Today in History for Dec. 11, 2014

Boll weevill monument in Enterprise, Ala.

Dec. 11, 1719 - The first recorded display of the Aurora Borealis in the United States took place on this date in 1719 in New England.

Dec. 11, 1816 - Indiana was admitted to the Union as the 19th American state.

Dec. 11, 1854 – Outlaw train robber Reuben Houston “Rube” Burrow was born in Lamar County, Ala. (Other sources say he was born in 1855.)

Dec. 11-15, 1862 – Gil R. Boulware of the Conecuh Guards, who was Color Sergeant for the Fourth Alabama Infantry Regiment; Fourth Corporal Joseph A. Thomas, and Second Corporal W.F. Anderson were wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg in Fredericksburg, Va.

Dec. 11, 1862 - Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest left Columbus, Tenn. to raid Union supply lines. He defeated a Union force at Lexington, Tenn. on December 18.

Dec. 11, 1863 – During the Civil War, this day marked the beginning of a seven-day Federal reconnaissance from Pulaski, Tenn. to Florence, Ala.

Dec. 11, 1886 – Rube Burrow and his gang committed their first train robbery around 11:30 a.m., robbing a southbound train at Bellevue, Texas.

Dec. 11, 1900 – The Alabama legislature placed the Mount Vernon Cantonment and Arsenal in the hands of the newly created Mount Vernon Hospital, which later became Searcy Hospital.

Dec. 11, 1918 – During World War I, Army Pvt. Jim Crosby of Evergreen, Ala. “died from disease.”

Dec. 11, 1919 – The boll weevil monument was dedicated in Enterprise, Ala. The monument honors the insect that killed cotton plants and forced local farmers to diversify by planting more profitable crops such as peanuts. Even though the monument was in appreciation of the boll weevil, the weevil statue was not added to the monument until 30 years later. It's the one and only monument to an agricultural pest.

Dec. 11, 1926 – Former Evergreen Courant publisher and editor Robert Gaston Bozeman Jr. was born. He would be inducted into the Alabama Press Association Hall of Honor in 1999. A former U.S. Marine, he was twice wounded in the Pacific during World War II.

Dec. 11, 1941 - Germany and Italy declared war on the United States, following the Americans' declaration of war on the Empire of Japan in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States, in turn, declared war on them.

Dec. 11, 1947 – The first Catholic church in Monroe County, Ala., the Annunciation Church in Monroeville, was dedicated. The Rev. Frank Giri was the founding pastor.

Dec. 11, 1951 - Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees announced his retirement from Major League Baseball. DiMaggio only played for the Yankees during his 13-year career.

Dec. 11-13, 1959 – Bolton’s Texaco station in Evergreen, Ala. held its grand opening.

Dec. 11, 1972 - Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula was on the cover of "Time" magazine.

Dec. 11, 1985 - The single "The Super Bowl Shuffle" by Chicago Bears Shufflin' Crew was released.

Dec. 11, 2001 - It was announced that Little League Baseball Inc. would require more detailed documentation of the eligibility of its players. Four months before, the Rolando Paulino Little League team from the Bronx, NY, had its third-place finish taken away after pitcher Danny Almonte was found to be too old to play.