Today in History for Sept. 14, 2014

Sept. 14, 1807 - Former U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr was acquitted of a misdemeanor charge. Two weeks earlier, Burr had been found innocent of treason.

Sept. 14, 1817 – Walter Taylor, one of the founders of the United Methodist Church in Jackson and the man who built the Taylor House around 1841, was born in Jackson, Ala. The Taylor House was moved to Leroy in 1985 and was restored into a modern bank building.

Sept. 14, 1832 – Camden, Ala. was founded on land donated to the Wilcox County Commission for a new county seat by Thomas Dunn and wife, Martha Hobbs.

Sept. 14, 1836 – Two years after a stroke that left him an invalid, Aaron Burr died at a boarding house in Port Richmond.

Sept. 14, 1838 - Noah Dallas Peacock, who was Lewis Lavon Peacock’s older brother, was born in Dallas County, Ala.

Sept. 14, 1861 - Confederate troops under General Robert E. Lee retreated from Cheat Mountain without a shot being fired. The campaign was considered a fiasco and damaged Lee's reputation.

Sept. 14, 1862 – The North and the South clashed at the Battle of South Mountain as General Robert E. Lee's exhausted Confederate forces held off the pursuing Yankees by closing two passes through Maryland's South Mountain, allowing Lee time to gather his forces further west along Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg.

Sept. 14, 1862 - Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson rolled his artillery into place and began to shell Harpers Ferry, Virginia.

Sept. 14, 1896 – The notorious outlaw Bart Thrasher was killed by law enforcement officers near Calera, Ala.

Sept. 14, 1914 – A municipal primary election in Evergreen for the nomination of mayor and town councilmen was held. Those nominated for office included W.B. Ivey for mayor and R.F. Croom, J.G. Lunday, A.H. Mason, F.A. Pritchett, H.A. Shields for councilmen. Executive committee nominees were H.W. Dunn, E.J. McCreary, E.E. Newton.

Sept. 14, 1916 - Christy Mathewson of the Cincinnati Reds won his 373rd career game. It was the only victory he had earned for a team other than the New York Giants during his 17-year career.

Sept. 14, 1936 – The Ritz Theater in Brewton opened its doors for business, and its first feature was “Yours for the Asking.”

Sept. 14, 1937 – Conecuh County schools opened for the 1937-38 school year.

Sept. 14, 1952 – The Starlington Stars baseball team won the Conecuh Amateur League championship by beating the Centerville Rookies, 7-0, at Brooks Stadium in Evergreen. In a game before the Starlington-Centerville game, Shreve beat Castleberry, 5-4, to take home third place honors.

Sept. 14, 1962 – Frisco City running back Ed Brown led the Whippets with 103 yards rushing in a 26-0 win over T.R. Miller in Frisco City.

Sept. 14, 1964 – President Lyndon B. Johnson awarded Helen Keller with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Sept. 14, 1968 - Detroit Tigers pitcher Denny McLain won his 30th game of the season, becoming the first 30-game winner in the major leagues since 1938. The Tigers scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to come from behind in a 5-4 decision over the Oakland A’s.

Sept. 14, 1969 - Talladega Speedway opened with its first running of the Talladega 500, which was won by Richard Brickhouse. Over 30 top drivers boycotted the first run saying the track was unsafe at high speeds. The facility cost $4 million dollars to build and attracted a crowd of 65,000 to the first major race. In April 2000, a crowd of 180,000 watched Jeff Gordon win the Diehard 500.

Sept. 14, 1972 – The Fort Mims Historic Site was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Sept. 14, 1986 - Bob Brenley of the San Francisco Giants tied a major league baseball record when he committed four errors in one inning.

Sept. 14, 1987 - The Toronto Blue Jays set a club record with 10 home runs when they defeated the Baltimore Orioles, 18-3.

Sept. 14, 1990 - Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. of the Seattle Mariners hit back-to-back home runs off California Angels pitcher Kirk McCaskill in the first inning. The Angels won the game, 7-5.

Sept. 14, 1994 - It was announced that the season was over for the National Baseball League on the 34th day of the players strike. The final days of the regular season were canceled. Baseball owners had voted 26-2 in favor of ending the season. The result was a year with no World Series for the first time since 1904.

Sept. 14, 1999 - Leon Lett of the Dallas Cowboys was suspended for seven games as punishment for a fifth violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy.

Sept. 14, 2003 - Jamal Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens set an NFL record for yards gained in a single-game when he gained 295 yards rushing. The Ravens beat the Cleveland Browns, 33-13.

Sept. 14, 2003 - Vinny Testaverde of the New York Jets became the ninth player in NFL history to pass for over 40,000 yards.