Today in History for Oct. 1, 2014

Wendell Hart

Oct. 1, 1862 - U.S. President Lincoln paid an unexpected visit to Sharpsburg to push his generals to pursue the Confederate army.

Oct. 1, 1864 - On her way back from a trip to England, Confederate spy Rose O'Neal Greenhow drowned off the North Carolina coast when a Yankee craft ran her ship aground.

Oct. 1, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes occurred at Athens and near Huntsville, Alabama.

Oct. 1-4, 1867 - For the first time in Alabama history, African Americans vote in a statewide election. About 70,000 black men, the majority of voters in the election, called for a constitutional convention and elected an overwhelmingly Republican set of convention delegates, including 18 blacks. That convention produced Alabama's fourth constitution.

Oct. 1, 1901 - The citizens of Bay Minette gathered for the dedication of the new county courthouse, which represented the town's role as the new county seat of Baldwin County. The Alabama State Legislature officially named Bay Minette the county seat in 1900, moving it there 30 miles from Daphne.

Oct. 1, 1903 - The first game of the modern World Series took place between the Boston Americans (Pilgrims) and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Oct. 1, 1913 – Knud Nielsen Co. opened its doors for business in Evergreen.

Oct. 1, 1914 – Camp Capt. Wm. Lee, No. 338, U.C.V. met at the Conecuh County Courthouse to elect delegates to attend the state reunion on Oct. 22-24 in Mobile. M.B. Salter was the camp’s sergeant major.

Oct. 1, 1917 – Concecuh County athlete and coach Wendell Hart was born at Brooklyn.

Oct. 1, 1918 – During World War I, Army Pvt. Darby Fletcher of Castleberry “died from disease.”

Oct. 1, 1919 - Eight players for the Chicago White Sox began their conspiracy to lose the World Series to the underdog Cincinnati Reds.

Oct. 1, 1927 – Red Level High School beat Evergreen High School, 19-0, in McKenzie.

Oct. 1, 1929 – Monroeville’s American Legion purchased 50 acres of land for a landing field at a price of $4,500.

Oct. 1, 1933 - Babe Ruth made his final pitching appearance. He pitched all nine innings and hit a home run in the fifth inning.

Oct. 1, 1945 – Baseball Hall of Famer Rod Carew was born in Gatun in the Panama Canal Zone.

Oct. 1, 1946 - The first baseball play-off game for a league championship was played. The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers, 4-2.

Oct. 1, 1948 – The widely publicized “Gorman UFO Dogfight” incident occurred in the skies over Fargo, N.D. and involved Lt. George F. Gorman, a pilot with the North Dakota National Guard.

Oct. 1, 1961 – The Third Annual South Central Alabama Air Show was held at Middleton Field in Evergreen. The show was sponsored by the Conecuh County Aero Club and the proceeds went to the Civil Air Patrol Squadron. The air show committee consisted of George D. McKenzie, chairman; Lee F. Smith, co-chairman and David E. McKenzie.

Oct. 1, 1961 - Roger Maris of the New York Yankees became the first ever major league baseball player to hit more than 60 home runs in a single season when he hit his 61st home run of the season in a 1-0 win over the Boston Red Sox.

Oct. 1, 1968 - "Night of the Living Dead" premiered in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Oct. 1, 1970 – The Conecuh County Board of Directors officially changed its name to The Conecuh County Commission to comply with state legislation that required all county governing bodies in the state to adopt a uniform name.

Oct. 1, 1972 – Wayne Pope began serving as Conecuh County’s Superintendent of Education after being appointed to the position by the Conecuh County Board of Education. Pope was to fill the unexpired term of Harvey G. Pate, who resigned on Sept. 26, 1972.

Oct. 1, 1987 – Carolyn Pate Castleberry began serving as Conecuh County Tax Collector after taking the oath of office on Sept. 25, 1987. She was appointed to the office by Alabama Gov. Guy Hunt to fill the unexpired term of Marvin Johnston, who retired.

Oct. 1, 1992 – The Gainestown Schoolhouse on Clarke County Road 29 in Gainestown (built in 1919) added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Oct. 1, 1996 - The Nirvana live album "From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah" was released.

Oct. 1, 1996 - A federal grand jury indicted Unabomber suspect Theodore Kaczynski in the 1994 mail bomb murder of an ad executive.

Oct. 1, 2006 - Albert Haynesworth of the Tennessee Titans kicked off the helmet of Andre Gurode of the Dallas Cowboys and then scraped his cleat across his head. Gurode required 30 stitches and suffered blurry vision from the attack. The NFL suspended Haynesworth for five games without pay. This was the worst suspension for onfield behaviour to date.

Oct. 1, 2013 - Espionage and military thriller author Tom Clancy, whose books included “The Hunt for Red October” and “Patriot Games,” died in Baltimore at age 66 following a brief illness.