Today in History for April 21, 2015

John Adams

April 21, 1777 - British troops under the command of General William Tryon attacked the town of Danbury, Conn. They went on a rampage, setting fire to homes, farmhouses, storehouses and more than 1,500 tents.

April 21, 1789 - John Adams was sworn in as the first U.S. Vice President.

April 21, 1809 – Dr. William Cunningham was born in Mecklenburg County, Va. He would go on to work as a physician and serve as a state representative in Monroe County, Ala.

April 21, 1816 – Novelist Charlotte Bronte was born in Thornton, Yorkshire, England. Her books include 1847’s “Jane Eyre.”

April 21, 1838 – Naturalist and conservationist John Muir was born in Dunbar, Scotland.

April 21, 1861 - Upon the outbreak of the Civil War threats were made against the safety of the USS Constitution. On April 26, the ship began a three-day trip to New York, towed by the steam gunboat R.R. Cuyler.

April 21, 1863 - Union Colonel Abel Streight began a raid into northern Alabama and Georgia with the goal of cutting off railroad traffic between Chattanooga and Atlanta. Streight surrendered on May 3 to a force half the size of his own led by Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest.

April 21, 1864 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Harrison Gap, Ala

April 21, 1865 - The steamboat Sultana left New Orleans. The craft exploded on April 27 killing about 1,700 people.

April 21, 1865 – During the Civil War, Federal troops entered Monroeville, Ala.

April 21, 1865 - U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's funeral train left Washington, D.C.

April 21, 1865 – Newspaperman Thomas Easton died and was buried in Monroeville, Ala. He was a former publisher of The Halcyon newspaper at St. Stephens and later established The Alabama Whig at Claiborne and continued to publish the Alabama Intelligencer.

April 21, 1887 – Pro Baseball Hall of Fame manager Joe McCarthy was born in Philadelphia, Pa. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1957.

April 21, 1898 - The Spanish-American War began.

April 21, 1905 – H.P. Lovecraft finished writing “The Beast in the Cave,” which was originally published “The Vagrant” No. 7 in June 1918.

April 21, 1918 – During World War I, Army Pvt. James Atkins of Flat Rock, Ala. “died from disease.”

April 21, 1920 - Alabama author Andrew Glaze was born in Nashville, Tenn.

April 21, 1934 – The "Surgeon's Photograph," the most famous photo allegedly showing the Loch Ness Monster, was published in the Daily Mail. In 1999, it was revealed to be a hoax.

April 21, 1947 – Hank Williams’s first recording was made when eight songs were cut under the Sterling label.

April 21, 1949 - The Medical Association of the State of Alabama presented Dr. P.L. Hollingsworth of Belleville, Ala. a Certificate of Distinction for 50 years in the practice of medicine.

April 21, 1966 – During his campaign for a second term, former Alabama Gov. John Patterson visited Evergreen, Ala. at 4 p.m. and delivered a “major address” from a bandstand in “No Man’s Land” in downtown Evergreen. He was preceeded by Rebe Gosdin and the Sunny Valley Gang.

April 21, 1972 – A number of awards were presented at the Evergreen High School athletic banquet, including Whalon Oliver, Evergreen Civil Air Patrol Best Lineman Award; Wavie Ausby, WBLO Best Back Trophy and Basketball MVP Trophy; Marshall Davis, Best Sportsmanship Trophy; Frank Murphy, and Evergreen Jaycees Best All Around Player Award. Coach Wendell Hart was also presented with a special award in honor of his retirement after 26 years as a coach.

April 21, 1981 – Belleville Baptist Church in Conecuh County, Ala. and Cedarcrest in Oak Hill in Wilcox County, Ala. were placed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

April 21, 1982 – NFL running back Cadillac Williams was born in Gadsden, Ala. He went on to play at Auburn, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the St. Louis Rams.

April 21, 1982 – Rollie Fingers of the Milwaukee Brewers became the first pitcher to record 300 saves.

April 21, 1983 – NFL quarterback Tarvaris Jackson was born in Montgomery, Ala. He went on to play for Sidney Lanier, Alabama State, the Minnesota Vikings, the Seattle Seahawks and the Buffalo Bills.

April 21, 1984 - David Palmer of the Montreal Expos pitched the fourth shortened, perfect game in major league baseball history. The game was called due to rain after five innings. Palmer had made 57 pitches.

April 21, 1986 - Geraldo Rivera opened a vault that belonged to Al Capone at the Lexington Hotel in Chicago. Nothing of interest was found inside.

April 21, 1991 - A television version of Alabama author Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews' book “The Perfect Tribute” was broadcast.

April 21, 2004 – Five suicide car bombers targeted police stations in and around Basra, killing 74 people and wounding 160.

April 21, 2006 - A movie version of Alabama author James Redfield's book “The Celestine Prophecy” was released.