Today in History for July 23, 2015

General Henry W. Halleck

July 23, 1793 - Roger Sherman, a Connecticut Patriot and member of the Committee of Five selected to draft the Declaration of Independence, died of typhoid in New Haven, Connecticut, at age 72. Sherman alone among the Patriots of the American Revolution signed all four documents gradually assigning sovereignty to the new United States: the Continental Association of 1774, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution.

July 23, 1862 – Confederate General Braxton Bragg’s army moved from Tupelo, Miss. in route to Chattanooga, Tenn., via railroad, which took his forces through Meridian, Miss. to Mobile, Ala. They crossed Mobile Bay Delta and proceeded on by rail to Montgomery, Ala. Then they went to Atlanta, Ga. and then north to Chattanooga, Tenn.

July 23, 1862 - General Henry W. Halleck assumed the role of general-in-chief of all Union forces in an effort to better coordinate the overall Union war effort, which was floundering. Under his direction, Union successes continued in the west, but Halleck was unable to orchestrate any progress in Virginia or to enact an overall strategic vision to defeat the Confederates. In 1864, President Lincoln moved Halleck to a higher position as chief of staff for the army while appointing General Ulysses S. Grant general-in-chief, but this was really in recognition of the fact that Halleck failed to effectively direct the armies.

July 23, 1864 - General Jubal Early's troops engaged Union forces under General Crook near Kernstown, Virginia. The Union troops fled the area the next day.

July 23, 1885 – Just after completing his memoirs, Civil War hero and former President Ulysses S. Grant died of throat cancer in Wilton, N.Y. at the age of 63. He is buried at the General Grant National Memorial in Manhattan, N.Y.

July 23, 1888 – Detective and crime novelist Raymond Chandler, creator of fictional detective Philip Marlowe, was born in Chicago. He wrote seven novels featuring Marlowe, including “The Big Sleep” (1939), “Farewell, My Lovely” (1940), “The Little Sister” (1949), and “The Long Goodbye” (1954).

July 23, 1903 – Ford Motor Co. sold its first car, a two-cylinder Model A, to a Chicago dentist named Ernst Pfenning for $850. The Model A was painted red, with a seat that fit two people, and no roof. It reached 28 mph at top speed.

July 23, 1918 – National Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop Pee Wee Reese was born in Ekron, Ky. He played his entire career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984.

July 23, 1925 – Evergreen’s baseball team was scheduled to play Andalusia in Evergreen, Ala. at 4 p.m. The two teams had met four times earlier in the season with Andalusia having won two and tied one. Evergreen won the last game between them, 4-3.

July 23, 1936 – National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Don Drysdale was born in Van Nuys, Calif. He played his entire career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984.

July 23, 1954 - The movie “Living It Up,” story by Alabama author James H. Street, was released.

July 23, 1954 - A law was passed that stated "The Secretary of the Navy is authorized to repair, equip, and restore the U.S.S. Constitution, as far as may be practicable, to her original appearance, but not for active service, and thereafter to maintain the U.S.S. Constitution at Boston, Massachusetts."

July 23, 1958 - The submarine Nautilus departed from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, under orders to conduct "Operation Sunshine." The mission was to be the first vessel to cross the north pole by ship. The Nautils achieved the goal on August 3, 1958.

July 23, 1967 – Philip Seymour Hoffman, who portrayed Truman Capote in 2005’s “Capote,” was born in Fairport, N.Y. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Capote in the film.

July 23, 1967 – The “12th Street Riot,” one of the worst riots in United States history, began in the predominantly African American inner city of Detroit, Mich. It ultimately killed 43 people, injured 342 and burned about 1,400 buildings.

July 23, 1969 - U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew threw out the first ball at the major league All-Star Game.

July 23, 1970 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the members of the National League All-Star team included (Giants) Larry Reid, Walker Scott, Woody Register, Ronnie Pugh, Karl Dubose, Joe Andrews, Delane Hartzog, Darwin Covin, Tom Nielsen; and (Yankees) Buddy Carrier, Freddie Sellers, Junior Nelson, Allen Padgett, Jerry Kendrick, Jeff Daniels and Gray Stevens.

July 23, 1970 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the members of the American League All-Star team included (Pelicans) Donnie Ray Butts, David Sabino, Steve DuBose, Bret Gearhart, Darin Gearhart, Mike Webb, Tony Rains and Randall Cooper; and (Orioles) Tony Hawsey, David Bass, Mike Nelson, Bobby Padgett, Bill Cope, Ronnie Brooks and Wayne Gladwell.

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July 23, 1954 - A law was passed that stated "The Secretary of the Navy is authorized to repair, equip, and restore the U.S.S. Constitution, as far as may be practicable, to her original appearance, but not for active service, and thereafter to maintain the U.S.S. Constitution at Boston, Massachusetts."

July 23, 1976 – The Pickens County Courthouse in Carrollton, Ala. was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage. (13 Alabama Ghosts)

July 23, 1977 – Local weather reporter Earl Windham reported a high temperature of 101 degrees in Evergreen, Ala. He recorded a high of 100 degrees the day before.

July 23, 1982 - Vic Morrow and two child actors, Renee Shinn Chen and Myca Dinh Le, were killed in an accident involving a helicopter during filming on the California set of “Twilight Zone: The Movie.” Morrow, age 53, and the children, ages six and seven, were shooting a Vietnam War battle scene in which they were supposed to be running from a pursuing helicopter. Special-effects explosions on the set caused the pilot of the low-flying craft to lose control and crash into the three victims. The accident took place on the film’s last scheduled day of shooting.

July 23, 1985 - Oddibe McDowell became the first Texas Ranger player to hit for the cycle.

July 23, 1995 – Comet Hale–Bopp was discovered. It became visible to the naked eye on Earth nearly a year later.

July 23, 1995 - The National Inventors Hall of Fame opened in Akron, Ohio.

July 23, 2008 – Former NASA astronaut Edgar Mitchell was interviewed on Kerrang Radio by Nick Margerrison, and Mitchell claimed the Roswell crash was real and that aliens have contacted humans several times, but that governments have hidden the truth for 60 years, stating: "I happen to have been privileged enough to be in on the fact that we've been visited on this planet, and the UFO phenomenon is real."

July 23, 2009 – The Gulf State Park Pier, the largest pier on the Gulf of Mexico, opened in Gulf Shores, Ala.

July 23, 2009 - Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox pitched the 18th perfect game in major league history. The Sox beat Tampa Bay, 5-0.