
  • 1990
    • Thunder Over Louisville has its first annual event and becomes the first event of the annual Kentucky Derby Festival.
    • Population: 269,063.
  • 1993 - AEGON Center is completed and becomes the tallest building in Kentucky.
  • 1995 - Standiford Field is renamed to Louisville International Airport.
  • 1996 - Louisville Slugger Museum opened in Downtown Louisville.
  • 1999
  • 2000
    • Louisville Slugger Field opened for the newly renamed Louisville Bats, who became a minor league affiliate for the Cincinnati Reds the same year.
    • Valhalla Golf Club hosts the annual PGA Championship, Tiger Woods won the competition.
    • City website online (approximate date).

21st century

  • 2001 - Louisville Bats win the Governors' Cup, AAA Championship
  • 2002
    • Louisville Extreme Park opens.
    • Valley Sports wins the 2002 Little League World Series.
    • Forecastle Festival begins its annual music festival.
  • 2003
    • City–county merger increases Louisville's total population to near one-million.
    • Democrat Jerry Abramson is elected mayor for the second time.
  • 2004
    • Fourth Street Live opened as entertainment complex/venue in downtown Louisville.
    • Valhalla Golf Club hosts the annual PGA Championship, Hale Irwin won the competition.
  • 2005
    • Muhammad Ali Center opens as a tribute to the champion boxer Muhammad Ali.
    • The annual Abbey Road on the River is held in Louisville for the first time.
    • Jim Patterson Stadium opens.
  • 2006 - Churchill Downs hosts the annual Breeders Cup.
  • 2007
    • University of Louisville competes in its first BCS game by defeating Wake Forest in the Orange Bowl
    • Thunder Over Louisville sets record crowd of over 800,000 people.'
    • John Yarmuth becomes U.S. representative for Kentucky's 3rd congressional district.
  • 2008 - Valhalla Golf Club hosts the annual Ryder Cup, the United States won the competition.
  • 2009
  • 2010
    • 2010 US Census Population: 602,011.
    • Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom closed due to the rejection of an amended lease by the Kentucky State Fair Board.
    • KFC Yum! Center opened as Louisville's new downtown multi-use arena.
    • Churchill Downs hosted the annual Breeders Cup.
  • 2011
    • Democrat Greg Fischer is elected mayor after Jerry Abramson becomes Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky
    • Valhalla Golf Club hosted the annual PGA Championship; Tom Watson won the competition.
    • Sherman Minton Bridge temporarily closed in September after construction crews found cracks in the main load-bearing structural element.
    • Churchill Downs hosts the annual Breeders Cup.
  • 2012
    • Sherman Minton Bridge reopened in February after months of repairs.
    • KFC Yum! Center hosted second and third-round games of the 2012 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
  • 2013
  • 2014
    • Kentucky Kingdom reopened as Louisville's theme park.
    • Valhalla Golf Club hosted the annual PGA Championship; Rory McIlroy won the competition.
    • Mayor Fischer is re-elected in November.
    • Construction of the Ohio River Bridges Project begins.
  • 2015
    • KFC Yum! Center hosted second and third-round games of the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
    • Abraham Lincoln Bridge (part of the Ohio River Bridges Project) opened for public use.
  • 2016

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Timeline of Louisville, Kentucky Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.