Timeline of Louisville, Kentucky
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timeline A timeline is a display of a list of events in chronological order. It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labelled with dates paralleling it, and usually contemporaneous events. Timelines can use any suitable scale representi ...
of the
history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
of the city of
Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
, USA.


Prior to 19th century

* 1773 - Captain Thomas Bullitt surveys the land. * 1778 –
George Rogers Clark George Rogers Clark (November 19, 1752 – February 13, 1818) was an American surveyor, soldier, and militia officer from Virginia who became the highest-ranking American patriot military officer on the northwestern frontier during the Ame ...
settles on
Corn Island The Corn Islands are two islands about east of the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, constituting one of 12 municipalities of the South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region. The official name of the municipality is ''Corn Island'' (the English name is ...
. * 1780 – Louisville chartered. * 1790's -
Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...
, 12th US president, spent his childhood in Louisville. * 1798 –
Jefferson Seminary The Jefferson Seminary was one of Kentucky's first schools and is considered to be the direct ancestor of the University of Louisville. The school was chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1798, with the sale of 6,000 acres (24 km²) o ...
chartered.


19th century

* 1807 – ''Louisville Gazette'' newspaper begins publication. * 1808/12 -
John James Audubon John James Audubon (born Jean-Jacques Rabin; April 26, 1785 – January 27, 1851) was an American self-trained artist, naturalist, and ornithologist. His combined interests in art and ornithology turned into a plan to make a complete pictoria ...
, ornithologist, naturalist and painter lived locally. * 1813 -
University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...
opened. * 1820 –
Population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
: 4,012. * 1828 ** Louisville chartered as a city. **
John Bucklin John Carpenter Bucklin (1773 – March 5, 1844) was the first mayor of the city of Louisville. Life His father, a merchant and sailor, was a captain in the Navy during the Revolutionary War. John Bucklin served in the Rhode Island militia, owned ...
becomes mayor. * 1829 ** Lewis Pottery Company incorporated. ** Dover's Pottery in business. * 1830 ** ''Louisville Daily Journal'' newspaper begins publication. ** Louisville and Portland Canal opens. ** Population: 10,341. * 1831 – Louisville Lyceum established. * 1837 –
Louisville Medical Institute The Louisville Medical Institute was a medical school founded in 1837 in Louisville, Kentucky. It would be merged with two other colleges into the University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in ...
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 ** Jefferson County Courthouse opens. ** Mercantile Library Association founded. * 1844 – ''Louisville Morning Courier'' newspaper begins publication. * 1846 –
University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...
formed. * 1848 – Cave Hill Cemetery dedicated. * 1850 **
Louisville and Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of the ...
begins operating. ** Kentucky Glass Works in business. * 1851 – German Protestant Orphan's Home founded. * 1852 - Louisville and Frankfort Railroad completed. * 1855 - Bloody Monday anti-immigrant rioting fed by the
Know Nothing The Know Nothing party was a nativist political party and movement in the United States in the mid-1850s. The party was officially known as the "Native American Party" prior to 1855 and thereafter, it was simply known as the "American Party". ...
Party. * 1859 – J. F. Hillerich in business. * 1860 – Population: 71,832. * 1862 – Board of Trade organized. * 1860's - Mary Anderson thetre actress, brought up locally. * 1868 ** Fourteenth Street Bridge built. ** ''
The Courier-Journal ''The Courier-Journal'', also known as the ''Louisville Courier Journal'' (and informally ''The C-J'' or ''The Courier''), is the highest circulation newspaper in Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett and billed as "Part of the ''USA Today'' Ne ...
'' newspaper begins publication. * 1872 – Industrial Exposition. * 1874 – Louisville Jockey Club and Driving Park Association formed. * 1875 –
Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...
begins;
Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...
opens. * 1876 – Polytechnic Society of Kentucky organized. * 1877 –
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Louisville, Kentucky. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The seminary was founded in 1859 in Greenville, South Carolina, where it was at ...
relocates to Louisville. * 1879 –
Kaufman-Straus Kaufman-Straus was a local department store that operated in Louisville, Kentucky, from 1879 to 1969. In 1879, local retail clerk Henry Kaufman opened the first store on Jefferson between 7th and 8th. Four years later, Benjamin Straus entered into ...
department store opens. * 1880 –
Population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
: 123,758. * 1882 –
Louisville Eclipse The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that also played in the American Association (AA) throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891. They were known as the Louisville Eclipse from 1882 to 1884, and as th ...
baseball team formed. * 1883 –
Southern Exposition The Southern Exposition was a five-year series of world's fairs held in the city of Louisville, Kentucky, from 1883 to 1887 in what is now Louisville's Old Louisville neighborhood. The exposition, held for 100 days each year on immediately sout ...
begins. * 1884 **
Filson Club The Filson Historical Society, founded in 1884, is a privately supported historical society located at 1310 South 3rd Street in Louisville, Kentucky. The Filson is an organization dedicated to providing continuing adult education in the form of qua ...
founded. ** ''
The Louisville Times ''The Louisville Times'' was a newspaper that was published in Louisville, Kentucky. It was founded in 1884 by Walter N. Haldeman, as the afternoon counterpart to ''The Courier-Journal'', the dominant morning newspaper in Louisville and the common ...
'' newspaper begins publication. ** Chestnut Street Baptist Church built. * 1886 –
Kentucky & Indiana Terminal Bridge The Kentucky & Indiana Bridge is one of the first multi modal bridges to cross the Ohio River. It is for both railway and common roadway purposes together.Schmantzel, Chaz. ''Articles of Association - Kentucky & Indiana Bridge Company, New Alban ...
opens. * 1888 - Louisville Camera Club formed. * 1889 – Union Station built. * 1890 ** Columbia Building constructed. **
Tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
. **
Population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
: 161,129. * 1893 – Southern Parkway opens. * 1894 – St. Peter's German Evangelical Church built. * 1895 –
Big Four Bridge The Big Four Bridge is a six-span former railroad truss bridge that crosses the Ohio River, connecting Louisville, Kentucky, and Jeffersonville, Indiana. It was completed in 1895, updated in 1929, taken out of rail service in 1968, and converte ...
opens. * 1897 – Louisville Business Women's Club founded. * 1900 ** Louisville Bar Association established. ** Jennie Benedict opens catering business. **
Population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
: 204,731.


20th century


1901–1959

* 1902 -
Louisville Public Library The Louisville Public Library is located in Louisville, Ohio, United States. The library serves the residents of Nimishillen Township and the city of Louisville. Since October 1969, the library has been located at 700 Lincoln Avenue. Hist ...
created. * 1905 ** Louisville Free Public Library, Western Colored Branch opens. **
Louisville Gardens Louisville Gardens is a multi-purpose, 6,000-seat arena, in Louisville, Kentucky, that opened in 1905, as the Jefferson County Armory. It celebrated its 100th anniversary as former city mayor Jerry Abramson's official "Family-Friendly New Years ...
opens. ** Jefferson School of Law opens. **
Fontaine Ferry Park Fontaine Ferry Park was an amusement park in Louisville, Kentucky from 1905 to 1969. Located on 64 acres in western Louisville at the Ohio River, it offered over 50 rides and attractions, as well as a swimming pool, skating rink and theatre. Th ...
(amusement park) opens. * 1907 - The annual Kentucky State Fair moves permanently to Louisville. * 1908 - Louisville Free Public Library main branch opens. * 1910 **Snead Manufacturing Building constructed. ** Waverly Hills Sanatorium opens. **
Population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
: 223,928. * 1920 –
Population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
: 234,891. * 1921 ** Bowman airfield opens **
Legal Aid Society of Louisville Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. ...
and
Urban League The National Urban League, formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan historic civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of economic and social justice for African Am ...
branch established * Junior League of Louisville founded * 1922 - WHAS
radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
begins broadcasting * 1923 ** Brown Hotel opened ** Brown Hotel chef Fred Schmidt introduces the
Hot Brown A Hot Brown sandwich (sometimes known as a Louisville Hot Brown or Kentucky Hot Brown) is an American hot sandwich originally created at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, by Fred K. Schmidt in 1926. It is a variation of traditional Welsh ...
sandwich **
Chickasaw Park Chickasaw Park is a municipal park in Louisville, Kentucky's west end. It is fronted to the west by the Ohio River and by Southwestern Parkway to the east. It was formerly the country estate of political boss John Henry Whallen, and began developm ...
laid out (approximate date) *1926 – Zachary Taylor National Cemetery created by the Taylor family. * 1929 – Louisville Municipal Bridge opens. * 1930 **
Masonic Temple A Masonic Temple or Masonic Hall is, within Freemasonry, the room or edifice where a Masonic Lodge meets. Masonic Temple may also refer to an abstract spiritual goal and the conceptual ritualistic space of a meeting. Development and history In ...
built **
Population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
: 307,745 * 1932 - U.S. Post Office, Court House and Custom House built. * 1933 - WAVE
radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
begins broadcasting. * 1937 ** Louisville Orchestra is founded. **
Ohio River flood Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...
. * 1941 - Standiford Field airport built. * 1946 - Jefferson County Memorial Forest inaugurated. * 1947 - Standiford Field opens for commercial flights. * 1948 - WAVE-TV (
television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
) begins broadcasting. * 1949 - Carriage House Players active. * 1950 **
Bellarmine College Bellarmine University (BU; ) is a private Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest ...
opens. ** WHAS-TV (
television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
) begins broadcasting. * 1952 -
Big Spring Country Club Big Spring Country Club is a country club located in Louisville Metro. Prior to the 2003 city-county merger, the club's location was in an unincorporated part of Jefferson County, Kentucky, bordered by Louisville (old city) and St. Matthews. The cl ...
hosted the annual
PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It is one of the four men's major championships ...
;
Jim Turnesa James R. Turnesa (December 9, 1912 – August 27, 1971) was an American professional golfer and winner of the 1952 PGA Championship, beating Chick Harbert 1-up in the match-play final. He was one of seven famous golfing brothers; Phil (1896–198 ...
won the event. * 1954 - The annual
WHAS Crusade for Children The WHAS Crusade for Children is an annual telethon broadcast by WHAS-TV and WHAS (AM) Radio in Louisville, Kentucky. The telethon benefits a wide range of children's charities throughout Kentucky and southern Indiana. The Crusade was begun in 19 ...
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 The St. James Court Art Show, colloquially called the St. James Art Fair, or just St. James, is a popular free public outdoor annual arts and crafts show held since 1957 in the Old Louisville neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky, in the St. Jame ...
held its first annual arts and craft show in the
Old Louisville Old Louisville is a historic district and neighborhood in central Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is the third largest such district in the United States, and the largest preservation district featuring almost entirely Victorian architect ...
neighborhood. * 1958 - Freedom Hall hosted the 1958 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship;
University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...
won the National Championship. * 1959 - Freedom Hall hosted the 1959 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship;
University of California-Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant univ ...
won the National Championship.


1960–2000

* 1962 **
Sherman Minton Bridge The Sherman Minton Bridge is a double-deck through arch bridge spanning the Ohio River, carrying I-64 and US 150 over the river between Kentucky and Indiana. The bridge connects the west side of Louisville, Kentucky to downtown New Albany, Indi ...
opened. **
Mid-City Mall Mid City Mall is a shopping mall in Louisville, Kentucky's Highlands area. While called a mall, and containing an enclosed shopping area, it has features atypical of suburban American malls, such as a comedy club, bar, grocery store and public libr ...
opened. ** Freedom Hall hosted the 1962 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship;
University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...
won the National Championship. **
Southeast Christian Church Southeast Christian Church is an Evangelical multi-site megachurch based in Louisville, Kentucky. It is affiliated with the Christian churches and churches of Christ. , it is the fourth-largest church in the United States. On March 10, 2019, longt ...
, now one of the country's largest Protestant churches, holds its first services. * 1963 **
John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge The John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge is a six-lane, single-deck cantilever bridge that carries southbound Interstate 65 across the Ohio River, connecting Louisville, Kentucky and Jeffersonville, Indiana. The main span is (two spans) and the b ...
opened. ** Freedom Hall hosted the 1963 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship; Loyola–Chicago won the National Championship. * 1964 **
Kennedy Interchange The Kennedy Interchange, unofficially, though universally, referred to as Spaghetti Junction, is the intersection of Interstate 64 (I-64), I-65 and I-71 at the northeastern edge of downtown Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is named f ...
(Spaghetti Junction) opened. ** Actors Theatre of Louisville opened. * 1965 ** Louisville and Jefferson County Riverport Authority established as a public agency. ** Republican
Kenneth A. Schmied Kenneth Albert Schmied (July 11, 1911 – April 5, 1973), a Republican, served as Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky from 1965 until 1969. He was the last Republican to have held the office. The 1969 elections saw Democrat Frank W. Burke win the mayo ...
was elected mayor; he was the last Republican to be elected mayor. * 1967 **
Kentucky Colonels The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of ...
basketball team founded. ** Freedom Hall hosted the 1967 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship;
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
won the National Championship. * 1968 ** The previously all-male
Bellarmine College Bellarmine University (BU; ) is a private Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest ...
becomes coeducational when the all-female Ursuline College merges into it. * 1969 ** Louisville Zoo opens as "State Zoo of Kentucky". ** Freedom Hall hosted the 1969 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship;
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
won the National Championship. ** Democrat
Frank W. Burke Frank Welsh Burke (June 1, 1920 – June 28, 2007) was an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky from 1959 to 1963 and as Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky from 1969 to ...
was elected mayor. * 1971 -
Romano Mazzoli Romano Louis "Ron" Mazzoli (November 2, 1932 – November 1, 2022) was an American politician and lawyer from Kentucky. He represented Louisville, Kentucky, and its suburbs in the United States House of Representatives from 1971 through 1995 as ...
becomes
U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
for Kentucky's 3rd congressional district. * 1973 ** Democrat Harvey I. Sloane was elected mayor for the first time. ** Eventual Triple Crown winner Secretariat ran the fastest time ever at the annual
Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...
. * 1974 **
Tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
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 A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re-exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject to cust ...
established for the Riverport Authority. ** Democrat William B. Stansbury was elected mayor. * 1978 - Kentucky State Data Center headquartered in Louisville * 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 at the Kentucky Exposition Center. ** ''
The Courier-Journal ''The Courier-Journal'', also known as the ''Louisville Courier Journal'' (and informally ''The C-J'' or ''The Courier''), is the highest circulation newspaper in Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett and billed as "Part of the ''USA Today'' Ne ...
'' was purchased by media giant
Gannett Gannett Co., Inc. () is an American mass media holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.Louisville Motor Speedway Louisville Motor Speedway was a 3/8-mile race track located in Louisville, Kentucky. It was opened in 1988. Louisville Motor Speedway hosted 5 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races from 1995 to 1999. Also hosted 2 NASCAR Busch Series events, one in ...
opened. * 1990 ** Thunder Over Louisville has its first annual event and becomes the first event of the annual Kentucky Derby Festival. **
Population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
: 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 The Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, is a museum and factory tour attraction located in Louisville, Kentucky's "Museum Row", part of the West Main District of downtown. The museum showcases the story of Louisville Slugger baseball bats in ba ...
opened in Downtown Louisville. * 1998 – Southeast Christian Church opened a new 9,000-seat worship center on Blankenbaker Parkway in Middletown. The facility has since been joined by five satellite worship centers in the Louisville area. * 1999 ** Louisville Waterfront Park dedicated. ** Democrat
David L. Armstrong David Lawrence Armstrong (August 6, 1941 – June 15, 2017) was an American politician. He served as the mayor of Louisville, Kentucky from 1999 to 2003. He was the city's last mayor before its merger with Jefferson County to form Louisville Me ...
was elected mayor. * 2000 **
Louisville Slugger Field Louisville Slugger Field is a baseball stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. The baseball-specific stadium opened in 2000 with a seating capacity of 13,131. It is currently home to the professional baseball team, the Louisville Bats, Triple-A affiliate ...
opened for the newly renamed
Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, win ...
, who became a minor league affiliate for the
Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
the same year. ** Valhalla Golf Club hosts the annual
PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It is one of the four men's major championships ...
,
Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He is tied for first in PGA Tour wins, ranks second in men's major championships, and holds numerous golf records. * * * Woods is widely regarded as ...
won the competition. ** City website online (approximate date).


21st century

* 2001 -
Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, win ...
win the Governors' Cup, AAA Championship * 2002 **
Louisville Extreme Park The David Armstrong Extreme Park, formerly called the Louisville Extreme Park, is a 40,000 square foot (3,700 m²) public skatepark located near downtown Louisville, Kentucky, United States, in the Butchertown neighborhood. It opened on April ...
opens. ** Valley Sports wins the
2002 Little League World Series The 2002 Little League World Series took place between August 16 and August 25 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The Valley Sports American Little League of Pleasure Ridge Park, a suburb of Louisville, Kentucky, defeated Sendai Higashi Little L ...
. ** 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 hosted the annual
Senior PGA Championship The Senior PGA Championship, established in 1937, is the oldest of the five major championships in men's senior golf. It is administered by the Professional Golfers' Association of America and is recognized as a major championship by both PGA ...
, won by Hale Irwin. * 2005 **
Muhammad Ali Center The Muhammad Ali Center is a non-profit museum and cultural center dedicated to boxer Muhammad Ali in Louisville, Kentucky. Ali, a native of Louisville, and his wife Lonnie Ali founded the museum in 2005. The six-story, museum is located in ...
opens as a tribute to the champion
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...
Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...
. ** The annual
Abbey Road on the River Abbey Road on the River (AROTR) is a five-day, multi-staged music festival which was initially created to honor the music and spirit of the Beatles. The festival took place in Louisville, Kentucky over Memorial Day weekend but moved across the Ohi ...
is held in Louisville for the first time. ** The
Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...
join Join may refer to: * Join (law), to include additional counts or additional defendants on an indictment *In mathematics: ** Join (mathematics), a least upper bound of sets orders in lattice theory ** Join (topology), an operation combining two topo ...
the Big East Conference. **
Jim Patterson Stadium Jim Patterson Stadium is a baseball stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. It is the home field of the University of Louisville Cardinals college baseball team. It hosted the 2007 NCAA Super Regionals, where the Cardinals defeated Oklahoma State two g ...
opens as the new home of
Louisville Cardinals baseball The Louisville Cardinals baseball team is the varsity College baseball, intercollegiate baseball program of the University of Louisville, located in Louisville, Kentucky. The program was a member of the NCAA Division I American Athletic Conferenc ...
. * 2006 -
Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...
hosted the annual
Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, ...
. * 2007 ** The
Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...
competed in their first BCS game by defeating Wake Forest in the
Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game in th ...
. ** The Cardinals made their first appearance in the College World Series, the eight-team finals of the NCAA Division I baseball tournament. ** Thunder Over Louisville sets record crowd of over 800,000 people.' **
John Yarmuth John Allan Yarmuth ( ; born November 4, 1947) is an American politician and former newspaper editor serving as the U.S. representative for since 2007. His district encompasses the vast majority of the Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville Metro Area. ...
becomes
U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
for Kentucky's 3rd congressional district. * 2008 - Valhalla Golf Club hosted the biennial
Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named af ...
, won by the United States. * 2009 ** McAlpine Locks and Dam are expanded. ** Widely publicized extortion trial between
University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...
men's basketball coach Rick Pitino and Karen Sypher occurred. ** Dedication ceremony held for
Lincoln Memorial at Waterfront Park Lincoln Memorial at Waterfront Park is a statue of Abraham Lincoln, depicted as he would have looked before he became President of the United States. The sculpture of him is bareheaded, seated on a rock with an open law book in one hand and the oth ...
. * 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 The KFC Yum! Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is named after the KFC restaurant chain and Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC. Adjacent to the Ohio River waterfront, it is located on Ma ...
opened as Louisville's new downtown multi-use arena. **
Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...
hosted the annual
Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, ...
. * 2011 ** Democrat
Greg Fischer Gregory Edward Fischer (born January 14, 1958) is an American businessman, entrepreneur and 2nd mayor of Louisville Metro. In 2019, he was elected vice president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and served as its president in 2020. Fischer ra ...
is elected mayor after Jerry Abramson becomes
Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky The lieutenant governor of Kentucky was created under the state's second constitution, which was ratified in 1799. The inaugural officeholder was Alexander Scott Bullitt, who took office in 1800 following his election to serve under James Garrard ...
** Valhalla Golf Club hosted the annual
Senior PGA Championship The Senior PGA Championship, established in 1937, is the oldest of the five major championships in men's senior golf. It is administered by the Professional Golfers' Association of America and is recognized as a major championship by both PGA ...
, won by Tom Watson. **
Sherman Minton Bridge The Sherman Minton Bridge is a double-deck through arch bridge spanning the Ohio River, carrying I-64 and US 150 over the river between Kentucky and Indiana. The bridge connects the west side of Louisville, Kentucky to downtown New Albany, Indi ...
temporarily closed in September after construction crews found cracks in the main load-bearing structural element. **
Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...
hosts the annual Breeders Cup. * 2012 **
Sherman Minton Bridge The Sherman Minton Bridge is a double-deck through arch bridge spanning the Ohio River, carrying I-64 and US 150 over the river between Kentucky and Indiana. The bridge connects the west side of Louisville, Kentucky to downtown New Albany, Indi ...
reopened in February after months of repairs. ** The
KFC Yum! Center The KFC Yum! Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is named after the KFC restaurant chain and Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC. Adjacent to the Ohio River waterfront, it is located on Ma ...
hosted second and third-round games of the 2012 NCAA men's basketball tournament. * 2013 ** The
Big Four Bridge The Big Four Bridge is a six-span former railroad truss bridge that crosses the Ohio River, connecting Louisville, Kentucky, and Jeffersonville, Indiana. It was completed in 1895, updated in 1929, taken out of rail service in 1968, and converte ...
partially opened as a converted pedestrian walkway from Louisville into
Jeffersonville, Indiana Jeffersonville is a city and the county seat of Clark County, Indiana, Clark County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It lies directly across the Ohio River ...
, although the complete crossing would not reopen until the Indiana connection was completed in May 2014. ** The
Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...
won their third men's basketball NCAA Championship. The title would later be vacated due to NCAA rules violations (see 2015, 2017, and 2018). ** The Cardinals competed in their second BCS game, defeating
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
in the
Sugar Bowl The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...
. ** The Cardinals also competed in their
second The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...
College World Series. * 2014 ** Kentucky Kingdom reopened as Louisville's theme park. ** Valhalla Golf Club hosted the annual
PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It is one of the four men's major championships ...
;
Rory McIlroy Rory Daniel McIlroy (born 4 May 1989) is a professional golfer from Northern Ireland who is a member of both the European and PGA Tours. He is the current world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking, and has spent over 100 weeks in tha ...
won the competition. ** Mayor Fischer is re-elected in November. ** Construction of the
Ohio River Bridges Project The Ohio River Bridges Project was a transportation project in the Louisville metropolitan area involving the reconstruction of the Kennedy Interchange (locally known as "Spaghetti Junction"), the completion of two new Ohio River bridges, and the ...
begins. ** The
Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...
played in their second consecutive College World Series and third overall. ** Shortly after the College World Series appearance, the Cardinals joined the
Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...
. * 2015 ** The
KFC Yum! Center The KFC Yum! Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is named after the KFC restaurant chain and Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC. Adjacent to the Ohio River waterfront, it is located on Ma ...
hosted second and third-round games of the 2015 NCAA men's basketball tournament. ** The Abraham Lincoln Bridge (part of the Ohio River Bridges Project) opened for public use. ** Katina Powell, a self-described former
madam Madam (), or madame ( or ), is a polite and formal form of address for Woman, women in the English language, often contracted to ma'am (pronounced in American English and this way but also in British English). The term derives from the French ...
, published a book in which she alleged that Louisville Cardinals men's basketball staffer
Andre McGee Andre Jerome McGee (born March 7, 1987) is a former American basketball coach and player who was most recently assistant coach at the University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC). McGee played college basketball at Louisville under Rick Pitino and ...
had paid her $10,000 from 2010 to 2014 to provide strippers and prostitutes for players and recruits. The NCAA soon launched an investigation into the Louisville program. * 2016 **
Speed Art Museum The Speed Art Museum, originally known as the J.B. Speed Memorial Museum, now colloquially referred to as the Speed by locals, is the oldest and largest art museum in Kentucky. It was established in 1927 in Louisville, Kentucky on Third Street ...
reopened after a -year, $60 million expansion project. ** Death of
Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...
, his globally televised
funeral procession A funeral procession is a procession, usually in motor vehicles or by foot, from a funeral home or place of worship to the cemetery or crematorium. In earlier times the deceased was typically carried by male family members on a bier or in a cof ...
, and private interment at Cave Hill Cemetery. ** Lewis and Clark Bridge opens in the East End of Louisville. ** Louisville City FC began play in the
United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a Association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues curren ...
. **
Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...
quarterback
Lamar Jackson Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. (born January 7, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Louisville, where he won the Heisman Trophy during his soph ...
became the Cardinals' first
Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
winner as the top player in college football for
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
. * 2017 ** The
Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...
played in their fourth College World Series. Additionally, Cardinals pitcher and first baseman Brendan McKay was named the consensus college baseball player of the year for
2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
. ** The NCAA announced sanctions against the Louisville men's basketball program stemming from the 2015 sex scandal. The most significant were scholarship restrictions, a six-game suspension for head coach Rick Pitino, a 10-year
show-cause penalty In the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), a show-cause penalty is an administrative punishment ordering that any NCAA penalties imposed on a coach found to have committed major rules violations will stay in effect against that coach fo ...
for Andre McGee (who by that time had left the program), and the vacating of 123 wins over four seasons, including the 2013 national title. The school appealed the sanctions. ** Louisville City won the USL championship. ** U of L fired both Pitino and athletic director
Tom Jurich Thomas M. Jurich (born July 26, 1956) is a former American college sports administrator and former football player. He previously served as the vice president and director of athletics at the University of Louisville. He was hired at the Universi ...
in the wake of an FBI investigation into "pay-for-play" college recruiting schemes that allegedly linked Pitino to illicit payments to the family of at least one U of L recruit. * 2018 ** The NCAA denied Louisville's appeal against the sanctions announced against the men's basketball program in 2017, officially making the Cardinals the first Division I school forced to vacate a men's or women's basketball championship.


See also

*
History of Louisville, Kentucky The geology of the Ohio River, with but a single series of rapids halfway in its length from the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers to its union with the Mississippi, made it inevitable that a town would grow on the site. Louisvi ...
*
List of mayors of Louisville, Kentucky The history of Louisville, Kentucky, United States, as a city is considered to have started on February 13, 1828, the date of the first city charter. From the time of its first organization as a village, on February 7, 1781, until its incorporati ...
*
Timeline of Kentucky history This is a timeline of Kentucky history. Early history *Before 1750, Kentucky was populated nearly exclusively by Cherokee, Chickasaw, Shawnee and several other tribes of Native Americans ''See also Pre-Columbian'' *April 13, 1750 • While lead ...
* Other cities in Kentucky: **
Timeline of Lexington, Kentucky The following is a timeline of the history of Lexington, Kentucky, United States. 18th century * 1775 – Lexington founded in the Colony of Virginia by Colonel Robert Patterson. * 1776 – Lexington becomes part of the new state of Virginia ...
** Timeline of Newport, Kentucky


References


Bibliography


Published in 19th century

* *
1970 reprint
* * * * * * * * * * *


Published in 20th century

* * * * * * * (first edition published in 1979) * (fulltext) *


Published in 21st century

* * *


External links

* * *
Items related to Louisville, Kentucky
various dates (via Digital Public Library of America) {{Louisville Years in Kentucky Louisville Louisville, Kentucky-related lists