Today in History for Aug. 16, 2015

George Herman "Babe" Ruth

Aug. 16, 1777 – During the American Revolutionary War, the Americans led by General John Stark routed British and Brunswick troops under Friedrich Baum at the Battle of Bennington in Walloomsac, New York.

Aug. 16, 1777 - General Nicholas Herkimer died from the wounds he had suffered ten days earlier when his men were ambushed attempting to relieve Fort Stanwix.

Aug. 16, 1780 – During the American Revolutionary War, at the Battle of Camden, the British, under General Charles Cornwallis, defeated Americans, under the command of General Horatio Gates, near Camden, South Carolina. The Patriots had 900 men killed and 1,000 captured. The British only lost 68 killed and 245 wounded.

Aug. 16, 1812 – During the War of 1812, American General William Hull surrendered Fort Detroit without a fight to the British Army and Indian fighters led by Tecumseh.

Aug. 16, 1854 – George Clothies was commissioned for his second of two terms as Monroe County, Alabama’s Sheriff.

Aug. 16, 1861 – During the Civil War, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln prohibited the Union states from trading with the states of the Confederacy.

Aug. 16, 1864 - Confederate General John Chambliss was killed during a cavalry charge at Deep Bottom, Virginia, one of the sieges of Petersburg. His body was recovered by a former West Point classmate, Union General David Gregg, who made a surprising discovery: a detailed map of the Richmond defenses. Copies of the map were distributed to all Union officers in the area within 48 hours, and it may not have helped the Union capture Richmond–that would take another seven months–but it may have reduced casualties by preventing foolhardy attacks on well-defended positions

Aug. 16, 1864 - Union General Philip Sheridan pulled back from Winchester, Virginia to wait for reinforcements.

Aug. 16, 1879 – In a habeas corpus proceeding in Monroe County, Ala. on this day, Judge Henry sustained Judge Sowell’s decision in the murder case involving Charles Roberts and D.W. Rankin. Henry agreed that Sowell had the legal right to rearrest Roberts and try him for murder.

Aug. 16, 1888 – Thomas Edward Lawrence, aka “Lawrence of Arabia,” was born in Tremadoc, Wales. T.E., as he liked to be called, was an archaeologist and scholar and military strategist. His book “The Seven Pillars of Wisdom” (1926) was an account of his exploits as a military adviser to Arabs in their revolt against the Turks, and was the basis for the film “Lawrence of Arabia” (1962).

Aug. 16, 1892 - Glorvina Johnston Rush passed away at the age of 74 and is buried in the McIntosh Cemetery. In 1860, she and her husband donated the land where Andrews Chapel was constructed in McIntosh, Ala.

Aug. 16, 1896 – Skookum Jim Mason, George Carmack and Dawson Charlie discovered gold in a tributary of the Klondike River in Canada, setting off the Klondike Gold Rush.

Aug. 16, 1904 - Alabama author Prentiss Ingraham died in Biloxi, Miss.

Aug. 16, 1908 – Novelist and editor William Maxwell was born in Lincoln, Ill.

Aug. 16, 1920 – Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians was hit on the temple by a fastball thrown by Carl Mays of the New York Yankees, and died early the next day. Chapman was the second player to die from injuries sustained in a Major League Baseball game, the first being Doc Powers in 1909.

Aug. 16, 1920 – Poet Charles Bukowski was born in Andernach, Germany.

Aug. 16, 1948 – National Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder and pitcher George Herman "Babe" Ruth died from throat cancer in New York City at the age of 53 and was buried in Hawthorne, New York. During his career, he played for the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees and the Boston Braves. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1936.

Aug. 16, 1951 - Alabama author Judy Troy was born in Chicago, Ill.

Aug. 15, 1951 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the contracts for construction of the new 15,000 KW steam electric power generating plant to be built by Alabama Electric Cooperative at Gantt in Covington County, Ala. were to be awarded within six weeks. The announcement was made that week, following a meeting of the Alabama Electric Cooperative board of directors.

Aug. 16, 1954 - Sports Illustrated was published for the first time. It was claimed that 250,000 subscriptions had been sold before the first issue came off of the presses.

Aug. 16, 1960 – The Evergreen (Ala.) Quarterback Club was scheduled to meet at the Recreation Center at 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 16, 1964 – Groundbreaking services were held for a new education building at the Monroeville (Ala.) Presbyterian Church. W.P. Dennis, the oldest member of the church, turned the first shovel of dirt at the ceremonies. Rev. V.O. Titterud, pastor, then gave prayer and blessed the undertaking. Construction began the following day.

Aug. 16, 1977 - Elvis Presley died at the age of 42 in Memphis, Tenn. of coronary arrhythmia.

Aug. 16, 1981 - Cal Ripken Jr. got his first major league hit.

Aug. 16, 1981 – Law enforcement officers seized over 500 marijuana stalks, three to eight feet tall, from a location about five miles from Evergreen, Ala. on this Sunday morning. The marijuana had a street value of about $116,000 and a wholesale value of about $60,000. Law enforcement officers taking part in the seizure included ABC Agent George Grantt, Conecuh County Sheriff Edwin Booker, ABC Agent Bobby Davis, Evergreen police officers Johnny Blackmon and James Powell and Chief Deputy Sheriff Leroy Ferrell.

Aug. 16, 1983 – National Baseball Hall of Fame center fielder Earl Averill passed away in Everett, Wash. at the age of 81. During his career, he played for the Cleveland Indians, the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Braves. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975.

Aug. 16, 1988 – Jeff Kimbro was named the Most Valuable Player of the Evergreen (Ala.) Junior Baseball League’s American League Division.

Aug. 16, 1988 – The Evergreen City Council accepted a low bid from Taylor Construction of Atmore for the construction of a new hangar at Middleton Field Municipal Airport in Evergreen, Ala.

Aug. 16, 1996 - In Monterrey, Mexico, the New York Mets played the San Diego Padres, and the Padres won, 15-10. It was the first-ever regular season major league game to be played outside the United States and Canada.

Aug. 16, 2002 - The major league baseball players union announced that they would begin a strike on August 30.

Aug. 16, 2002 - U.S. President George W. Bush commented on the strike date set by major league baseball players. He said, "The baseball owners and baseball players must understand if there is a work stoppage, a lot of fans are going to be furious, and I'm one of them." The players had set a strike date of August 30 earlier in the day.

Aug. 16, 2002 - Curt Shilling of the Arizona Diamondbacks won his 20th game of the year.

Aug. 16, 2003 - Jimmy Smith of the Jacksonville Jaguars was suspended four games by the NFL for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

Aug. 16, 2003 - Michael Vick of the Atlanta Falcons suffered a fractured right fibula in a 13-10 preseason loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Aug. 16, 2014 – Mandy Stokes, John Stokes, Kevin Jenkins, Savannah Jenkins and Parker Jenkins, all of Thomaston, Ala., killed a 15-foot-long, 1,011.5-pound alligator that set the state record for largest alligator legally killed in Alabama. They initially hooked the gator around 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 15 in a creek several miles above Millers Ferry Dam in Wilcox County and battled it for five hours before finally killing it.