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| William Wrigley Jr. |
Sept. 30, 1541 – Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto and
his forces entered Tula territory in present-day western Arkansas and
encountered fierce resistance.
Sept. 30, 1776 - In a letter to his nephew, Lund Washington,
plantation manager of Mount Vernon, General George Washington wrote on this day
of his displeasure with the undisciplined conduct and poor battlefield
performance of the American militia. Washington blamed the Patriot reliance on
the militia as the chief root of his problems in the devastating loss of Long
Island and Manhattan to the British.
Sept. 30, 1777 - The Congress of the United States moved to
York, Pa. due to advancing British forces.
Sept. 30, 1787 - The Columbia left Boston and began the trip
that would make it the first American vessel to sail around the world.
Sept. 30, 1791 - The Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart opera “The
Magic Flute” premiered at Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden in Viena, Austria.
Sept. 30, 1813 – Scottish physician and explorer John Rae
was born at Hall of Clestrain, Orkney, Scotland. Rae
explored Northern Canada, surveyed parts of the Northwest Passage and reported
the fate of the Franklin Expedition. He was noted for physical stamina, skill
at hunting and boat handling, use of native methods and the ability to travel
long distances with little equipment while living off the land.
Sept. 30, 1846 - Ether was used as an anesthetic for the
first time in a dental procedure when Boston dentist William Morton painlessly
removed a client's tooth.
Sept. 30, 1847 – U.S. Senator George Perkins Marsh delivered an address before the
Agricultural Society of Rutland County, Vermont that helped spark the
conservation movement when he became the first person to
publicly raise the issue of manmade climate change. As a result of his speech,
Marsh went on to publish a book titled “Man
and Nature: or, Physical Geography as Modified by Human Action” (1864).
Sept. 30, 1861 - Chewing gum tycoon William Wrigley Jr. was
born in Philadelphia, Pa. Wrigley bought a minority stake in the Chicago Cubs
baseball team in 1916, and Wrigley was majority owner by 1921. Wrigley Field,
the Cubs' ballpark in Chicago, was later named for him in 1927.
Sept. 30, 1861 – During the Civil War, an operation against Indians from
Camp Robledo in the New Mexico Territory was carried out.
Sept. 30, 1862 – Major Pinckney D. Bowles of the Conecuh
Guards was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Sept. 30, 1864 - Confederate General Robert E. Lee
counterattacked Union forces with several brigades moved from Petersburg.
Sept. 30, 1864 - In an attempt to cut the Southside
Railroad, the last rail line into Petersburg, Virginia, Union troops under
Generals Gouvernor K. Warren and John G. Parke attacked the Confederate defense
around the besieged city on this day in what is now known as the Battle of
Poplar Springs Church (Peeble’s Farm). Although initially successful, the
attack ground to a halt when Confederate reinforcements were rushed into place
from other sections of the Petersburg line. The Union lost 2,800 troops,
including nearly 1,300 captured during the Confederate counterattack, while the
Confederate army suffered only 1,300 casualties.
Sept. 30, 1864 - Alabama author Joseph Glover Baldwin died
in San Francisco, Calif.
Sept. 30, 1865 - Alabama's Constitutional Convention of
1865 adjourned. Although the 99 delegates repealed Alabama's
1861 Ordinance of Secession and declared slavery illegal, they
produced an essentially conservative document. Blacks were not given the right
to vote, representation was based on the white population only, and the
constitution was ratified without a vote by the people.
Sept. 30, 1865 – William A. Ashley represented Conecuh
County in the constitutional convention.
Sept. 30, 1867 – Peyton Finley, the negro member of the
three-man board of registrars in Monroe County, Ala., telegraphed General
Swayne on this day, asking for troops: “People riotous. Impossible to hold
election. Send cavalry by train this evening to Monroeville.”
Sept. 30, 1882 – Major League catcher Gabby Street was born
in Huntsville, Ala. He went on to play for the Cincinnati Reds, the Boston
Beaneaters, the Washington Senators, the New York Highlanders and the St. Louis
Cardinals. He also managed the Cardinals and the St. Louis Browns.
Sept. 30, 1888 – The infamous “double event” of “Jack the
Ripper” occurred as two more prostitutes – Elizabeth “Liz” Stride and Catherine
“Kate” Eddowes - were murdered and carved up on the same night. Stride was
Jack’s third victim, and Eddowes was his fourth victim.
Sept. 30, 1893 – The George W. Foster Camp of United
Confederate Veterans was organized in Monroe County, Ala.
Sept. 30, 1893 - Julia Tutwiler persuaded the Board of
Trustees of the University of Alabama to try a qualified form of co-education.
A faculty committee agreed to "admit young women of not less than 18 years
of age, of good character and antecedents, who are able to stand the necessary
examinations: for entrance to the sophomore class or higher." A required
proviso was that "suitable homes and protection" be provided. In the
fall of 1893, two women students entered the university.
Sept. 30, 1905 – Baseball pitcher John Thomas “Johnny” Allen
was born in Lenoir, North Carolina.
Sept. 30, 1912 – W.B. James assumed the duties of Evergreen,
Alabama’s postmaster, replacing G.C. Dean, who had been postmaster for the past
six years.
Sept. 30, 1914 – The Evergreen (Ala.) City School closed on
account of cases of scarlet fever that were developing among the students. The
school reopened on Oct. 12.
Sept. 30, 1915 – The Monroe Journal reported that Alabama
Gov. Charles Henderson had appointed G.B. Barnett of Monroeville, J.U.
Blacksher of Uriah, C.J. Jackson of Tunnel Springs and T.T. Ivey of Beatrice to
the new Monroe County Board of Revenue, which combined the Commissioners Court
and County Highway Commission.
Sept. 30, 1915 – The Monroe Journal reported that Monroe
County High School in Monroeville, Ala. had an enrollment of 101 students,
which ranked it third among the state’s high schools.
Sept. 30, 1918 – During World War I, Army Pvt. David J.
Fails of Excel, Ala. “died from disease.”
Sept. 30, 1923 - The second movie version of Alabama author
Augusta Jane Evans Wilson's book “St. Elmo”
was released.
Sept. 30, 1924 – “In Cold Blood” author Truman Capote was
born as Streckfus Persons in New Orleans, La. He published his first novel,
“Other Voices, Other Rooms,” in 1948, but is probably best known for his 1948
nonfiction novel, “In Cold Blood.”
Sept. 30, 1926 – National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher
Robin Roberts was born in Springfield, Illinois. He went on to play for the
Philadelphia Phillies, the Baltimore Orioles, the Houston Astros and the
Chicago Cubs. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1976.
Sept. 30, 1927 – On the last day of the season against lefty
Tom Zachary of the Washington Senators, George Herman "Babe" Ruth hit
his 60th home run of the season, setting a record that would stand until 1961
when Roger Maris broke the record for most home runs in a single season.
Sept. 30, 1927 – Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet,
translator and environmental activist W.S. Merwin was born William Stanley
Merwin in New York City.
Sept. 30, 1932 – Baseball pitching great John Joseph
“Johnny” Podres was born in Witherbee, N.Y.
Sept. 30, 1934 – St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Dizzy Dean won
his 30th game of the season in a 9-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
Sept. 30, 1935 - Author Anne Nall Stallworth was born in
Birmingham, Ala.
Sept. 30, 1935 – The Works Progress Administration in Washington,
D.C. announced that it had approved a project for the construction of a new
school building at Castleberry, Ala. The Castleberry project was for an
outright grant of $22,090 from WPA funds The remainder of the sum required for
constructing the building was to be put up by the Conecuh County Board of
Education.
Sept. 30, 1935 – The Hoover Dam, astride the border between
the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada, was dedicated.
Sept. 30, 1939 – NBC broadcasted the first televised
American football game between the Waynesburg Yellow Jackets and the Fordham
Rams. Fordham won, 34-7.
Sept. 30, 1939 - "Captain Midnight" was heard for
the first time on the Mutual Radio Network.
Sept. 30, 1943 - Alabama author Thomas Rabbitt was born in
Boston, Mass.
Sept. 30, 1945 - Aliceville Camp, a prisoner-of-war camp in
Pickens County, Ala. for members of German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel’s Africa
Korps, was deactivated. The camp was activated in December 1942 and eventually
held 5,000 prisoners. Other German war prisoners were held in Alabama at camps
in Opelika, Fort McClellan, and Fort Rucker.
Sept. 30, 1946 - An international military tribunal in
Nuremberg, Germany, found 22 top Nazi leaders guilty of war crimes.
Sept. 30, 1947 - The World Series was televised for the
first time. The sponsors only paid $65,000 for the entire series between the
Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees.
Sept. 30, 1950 – Evergreen High School senior left halfback
Billy Mudge Lee saw his football career come to an end when he was X-rayed at
Stabler’s Hospital in Greenville, Ala. on this Saturday. The x-rays revealed
that he broke his third vertebra the night before in a 13-12 Evergreen win over
Andalusia in Andalusia. Lee sustained the injury when he tackled an Andalusia
back in the second quarter, but he played on for four or five minutes before
going out of the game. He came out of the game only a few plays before the end
of the first half and went back in to kick the winning extra point that
extended Evergreen’s undefeated string to 12 straight.
Sept. 30, 1950 – Verdell Evans Cunningham, 46, of Montgomery
ended his own life in Evergreen, Ala. on this Saturday morning, shortly after
stepping off an early morning train. Shortly after arriving in Evergreen, he
walked into Wild Bros. Hardware and purchased a long butcher knife, then walked
to the men’s room at the City Café and slashed his throat. He died instantly.
Sept. 30, 1954 – Future NBA basketball player and J.F.
Shields High School graduate John Drew was born in Vredenburgh. He went on to
play guard/forward for Gardner-Webb University and then 11 seasons in the NBA
for the Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz. He was named an NBA All-Star in 1976 and
1980.
Sept. 30, 1957 – On a Monday night in Frisco City, Ala.,
Frisco City High School beat Repton High School, 41-0. The game was originally
scheduled to be played on Thurs., Sept. 26, but was postponed to Mon., Sept.
30, because of rain.
Sept. 30, 1961 – Evergreen, Alabama’s newly organized
Civitan Club held its charter night. Officers included Ralph Crysell,
president; Wayne Hutcheson, vice president; Murray Johnson, secretary and
treasurer; Sammy Gaines, sergeant at arms; and Tulley Coleman, chaplain. The
club’s board of directors included Earl Windham, Delma E. Bowers, W.C. Boswell,
James Finley and Eugene Darby.
Sept. 30, 1962 – Pensacola, Fla. firefighter Vista S. Lowe,
23, was killed in the line of duty while responding to a house fire at 409 East
Zarragossa St. Upon arrival at the scene, Firefighter Lowe stepped from the
rear tailboard of the pumper he was riding (Engine 5, a 1957, 1,000-gallon
Seagrave Pumper Truck), tripped and fell to the ground. Unaware of Lowe’s
location, the pumper’s driver began backing his truck, trapping Lowe under the
truck and crushing him. Lowe was the third firefighter with the Pensacola Fire
Department (PFD) and the 33rd Florida firefighter to lose his life in the line
of duty.
Sept. 30, 1963 - The first gerenuk was born in the United
States, at NYC's Zoological Park. The long-necked creature, also known as a
"giraffe gazelle" is native to eastern Africa.
Sept. 30, 1964 - Alabama author Joseph Glover Baldwin died
in San Francisco, Calif.
Sept. 30, 1965 – Alabama Gov. George Wallace appointed
Evergreen, Ala. attorney Robert E.L. Key as the first circuit judge of the
newly created 35th Judicial Circuit, which was created by the governor and
legislature on Sept. 24. Prior to this, Monroe and Conecuh counties were part
of the 21st Circuit. Key was to serve as circuit judge until the next general
election in November 1966.
Sept. 30, 1966 - Albert Speer and Baldur von Schirach were
released at midnight from Spandau prison after completing their 20-year
sentences. Speer was the Nazi minister of armaments and von Schirach was the
founder of Hitler Youth.
Sept. 30, 1971 - The Washington Senators played their last
game in Washington, D.C. before moving to Arlington, Texas. They were forced to
forfeit the game to the New York Yankees when fans stormed the field in an
effort to take souvenirs.
Sept. 30, 1972 – Sparta Academy beat Wesleyan Academy of
Citronelle, 6-0, at Stuart-McGehee Field in Evergreen, Ala. Buddy Monroe
returned a punt 70 yards for Sparta’s only touchdown.
Sept. 30, 1972 - Roberto Clemente of the Pittsburgh Pirates
recorded his 3,000th and final career hit. During the ensuing off season, he
was killed in a plane crash in Venezuela.
Sept. 30, 1973 - Hank Aaron finished the season one short of
Babe Ruth's record of 714 home runs. He broke the record in the first month of
the 1974 season.
Sept. 30, 1973 - The New York Yankees completed their 50th
season at Yankee Stadium.
Sept. 30, 1973 – Marengo County, Ala. native
Tommie Agee made his final Major League appearance for the St. Louis
Cardinals
Sept. 30, 1974 – The trial of criminal cases on the docket
of the Fall Term of Conecuh County, Ala. Circuit Court was scheduled to begin
on this Monday with Circuit Judge Robert E.L. Key presiding. District Attorney
Ted Pearson of Monroeville and County Solicitor Henry J. Kinzer of Evergreen
were to prosecute for the state. There are 23 cases set on the docket,
according to Circuit Clerk Leon A. Salter. In addition, six civil cases,
continued from the recent session, were also set for trial that week.
Sept. 30, 1978 – Rachel Griffin was crowned Miss Homecoming
at Lyeffion (Ala.) High School, and Rhonda Salter was selected as Miss
Football. They were recognized during the halftime of Lyeffion’s homecoming
football game, which they lost to Frisco City, 6-0.
Sept. 30, 1980 – A Conecuh County, Ala. jury found Willie
Carl Calhoun Jr., who was charged with murder, guilty of the lesser charge of
manslaughter. Calhoun was represented by attorney Windell C. Owens, and Circuit
Judge Robert E.L. Key presided over the trial. Calhoun was to be sentenced on
Oct. 28.
Sept. 30, 1982 – Cyanide-laced Tylenol kills six people in
the Chicago area. Seven were killed in all.
Sept. 30, 1984 – A dedication ceremony was held at the
Monroe County Library moved into its new location, the former LaSalle Hotel
building on Pineville Road in Monroeville, Ala.
Sept. 30, 1984 - Mike Witt of the California Angels became
only the 11th pitcher to throw a perfect game in major league baseball. He
defeated the Texas Rangers, 1-0.
Sept. 30, 1984 - The Los Angeles Rams set an NFL record when
they registered three safeties in a 33-12 victory over the New York Giants.
Sept. 30, 1989 - Neil Young appeared on "Saturday Night
Live" and performed "Rockin' In The Free World."
Sept. 30, 1992 - George Brett of the Kansas City Royals
reached his 3,000th career hit during a game against the California Angels. He
was the 18th player to reach the mark.
Sept. 30, 1995 - Albert Belle of the Cleveland Indians
became the first player in history to hit 50 home runs and 50 doubles in the
same season.
Sept. 30, 1999 - The San Francisco Giants played the Los
Angeles Dodgers in the last baseball game to be played at Candlestick Park
(3Com Park). The Dodgers won, 9-4, with 61,389 fans on hand.
Sept. 30, 2002 - Chris McAlister of the Baltimore Ravens
returned a missed field goal 108 yards to set an NFL record.
Sept. 30, 2004 – A reception in honor and appreciation of
out-going Evergreen, Ala. mayor Lomax Cassady was scheduled to be held at the
Historic L&N Depot in Evergreen from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Cassady had served
the City of Evergreen for 20 years – 12 as mayor and eight years as a city
councilman.
Sept. 30, 2005 – The movie “Capote” was released in U.S.
theatres.
