Today in History for Oct. 20, 2015

U.S. General Daniel Sickles

Oct. 20, 1632 – Christopher Wren, the architect who designed St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, was born in East Knoyle, England.

Oct. 20, 1720 – The Caribbean pirate Calico Jack was captured by the Royal Navy.

Oct. 20, 1763 - American-born British army officer Robert Farmar accepted the official surrender of the French held Fort Condé in Mobile. (The event was part of treaty that concluded the Seven Years War, known in the United States as the French and Indian War.) Farmar's 34th Regiment was sent to Mobile to accept the transfer of sovereignty from the French who occupied Fort Condé, which was then renamed Fort Charlotte in honor of the British queen. Farmar would become a leading planter and slaveholder in the area. His plantation just northeast of Mobile, near present-day Stockton, became a meeting place for traders and travelers coming in and out of Mobile. In the summer of 1775, Farmar hosted William Bartram, the renowned American naturalist and botanist.

Oct. 20, 1774 - The First Continental Congress created the Continental Association, which called for a complete ban on all trade between America and Great Britain of all goods, wares or merchandise. The creation of the association was in response to the Coercive Acts—or “Intolerable Acts” as they were known to the colonists–which were established by the British government to restore order in Massachusetts following the Boston Tea Party.

Oct. 20, 1803 – The United States Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase.

Oct. 20, 1818 – The Convention of 1818 was signed between the United States and the United Kingdom which, among other things, settled the Canada–United States border on the 49th parallel for most of its length.

Oct. 20, 1819 - Union General Daniel Sickles, one of the most colorful generals in the U.S. army, was born in New York City. He participated in the Seven Days Battles in Virginia, the Battle of Chancellorsville, Va. and the Battle of Gettysburg, Pa.

Oct. 20, 1824 – During his tour of the United States, the College of William & Mary conferred upon the Marquis de Lafayette the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws.

Oct. 20, 1832 - Representatives of the Chickasaw Indians signed the Treaty of Pontotoc, thereby ceding "all the land which they own on the east side of the Mississippi river" to the United States. That land included a portion of northwest Alabama.

Oct. 20, 1854 – Poet Arthur Rimbaud was born in Charleville, France.

Oct. 20, 1861 - Union General Charles Stone sent a detachment of 1,600 across Potomac under the command of Colonel Edward Baker. The next day the Union troops were defeated and Baker was killed.

Oct. 20, 1861 – During the Civil War, Federal forces advanced from Pilot’s Knob, Mo.

Oct. 20, 1861 – During the Civil War, Federal reconnaissance was conducted to Hunter’s Mill and Thornton Station Va., near Leesburg, Va.

Oct. 20, 1863 - Federal reconnaissance was conducted from Bridgeport toward Trenton, Ala. Skirmishes also occurred along the Memphis and Charleston Railroad at Barton’s Station, Dickson’s Station, and Cane Creek, Ala

Oct. 20, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes occurred at Blue Pond and Little River, Ala.

Oct. 20, 1873 – Yale, Princeton, Columbia and Rutgers universities drafted the first code of American football rules.

Oct. 20, 1890 – British explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton passed away from a heart attack at the age of 69 in Trieste, Austria-Hungary, attended by Isabel and Dr. Grenfell Baker and, probably posthumously, a young priest.

Oct. 20, 1899 – The Hermes Chapter of Rose Croix in Montgomery, Ala. was officially chartered. It was renamed the Montgomery Chapter of Rose Croix on Oct. 20, 1955.

Oct. 20, 1910 - A baseball with a cork center was used in a World Series game for the first time.

  

Oct. 20, 1915 – The Alabama state reunion of Confederate Veterans was scheduled to be held in Selma, Ala. and a large attendance was expected.

Oct. 20, 1917 – The Holbrook Consistory in Montgomery, Ala. was officially chartered. It was renamed the Montgomery Consistory on Oct. 20, 1955.

Oct. 20, 1918 – During World War I, Army Pvt. Robert S. Ingram of Andalusia, Ala. and Army Pvt. Leslie O. Clark of Red Level, Ala. “died from disease.”

Oct. 20, 1925 – Pulitzer Prize-winning political humorist Art Buchwald was born in Mount Vernon, N.Y.

Oct. 20, 1927 – The Monroe Journal reported that Doy McCall had returned from Paris, where he attended the American Legion convention. McCall visited points of interest in Belgium and Germany as well as celebrated battlefields of World War I while on the trip.

Oct. 20, 1927 – The Monroe Journal reported that Clyde Marshall had purchased the new garage recently built by the Davis Brothers on North Main Street in Monroeville, Ala. and that Marshall planned to operate a general automobile repair shop and filling station at the location.

Oct. 20, 1930 – In Lovecraftian fiction, Miskatonic University’s Pabodie Antarctic Expedition crossed into the Antarctic Circle and shortly afterward began their research.

Oct. 20, 1930 - "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" debuted on NBC radio.

Oct. 20, 1931 – National Baseball Hall of Fame center fielder Mickey Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, and he grew up in nearby Commerce. He played his entire career, 1951 to 1968, for the New York Yankees. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974.

Oct. 20, 1932 – Pro Football Hall of Famer Roosevelt “Rosey” Brown was born in Charlottesville, Va. He would play tackle for the New York Giants from 1953 to 1965.

Oct. 20, 1936 - Anne Sullivan Macy, tutor and companion to Alabama author Helen Keller, died in Forest Hills, N.Y.

Oct. 20, 1936 - The Associated Press released its first weekly college football poll. Minnesota was ranked first.

Oct. 20, 1937 – National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Juan "Manito" Marichal was born in Laguna Verde, Dominican Republic. During his career, he played for the San Francisco Giants, the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1983.

Oct. 20, 1937 - Alabama author William Cobb was born in Eutaw, Ala.

Oct. 20, 1939 – An estimated crowd of 1,500 watched Grove Hill High School beat Monroeville High School, 34-6, in Grove Hill, Ala. Outstanding players for Grove Hill included Moss, Downey and Shipworth, and outstanding players for Monroeville included Stevens, Pullen and Yarbrough.

Oct. 20, 1939 – Lee Motor Co. in Monroeville, Ala. broke ground on a “new brick garage and sales room” with 8,000 feet of floor space on the lot south of the Sinclair Service Station.

Oct. 20, 1940 – Poet Robert Pinskey was born in Long Branch, N.J.

Oct. 20, 1943 - Alabama author Stephen Goodwin was born in Pennsylvania.

Oct. 20, 1945 – Martin L. Young of Conecuh County, Ala. passed away at the age of 27 in Lawson General Hospital in Jackson, Miss. from wounds received in action with the U.S. Army overseas. He was buried Oct. 22 at McClure Cemetery.

Oct. 20, 1950 – NFL wide receiver Isaac Curtis was born in Santa Anna, Calif. He would play his entire career with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Oct. 20, 1952 – Major League outfielder Dave Collins was born in Rapid City, South Dakota. He would go on to play for the California Angels, the Seattle Mariners, the Cincinnati Reds, the New York Yankees, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Oakland A’s, the Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Oct. 20, 1953 – Major League first baseman Keith Hernandez was born in San Francisco, Calif.

Oct. 20, 1953 – The Evergreen (Ala.) City Council’s regular semi-monthly meeting scheduled for this Tuesday night was postponed because of the illness of Mayor Vernon Millsap. The mayor’s illness was described as minor.

Oct. 20, 1955 - The third television version of Alabama author William March's story "The Little Wife" was released.

Oct. 20, 1955 - A television version of Alabama author Octavus Roy Cohen's book “Let the Chips Fall” was broadcast as part of the “Four Star Playhouse” series.

Oct. 20, 1963 - Clem Daniels of the Oakland Raiders ran for 200 yards and two touchdowns in a 49-26 victory over the New York Jets.

Oct. 20, 1964 - The thirty-first president of the United States, Herbert Clark Hoover, died at the age of 90 in New York City.

Oct. 20, 1967 - The controversial Patterson–Gimlin film (also referred to as simply the Patterson film), a famous short motion picture of an unidentified subject the film makers purported to be a "Bigfoot", was supposedly filmed by Roger Patterson and Robert "Bob" Gimlin on Bluff Creek, a tributary of the Klamath River about 25 road miles north-west of Orleans, California.

Oct. 20, 1972 - Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds hit a home run off the first pitch from Oakland’s Catfish Hunter in Game 5 of the World Series.

Oct. 20, 1973 – The Sydney Opera House opened.

Oct. 20, 1973 - U.S. President Richard Nixon signed a bill that authorized a national medal to commemorate Jim Thorpe.

Oct. 20, 1973 – In what is now known as the "Saturday Night Massacre,” United States President Richard Nixon fired U.S. Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus after they refused to fire Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox, who was finally fired by Robert Bork.

Oct. 20, 1977 - Just three days after the release of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Street Survivors," their vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, along with a back-up singer, road manager, pilot and co-pilot were killed when their chartered single engine plane crashed in the woods of Gillsburg, Mississippi.

Oct. 20, 1984 – After their 12-7 win over No. 1-ranked McKenzie High School on Oct. 12, Repton High School was ranked No. 1 in Class 1A in the Alabama Sports Writers Association poll that was released on this date.

Oct. 20, 1989 - The Houston Cougars ran up 1,021 yards against Southern Methodist University. The final score was 95-21.

Oct. 20, 1990 – New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was a guest on "Saturday Night Live."

Oct. 20, 1990 - The Cincinnati Reds won the World Series in four games against the Oakland Athletics.

Oct. 20, 1993 - The Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies played for four hours and 14 minutes (due to rain) and achieved a total of 29 runs. The Blue Jays won the game, 15-14.

  

Oct. 20, 1996 - Andruw Jones of the Atlanta Braves, 19 years old, became the youngest player to hit a home run in the World Series. He hit two home runs against the New York Yankees.

Oct. 20, 2003 - A 40-year-old man went over Niagara Falls without safety devices and survived. He was charged with illegally performing a stunt.

Oct. 20, 2004 - The Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Yankees in Game 7 of the AL Championship. The Red Sox had been down 3-0 in the series.