Today in History for May 27, 2015

Franklin Gardner

May 27, 1692 – In connection with the Salem witchcraft trials, William Phips issued a commission for a Court of Oyer and Terminer and appointed as judges John Hathorne, Nathaniel Saltonstall, Bartholomew Gedney, Peter Sergeant, Samuel Sewall, Wait Still Winthrop and Lieutenant Governor William Stoughton.

May 27, 1790 – Wealthy English heir Jeremiah Carlton, the “laziest man in history,” passed away at the age of 89. He went to bed one day and stayed there for 70 years.

May 27, 1813 - Former President Thomas Jefferson wrote to former President John Adams to inform him that Dr. Benjamin Rush had died.

May 27, 1819 – Poet Julia Ward Howe, who wrote "The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” was born in New York City.

May 27, 1827 - Unable to support himself, Edgar Allan Poe enlisted in the United States Army as a private. Using the name "Edgar A. Perry," he claimed he was 22 years old even though he was 18.

May 27, 1831 – American hunter, explorer, and author Jedediah Smith was mortally wounded by Comanche warriors while searching for water off the Sante Fe Trail and died at the age of 32, south of Ulysses, Kansas. Surviving three massacres and one bear mauling, Smith's explorations and documented discoveries were highly significant in opening the American West to expansion by white settlers and cattlemen.

May 27, 1837 – Gunfighter, scout and lawman James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok was born in Troy Grove, Ill.

May 27, 1863 - Chief Justice Roger B. Taney issued ex parte Merryman to challenge the authority of Abraham Lincoln and the military to suspend the writ of habeas corpus in Maryland.

May 27, 1863 – During the Civil War, the first Assault on the Confederate works at the Siege of Port Hudson occurred as Nathaniel Banks' Union forces opened fire on Port Hudson with cannons and riverboats. The fort did not surrender until July 8 when Confederate General Franklin Gardner was convinced that further resistance was futile.

May 27, 1864 – During the Civil War, an “action” took place at Pond Springs, Ala.

May 27, 1873 - The first Preakness Stakes horse race was won by Survivor.

May 27, 1894 – Novelist Dashiell Hammett was born in St. Mary’s County, Md.

May 27, 1904 - Dennis McGann set a Major League record when he stole five bases.

May 27, 1911 – Marie Louise Woodson passed away at the Orphans Home in Evergreen, Ala. after an illness of several years. Her remains were taken to Selma, her hometown, for burial. Years before, she deeded property to the Orphans Home, which bore her name, the Louise Short Baptist Widows and Orphans Home.

May 27, 1912 – Major League Baseball outfielder Terry Moore was born in Vernon in Lamar County, Ala. He would play his entire career for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was a four-time All Star and was part of two World Series championship teams.

May 27, 1912 – Novelist and short story writer John Cheever was born in Quincy, Mass.

May 27, 1923 – James O. Archer, the last surviving son of four Confederate soldier sons of Amos Archer of Monroe County, Ala., passed away at the age of 79 at his home near Monroeville. after an illness of several months. Born on Oct. 1, 1843, he enlisted in Monroeville as a private in Co. F of the 36th Alabama Infantry (under Capt. W.S. Wiggins) on April 10, 1862. He was buried in the Methodist Cemetery in Monroeville, Ala.

May 27, 1926 - Bronze figures of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer were erected in Hannibal, Mo.

May 27, 1929 – Denny Chimes was officially dedicated on The Quad at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

May 27, 1930 – The 1,046 feet Chrysler Building in New York City, the tallest man-made structure at the time, opened to the public.

May 27, 1937 – In California, the Golden Gate Bridge opened to pedestrian traffic, creating a vital link between San Francisco and Marin County, California.

May 27, 1951 – Truman Capote finished his novel, “The Grass Harp,” which he began writing in June 1950. It would be released by Random House on Oct. 1, 1951.

May 27, 1953 – Evergreen High School Assistant Coach Ralph Law was scheduled to report to Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Ga.

May 27, 1953 – National Baseball Hall of Fame left fielder Jesse Burkett passed away at the age of 84 in Worcester, Mass. During his career, he played for the New York Giants, the Cleveland Spiders, the St. Louis Perfectos/Cardinals, the St. Louis Browns and the Boston Americans. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1946.

May 27, 1955 - Norm Zauchin of the Boston Red Sox got 10 RBIs against the Senators.

May 27, 1962 – First baseman Fred Whitfield, a native of Vandiver, Ala., made his Major League debut, pinch-hitting for future Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Gibson. Whitfield drew a walk off Bob Shaw of the Milwaukee Braves, but was promptly erased in a double play.

May 27, 1968 - After 48 years as coach of the Chicago Bears, George Halas retired.

May 27, 1968 - It was announced that baseball franchises had been awarded to Montreal and San Diego. The Montreal team, the Expos, was the first Major League Baseball franchise in Canada and the first franchise outside the United States.

May 27, 1968 – National Baseball Hall of Fame first baseman and designated hitter Frank Thomas was born in Columbus, Ga. He went on to play for the Chicago White Sox, the Oakland Athletics and the Toronto Blue Jays. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014.

May 27, 1969 - Construction of Walt Disney World began in Florida.

May 27, 1971 – Oakleigh Mansion in Mobile, Ala. was added to the National Register of Historic Places. (haunted)

May 27, 1974 – At Monroe County High School’s annual basketball-baseball awards banquet, sophomore pitcher Terry Coleman was named the baseball team’s Most Valuable Player. Johnny Bartlett was named the team’s best hitter, and Buddy Black was named team captain. Tim Pullen was named the team’s best fielder.

May 27, 1986 - Mel Fisher recovered a jar that contained 2,300 emeralds from the Spanish ship Atocha. The ship sank in the 17th century.

May 27, 1987 - Phil Niekro of the New York Yankees became the third pitcher to make 700 starts.

May 27, 1989 - The television program “La Strega,” teleplay by Alabama author Robert McDowell, was broadcast as part of the “Monsters” series.

May 27, 1994 - The highest temperature created by humans, a balmy 920,000,000 F degrees (30 times hotter than the center of the sun) was produced at  the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.

May 27, 1998 - Michael Fortier was sentenced to 12 years in prison for not warning anyone about the plot to bomb an Oklahoma City federal building.

May 27, 2012 – Matt Adams of the St. Louis Cardinals hit his first Major League home run. After being robbed by Shane Victorino’s leaping catch at the wall two innings earlier, Adams left no doubt about his first MLB home run. The highly touted rookie blasted the first pitch he saw from Phillies reliver Chad Qualls deep into the right field seats for a solo shot that helped the Cardinals to an 8-3 win.