Today in History for Sept. 28, 2015

Henry Tandey

Sept. 28, 1066 – William the Conqueror of Normandy arrived on British soil. He defeated the British in the Battle of Hastings, and on Christmas Day, he was crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey.

Sept. 28, 1542 - San Diego, Calif. was discovered by Portuguese navigator Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo.

Sept. 28, 1779 – During the American Revolution, Samuel Huntington was elected President of the Continental Congress, succeeding John Jay.

Sept. 28, 1781 – During the Revolutionary War, American forces under General George Washington, backed by a French fleet, began the siege of Yorktown, Va. British General Lord Charles Cornwallis surrendered on October 17, effectively ending the War for Independence. Peace negotiations began in 1782, and on September 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed, formally recognizing the United States as a free and independent nation after eight years of war

Sept. 28, 1787 – The newly completed United States Constitution was voted on by the U.S. Congress to be sent to the state legislatures for approval.

Sept. 28, 1789 - In the U.S., the first Federal Congress passed a resolution that asked President George Washington to recommend to the nation a day of thanksgiving. Several days later Washington issued a proclamation that named Thursday, Nov. 26, 1789 as a "Day of Publick Thanksgivin." The fixed-date for Thanksgiving Day, the fourth Thursday of November, was established on Dec. 26, 1941.

Sept. 28, 1824 – During his tour of the United States, the Marquis de Lafayette visited Philadelphia and gave a speech at the State House (Independence Hall) under Philadelphian architect William Strickland's Triumphal Arches.

Sept. 28, 1856 – Kate Douglas Wiggin was born in Philadelphia. She is best known for her 1903 novel, “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.”

Sept. 28, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought near Bailey’s Crossroad, Va.

Sept. 28, 1863 - Union Generals Alexander M. McCook and Thomas Crittenden lost their commands and were ordered to Indianapolis, Indiana to face court of inquiry charges following the Federal defeat at the Battle of Chickamauga. In February 1864, a military court cleared McCook and Crittenden, but their careers as field commanders were over. By quickly removing McCook and Crittenden, Rosecrans had been trying to save his own job, but within weeks after firing the generals, Rosecrans was himself replaced by Thomas.

Sept. 28, 1864 - Confederate forces under General Sterling Price forced Union defenders away from Fort Davidson at Pilot Knob, Missouri.

Sept. 28, 1868 - Confederate General Thomas Carmichael Hindman Jr. passed away at the age of 40 in Helena, Ark. after being shot multiple times by one or more unknown assailants.

Sept. 28, 1870 - Confederate General Robert E. Lee suffered a stroke. He died on October 12, 1870.

Sept. 28, 1871 – Brazilian Parliament passed the Law of the Free Womb, granting freedom to all new children born to slaves, the first major step in the eradication of slavery in Brazil.

Sept. 28, 1886 – John W. Leslie was commissioned as Monroe County, Alabama’s Circuit Court Clerk.

Sept. 28, 1892 - The first nighttime football game in the U.S. took place under electric lights. The game was between the Mansfield State Normal School and the Wyoming Seminary.

Sept. 28, 1894 – Monroe County, Ala. tax collector W.J. Robinson died, and his son F.E. Robinson was appointed to fill his unexpired term.

Sept. 28, 1905 – The Monroe Journal reported that the new ginnery built by H.E. Hudson began operations a few days prior. “The gasoline engine which furnishes the motive power is quite a novelty and attracts many visitors,” the paper said. “The samples of cotton turned out are pronounced by experts to be superb.”

Sept. 28, 1908 - Alabama author J. Max McMurray was born.

Sept. 28, 1912 – Alabama native W.C. Handy published “Memphis Blues,” and it was the first written blues arrangement that Handy published. He sold the rights to a sheet music publisher for $50, to pay his debt to the printer. The publisher added lyrics, and it became one of the most popular songs of 1912; dance hall bandleaders bought the sheet music in record numbers.

Sept. 28, 1914 – The second series of “The Adventures of Kathlyn” was shown at the Arcade Theatre in Evergreen, Ala.

Sept. 28, 1915 – Monroe County High School’s girls baseball team played their first game of the season on this Tuesday afternoon and beat the “town girls” 8-7.

Sept. 28, 1918 - The course of history was nearly averted when British soldier Henry Tandey allegedly spared the life of an injured Adolf Hitler, while fighting during World War I. Tandey would tell his compatriots that he aimed at the future German dictator, but did not pull the trigger because he could not shoot a wounded man. While the veracity of the encounter remains debated to this day, Hitler, himself, claimed the tale was true during a meeting with British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain in 1938.

Sept. 28, 1919 - The New York Giants beat Philadelphia Phillies 6-1 in a day game that lasted 51 minutes. The time set a National League record.

Sept. 28, 1920 - Eight members of the Chicago White Sox were indicted in what was called the "Black Sox" scandal. They were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds.

Sept. 28, 1926 – Country comedian Jerry Clower was born in Liberty, Miss.

Sept. 28, 1928 – Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming peered into a petri dish at his basement laboratory in London and noticed a blue-green mold growing. The mold, he observed, was killing the staph bacteria he’d been cultivating in that petri dish. He called the mold “Penicillin,” which is now considered the world’s first “miracle drug,” and it sparked the modern era of antibiotic development.

Sept. 28, 1928 - Author Judith Paterson was born in Montgomery, Ala.

Sept. 28, 1929 - A movie version of Alabama author Octavus Roy Cohen's book “The Lady Fare” was released.

Sept. 28, 1939 – The Monroe Journal reported that W.M. Mullins of Wetumpka, Ala. had replaced Frank Sheffiled as manager of the Alabama Water Service Co. in Monroeville. Sheffiled had been manager for about a year prior to resigning.

Sept. 28, 1939 – Prominent Monroeville, Ala. merchant A.H. Johnson passed away at his home around 9 p.m. after a heart attack. Born and raised at Franklin, he worked on steamboats on the Alabama River, ran a mercantile business at Franklin and ran a dry goods store in Monroeville.

Sept. 28, 1940 - Alabama author James P. White was born.

Sept. 28, 1941 - The Boston Red Sox's Ted Williams played a double-header against the Philadelphia Athletics on the last day of the regular season and got six hits in eight trips to the plate, to boost his batting average to .406 and became the first player since Bill Terry in 1930 to hit .400.

Sept. 28, 1942 - Author Sena Jeter Naslund was born in Birmingham, Ala.

Sept. 28, 1944 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Pvt. Luther McDonald of Castleberry, Ala., who was stationed at Chatham Field, Ga. as a B-24 bomber mechanic and gunner, was a member of the Chatham Field football team. This team was composed of former college and high school players from all over the United States, and had several all-Americans on this year’s squad. The team’s coach and “backfield ace” was Lt. William “Tarzan” White, a former All-American at the University of Alabama. McDonald, who played on the 1937, 1938 and 1939 teams at Conecuh County High School in Castleberry, was the team’s starting right tackle.

Sept. 28, 1944 – The Evergreen Courant reported that during the past week relatives of Curtis Ashley Carter had received from the U.S. Maritime Service the Mariner’s Medal, who had been posthumously awarded to the late C.A. Carter. Carter was reported missing April 8, 1942. He was in the Maritime Service and, at the time he was reported missing, was on duty on an oil tanker. All other members of the crew have been accounted for as prisoners of war of the Japanese government.

Sept. 28, 1944 – The Evergreen Courant reported that a telegram from the Adjutant General’s office, dated Sept. 15, to Mrs. Bryant Covan informed her that her husband, Staff Sgt. Bryant Covan, who had previously been reported as missing in action, was a prisoner of war of the German Government at Stalag Luft 4, Germany. S-Sgt. Covan was reported missing over Austria June 26. He was an aerial gunner on a B-24.

Sept. 28, 1944 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Mr. and Mrs. E.H. Cowart had been informed by a telegram from the War Department that their son Pfc. Elly H. Cowart Jr., who was reported wounded sometime before, had recovered and had returned to active duty. Mr. and Mrs. Cowart also received that week the Purple Heart which was awarded their son, who was with combat engineers in France. They received letters from him regularly since he was wounded but none of these gave any details concerning the nature of his injuries. He was wounded July 25 and returned to active duty Aug. 22.

Sept. 28, 1954 - Alabama author James H. Street died in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Sept. 28, 1955 - The World Series was televised in color for the first time. The game was between the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Sept. 28, 1960 - At Boston’s Fenway Park, Red Sox star Ted Williams hit a home run in the last at-bat of his 21-year career. He finished his career with a total of 521 home runs.

Sept. 28, 1967 – Repton High School fullback Gary Boatwright scored five touchdowns and ran for 256 yards in a 49-0 win over Century, Fla.

Sept. 28, 1980 – Aubrey Brown Boykin, 71, of Evergreen, Ala. died on this Sunday evening in a local hospital after a long illness. He was a prominent local businessman and civic leader. He and his wife, Luella, operated Conecuh County’s leading jewelry store for over 30 years. Boykin also served as an artillery officer in the 31st (Dixie) Division of the U.S. Army in combat areas of the Pacific Theatre during World War II. He was also a Mason and a Shriner.

Sept. 28, 1987 - The first episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," a two-hour pilot called “Encounter at Farpoint,” aired to 27 million viewers.

Sept. 28, 1989 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the Evergreen (Ala.) City Council had voted unanimously to promote Darrell Davis to Wastewater Superintendent. Davis had been employed by the city for a number of years prior to his promotion and held the required Class I Certification in Wastewater Treatment and the Class II Certification in Water Treatment. Freddie Stallworth was the city personnel director at the time; Curtis Hamilton was city administrator and Lee F. Smith was mayor.

Sept. 28, 1995 - Randy Myers of the Chicago Cubs was charged by a 27-year-old man while standing in the outfield. Myers saw him coming, dropped his glove and knocked the man down with his forearm.

Sept. 28, 2001 - Courtney Love filed a claim against Geffen Records and two musicians from her late husband's band, Nirvana. The suit was aimed at invalidating a 1997 agreement over the group's body of work. Love claimed that she signed the deal while she was distressed.

Sept. 28, 2004 – The Stanford House at Pine Apple in Wilcox County, Ala. was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Sept. 28, 2004 - Nate Olive and Sarah Jones arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border to complete the first known continuous hike of the 1,800-mile trail down the U.S. Pacific Coast. They started the trek on June 8.

Sept. 28, 2012 – The “Solomon Kane” movie, directed by Michael J. Bassett and starring James Purefoy, was released in the U.S.