Today in History for Jan. 18, 2015

John Tyler

Jan. 18, 1535 – Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro founded Lima, the capital of Peru.

Jan. 18, 1778 - English navigator Captain James Cook discovered the Hawaiian Islands, which he called the "Sandwich Islands."

Jan. 18, 1803 - Thomas Jefferson, in secret communication with Congress, sought authorization for the first official exploration by the U.S. government. Determined to begin the American exploration of the vast mysterious regions of the Far West, Jefferson ask Congress for money to fund the journey of Lewis and Clark.

Jan. 18, 1823 – Outlaw James Copeland was born to Isham and Rebecca Wells Copeland near the Pascagoula River in Jackson County, Miss.

Jan. 18, 1838 – Samuel White Oliver, around 41 years old, passed away at his residence on Pine Barren Creek in Dallas County, Ala. Born in Virginia around 1796, he moved to the Sparta area of Conecuh County, Ala. in 1819. He began serving in the state legislature in 1822 and represented Conecuh County there for 12 years and was elected speaker in 1834. He entered the state senate in 1836, represnting Conecuh and Butler counties, but resigned the next year to move to Dallas County. He ran for governor in 1837 but was defeated by Arthur P. Bagby of Monroe County.

Jan. 18, 1843 – Steamboat pilot Charles Langdon Johnson was born at River Ridge (now called Franklin) in Monroe County, Ala. He fought in the Civil War as a private, and he was the nephew of Capt. “Andy” Andrew Harrison Johnson, the captain of the “Cremona.”

Jan. 18, 1861 - Georgia joined South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama in seceding from the United States.

Jan. 18, 1861 – U.S. Army Lt. Adam Slemmer refused the third demand for the surrender of Fort Pickens in Pensacola Harbor, Fla.

Jan. 18, 1862 - Former U.S. President and current Confederate Congressman-elect John Tyler passed away at the age of 71 in Richmond, Va., most likely due to a stroke. He was buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.

Jan. 18, 1868 – John Singleton Peacock, the oldest of Lewis Lavon and Safronia Caroline Martin’s 10 (possibly 11) children, was born at Burnt Corn. He was named after his maternal grandfather.

Jan. 18, 1876 – Samuel G. Forbes named postmaster at Burnt Corn, Ala.

Jan. 18, 1903 – United States President Theodore Roosevelt sent a radio message to King Edward VII, the first transatlantic radio transmission originating in the United States.

Jan. 18, 1915 – Charles Henderson of Troy was inaugurated as Alabama’s governor at noon at the state capitol in Montgomery, succeeding Emmet O’Neil of Florence. The oath was administered by Chief Justice John C. Anderson of the State Supreme Court.

Jan. 18, 1915 – On this Monday, the Conecuh County, Ala. Circuit Court convened. A number of cases on the civil docket were heard with the criminal docket to be taken up the following week.

Jan. 18, 1915 - L.M. Sawyer assumed the duties of Monroe County, Ala. Sheriff Sheriff on this Monday. Claude Kilpatrick and J.W. Urquhart were members of his official staff.

Jan. 18, 1915 – A.A. Williams began his term as Conecuh County, Ala. Sheriff, succeeding E.C. Hines. Williams retained Robert G. Kendall as his chief deputy.

Jan. 18, 1916 – A 611-gram chondrite type meteorite strikes a house near the village of Baxter in Stone County, Missouri.

Jan. 18, 1929 – Evergreen (Ala.) High School’s boys basketball team beat Georgiana, 39-13.

Jan. 18, 1949 – In an incident attributed to the Bermuda Triangle, British and American plane crews searching for the missing Star Ariel reported seeing “a strange light” on the sea, but search-and-rescue units dispatched to the vicinity found nothing.

Jan. 18, 1951 – Beatrice native Butch Avinger was drafted in the first round of the NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Jan. 18, 1951 - The NFL passed a rule that said that a tackle, guard or center was not eligible to catch a forward pass.

Jan. 18, 1967 - Albert DeSalvo, who claimed to be the "Boston Strangler," was convicted in Cambridge, Mass. of armed robbery, assault and sex offenses. He was sentenced to life in prison. Desalvo was killed in 1973 by a fellow inmate.

Jan. 18, 1969 - Baseball legend Ted Williams was appointed manager of the Washington Senators.

Jan. 18, 1971 – George C. Wallace began serving his second term as Alabama’s governor. He would later be re-elected and would remain for a third term that would eventually end on Jan. 15, 1979.

Jan. 18, 1973 – Sturdivant Hall in Selma, Ala. was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Jan. 18, 1973 - Pink Floyd began recording "Dark Side Of The Moon."

Jan. 18, 1976 - The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Dallas Cowboys, 21-17, in Super Bowl X. The CBS telecast was viewed by an estimated 80 million people. Excel, Ala. native Lee Roy Jordan started for Dallas at middle linebacker.

Jan. 18, 1979 – The Wilcox County Courthouse Historic District in Camden, Ala. was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Jan. 18, 1979 – The Oak Island “Money Pit” mystery was the subject of an episode of the television series “In Search of...,” which first aired on this date, bringing the legend of Oak Island to a wider audience.

Jan. 18, 1994 – The Cando event, a possible bolide impact, occurred in Cando, Spain. Witnesses claim to have seen a fireball in the sky lasting for almost one minute.

Jan. 18, 1995 - A network of caves were discovered near the town of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc in southern France. The caves contained paintings and engravings that were 17,000 to 20,000 years old.

Jan. 18, 1996 - Baseball owners unanimously approved inter-league play for 1997.

Jan. 18, 2001 - The Cartoon Network exclusively aired the last episode of "Batman Beyond."

Jan. 18, 2010 – Anne Crook Hines Farish passed away in Monroeville, Ala. at the age of 83. She was Monroeville’s first female council member and served as Monroeville’s mayor for 16 years.