Today in History for March 8, 2015

Marv Breeding of Decatur, Ala.

March 8, 1576 – Spanish explorer Diego García de Palacio first sighted the ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Copán.

March 8, 1775 – An anonymous writer, thought by some to be Thomas Paine, published “African Slavery in America,” the first article in the American colonies calling for the emancipation of slaves and the abolition of slavery.

March 8, 1777 – Regiments from Ansbach and Bayreuth, sent to support Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War, mutinied in the town of Ochsenfurt.

March 8, 1782 – During what is now known as the “Gnadenhütten Massacre,” 96 Native Americans in Gnadenhutten, Ohio, who had converted to Christianity were killed by Pennsylvania militiamen in retaliation for raids carried out by other Indians.

March 8, 1790 – John Greene Sr., who established the first school in Conecuh County, Ala., was born in Abbeville District, South Carolina.

March 8, 1805 – State legislator J. Richard Hawthorne, who moved to Conecuh County, Ala. in 1817, was born in Robinson County, N.C.

March 8, 1817 – The New York Stock Exchange was founded.

March 8, 1853 - The first bronze statue of Andrew Jackson was unveiled in Washington, D.C.

March 8, 1855 - A train passed over the first railway suspension bridge at Niagara Falls, New York.

March 8, 1859 – Novelist Kenneth Grahame was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is best known for his famous children’s book, “The Wind in the Willows.”

March 8, 1862 – During the Civil War, the iron-clad CSS Virginia (formerly the USS Merrimack) was launched at Hampton Roads, Virginia.

March 8, 1863 – The Louise Short Baptist Widows and Orphans Home opened in Evergreen, Ala.

March 8, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes occurred at Courtland and Moulton, Ala.

March 8, 1865 - Alabama author Mary McNeil Fenollosa was born on her grandparents' plantation in southern Alabama.

March 8, 1874 - The thirteenth president of the United States, Millard Fillmore, passed away at the age of 74 in Buffalo, New York.

March 8, 1930 - The twenty-seventh president of the United States, William Howard Taft, passed away at the age of 72 in Washington, D.C.

March 8, 1930 - The New York Yankees signed Babe Ruth to a two-year contract worth $160,000.

March 8, 1931 – Writer John McPhee was born in Princeton, N.J.

March 8, 1934 – Major League Baseball second baseman Marv Breeding was born in Decatur, Ala. He would go on to play for the Baltimore Orioles, the Washington Senators and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

March 8, 1935 – Thomas Wolfe’s novel “Of Time and the River” was first published.

March 8, 1939 – Major League Baseball pitcher and author Jim Bouton was born in Newark, N.J. He would go on to play for the New York Yankees, the Seattle Pilots, the Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves. He is arguably most famous for his classic baseball book, “Ball Four,” which was published in 1970.

March 8, 1953 – Major League Baseball Hall of Fame left fielder and designated hitter Jim Rice was born in Anderson, S.C. He would go on to play his entire career for the Boston Red Sox (1974-1989).

March 8, 1964 - A television version of Alabama author Borden Deal's story "For the Love of Willadean: A Taste of Melon" was broadcast as part of the “Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color” series.

March 8, 1970 – NFL place kicker Jason Elam was born in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. He would go on to play for the University of Hawaii, the Denver Broncos and the Atlanta Falcons.

March 8, 1976 – NFL wide receiver Hines Ward was born in Seoul, South Korea. He would go on to play for the University of Georgia and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

March 8, 1978 – The first radio episode of “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams was transmitted on BBC Radio 4.

March 8, 1994 – The William Carter Home (Pine Flat Plantation) near Forest Home was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

March 8, 1999 - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Timothy McVeigh for the bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995.

March 8, 2004 – A new constitution was signed by Iraq's Governing Council.

March 8, 2006 - NFL owners and the players' union agreed on a union proposal which extended the collective bargaining agreement for six years.

March 8, 2009 – Country music singer-songwriter Hank Locklin passed away in Brewton, Ala. at the age of 91. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living member of the Grand Ole Opry.

March 8, 2014 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The aircraft is believed to have crashed into the Indian Ocean off the coast of Australia with the loss of all 239 people aboard.