Today in History for Feb. 21, 2015

General Henry Hopkins Sibley

Feb. 21, 1777 - George Weedon was promoted to brigadier general Virginia Regiment of the Continental Army.

Feb. 21, 1810 – Former Conecuh County Circuit Clerk Nicholas Stallworth Jr. was born in Edgefield District, S.C.

Feb. 21, 1827 – William A. Stewart became the postmaster at Burnt Corn, Ala.

Feb. 21, 1848 - The Communist Manifesto was published by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.

Feb. 21, 1858 - Edwin T. Holmes installed the first electric burglar alarm in Boston, Mass.

Feb. 21, 1862 – During the Civil War, the Battle of Valverde was fought near Fort Craig in the New Mexico Territory. During the battle, Confederate troops under General Henry Hopkins Sibley attacked Union troops under Colonel Edward R. S. Canby. It was the first major battle in the far West, but ended with no decisive result. In the waning stage of the war, Canby negotiated the surrender of Confederate forces at Magee Farm in Kushla, Ala.

Feb. 21, 1864 - Confederate troops under General Nathan Bedford Forrest defeated Union General William Sooy Smith at West Point, Miss.

Feb. 21, 1870 – William Fowler was named the postmaster at Burnt Corn, Ala.

Feb. 21, 1874 - The Oakland Daily Tribune began publication.

Feb. 21, 1885 – The newly completed Washington Monument was dedicated.

Feb. 21, 1908 – The historic church bell at the Elba United Methodist Church in Coffee County, Ala. was cast on this day in Hillsboro, Ohio.

Feb. 21, 1911 – The temperature reached 26 degrees in Evergreen during a cold snap that caused much damage to fruits and vegetables.

Feb. 21, 1913 - Alabama author Julia Truitt Yenni was born in Birmingham, Ala.

Feb. 21, 1915 – Jennie Faulk returned to Monroeville, Ala. “from the markets where she spent some time in the selection of her new spring stock. She will have something to say next week of peculiar interest to her numerous lady customers.”

Feb. 21, 1925 - The first issue of "The New Yorker" was published.

Feb. 21, 1930 – Major League Baseball pitcher Wilmer Mizell was born in Vinegar Bend in Washington County, Ala. He would go on to play for the St. Louis Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Mets.

Feb. 21, 1931 - The Chicago White Sox and the New York Giants became the first major league teams to play in a night game.

Feb. 21, 1938 – NFL offensive tackle Ernie McMillan was born in Chicago Heights, Ill. He would go on to play for the University of Illinois, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Green Bay Packers.

Feb. 21, 1943 – Major League Baseball pitcher Jack Billingham was born in Orlando, Fla. He would go on to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Houston Astros, the Cinncinnati Reds, the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox.

Feb. 21, 1946 – The Evergreen Courant reported that sailor William K. Wiggins of Evergreen was the 50,000th service member to be discharged from the discharge center in Shelton, Va.

Feb. 21, 1951 – NFL running back Bill Olds was born in Kansas City, Kansas. He would go on to play for Nebraska, the Baltimore Colts, the Seattle Seahawks and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Feb. 21, 1952 – Evergreen High School’s boys basketball team beat Lyeffion, 62-22, in Evergreen. Shirley Frazier and Gwyn Daniels led Evergreen with 19 points each. David Eddins led Lyeffion with 10 points.

Feb. 21, 1953 – NFL guard Ken Huff was born in Hutchinson, Kansas. He would go on to play for North Carolina, the Baltimore Colts and the Washington Redskins.

Feb. 21, 1953 – NFL center and tackle Jim Pietrzak was born in Detroit, Mich. He would go on to play for Eastern Michigan, the New York Giants, the New Orleans Saints and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Feb. 21, 1953 - Francis Crick and James Watson discovered the double helical structure of the DNA molecule.

Feb. 21, 1964 - The U.K. flies 24,000 rolls of Beatle wallpaper to U.S.

Feb. 21, 1967 – The top-seeded Conecuh County High School Blue Devils advanced to the semifinal round of the Area I tournament by beating Frisco City, 62-44, at the Coliseum in Monroeville, Ala. Also the other tournament game that night, Excel upset third-seeded Repton, 51-45.

Feb. 21, 1968 - An agreement between baseball players and club owners increased the minimum salary for major league players to $10,000 a year.

Feb. 21, 1968 – Fire almost totally destroyed the Flxible Southern Co. plant in Evergreen, Ala.

Feb. 21, 1974 - Tom Seaver signed a contract with the New York Mets worth $172,000 a year.

Feb. 21, 1982 – NFL defensive tackle Alfred Malone was born in Monroeville. He would go on to play for Georgia Tech, Troy University, the Houston Texans and the Green Bay Packers.

Feb. 21, 1983 - Donald Davis ran one mile backwards in six minutes and 7.1 seconds.

Feb. 21, 1986 - Rollie Fingers refused to shave off his mustache to comply with the policy of the Cincinnati Reds.

Feb. 21, 1991 – Sparta Academy’s varsity boys and varsity girls basketball teams played in the state tournament at Hooper Academy. Sparta’s boys played Springwood Academy at 7 p.m., and Sparta’s girls played Springwood at 2 p.m.

Feb. 21, 1991 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Ralph Stacy had been appointed manager of W&J Propane in Evergreen and would continue to serve as area manager and manager of marketing and advertising.

Feb. 21, 1999 - Alabama author Cora Cheney died in Takoma Park, Md.