Today in History for Nov. 8, 2015

George Elser

Nov. 8, 1519 – Hernán Cortés entered Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomed him with a great celebration.

Nov. 8, 1605 – Robert Catesby, ringleader of the Gunpowder Plotters, was killed.

Nov. 8, 1775 - General George Washington sought to resolve several problems facing the army: how to encourage experienced troops to enlist, how to assemble a capable officer corps and how to overcome provincial differences and rivalries. Describing the problems, he wrote, “Connecticut wants no Massachusetts man in her corps. Massachusetts thinks there is no necessity for a Rhode Islander…”

Nov. 8, 1793 - The Louvre Museum in Paris opened to the public for the first time.

Nov. 8, 1805 - The "Corps of Discovery" reached the Pacific Ocean. The expedition was lead by William Clark and Meriwether Lewis. The journey had begun on May 14, 1804 with the goal of exploring the Louisiana Purchase territory.

Nov. 8, 1824 – During his tour of the United States, the Marquis de Lafayette attended a public banquet at the University of Virginia in nearby Charlottesville, Va.

Nov. 8, 1827 – While serving in the U.S. Army, Edgar Allan Poe traveled by ship on the brig Waltham to Fort Moultrie in Charleston, S.C. where his regiment had been posted.

Nov. 8, 1837 – Mary Lyon founded Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley, Mass., which later becomes Mount Holyoke College. At the time, there were 120 men’s colleges in America, but only a couple of institutions for women that included higher education, and none chartered with an expectation that they would be equivalent to men’s colleges, established as permanent institutions that would outlive their founders. When Mount Holyoke opened on this day, 80 students arrived, some of them having traveled for days to get there, and they each brought a dictionary, an atlas, a Bible, and two spoons.

Nov. 8, 1847 - Bram Stoker, author of the 1897 horror novel “Dracula,” was born in Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland.

Nov. 8, 1861 – In what is known as the “Trent Affair,” two Confederate officials, diplomatic envoys James Mason and John Slidell, sailing on the British mail ship “Trent” toward England were seized by the U.S. Navy’s USS San Jacinto. England demanded their release and threatened war. U.S. President Abraham Lincoln eventually conceded and ordered the officials released on Dec. 26. Lincoln commented "One war at a time."

Nov. 8, 1861 – During the Civil War, the Battle at Ivy Mountain was fought in Kentucky. The Confederates had about 1,000 men, but were chased by a substantially larger Union force, elements of a dozen units. U.S. losses were about 30, against roughly 250 Confederate casualties.

  

Nov. 8, 1864 - Northern voters overwhelmingly endorsed the leadership and policies of President Abraham Lincoln when they elected him to a second term on this day. With his re-election, any hope for a negotiated settlement with the Confederacy vanished and five months after Lincoln’s re-election, the collapse of the Confederacy was complete. On election day, Lincoln carried all but three states (Kentucky, New Jersey, and Delaware), and won 55 percent of the vote,.

Nov. 8, 1864 - Upon hearing of President Abraham Lincoln being re-elected General William T. Sherman ordered 2,500 light wagons to be loaded with supplies in preparation for his “March to the Sea.”

Nov. 8, 1880 - French actress Sarah Bernhardt made her American stage debut in "Adrienne Lecouvreur" in New York City. She would later perform in Pensacola, Fla.

Nov. 8, 1887 - Doc Holliday died at the age of 35. The gunfighting dentist died from tuberculosis in a sanitarium in Glenwood Springs, Colo.

Nov. 8, 1889 – Willie Stevens, the son of T.J. Stevens, was shot and killed by his uncle, Theo. W. Marshall near Finchburg, Ala. around 8 a.m.

Nov. 8, 1889 – Montana was admitted as the 41st U.S. state.

Nov. 8, 1896 – National Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman and manager Bucky Harris was born in Port Jervis, N.Y. He went on to play for the Washington Senators and the Detroit Tigers and also managed the Senators, Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975.

Nov. 8, 1900 - Margaret Mitchell, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the 1936 Civil War novel “Gone With the Wind,” was born in Atlanta, Ga.

Nov. 8, 1904 - Alabama author and Poet Laureate Bert Henderson was born in Glenwood, Ala.

Nov. 8, 1913 – The Rev. Timothy Horton Ball passed away at the age of 87 and was buried in the Creighton Family Cemetery at Whatley in Clarke County, Ala. A native of Hampden County, Mass., he was a minister, teacher, historian and author and spent most of his life in Clarke County, Ala. In 1882, while living in Grove Hill, he would publish “A Glance into the Great South-east; or, Clarke County, Alabama, and its Surroundings, from 1540 to 1877.”

Nov. 8, 1915 – Only 3,800 bales of cotton had been ginned in Conecuh County, Ala. from the 1915 crop prior to this date as compared with 12,559 bales up to that same date in 1914, a shortfall of 8,759 bales.

Nov. 8, 1915 - Capt. Charles L. Johnson died at his home at Franklin, Ala. “at an advanced age after an illness of several months.” Johnson had been a steamboat captain for many years and was widely known.

Nov. 8, 1915 – According to the census bureau, due to the invasion of the boll weevil, only 7,176 bales of cotton had been ginned in Monroe County, Ala. up to this date from the 1915 crop, compared to 17,932 bales up to that date in 1914. In Wilcox County, only 7,258 had been ginned compared with 21,771 bales in 1914.

Nov. 8, 1918 – Construction of Wilson Dam in Florence, Ala. began just three days before the armistice ending World War I was signed.

Nov. 8, 1920 – Mitchell Burford Salter died. Born on May 20, 1839, he enlisted as a private in Co. E, 4th Alabama Infantry, Arm was amputated at Chickamaga, and the bone from his arm is on display in the National Museum of Health and Medicine. He was buried in Old Evergreen Cemetery.

Nov. 8, 1922 – The Montgomery Air Intermediate Depot was renamed Maxwell Field in honor of Lt. William C. Maxwell of Natchez, Ala. who was killed in a plane crash in the Philippines in 1920.

Nov. 8, 1923 – In what is now known as the “Beer Hall Putsch,” in Munich, Adolf Hitler led the Nazis in an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the German government.

Nov. 8, 1933 – During the Great Depression, as part of the New Deal program, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt unveiled the Civil Works Administration, an organization designed to create jobs for more than 4 million unemployed.

Nov. 8, 1939 – In Munich, Adolf Hitler narrowly escaped the assassination attempt of Georg Elser while celebrating the 16th anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch.

Nov. 8, 1941 – Lt. Laula M. Middleton, son of Mrs. Evelyn Middleton of Fairview began pilot training at Foster Field, Texas. He received his “war wings” on May 20, 1942 and was transferred to Orlando, Fla. for advanced training. Middleton Field was named in his honor.

Nov. 8, 1942 - Parker Hall of the Cleveland Rams threw seven interceptions against the Green Bay Packers.

Nov. 8, 1943 - Alabama author Jon L. Breen was born in Montgomery, Ala.

Nov. 8, 1944 – Guy Dawson Booker of Conecuh County, Ala. was killed aboard U.S. Submarine Growler, which was sank by the Japanese and never found.

Nov. 8, 1951 - Yogi Berra of the New York Yankees won his first MVP award. He went on to win two more in his career, in 1954 and 1955.

Nov. 8, 1954 – Major League Baseball’s American League approved the transfer of the Philadelphia Athletics to Kansas City, Mo.

Nov. 8, 1956 – The Evergreen Courant reported that A. Bufred Johnson, a longtime Evergreen Courant employee, had accepted a position with the Pensacola News-Journal. He’d worked at The Courant since Dec. 1, 1942.

Nov. 8, 1957 – B.L. Hendrix, who served as Monroeville’s mayor between 1936 to 1944, passed away. He also served terms as city clerk and police chief.

Nov. 8, 1958 - As Charles Wetzel was driving along the Santa Ana River, he had a sighting of a strange bipedal reptilian creature with scales. Making gurgling and screeching sounds, it clawed at the windshield as Wetzel accelerated over it. Police tests indicated the car had run over something and there were definite claw marks on the windshield.

Nov. 8, 1964 – E.H. Williams, the father of country music legend Hank Williams, was to be present at the matinee showing of “Your Cheatin’ Heart” at the Monroe Theatre in Monroeville, Ala.

Nov. 8, 1964 - James Shelton Dunn, age 61, prominent Evergreen businessman who was widely known, died unexpectedly at his home on Bruner Avenue in Evergreen, Ala. on this Sunday afternoon. He was a pharmacist and had owned and operated the Conecuh Drug Company for many years. He also had other business interests and was a director of The Conecuh County Bank.

Nov. 8, 1966 – Army Spc. James Mathew Kelly of Atmore, Ala. was killed in action in Vietnam.

Nov. 8, 1966 - U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law an antitrust exemption allowing the National Football League to merge with the upstart American Football League.

Nov. 8, 1966 – In the race for Alabama governor, Lurleen Wallace overwhelmed Jim Martin in the general election.

Nov. 8, 1970 - Tom Dempsey of the New Orleans Saints set an NFL record when he kicked a 63-yard field goal against the Detroit Lions. The record stood until Oct. 25, 1998 when Jason Elam of the Denver Broncos tied the record.

Nov. 8, 1970 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Sue Weaver, Worthy Matron of Conecuh Chapter No. 217, Order of the Eastern Star, recently presented Geneva Salter, Vivian Deer, Daisy Shell and Lofton Shell with lifetime membership cards. Members with 25 consecutive years membership and who were 65 years of age or older were eligible for this honor.

Nov. 8, 1977 – Manolis Andronikos, a Greek archaeologist and professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, discovered the tomb of Philip II of Macedon at Vergina.

Nov. 8, 1977 – National Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman and manager Bucky Harris passed away at the age of 81 in Bethesda, Md. During his career, he played for the Washington Senators and the Detroit Tigers and also managed the Senators, Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975.

Nov. 8, 1979 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Willie Rogers’ Famous Barbecue was now open on Fridays and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. This restaurant, which was located on Willie Rogers Road in Evergreen, Ala., was operated by Mrs. Rachel Rogers, using the sauce and cooking technique made famous by the late Willie Rogers.

Nov. 8, 1981 - Don Shula, coach of the Miami Dolphins, recorded his 200th NFL victory.

Nov. 8, 1986 – The Conecuh Heritage Festival was scheduled to be held in downtown Evergreen, Ala.

Nov. 8, 1988 – An election was held in Conecuh County, Ala. for Probate Judge, Superintendent of Education and Conecuh County Commission. Democratic nominee Rogene Booker was opposed for Judge of Probate by Republican nominee David F. Jackson. Steve Coker, Democratic nominee for re-election as Superintendent of Education, was opposed by Republican nominee David M. Johnson, principal of Repton High School. In the commission race, Republican Donnis Barnes faced Democrat Hugh Barrow in District 1. Democrat Jerold Dean sought re-election in District 2 and was opposed by Republican nominee Thomas L. Robinson. In District 3, the incumbent Percy Salter, Democrat, faced Republican nominee C.F. (Frank) Pate. J. Frank Pierce was the Republican nominee in District 5 and faced Leonard (Punch) Millender, Democrat. Incumbent Freddie L. Stallworth, Democrat, was unopposed in District 4.

Nov. 8, 1990 - Darryl Strawberry signed a five-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He went to the New York Mets after eight years and gaining 252 home runs.

Nov. 8, 1990 - U.S. President George H.W. Bush ordered more troop deployments in the Persian Gulf, adding about 150,000 soldiers to the multi-national force fighting against Iraq.

Nov. 8, 1994 – Conecuh County, Ala. voters elected their first new sheriff in over 20 years when they elected former State Trooper Thomas W. Hall, who received 2,943 votes while Republican Donnis Barnes received 412 votes. Incumbent Sheriff Edwin L. Booker received 1,334 write-in votes.

Nov. 8, 1994 - Judge Sue Bell Cobb, a native of Conecuh County, Ala., was elected to the State Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 2, defeating Greg Griffin in the statewide election. It had been many years since a Conecuh County native has been elected to a statewide office.

Nov. 8, 1997 - Nevada's John Dutton threw for 557 yards and five touchdowns in a victory over Boise State.

Nov. 8, 1998 - Emmitt Smith of the Dallas Cowboys became the all-time rushing leader for the Cowboys. He also passed 12,000 career yards in the NFL.

Nov. 8, 2000 - Waco special counsel John C. Danforth released his final report that absolved the government of wrongdoing in the 1993 seige of the Branch Davidian compound in Texas.

Nov. 8, 2001 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Freddie Stallworth had officially retired after more than 25 years “on and off” in law enforcement.

Nov. 8, 2002 – During the Iraq disarmament crisis, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved Resolution 1441 on Iraq, forcing Saddam Hussein to disarm or face "serious consequences."

Nov. 8, 2004 – During the War in Iraq, more than 10,000 U.S. troops and a small number of Iraqi army units participated in a siege on the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah.

Nov. 8, 2005 – In connection with the disappearance of 18-year-old Natalee Holloway of Mountain Brook, Alabama Governor Bob Riley, joined by the Twitty family, urged Alabamians and others to boycott Aruba in a news conference on this day.

Nov. 8, 2011 – The potentially hazardous asteroid 2005 YU55 passed 0.85 lunar distances from Earth (about 201,700 miles), the closest known approach by an asteroid of its brightness since 2010 XC15 in 1976.