Today in History for Aug. 18, 2014

Ulysses S. Grant

Aug. 18, 1590 - John White, the governor of the Roanoke Island colony in present-day North Carolina, returned from a supply-trip to England to find the settlement completely deserted. White and his men found no trace of the 100 or so colonists he left behind, and there was no sign of violence. To date, no one knows what became of the so-called “Lost Colony of Roanoke.”

Aug. 18, 1817 - A special committee was established to collect evidence of the Gloucester Sea Serpent, which according to witnesses was between 80 to 100 feet long with "a head as broad as a horse."

Aug. 18, 1864 - Union General Ulysses S. Grant attempted to cut Confederate lines into Petersburg, Va. at the Battle of Weldon Railroad at Globe Tavern, Va. The battle lasted for five days. A Confederate offensive regained control of the railroad on August 25.

Aug. 18, 1864 – During the Civil War, a skirmish occurred near Antioch Church, Ala.

Aug. 18, 1880 – John J. Watson was commissioned as Monroe County’s Sheriff.

Aug. 18, 1911 – The Monroe County Jail was condemned by State Prison Inspector W.H. Oates, who inspected the jail on July 22. In a letter to Monroe County’s I.B. Slaughter, Oates called the jail “one of the poorest jails in the state.”

Aug. 18, 1915 - Braves Field was inaugurated with Boston defeating the St. Louis Cardinals, 3-1.

Aug. 18, 1916 - Abraham Lincoln's birthplace was made into a national shrine.

Aug. 18, 1943 – Congressman George Grant, who represented Alabama’s 2nd District in Washington, visited Evergreen.

Aug. 18, 1943 – Annie Stallings Wiggins, 82, passed away at her residence on Rural Street in Evergreen. One of Evergreen’s oldest and most admired citizens, she was born on Feb. 13, 1861 in the Oaky Streak community in Butler County. She married Willis Thomas Wiggins and they moved to Castleberry, where they lived a short time. They moved to Evergreen in 1890, and her husband died on March 10, 1927.

Aug. 18, 1956 - The Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Braves combined for a National League record of 10 home runs. The Reds won, 13-4. Bob Thurman of the Cincinnati Reds hit three of the home runs.

Aug. 18, 1968 – Marine PFC Douglas Sidney Scroggins of Wing in Covington County was killed in action in Vietnam.

Aug. 18, 1973 - Hank Aaron set a major league record with his 1,378th extra base.

Aug. 18, 1980 - George Brett of the Kansas City Royals had his batting average reach the .400 mark.

Aug. 18, 1981 - Herschel Walker of the University of Georgia took out an insurance policy with Lloyd’s of London. The All American was insured for one million dollars.

Aug. 18, 1982 - The longest baseball game played at Wrigley Field in Chicago went 21 innings before the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Cubs, 2-1.

Aug. 18, 1987 - Earl Campbell announced his retirement from the National Football League.

Aug. 18, 1995 - Tom Henke of St. Louis became only the seventh major league player to record 300 saves.

Aug. 18, 1996 - Frank Thomas of the Chicago White Sox became the fourth player to reach 100 RBIs in each of his first six seasons.

Aug. 18, 1996 - Wade Boggs became the 41st major league player to get 2,000 career singles.