Today in History for Nov. 17, 2014

August Ferdinand Möbius

Nov. 17, 1790 - Mathematician and astronomer August Ferdinand Möbius was born in Schulpforta, Electorate of Saxony. He's remembered today for creating the curious topological surface called the Möbius strip.

Nov. 17, 1808 – Benjamin Faneuil Porter was born on Sullivan’s Island near Charleston, S.C. to Benjamin Richardson Porter and Eliza Seabrook Fickling Porter. He would go on to become a doctor and lawyer, live in Claiborne for about six years, before becoming a state legislator, judge and Mayor of Greenville, Ala.

Nov. 17, 1862 - The USS San Jacinto laid in wait off the Caribbean island of Martinique for the Confederate steamer, CSS Alabama, but failed to prevent her from leaving port.

Nov. 17, 1863 – The Siege of Knoxville began as Confederate General James Longstreet placed the city of Knoxville, Tennessee under siege. Longstreet could not cut off Union supplies, and Confederate reinforcements arrived on Nov. 28.

Nov. 17, 1864 – During the Civil War, a skirmish occurred near Maysville and New Market, Ala.

Nov. 17, 1875 - The American Theosophical Society was formed.

Nov. 17, 1913 - The steamship Louise became the first ship to travel through the Panama Canal.

Nov. 17, 1916 – Historian and novelist Shelby Foote was born in Greenville, Miss.

Nov. 17, 1918 – During World War I, Army Pvt. Frank Hill of Roy, Ala. (Frisco City) and Army Pvt. Charlie B. Covin of Georgiana, Ala. “died from disease.”

Nov. 17, 1929 – Major League Baseball first baseman Norbert “Norm” Henry Zauchin was born in Royal Oak, Michigan. He started his professional career in 1950 with the Double-A Birmingham Barons, where he set a Rickwood Field field record with 35 home runs. He would go on to play for the Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators. He passed away in Birmingham, Ala. at the age of 69 on Jan. 31, 1999.

Nov. 17, 1940 - The Green Bay Packers became the first NFL team to travel by plane.

Nov. 17, 1968 - NBC cut away from the final minutes of a New York Jets-Oakland Raiders game to begin a TV special, "Heidi," on schedule. The Raiders came from behind to beat the Jets, 43-32, and viewers in the eastern U.S. were denied the opportunity to watch its exciting finish, prompting changes to sports broadcasting in the U.S.

Nov. 17, 1977 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the bypass (now called Wild Avenue) from State Highway 83 to U.S. Highway 31 was nearing completion.

Nov. 17, 1977 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Evergreen Mayor O.B. “Bert” Tuggle had signed a proclamation making Sat., Nov. 19, “Clint Jackson Day” in the City of Evergreen. Attending the signing ceremony were NAACP members Mr. and Mrs. James A. Powell, Mr. and Mrs. O.F. Frazier, Richard Rabb, Edith Gray, Larry Fluker and Jerome Gray.

Nov. 17, 1978 – The Liddell Archeological Site in Wilcox County, Ala. was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The site covers 50 acres and shows evidence of human occupation from 9000 BC to 1800 AD.

Nov. 17, 1979 - Maverick catastrophist Immanuel Velikovsky passed away at the age of 84 in Princeton, New Jersey.

Nov. 17, 1982 - The NFL reduced its 16-game season to nine as a result of a 57-day players' strike.

Nov. 17, 1991 - Mike Utley of the Detroit Lions suffered a spinal injury in a game against Los Angeles that left him paralyzed from the chest down.

Nov. 17, 2003 - Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants became the first major league baseball player to receive six National League MVP awards.