Today in History for July 27, 2015

Florence and James Maybrick

July 27, 1663 – The English Parliament passed the second Navigation Act requiring that all goods bound for the American colonies had to be sent in English ships from English ports.

July 27, 1740 – French explorer Jeanne Baré was born in the village of La Comelle in the Burgundy region of France. Bare was a member of Louis Antoine de Bougainville's expedition on the ships La Boudeuse and Étoile in 1766–1769. Baret, who joined the expedition disguised as a man, is recognized as the first woman to have completed a voyage of circumnavigation.

July 27, 1775 - Benjamin Rush began his service as the first Surgeon General of the Continental Army.

July 27, 1776 - Silas Deane, the secret Congressional emissary to France, wrote a letter to Congress, informing them that he had been successful beyond his expectations in France. The Committee of Congress for Secret Correspondence, consisting of Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Harrison, John Dickinson, John Hay and Robert Morris, had instructed Deane to meet with French Foreign Minister Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes, to stress America’s need for military stores and to assure the French that the colonies were moving toward “total separation. Deane managed to negotiate for unofficial assistance from France, in the form of ships containing military supplies, and recruited the Marquis de Lafayette to share his military expertise with the Continental Armys officer corps.

July 27, 1777 - The Marquis of Lafayette arrived in New England to help the rebellious American colonists fight the British.

July 22, 1778 – During the American Revolution, at the First Battle of Ushant, British and French fleets fought to a standoff.

July 27, 1784 - "Courier De L’Amerique" became the first French newspaper to be published in the United States. It was printed in Philadelphia, Pa.

July 27, 1789 – The United States Department of Foreign Affairs was created. The Department of Foreign Affairs was renamed the Department of State in September of 1789.

July 27, 1804 - The 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. With the amendment, Electors were directed to vote for a President and for a Vice-President rather than for two choices for President.

July 27, 1806 - Attempting to stop a band of young Blackfoot Indians from stealing his horses, Meriwether Lewis shot an Indian in the stomach. The Indians retreated, and the men quickly gathered their horses. Lewis then learned that one of his men had also fatally stabbed another of the Blackfoot.

July 27, 1813 – The Battle of Burnt Corn Creek occurred 13 miles south of Belleville, Ala. (in present day Escambia County, Ala.) when a group of about 80 Red Stick Creek Indians under the command of Peter McQueen and High Head Jim were ambushed by American forces under the command of Col. James Caller and Capt. Dixon Bailey. McQueen and his men were returning from Pensacola, where they had secured supplies and arms from the Spanish and British. The Battle of Burnt Corn Creek is considered the first engagement of the Creek Indian War of 1813-1814 and is generally considered to have been a Red Stick victory.

July 27, 1825 – During his tour of the United States, the Marquis de Lafayette departed from West Chester, Pa. for Lancaster, Pa.

July 27, 1837 – Joseph R. Bass was born at Marion Court House, S.C. He would eventually move to Evergreen, Ala. and served in the Confederate Army. After the war, he would move to Texas, and he is buried in Caddo Mills, Texas.

July 27, 1862 – During the Civil War, a four-day Federal operation between Woodville and Guntersville, Ala. began.

July 27, 1863 – During the Civil War, Confederates attacked the steamer, “Paint Rock,” near Bridgeport, Ala.

July 27, 1863 - Confederate and ardent secessionist William Lowndes Yancey died suddenly of kidney disease at the age of 48 at his home near Montgomery, Ala. The main author of Alabama's ordinance of secession, which removed Alabama from the Union, Yancey was one of the leading "fire-eaters" who influenced southern states to secede.

July 27, 1864 – On this day during the Civil War, the Federal Navy carried out reconnaissance of lower Mobile Bay.

July 27, 1870 – Hilaire Belloc was born in Paris, France. In his lifetime, he was known for his journalism and serious essays, but today he's best known for his books of humorous verse.

July 27, 1880 – National Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop Joe Tinker was born in Muscotah, Kansas. He went on to play for the Chicago Orphans/Cubs, the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago Chi-Feds/Whales. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1946.

July 27, 1881 – Mobile, Ala. native Florence Elizabeth Chandler married cotton broker James Maybrick at St. James’s Church in Piccadilly in London. In 1889, Florence Maybrick would be convicted of poisoning James Maybrick, who was a suspect in the Jack the Ripper killings.

July 27, 1905 – The Monroe Journal reported that jury verdicts had been reached in a number of cases before the Monroe County Circuit Court. Sonny Coker had been sentenced to hang on Sept. 8 for rape. Frank Coker was sentenced to penitentiary for life for murder. John Sanders recieved 10 years in penitentiary for rape. Wes. Rains was sentenced to five years in penitentiary for murder, and Sam Mixon was sentenced to 10 years in penitentiary for arson.

July 27, 1905 – The Monroe Journal reported that Col. Nick Stallworth of Evergreen visited The Monroe Journal office while visiting Monroeville during the previous week. Stallworth had spent the previous winter and spring in New Mexico and was “greatly improved in health.”

July 27, 1905 – National Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop and manager Leo Durocher was born in West Springfield, Mass. He went on to play for the New York Yankees, the Cincinnati Reds, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Brooklyn Dodgers, and he managed the Dodgers, the New York Giants, the Chicago Cubs and the Houston Astros. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1994.

July 27, 1908 – Writer Joseph Mitchell was born in Fairmont, N.C.

July 27, 1910 – The Evergreen Courant reported that prominent Conecuh County citizen and former Confederate officer Pinckney D. Bowles had passed away at the age of 75 at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Cobb, in Tampa, Fla., where he’d been several weeks prior to his death.

July 27, 1910 – The Evergreen Courant reported that members of Greening Masonic Lodge, No. 53, were requested to meet at the lodge on July 28 at 3 p.m. to attend the funeral of Pinckney D. Bowles. H.A. Shields was the lodge’s Worshipful Master.

July 27, 1915 – A new water well at the Monroeville, Ala. pumping plant was completed and the water was turned into the city’s water mains on this Tuesday afternoon, after 10 days of no water for city water customers. The “wells of the community were being rapidly exhausted” while the city water service was down.

July 27, 1916 – Writer Elizabeth Hardwick was born in Lexington, Ky.

July 27, 1918 – During World War I, Army Pvt. Everett H. Brown of Brewton was killed in action, and Army Cpl. Alexander A. Loyd (sometimes spelled “Lloyd”) of Eliska “died from wounds.” Loyd was buried in the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France. (Some sources also say Loyd was killed in action on July 25, 1918.) Brown was buried in the Oise-Aisne American Cemetery, Fere-en-Tardenois, France.

July 27, 1918 - Brooklyn rookie Henry Heitman made his major league debut and his last major league appearance in the same day. He pitched four straight hits to the St. Louis Cardinals, left the game and never played again in the majors.

July 27, 1921 - Baseball fan Reuben Berman sued the New York Giants, claiming he suffered mental and bodily distress after refusing to return a foul ball May 16 at the Polo Grounds. Berman was eventually rewarded $100.

July 27, 1931 - A grasshopper invasion descended over Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota devouring thousands of crop acres.

July 27, 1932 – During the Great Depression, following a run of withdrawals, the Peoples Bank of Evergreen, Ala. closed its doors at 10 a.m. and upon unanimous vote of its board of directors, its affairs were turned over to the state for liquidation. The bank was founded in 1901 and merged with the First National Bank of Evergreen on June 10, 1930.

July 27, 1937 - An unknown animal "with red eyes" seen by residents of Downingtown, Pennsylvania was compared to the Jersey Devil by a reporter for the Pennsylvania Bulletin of July 28, 1937.

July 27, 1940 – The animated Warner Bros. short “A Wild Hare” was released, introducing the character of Bugs Bunny.

July 27, 1940 – Novelist Bharati Mukherjee was born in Calcutta, India.

July 27, 1946 - Rudy York of the Boston Red Sox hit two grand slams and drove in 10 runs to lead the Red Sox over the St. Louis Browns, 13-6.

July 27, 1947 – The Evergreen Greenies beat Atmore, 5-4, in Atmore, Ala.

July 27, 1953 – Fighting in the Korean War ended when the United States, China and North Korea signed an armistice agreement at Panmunjon, Korea. Syngman Rhee, President of South Korea, refused to sign but pledged to observe the armistice.

July 27, 1956 - The Fairview Drive-In Theatre, owned by Olin Evans, opened near Evergreen, Ala. The first movie shown at the theater was “White Feather,” staring Robert Wagner and Debrah Padget.

July 27, 1974 – During the “Watergate Scandal,” the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee voted 27 to 11 to recommend the first article of impeachment (for obstruction of justice) against President Richard Nixon.

July 27, 1984 - Pete Rose passed Ty Cobb’s record for most singles in a career when he got his 3,503rd base hit.

July 27, 1987 – National Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop Travis Jackson passed away at the age of 83 in Waldo, Ark. He played his entire professional career for the New York Giants. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982.

July 27, 1995 – National Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Rick Ferrell passed away at the age of 89 in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. During his career, he played for the St. Louis Browns, the Boston Red Sox and the Washington Senators. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984.

July 27, 1996 – In Atlanta, Ga., a pipe bomb exploded at Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Summer Olympics. One woman (Alice Hawthorne) was killed, and a cameraman suffered a heart attack fleeing the scene. One hundred eleven people were injured.

July 27, 2001 - Deion Sanders announced his retirement from the National Football League.

July 27, 2003 - It was reported by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corp.) that there was no monster in Loch Ness. The investigation used 600 separate sonar beams and satellite navigation technology to trawl the loch. Reports of sightings of the "Loch Ness Monster" began in the 6th century.

July 27-30, 2005 - A small pond near the Aruba Racquet Club close to the Marriott Hotel beach was partly drained after a gardener came forward with information about the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, 18, of Mountain Brook, Ala. The gardener claimed to have seen Joran van der Sloot attempting to hide his face, driving into the Racquet Club with the two Kalpoes on the morning of May 30 between 2:30 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. The search of the pond proved fruitless.