Today in History for Oct. 24, 2014

William Wayne Seay of Brewton.

Oct. 24, 1590 – John White, the governor of the second Roanoke Colony, returned to England after an unsuccessful search for the "lost" colonists.

Oct. 24, 1851 - William Lassell discovered Ariel and Umbriel, two satellites of Uranus.

Oct. 24, 1861 - The first transcontinental telegraph line across the U.S. was completed, spelling the end of the 18-month-old Pony Express. The first message was sent when Justice Stephen J. Field of California transmitted a telegram to U.S. President Lincoln.

Oct. 24, 1862 - Union General Don Carlos Buell was replaced by William Rosecrans. Buell was replaced because of his ineffective pursuit of the Confederates after the Battle of Perryville, Ky. on Oct. 8.

Oct. 24, 1865 - Henry Wirz was found guilty of conspiracy to injure the health and lives of Union soldiers and murder. On Nov. 10, he became one of the few people executed for crimes committed during the war.

Oct. 24, 1901 - Annie Edson Taylor celebrated her 63rd birthday by becoming the first person to survive a barrel ride over Niagara Falls.

Oct. 24, 1912 – Aviator Louis Mitchell, who was attempting a “daring descent” at the state fairgrounds in Montgomery lost control of his plane, fell 200 feet and was “crushed beneath the wreckage” of his plane. He died with three minutes of the fall.

Oct. 24, 1914 – W.P. Murphy, a 75-year-old Confederate veteran, died in Evergreen, and his remains were taken to Camden for burial. He had been bedridden for about six years prior to his death.

Oct. 24, 1914 – The No. 5 Passenger Train collided with a mule-drawn wagon opposite the Taliaferro, McCreary & Ivey Store in Evergreen, Ala. “badly wrecking” the wagon. The wagon’s driver and mules escaped without serious injury.

Oct. 24, 1918 – During World War I, Army Pvt. Ransom Bird of Owassa and Army Pvt. Jon Adams of Brewton both “died from disease.”

Oct. 24, 1926 – Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Y.A. Tittle was born in Marshall, Texas.

Oct. 24, 1926 – Harry Houdini gave his last performance at the Garrick Theater in Detroit.

Oct. 24, 1943 - The Green Bay Packers intercepted nine passes in a 27-6 victory over the Detroit Lions.

Oct. 24, 1948 – William Wayne Seay was born in Brewton. He would later join the Army and would receive the Medal of Honor for his actions on Aug. 25, 1968 near Ap Nhi, Vietnam.

Oct. 24, 1948 - The Chicago Cardinals scored 35 points in the third quarter on the way to a 49-27 victory over the Boston Yanks.

Oct. 24, 1955 - Los Angeles reached its 18th straight day of smog.

Oct. 24, 1965 - Fran Tarkenton of the Minnesota Vikings threw for 407 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-41 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

Oct. 24, 1970 – Army Staff Sgt. Carter Parker Jr. of Monroeville was killed in action in Vietnam.

Oct. 24, 1971 - Texas Stadium officially opened in Irving, Texas.

Oct. 24, 1976 - Chuck Foreman of the Minnesota Vikings rushed for 200 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-12 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Oct. 24, 1984 – On the fictional “X-Files,” Fox Mulder joined the FBI on this day after graduating with honors from the Quantico FBI Training Academy earlier in 1984.

Oct. 24, 1992 - The Toronto Blue Jays became the first non-U.S. team to win the World Series.

Oct. 24, 1995 - In Cleveland, Ohio, Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders sang the national anthem in Game 3 of the World Series.

Oct. 24, 1996 - The Atlanta Braves played their last game at Fulton County Stadium. They lost to the New York Yankees, 1-0, in Game 5 of the World Series. The next season the Braves began playing at Olympic Stadium.

Oct. 24, 1998 - Ricky Williams of the University of Texas became the leading scorer in NCAA Division I history. At the end of the game, he had a total of 428 points.

Oct. 24, 2005 – Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corner of the Earth video game was first released.