Today in History for Nov. 14, 2014

New York World reporter Nellie Bly.

Nov. 14, 1540 – The DeSoto Expedition departed the village of Mabila, marching northeastward toward Mississippi, almost a month after fighting the largest Indian battle in North America against Chief Tuscaloosa’s warriors.

Nov. 14, 1797 – Sir Charles Lyell, who would go on to become the “Father of Modern Geology,” was born in Kinnordy, Angus, Scotland. A close friend of Charles Darwin, Lyell visited Claiborne, Ala. in 1846 to study the Eocene fossil beds there.

Nov. 14, 1805 - A treaty signed with the Creek Nation on this date allowed for a Post Road to be built which later became the Old Federal Road.

Nov. 14, 1851 - Herman Melville's novel "Moby Dick" was first published in the U.S.

Nov. 14, 1862 – President Abraham Lincoln approved General Ambrose Burnside's plan to capture the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia, leading to the Battle of Fredericksburg.

Nov. 14, 1863 – During the Civil War, a four-day Federal expedition from Mayesville to Whitesburg and Decatur, Ala. began.

Nov. 14, 1864 – During the Civil War, a Federal campaign in North Alabama and Middle Tennessee that lasted until Jan. 23 began.

Nov. 14, 1889 – Pioneering female journalist and New York World reporter Nellie Bly (aka Elizabeth Cochrane) began a successful attempt to travel around the world in less than 80 days. She completes the trip in 72 days. Her quest was to surpass the fictional journey of Jules Verne's Phileas Fogg, by traveling around the world in less than 80 days.

Nov. 14, 1893 – The Conecuh Record newspaper was established in Evergreen.

Nov. 14, 1915 - Alabama author Booker T. Washington died in Tuskegee, Ala.

Nov. 14, 1918 – During World War I, Army Pvt. George Gibbs of Andalusia “died from diseases.”

Nov. 14, 1939 – Monroeville held its inaugural Hog Festival, which drew estimated crowd of 10,000 to downtown Monroeville, including a photographer from Life magazine.

Nov. 14, 1943 - Sid Luckman of the Chicago Bears became the first to throw for more than 400 yards when he threw for 433 yards and seven touchdowns against the New York Giants.

Nov. 14, 1946 – Monroeville Elementary School on South Mount Pleasant Ave. burned down in 15 minutes.

Nov. 14, 1954 - Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice was born in Birmingham, Ala. Rice is an enthusiastic sports fan and avid golfer. She was one of the first two women admitted to the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. In October 2013, Rice was selected as a member of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, which will choose the four teams that will participate in the NCAA National Championship Playoffs.

Nov. 14, 1963 - A new volcanic island appeared near Iceland. 

Nov. 14, 1970 – Army Staff Sgt. William Richard Ellis of Brewton was killed in action in Vietnam.

Nov. 14, 1970 – Southern Airways Flight 932 crashed in the mountains near Huntington, West Virginia, killing 75, including members of the Marshall University football team.

Nov. 14, 1972 - The Dow Jones closed above 1,000 for the first time.

Nov. 14, 1974 – Dothan, Ala. native Johnny Mack Brown, nicknamed “The Dothan Antelope,” passed away at the age of 70 from heart failure in Woodland Hills, Calif. He starred as a halfback at Alabama and help lead the Crimson Tide to the 1926 national title. He later had a long, successful career as an actor in Hollywood.

Nov. 14, 1990 - Simon and Schuster announced it had dropped plans to publish Bret Easton Ellis novel "American Psycho."

Nov. 14, 1993 - Don Shula of the Miami Dolphins set a new NFL record with his 325th victory.

Nov. 14, 1994 – Angela Michelle Pate was named Conecuh County’s 1993 Young Woman of the Year at Wiley Salter Auditorium at Ed Reid State Technical College in Evergreen. She succeeded Kimberli Griffin, the 1992 Young Woman of the Year.