This day in Lexington, May third takes us back to nineteen fifty-two, when something pretty special happened right here in Kentucky. For the first time ever, the Kentucky Derby was broadcast on national television, with CBS bringing Churchill Downs into living rooms across America.

Picture it: families gathering around those early TV sets to watch Hill Gail win by two lengths, probably never imagining that decades later, Derby Day would become one of the most-watched sporting events in the country. That first broadcast helped transform what was already a beloved Kentucky tradition into a true national spectacle.

Also on this date in nineteen sixty-three, the civil rights movement gained powerful momentum when violent images from Birmingham, Alabama spread worldwide. Those shocking scenes of police turning fire hoses and dogs on peaceful protesters helped galvanize support for civil rights legislation that would reshape America. Here in Lexington, those images surely resonated in a city that was navigating its own path through the civil rights era.

From Derby traditions to pivotal moments in American history, May third reminds us how events both close to home and far away can shape our shared story. That's your history for today.

Listen live: The Lexington Times runs a 24/7 local news livestream — watch on YouTube or on Facebook. This transcript is from a recent on-air segment.