Today in History for Sept. 17, 2014

Hank Williams Sr.

Sept. 17, 1540 – The DeSoto Expedition reached the ancient Indian town of Talisi, which was located on the Alabama River at Durant’s Bend, 15 miles northeast of Selma, in Dallas County.

Sept. 17, 1803 – Enoch Hooper Cook Sr. of Wilcox County was born in Caldwell County, Ky. He, his 10 sons and two grandsons, 13 in all, served in the Civil War, said to be the “greatest number from one family that had served either side in the war.”

Sept. 17, 1861 - Confederate General Sterling Price encircled a Union garrison at Lexington.

Sept. 17, 1862 – In Maryland, the Battle of Antietam took place. General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army were stopped by General George B. MeClellan and his numerically superior Union forces. By nightfall about 26,000 men were dead, wounded or missing. Lee began withdrawing to Virginia after dark on September 18. Jacob Hirschfelder and James C. Thomas, both of the Conecuh Guards, where killed at Antietam. Thomas E. Ray (deserted to enemy in 1864) and Third Cpl. James Robertson (wounded in three places), both of the Conecuh Guards, were wounded at Antietam.

Sept. 17, 1869 – The original First Presbyterian Church of Camden building, which was erected in 1856, burned.

Sept. 17, 1897 – George Bradley was hung for the June 17 murder of Richard Rumbley at Rumbley’s store near Pleasant Ridge. This was the second hanging in Monroe County, Ala. since the end of the Civil War.

Sept. 17, 1905 – Jim Johnson, alias Jim Caldwell, shot and killed Wade Coleman at McWilliams, near the Monroe-Wilcox County line.

Sept. 17, 1914 – The Agricultural School in Evergreen opened for the 1914-15 school year with 90 pupils on the rolls.

Sept. 17, 1914 – The Monroe Journal reported that “Contractor Lambert” had “begun the demolition of the old Presbyterian church building preparatory to the reconstruction and remodeling of the building.”

Sept. 17, 1917 – During World War I, Army Pvt. John E. Maldin of Opp “died from disease.”

Sept. 17, 1920 - The American Professional Football Association was formed in Canton, Ohio. It was the precursor to the National Football League.

Sept. 17, 1923 – Hank Williams Sr. was born at Mount Olive in Butler County. After his first appearance on Nashville's Grand Ole Opry in 1949, the singer-songwriter went on to become a country music legend despite his death in 1953 at age 29. His grave is located in Montgomery's Oakwood Cemetery.

Sept. 17, 1928 - The Town of Jones Mill officially changed its name to Frisco City after a 153-50 vote in favor of the change.

Sept. 17, 1930 – Retired American astronaut Edgar Mitchell was born in Hereford, Texas. The Apollo astronaut, who was the sixth man to walk on the moon, has had a long standing interest in consciousness and the paranormal. In 2008, he stirred up controversy with this statement in a radio interview: "I happen to have been privileged enough to be in on the fact that we've been visited on this planet, and the UFO phenomenon is real."

Sept. 17, 1953 - Ernie Banks became the first black baseball player to wear a Chicago Cubs uniform. He retired in 1971 known as 'Mr. Cub'.

Sept. 17, 1961 - The Minnesota Vikings were debuted as the new National Football League team.

Sept. 17, 1967 - The Doors appear on the "Ed Sullivan Show" and performed "Light My Fire" and "People Are Strange."

Sept. 17, 1976 – The Wilson-Finlay House (also known as Mist Lady, the Joshua Wilson House and the Finlay House) in Gainestown in Clarke County was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Sept. 17, 1978 - The series "Battlestar Galactica" began airing on ABC.

Sept. 17, 1981 - Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela threw his eighth shutout of the season to set a new National League rookie record. Valenzuela’s three-hitter beat the Atlanta Braves 2-0 and put an exclamation point on one of the greatest rookie seasons in baseball history.

Sept. 17, 1982 – The last tie football game involving a Monroe County team was played between Frisco City and Leroy. The game ended in a 0-0 tie.

Sept. 17, 1983 - Johnny Bench of the Cincinnati Reds retired after 16 years as a catcher.

Sept. 17, 1983 - Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox broke Hank Aaron's major league record for games played when he started his 3,299th game.

Sept. 17, 1984 - Reggie Jackson hit his 500th career home run. It was exactly 17 years from the day he hit his first major league home run.

Sept. 17, 2004 - Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hit his 700th home run.