Today in History for July 24, 2015

Martin Van Buren

July 24, 1534 – French explorer Jacques Cartier planted a cross on the Gaspé Peninsula and took possession of the territory in the name of Francis I of France.

July 24, 1701 – Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded the trading post at Fort Pontchartrain, which later became the city of Detroit.

July 24, 1725 - Anglican clergyman and hymn writer John Newton was born in London. He is best remembered for his hymn, “Amazing Grace.”

July 24, 1776 - In a letter to Major General Phillip Schuyler on this day in 1776, Congressional President John Hancock accuses the officer of tolerating discord among soldiers from different states under his command. Disappointed, Hancock told Schuyler that Congress was “concerned to find there should be a necessity of recommending harmony to the officers and troops of different States under your command & nothing can show greater weakness or wickedness than to throw provincial reflections on one another, which must have direct tendency to impede public service, and weaken the union of the American States.”

July 24, 1786 – French mathematician and explorer Joseph Nicollet was born in Cluses, Savoy, France. He is best known for mapping the Upper Mississippi River basin during the 1830s. Nicollet led three expeditions in the region between the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, primarily in Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota.

July 24, 1802 – French novelist Alexandre Dumas was born in Villers-Cotterêts, France (1802). His novels include “The Three Musketeers” and “The Count of Monte Cristo.”

July 24, 1823 – Slavery was abolished in Chile.

July 24, 1847 – After 17 months of travel, Brigham Young led 148 Mormon pioneers into Salt Lake Valley, resulting in the establishment of Salt Lake City. Celebrations of this event include the Pioneer Day Utah state holiday and the Days of '47 Parade.

July 24, 1847 - Richard M. Hoe patented the rotary-type printing press.

July 24, 1861 - At Fort Fillmore, Arizona, Lt. Col. John Robert Baylor led 300 men of the Confederate Second Texas Mounted Rifles in an assault on Union forces under Maj. Isaac Lynde.

July 24, 1862 - The Eighth President of the United States, Martin Van Buren, died at 2 a.m. of bronchial asthma and heart failure at the age of 79 in Kinderhook, N.Y. He is buried in the Kinderhook Reformed Dutch Church Cemetery, as are his wife Hannah, his parents, and his son Martin Van Buren, Jr.

July 24, 1864 – At the Battle of Kernstown, Va., Confederate General Jubal Early defeated Union troops under General George Crook to keep the Shenandoah Valley clear of Yankees. Early’s victory led to significant changes in the Union approach to the Shenandoah Valley.

July 24, 1866 – Durig Reconstruction, Tennessee became the first U.S. state to be readmitted to the Union following the American Civil War.

July 24, 1895 – English poet and novelist Robert Graves was born in Wimbledon.

July 24, 1897 – Amelia Earhart was born in Atchison, Kansas. The aviatrix gained worldwide acclaim in 1932, when she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Of course, it was her mysterious disappearance in 1937, during an attempted solo flight around the world, which resulted in her having a place in esoteric lore. The ultimate resting place of Earhart and her plane remains a hotly debated topic to this day.

July 24, 1900 – Zelda Sayre was born in Montgomery and should would go on to marry writer F. Scott Fitzgerald on April 3, 1920.

July 24, 1901 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the “famous” Battle of Manassas was fought 40 years before on July 21, 1861 and that three survivors of that battle were presently living in Evergreen - John G. Guice, M.B. Salter and W.S. Crosby

July 24, 1901 – The Evergreen Courant that one of the homing pigeons released by “Agent Sawyer of the Express Co.” had reached its destination in Bridgeport, Conn., a distance of 1,016 miles, on July 17. Another of the pigeons arrived the next day, July 18. of the 11 released, one remained in Evergreen and was given to Sawyer as a present. The other eight had not been heard from.

July 24, 1901 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Sheriff Pridgen had placed Jim Williams in jail for shooting at R.C. Brawner at Castleberry, Ala. Williams was captured in Brewton by Sheriff Raley.

July 24, 1911 - American archeologist Hiram Bingham rediscovered Machu Picchu, an ancient Inca settlement in Peru that is now one of the world's top tourist destinations.

July 24, 1914 – Evergreen beat the Nebraska Indians traveling baseball team, 7-6, before “the largest crowd that ever witnessed a game” in Evergreen, Ala.

July 24, 1914 - The S.S. Gaillard Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy met at the Masonic Hall at Perdue Hill, Ala. at 4 p.m.

July 24, 1915 – A large number of farmers gathered at the Conecuh County Courthouse in Evergreen, Ala. to hear a speech given by the Hon. Emmet A. Jones, chief of the bureau of markets of the agricultural department.

July 24, 1915 – The first open bolls of cotton from the 1915 crop were sent to The Monroe Journal by J.E. Hendrix of Mexia, Ala.

July 24, 1916 – Mystery novelist John D. MacDonald was born in Sharon, Pa.

July 24, 1937 – The State of Alabama dropped the rape charges against the so-called "Scottsboro Boys."

July 24, 1938 – The first ascent of the Eiger’s north face was achieved.

July 24, 1945 – Lt. Ralph E. Boggs, husband of Frances E. Boggs of Repton, Ala., went missing in action. In July 1946, Boggs, who was still missing, would receive the Air Medal with a gold star. He “earned the award for meritorious service in aerial flight as leader of a fighter bomber division in action against enemy forces in the Pacific.”

July 24, 1947 – Conecuh County Sheriff W.D. Lewis accidentally shot himself with a .22 caliber target pistol while fishing with Fred Oswald at the “Evergreen Club.” He was trying to shoot a grindle when the pistol misfired, and the bullet passed through his right leg and hit his left big toe. He was treated by Dr. Robert Stallworth.

July 24, 1947 – The Evergreen Greenies baseball team beat Monroeville, 5-4, in Monroeville, Ala.

July 24, 1948 – Capt. Clarence Chiles and copilot John Whitted were flying an Eastern Airlines DC-3 from Houston to Atlanta. Over Montgomery, Ala. they saw a “dull red glowing object” appear out of nowhere. The object was headed right for the plane, but before the pilots could react, the object zipped by their starboard side, nearly colliding with the plane. The object then climbed quickly and disappeared from sight. Chiles and Whitted said that the object was about the size of a B-29 bomber and noted that it didn’t have wings or a tail. When it passed the plane, the pilots saw that a row of windows ran down the side of the object. Adding credibility to their story, witnesses at Robbins Air Force Base near Macon, Ga. also claimed that they saw an unusual object that matched the description of the object seen by Chiles and Whitted. Investigators later determined that there weren’t any other planes in the area when the sighting took place.

July 24, 1955 – In the Conecuh County Amateur Baseball League, Chapman beat Old Texas, 25-1. Burkett pitched for Chapman while Old Texas used four different pitchers.

July 24, 1955 – In the Conecuh County Amateur Baseball League, Paul beat Garland, 15-3, at Paul, Ala. Harold Godwin pitched for Paul, allowing just two hits and no runs, and he also recorded three hits on offense. Other Paul players included Terrell McClendon, Robert King, Homer Riley and Mason, the catcher.

July 24, 1955 – In the Conecuh County Amateur Baseball League, Lyeffion beat McKenzie, 11-6, in McKenzie, Ala. Robert Dees and Donald Evers pitched for Lyeffion.

July 24, 1955 - Alabama author Brad Watson was born in Meridian, Miss.

July 24, 1961 – In the Evergreen Senior Baseball League, the Tigers beat the Pirates, 9-2. Standout players for the Tigers included winning pitcher Sid Lambert, and standout players for the Pirates included pitchers Scott Cook and Steve Baggett.

July 24, 1961 – In the Evergreen Senior Baseball League, the Braves beat the Indians, 3-2. Standout players for the Braves included winning pitcher Ronnie Jackson, and standout players for the Indians included pitcher Jimmy Weaver.

July 24, 1966 – Michael Pelkey made the first BASE jump from El Capitan along with Brian Schubert. Both came out with broken bones. BASE jumping has now been banned from El Cap.

July 24, 1969 - U.S. President Nixon met with the crew of Apollo 11 aboard the U.S.S. Hornett.

July 24, 1974 – During the “Watergate Scandal,” the United States Supreme Court unanimously ruled that President Richard Nixon did not have the authority to withhold subpoenaed White House tapes and they ordered him to surrender the tapes to the Watergate special prosecutor.

July 24, 1978 - Billy Martin was fired for the first of three times as the manager of the New York Yankees baseball team.

July 24, 1987 - Hulda Crooks, at 91 years of age, climbed Mt. Fuji. Hulda became the oldest person to climb Japan’s highest peak.

July 24, 1983 – George Brett batting for the Kansas City Royals against the New York Yankees, had a game-winning home run nullified in the "Pine Tar Incident."

July 24, 1984 - Terry Bradshaw retired from the National Football League.

July 24, 1990 – Iraqi forces started massing on the Kuwait–Iraq border.

July 24, 1998 - Director Steven Spielberg’s World War II epic, “Saving Private Ryan,” was released in theaters across the United States.