Today in History for Oct. 20, 2014

Union General Daniel Sickles

Oct. 20, 1819 - Union General Daniel Sickles was born in New York City.

Oct. 20, 1824 – During his tour of the United States, the College of William & Mary conferred upon the Marquis de Lafayette the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws.

Oct. 20, 1832 - Representatives of the Chickasaw Indians signed the Treaty of Pontotoc, thereby ceding "all the land which they own on the east side of the Mississippi river" to the United States. That land included a portion of northwest Alabama.

Oct. 20, 1861 - Union General Charles Stone sent a detachment of 1,600 across Potomac under the command of Colonel Edward Baker. The next day the Union troops were defeated and Baker was killed.

Oct. 20, 1863 - Federal reconnaissance was conducted from Bridgeport toward Trenton, Ala. Skirmishes also occurred along the Memphis and Charleston Railroad at Barton’s Station, Dickson’s Station, and Cane Creek, Ala

Oct. 20, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes occurred at Blue Pond and Little River, Ala.

Oct. 20, 1873 – Yale, Princeton, Columbia and Rutgers universities drafted the first code of American football rules.

Oct. 20, 1890 – Sir Richard Francis Burton passed away from a heart attack at the age of 69 in Trieste, Austria-Hungary, attended by Isabel and Dr. Grenfell Baker and, probably posthumously, a young priest.

Oct. 20, 1910 - A baseball with a cork center was used in a World Series game for the first time.

  

Oct. 20, 1918 – During World War I, Army Pvt. Robert S. Ingram of Andalusia and Army Pvt. Leslie O. Clark of Red Level “died from disease.”

Oct. 20, 1930 – In Lovecraftian fiction, Miskatonic University’s Pabodie Antarctic Expedition crossed into the Antarctic Circle and shortly afterward began their research.

Oct. 20, 1930 - "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" debuted on NBC radio.

Oct. 20, 1931 – Mickey Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, and he grew up in nearby Commerce, and played baseball and football as a youth.

Oct. 20, 1932 – Pro Football Hall of Famer Roosevelt “Rosey” Brown was born in Charlottesville, Va. He would play tackle for the New York Giants from 1953 to 1965.

Oct. 20, 1936 - Anne Sullivan Macy, tutor and companion to Alabama author Helen Keller, died in Forest Hills, N.Y.

Oct. 20, 1936 - The Associated Press released its first weekly college football poll. Minnesota was ranked first.

Oct. 20, 1937 – Baseball Hall of Famer Juan "Manito" Marichal was born in Laguna Verde, Dominican Republic.

Oct. 20, 1939 – An estimated crowd of 1,500 watched Grove Hill High School beat Monroeville High School, 34-6, in Grove Hill. Outstanding players for Grove Hill included Moss, Downey and Shipworth, and outstanding players for Monroeville included Stevens, Pullen and Yarbrough.

Oct. 20, 1939 – Lee Motor Co. in Monroeville broke ground on a “new brick garage and sales room” with 8,000 feet of floor space on the lot south of the Sinclair Service Station.

Oct. 20, 1945 – Martin L. Young of Conecuh County passed away at the age of 27 in Lawson General Hospital in Jackson, Miss. from wounds received in action with the U.S. Army overseas. He was buried Oct. 22 at McClure Cemetery.

Oct. 20, 1950 – NFL wide receiver Isaac Curtis was born in Santa Anna, Calif. He would play his entire career with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Oct. 20, 1952 – Major League outfielder Dave Collins was born in Rapid City, South Dakota. He would go on to play for the California Angels, the Seattle Mariners, the Cincinnati Reds, the New York Yankees, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Oakland A’s, the Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Oct. 20, 1953 – Major League first baseman Keith Hernandez was born in San Francisco, Calif.

Oct. 20, 1963 - Clem Daniels of the Oakland Raiders ran for 200 yards and two touchdowns in a 49-26 victory over the New York Jets.

Oct. 20, 1972 - Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds hit a home run off the first pitch from Oakland’s Catfish Hunter in Game 5 of the World Series.

Oct. 20, 1973 - U.S. President Richard Nixon signed a bill that authorized a national medal to commemorate Jim Thorpe.

Oct. 20, 1977 - Just three days after the release of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Street Survivors," their vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, along with a back-up singer, road manager, pilot and co-pilot were killed when their chartered single engine plane crashed in the woods of Gillsburg, Mississippi.

Oct. 20, 1984 – After their 12-7 win over No. 1-ranked McKenzie on Oct. 12, Repton High School was ranked No. 1 in Class 1A in the Alabama Sports Writers Association poll that was released on this date.

Oct. 20, 1989 - The Houston Cougars ran up 1,021 yards against Southern Methodist University. The final score was 95-21.

Oct. 20, 1990 – New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was a guest on "Saturday Night Live."

Oct. 20, 1990 - The Cincinnati Reds won the World Series in four games against the Oakland Athletics.

Oct. 20, 1993 - The Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies played for four hours and 14 minutes (due to rain) and achieved a total of 29 runs. The Blue Jays won the game, 15-14.

Oct. 20, 1996 - Andruw Jones of the Atlanta Braves, 19 years old, became the youngest player to hit a home run in the World Series. He hit two home runs against the New York Yankees.

Oct. 20, 2004 - The Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Yankees in Game 7 of the AL Championship. The Red Sox had been down 3-0 in the series.