Today in History for Nov. 6, 2015

U.S. Army Ranger Pat Tillman

Nov. 6, 1528 – Shipwrecked Spanish conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca became the first known European to set foot in the area that would become Texas.

Nov. 6, 1776 - Silas Deane wrote to the Committee of Congress for Secret Correspondence to express his frustration at their lack of specific instructions for his trip to France.

Nov. 6, 1789 - Pope Pius VI appointed John Carroll bishop of Baltimore, making him the first Catholic bishop in the United States. In this role, as bishop and ultimately as the first archbishop in the United States (1808), Carroll oversaw the creation of leading Catholic institutions in the new nation, including the nation’s first Catholic university (Georgetown University, founded in 1789) and cathedral (Baltimore Basilica, built in 1806).

Nov. 6, 1854 – John Philip Sousa, the “March King,” was born in Washington, D.C.

Nov. 6, 1860 - Abraham Lincoln was elected to be the sixteenth president of the United States.

Nov. 6, 1861 - Jefferson Davis was elected president of the Confederate States of America. He was elected to a six-year term as established by the Confederate Constitution, and he remained president until May 5, 1865, when the Confederate government was officially dissolved.

Nov. 6, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Little Sante Fe, Mo.

Nov. 6, 1861 – During the Civil War, Federal operations at Townsend’s Ferry, New River, West Virginia began.

Nov. 6, 1865 - Captain James I. Waddell arrived in Liverpool, England, and surrendered the C.S.S. Shenandoah to British officials. The CSS Shenandoah was the last Confederate combat unit to surrender after circumnavigating the globe on a cruise on which it sank or captured 37 unarmed merchant vessels.

Nov. 6, 1869 - In New Brunswick, New Jersey, Rutgers College defeated Princeton University (then known as the College of New Jersey), 6–4, in the first official intercollegiate football game.

Nov. 6, 1887 – National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher and manager Walter Perry Johnson was born in Humboldt, Kansas. During his career, he played for the Washington Senators and went on to manage the Senators and the Cleveland Indians. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1936.

Nov. 6, 1892 – Harold Ross, the founder of The New Yorker magazine, was born in Aspen, Colo.

Nov. 6, 1906 - President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt embarked on a 17-day trip to Panama and Puerto Rico, becoming the first president to make an official diplomatic tour outside of the continental United States.

Nov. 6, 1915 – The Conecuh County Educational Association was scheduled to hold its initial meeting of the 1915-16 school year on this Saturday in Evergreen, Ala. Members planned to discuss how to eliminate illiteracy in Conecuh County and how to improve local schools.

Nov. 6, 1935 - Edwin H. Armstrong announced his development of FM broadcasting when he presented his paper "A Method of Reducing Disturbances in Radio Signaling by a System of Frequency Modulation" to the New York section of the Institute of Radio Engineers.

Nov. 6, 1947 – Braxton Adams, 19, was accidentally killed in Vancouver, British Columbia while serving with the Waterman Steamship Corporation. His funeral was held in Evergreen, Ala. on Nov. 16, and he was buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Greenville, Ala.

Nov. 6, 1949 – An all-white jury in Greenville, Ala. acquitted James Anderson, a 24-year-old black man from Conecuh County who was accused of killing Monroe County farmer Sam Stacey during a fight at a gin in Butler County. Defense counsel, led by Roderick Beddow of Birmingham, insisted Stacey died of a heart attack and not of injuries suffered in the fight. The state insisted blows caused his death.

Nov. 6, 1953 – Monroe County High School, under head coach Levaughn Hanks, beat T.R. Miller High School, 19-14, in Brewton, Ala. Projected MCHS starters were left end Bert Nettles offensively and Paul Fowler, defensively; left tackle William Nettles; left guard Nicky Manning; center Grayson Simmons; right guard, Baby Ryland; right tackle, Billy Parker; right end Johnny Finklea; quarterback Wayne Jones; left half Jeff Sirmon; right half Freddy Hayles; and fullback Robert Wiggins.

Nov. 6, 1958 - The American League announced that Kansas City would play a record 52 night games in 1959.

Nov. 6, 1958 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Dr. H.C. Fountain, a dentist in Evergreen, Ala., had been elected president of the Dixie Fox Hunters Association during the annual directors meeting during a recent three-day field trials at Burnt Corn. Other elected officers included first vice-president Dewey Farmer of Montgomery, second vice-president Lee Smith of Montgomery and secretary R.H. Cobb of Camden.

Nov. 6, 1964 – Evelyn Booker, 42, of Causeyville, Miss. was found dead in her car on a dirt road leading to her home. A coroner’s jury ruled that she died from a self-inflicted .38 caliber gunshot wound just above her right ear. She was out of jail at the time on a $10,000 bond stemming from the Sept. 6 shooting death of her husband, J.D. Booker, a former resident of Monroeville, Ala.

Nov. 6, 1964 – On homecoming night in Brewton, Ala., T.R. Miller High School beat Evergreen High School, 34-13. John Robinson was Evergreen’s head coach, and outstanding players for Evergreen in that game included Alvin Dees, Paul Deason and Kenny Harper.

Nov. 6, 1966 - Tim Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles ran back two kick-offs for touchdowns in the same game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Nov. 6, 1969 - A tie for the Cy Young Award occurred for the first time. Detroit's Denny McLain and Baltimore's Mike Cuellar both won the award for best pitcher in the American League.

Nov. 6, 1974 - Mike Marshall became the first relief pitcher to win the Cy Young Award.

Nov. 6, 1976 – NFL player and Army Ranger Pat Tillman was born in Fremont, Calif. He played college ball for Arizona State University and safety for the Arizona Cardinals from 1998 to 2001. He would be killed in action at the age of 27 on April 22, 2004 in Sperah, Afghanistan.

Nov. 6, 1979 – The Evergreen City Council named Henry Vickery as Police Chief during a council meeting on this Tuesday night. Vickery, who had been acting chief since Oct. 19, was recommended for the chief’s position by Mayor O.B. (Bert) Tuggle. Vickery, a veteran of 7-1/2 years with the local police department, had served as a sergeant for over four years. Vickery was named to replace Chief Jimmy Hawsey, who resigned for personal reasons on Oct. 19.

Nov. 6, 1980 – The Kaster House (now demolished) in Camden, Ala. was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Nov. 6, 1981 - A black-footed ferret, a creature previously thought extinct, was found in Wyoming.

Nov. 6, 1982 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the National Football League (NFL) could not dictate the hometown of a team. The case resulted from the Oakland Raiders wanting to move to Los Angeles.

Nov. 6, 1982 – The Conecuh Heritage Festival was scheduled to be held in downtown Evergreen, Ala. Exhibits of historic interest were scheduled to go on display in downtown show windows on Mon., Nov. 1, and were to remain throughout the week.

Nov. 6, 1986 – The City of Monroeville, Ala. held a cookout to raise money for a scholarship in Ronda Morrison’s memory at Patrick Henry State Junior College. The organizers’ goal was to raise $23,000, the equivalent of $1 from every Monroe County resident. The cookout was held in a park near the Vanity Fair outlet store.

Nov. 6, 1989 - NFL Charities donated $1 million through the United Way to benefit the victims of the Bay Area earthquake.

Nov. 6, 1991 - Kuwait celebrated the dousing of the last of the oil fires ignited by Iraq during the Persian Gulf War.

Nov. 6, 1993 - The world's largest peanut butter and jelly sandwich was created in the town of Peanut, Pa. A whopping 40 feet long, it contained 150 pounds of peanut butter and 50 pounds of jelly.

Nov. 6, 1995 - ESPN announced a five-year contract extension with Major League Baseball. The contract represented the first time that baseball's post season would be on cable.

Nov. 6, 1995 - Art Modell, the owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced plans to move his team to Baltimore, where they became the Baltimore Ravens.

Nov. 6, 1997 – In “V for Vendetta,” The Leader, Adam Susan, assigned the head of The Finger, Derek Almond, to apprehend V. V kidnapped Lewis Prothero, the voice behind the Voice of Fate broadcasts. Edward Finch and his assistant, Dominic, were assigned the kidnapping.

Nov. 6, 1998 – In “V for Vendetta,” martial law was declared by Susan, who’s mental state was steadily deteriorating since Fate’s message. However, despite harsh penalties, Norsefire was unable to keep the populace in line. Rosemary bought a gun. Peter Creedy used Susan’s mental state as an opportunity to seize power. He enlisted Alistair Harper to assist him. Helen Heyer, wishing to have that power herself, began her own machinations, and convinced Harper to work for her instead.

Nov. 6, 1998 – Frisco City’s John Tucker scored eight touchdowns and 51 total points in a 51-20 playoff road win over Sweet Water.

Nov. 6, 1999 – Robert Gaston Bozeman Jr. was inducted into the Alabama Newspaper Hall of Honor.

Nov. 6, 2002 - Emmitt Smith of the Dallas Cowboys dropped the puck at a game between the Dallas Stars and the Vancouver Canucks.

Nov. 6, 2003 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the first site on the canoe/small boat launch for the Sepulga River Canoe Trail had recently completed near Brooklyn, Ala. The launch was initiated by the Conecuh County Commission and County Engineer Winston Foshee to provide recreation and tourism access to the river.

Nov. 6, 2005 – The Wilcox County Veterans Monument was erected in downtown Camden, Ala.