Today in History for Nov. 4, 2015

Grover Cleveland Alexander

Nov. 4, 1752 – George Washington, 20, was initiated into Masonic Lodge No. 4 in Fredericksburg, Va., and he would be passed to the degree of Fellowcraft on March 3, 1753. He would be raised to the degree of Master Mason on Aug. 4, 1753 in Fredericksburg, Va. In 1788, shortly before becoming the first president of the United States, Washington was elected the first Worshipful Master of Alexandria Lodge No. 22.

Nov. 4, 1783 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Symphony No. 36 was performed for the first time in Linz, Austria.

Nov. 4, 1801 - Patriot William Shippen, of the powerful Shippen family of Philadelphia died at the age of 89 at his home in Germantown, Pa. He was a descendant of the well-known Edward Shippen, colonial Philadelphia’s mayor and Pennsylvania’s chief justice.

Nov. 4, 1824 – During his tour of the United States, the Marquis de Lafayette visited former President Thomas Jefferson at Monticello near Charlottesville, Va.

Nov. 4, 1842 – Future U.S. President Abraham Lincoln married Mary Todd in Springfield, Illinois.

Nov. 4, 1854 - Alabama author and Poet Laureate Samuel Minturn Peck was born in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Nov. 4, 1860 – Jefferson Davis “Dixie” Carter was born in Butler County, Ala. In 1890, he would kill outlaw train robber Rube Burrow during a shootout in Linden.

Nov. 4, 1862 – During the Civil War, Democrats gained seats in Northern elections, mostly at the state level. The Republican Party maintained control of the House of Representatives and gained seats in the Senate.

Nov. 4, 1863 – During the Civil War, a skirmish occurred at Maysville in Madison County, Ala.

Nov. 4, 1864 – During the Battle of Johnsonville, Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest subjected a Union supply base at Johnsonville, Tenn. to a devastating artillery barrage and destroyed millions of dollars in material. This action was part of a continuing effort by the Confederates to disrupt the Federal lines that supplied Union General William T. Sherman’s army in Georgia. More than $6 million worth of supplies were destroyed, along with four gunboats, 14 transports, and 20 barges.

Nov. 4, 1879 – “Cowboy philosopher” Will Rogers was born on a ranch near Oologah, Okla.

Nov. 4, 1879 – The first cash register was patented by James J. Ritty of Dayton, Ohio.

Nov. 4, 1918 – British war poet Wilfred Owen was killed in World War I at the age of 25. The war ended the following week.

Nov. 4, 1921 – The Belleville Community Fair was held in Belleville, Ala.

Nov. 4, 1922 - The entrance to King Tutankhamen's tomb was discovered in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings by British archaeologist Howard Carter and his team. Many believe there was a curse connected with the opening of the tomb, and by 1929, 11 people involved in the discovery had died.

Nov. 4, 1923 - George Halas of the Chicago Bears picked up an Oorang Indians fumble and ran it 98 yards for a touchdown.

Nov. 4, 1923 - Author, ornithologist, and University of Montevallo biology professor Eugene Sledge was born in Mobile. Sledge is renowned outside Alabama for his books chronicling his experiences in the Pacific Theater during World War II, including “With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa and China Marine: An Infantryman's Life after World War II.” Filmmaker Ken Burns drew heavily on Sledge's memoirs for his 2007 PBS documentary on World War II, “The War.” “With the Old Breed,” together with Robert Leckie's “Helmet for My Pillow,” formed the basis for the Home Box Office (HBO) miniseries “The Pacific.”

Nov. 4, 1923 – “Jamestown,” a movie version of Alabama author Mary Johnston's book “Pioneers of the Old South,” was released.

Nov. 4, 1936 – National Book Award-winning poet C.K. Williams was born in Newark, N.J.

Nov. 4, 1943 - The movie “The North Star,” screenplay by Alabama author Lillian Hellman, was released.

Nov. 4, 1950 – National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander passed away at the age of 63 in St. Paul, Neb. During his career, he played for the Philadelphia Phillies, the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1938.

Nov. 4, 1954 - The Philadelphia A's moved to Kansas City.

Nov. 4, 1955 – National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young died at the age of 88 in Newcomerstown, Ohio. During his career, he played for the Cleveland Spiders, the St. Louis Perfectos, the Boston Americans/Red Sox, the Cleveland Naps and the Boston Rustlers. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1937.

Nov. 4, 1958 – The Evergreen (Ala.) City Council passed a resolution authorizing Mayor Zell Murphy to execute a lease between the city and Alabama Power Co. regarding a 140x150-foot lot where a new Alabama Power Co. substation was to be built. The lot was located on Cemetery Avenue, across from an existing Alabama Electric Cooperative substation, and Alabama Power Co. planned to begin selling wholesale electricity to the city in December 1958.

Nov. 4, 1965 – The Evergreen City Council adopted a record budget with anticipated expenditures of $413,091.

Nov. 4, 1965 – A fire of unknown origin began around 6:40 p.m. in a stack of cotton bales at the Evergreen Manufacturing Co. in Evergreen, Ala. A total of 97 bales were involved in the fire, some close to a complete loss.

Nov. 4, 1970 - Genie, a 13-year old 'feral child' was found in Los Angeles, after having been locked in her bedroom for most of her life.

Nov. 4, 1973 – Dallas Cowboys linebacker Lee Roy Jordan of Excel, Ala. intercepted three passes in the first quarter from the Cincinnati Bengals' Ken Anderson within the span of just five minutes, returning one 31 yards for a touchdown. The picks were collectively named one of the ten most memorable moments in the history of Texas Stadium by ESPN in 2008.

Nov. 4, 1973 - The Chicago Bears set an NFL record when they held the Green Bay Packers to -12 yards passing.

Nov. 4, 1976 - Major League Baseball held its first free-agent draft. Twenty-four players were available from 13 teams.

Nov. 4, 1980 – An election was held in Conecuh County, Ala., and David L. Burt Jr. was relected to a second term as Chairman of the Conecuh County Commission. He beat Republican canidate Ray Castleberry, 3,578-1,807. In other races, W.W. “Billy Wayne” Cook was re-elected to the county commission, and Walter B. Hudson Jr. was elected as Superintendent of Education. Comer F. Bonds and Mike Lanier were elected to the board of education. Elected constables included Billy Frank Brown, Charles A. Frazier, Cladie Townson and Bill Watts.

Nov. 4, 1982 – Former U.S. Representative from Alabama, George M. Grant, passed away at sea, aboard the Queen Elizabeth II, at the age of 85. He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.

Nov. 4, 1986 – Greenville City Hall, the Little-Stabler House on Fort Dale Street in Greenville, the East Commerce Street Historic District in Greenville and the Post Office Historic District in Greenville were added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Nov. 4, 1990 - Iraq issued a statement saying it was prepared to fight a "dangerous war" rather than give up Kuwait.

Nov. 4, 1997 – The groundbreaking ceremony was held at the Trus Joist McMillan plant outside of Castleberry, Ala.

Nov. 4, 2001 - Randall Cunningham of the Baltimore Ravens achieved 30,000 career passing yards.

Nov. 4, 2001 - Just two outs away from their fourth championship in a row, the New York Yankees lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the seventh game of a hard-fought World Series. It was the first World Series championship for the Diamondbacks—a four-year-old team from a state that was younger than the Yankees.

Nov. 4, 2001 - Former Dallas Cowboy Nate Newton was arrested in Louisiana after police found 213 pounds of marijuana in a van he was driving.

Nov. 4, 2002 - The book "Journals" was released. The book, about Kurt Cobain, contained letters and diary entries from the 1980s until 1994.

Nov. 4, 2010 – National Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman and manager Sparky Anderson died at the age of 76 in Thousand Oaks, Calif. During his career, he played for the Philadelphia Phillies and later managed the Cincinnati Reds and the Detroit Tigers. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000.