Today in History for Feb. 24, 2016

Honus Wagner

Feb. 24, 1607 - Claudio Monteverdi's opera “L’Orfeo” received its premiere in Mantua, Italy.

Feb. 24, 1786 – Writer, folklorist and story collector Wilhelm Grimm was born in Hanau, Hesse-Kassel.

Feb. 24, 1803 – In “Marbury v. Madison,” the Supreme Court of the United States established the principle of judicial review – the ability of the Supreme Court to limit Congressional power by declaring legislation unconstitutional – in the new nation.

Feb. 24, 1831 – The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, the first removal treaty in accordance with the Indian Removal Act, was proclaimed. The Choctaws in Mississippi ceded land east of the river in exchange for payment and land in the West.

Feb. 24, 1836 – William Barrett Travis assumed overall command of the Alamo after Jim Bowie became too ill to actively serve as co-commander. Santa Anna ordered an artillery battery constructed on the west side of the river. Travis sent out his famous “Victory or Death” letter that began with the words “To the People of Texas & all Americans in the World” and dispatched couriers to San Felipe and Goliad for assistance.

Feb. 24, 1836 – Artist Winslow Homer was born in Boston. Harper's Weekly later hired him as a freelancer, and they sent him to the front lines of the Civil War, where he drew scenes of camp life and ordinary soldiers.

Feb. 24, 1852 – Irish novelist George Augustus Moore was born in Ballyglass, Ireland.

Feb. 24, 1862 – Col. Pinckney D. Bowles married Alice Irene, daughter of Judge H.F. and Anna C. Stearns, at Sparta.

Feb. 24, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Mingo Creek and New Madrid, Mo.; and at Pohick Church and Occoquan, Va. Federal forces occupied Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia.

Feb. 24, 1863 – Arizona was organized as a United States territory.

Feb. 24, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Stoner Bridge, Ky. and near Strasburg, Va.

Feb. 24, 1863 – During the Civil War, the Yazoo Pass Expedition began in an attempt by Federal forces to get behind Vicksburg by way of Moon Lake, Yazoo Pass and the Coldwater and Tallahatchee River. This attempt was thwarted at Fort Pemberton, which is near present-day Greenwood, Miss. This phase of the Vicksburg Campaign did not end until April 8.

Feb. 24, 1863 – During the Civil War, Confederates sank the Federal gunboat, Indianola, south of Vicksburg on the Mississippi River. The Queen of the West, former Union ramship on the Mississippi which had been damaged and partly sunk earlier in the month, was raised and put to work by the Confederacy. Her assignment was to abate the nuisance posed by the USS Indianola. One attempt at ramming was fended off by a coal barge. On the second ramming attempt the ram simply bounced off Indianola’s armor plating. But the third shattered her starboard wheelhouse. Taking on water, Indianola limped to shore where her commander, Lt. Cmdr. Brown, surrendered.

Feb. 24, 1864 – During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill passed by Congress that offered up to $300 compensation for any Union master whose slaves volunteered to join the Army. The slave would be freed at the end of his service. The act also offered increased compensation for volunteers, increased penalties for draft resistance, allowed blacks to be subject to the draft, and ordered alternative service in non-combat roles for those who would not bear arms for religions reasons.

Feb. 24, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Buzzard Roost, Tunnel Hill and Rocky Face Ridge, Ga.; at the Tippah River and at Canton, Miss.; and with Indians near Camp Mimbres in the New Mexico Territory.

Feb. 24, 1864 – During the Civil War, the Battle of Dalton, Georgia began when Union General George Thomas attacked Joseph Johnston's Confederates near Dalton, Georgia, as the Yankees probed Johnston's defenses in search of a weakness. Thomas found the position too strong and he ceased the offensive the next day. Thomas suffered just fewer than 300 men killed, wounded, or captured, while Johnston lost 140.

Feb. 24, 1865 – During the Civil War, a Federal operation began between Helena and Clark’s Store, Ark. Skirmishes were fought at Swiztler’s Mill, Mo. and at Camden, S.C.

Feb. 24, 1868 – The first U.S. parade with floats was held during Mardi Gras in Mobile Alabama.

Feb. 24, 1868 – Andrew Johnson became the first President of the United States to be impeached by the United States House of Representatives due to his attempt to dismiss Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. He was later acquitted in the Senate.

Feb. 24, 1872 – The Town of Pine Apple in Wilcox County, Ala. was officially incorporated. (Ala. League of Mun.)

Feb. 24, 1874 – National Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop Honus Wagner was born in Chartiers, Pa. Nicknamed “The Flying Dutchman,” he would go on to play for the Louisvile Colonels and the Pittsburgh Pirates. He would also manage the Pirates in 1917. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1936.

Feb. 24, 1905 - Alabama author John Weld was born in Birmingham, Ala.

Feb. 24, 1905 – Alabama State Superintendent of Education I.W. Hill visited Monroeville, Ala. and addressed the Monroe County Educational Association “in the interest of local taxation for the maintenance of public schools.”

Feb. 24, 1913 – Vredenburgh was officially incorporated as a municipality. (Ala. League of Mun.)

Feb. 24, 1915 – Alabama Gov. Charles Henderson approved the Monroe County Highway Commission Act and appointed three men to the commission: L.J. Bugg of Monroeville, chairman, two years; Dr. W.G. Hairston of Burnt Corn, four years; and J.U. Blacksher of Uriah, six years.

Feb. 24, 1916 – The Conecuh Record reported that The Living Truth, a paper formerly published in Greenville, was to be re-established with V.R. Thagard as editor and A. Newberry as manager.

Feb. 24, 1916 – The Conecuh Record reported that “nearly 100 children at the Orphanage are down with the la grippe. Dr. Stallworth has the situation well in hand and thinks they will all recover.”

Feb. 24, 1916 – The Monroe Journal reported that Miss Jennie Faulk, who had been “in the market for the last few weeks, studying the latest styles in millinery and selecting her spring stock, is expected home in a day or two. She advises her sister and associate in business that she has chosen one of the largest and most up-to-date stocks ever shown in this city.”

Feb. 24, 1920 – The Nazi Party was founded.

Feb. 24, 1924 – Future Auburn University center and linebacker Hal Herring was born in Lanett, Ala. He went on to play for Auburn University, the Buffalo Bills and the Cleveland Browns.

Feb. 24, 1927 – JFK assassination conspiracy theorist Mark Lane was born.

Feb. 24, 1928 – Major League Baseball third baseman and outfielder Bubba Phillips was born in West Point, Miss. He would go on to play for the Detroit Tigers, the Chicago White Sox and the Cleveland Indians.

Feb. 24, 1928 – Early on this Friday morning, tear gas drove bank robbers from the Butler County Bank in McKenzie, Ala., leaving more than $10,000 in currency in the safe. The robbers had forced the door open and attempted to cut through the door of the vault with an acetylene torch. The intense heat released tear gas that had been place inside the valut to attempt a robbery, and employees discovered the attempted robbery when they arrived later that morning.

Feb. 24, 1936 - The man who got shot was convicted of a charge of assault and battery with a weapon in Conecuh County Court on this Monday when Isadore Nunley was convicted and fined $25 and costs. Tried on a warrant sworn out by Harvey Reid, who shot Nunley during “an affray” at Repton sometime before, testimony showed that Nunley advanced on Reid with an axe, whereupon Nunley was shot in the leg. Reid was not injured.

Feb. 24, 1937 – Baseball Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig did a screen test for the role of Tarzan, but Johnny Weissmuller eventually got the part.

Feb. 24, 1942 – The “Battle of Los Angeles,” one of the largest documented UFO sightings in history, occurred as eyewitness reported an unknown object or objects over Los Angeles, California. This triggered a massive anti-aircraft artillery barrage, and a photo posted in the LA Times showed nine beams of light converging on an aerial object. The event lasted into the early hours of February 25.

Feb. 24-25, 1943 – Little Eva crash survivor 2nd Lt. Arthur Speltz (co-pilot) died in Australia.

Feb. 24, 1952 – Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Fred Dean was born in Arcadia, La. He would go on to play for Louisiana Tech, the San Diego Chargers and the San Francisco 49ers.

Feb. 24, 1953 – Major League Baseball pitcher Frank Riccelli was born in Syracuse, N.Y. He would go on to play for the San Francisco Giants and the Houston Astros.

Feb. 24, 1953 – NFL linebacker Greg Westbrooks was born in Chicago, Ill. He would go on to play for Colorado, the New Orleans Saints, the Oakland Raiders, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams.

Feb. 24, 1953 – Major League Baseball third baseman Mike Sember was born in Hammond, Indiana. He would go on to play his entire career for the Chicago Cubs.

Feb. 24, 1953 – Poet Jane Hirshfield was born in New York City.

Feb. 24, 1956 – National Baseball Hall of Fame first baseman and designated hitter Eddie Murray was born in Los Angeles, Calif. He would go on to play for the Baltimore Orioles, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Mets, the Cleveland Indians and the Anaheim Angels. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.

Feb. 24, 1966 – The Evergreen Chamber of Commerce’s annual banquet meeting was scheduled to be held at 7 p.m. in the Evergreen High School lunchroom. Former Alabama Attorney General MacDonald Gallion of Montgomery was scheduled to be the guest speaker.

Feb. 24, 1966 – Southern Pine Electric Cooperative President Hugh Brown of Brownville and Manager Tom Perry of Brewton announced plans for the opening of a Southern Pine office in Evergreen, Ala. The office was scheduled to open on March 1 in a new building on Desplouse Street, across from the Evergreen Methodist Church in Evergreen.

Feb. 24, 1966 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Beverly Sue Griffin of Evergreen, Ala. had recently represented Conecuh County in the Alabama Junior Miss Pageant in Birmingham. Sue was sponsored by the Evergreen Jaycees who staged the Conecuh Junior Miss Pageant.

Feb. 24, 1966 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the son of a Repton, Ala. woman had been decorated for B-52 Strato Fortress bombing missions in South Vietnam. Capt. Jerry E. Ikner, son of Mrs. Lottie B. Ikner of Rt. 1, received the U.S. Air Force Air Medal at Carswell AFB, Texas, where he was permanently assigned. The electronics warfare officer was cited for outstanding airmanship on bombing runs against Viet Cong targets.

Feb. 24, 1967 – Alabama defensive tackle Richard Cole was the featured speaker at the annual Sweetheart Banquet at the Evergreen Baptist Church. Cole, an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, was a key player on Alabama’s 1966 team. During his career at Alabama, the Crimson Tide went 30-2-1 and won three straight SEC titles.

Feb. 24, 1968 – During the Vietnam War, the Imperial Palace in Hue was recaptured by South Vietnamese troops. Although the Battle of Hue was not officially declared over for another week, it was the last major engagement of the Tet Offensive. 

Feb. 24, 1968 – During the Vietnam War, the Tet Offensive ended as U.S. and South Vietnamese troops recaptured the ancient capital of Hue from communist forces. Although scattered fighting continued across South Vietnam for another week, the battle for Hue was the last major engagement of the offensive, which saw communist attacks on all of South Vietnam’s major cities. In the aftermath of Tet, public opinion in the United States decisively turned against the Vietnam War. 

Feb. 24, 1969 – During the Vietnam War, after a North Vietnamese mortar shells rocked their Douglas AC-47 gunship, Airman First Class John L. Levitow threw himself on an activated, smoking magnesium flare, dragged himself and the flare to the open cargo door, and tossed it out of the aircraft just before it ignited. For saving his fellow crewmembers and the gunship, Airman Levitow was later awarded the Medal of Honor. He was one of only two enlisted airmen to win the Medal of Honor for service in Vietnam and was one of only five enlisted airmen ever to win the medal.

Feb. 24, 1970 – NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia was born in Gilroy, Calif. He would go on to play for San Jose State, the Calgary Stampeders (CFL), the San Francisco 49ers, the Cleveland Browns, the Detroit Lions, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Oakland Raiders, the Omaha Nighthawks (UFL) and the Houston Texans.

Feb. 24, 1971 – Explorer, author and television host Josh Bernstein in New York City.

Feb. 24, 1973 – Evergreen High School’s boys basketball team, led by head coach Charles Branum, beat Alba, 72-65, to win the 3A Region 1 title, which gave them a berth in the 3A state tournament in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Feb. 24, 1974 – Major League Baseball third baseman Mike Lowell was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He would go on the play for the New York Yankees, the Florida Marlins and the Boston Red Sox.

Feb. 24, 1974 – NFL defensive end Simeon Rice was born in Chicago, Ill. He would go on the play for Illinois, the Arizona Cardinals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Denver Broncos, the Indianapolis Colts and the New York Sentinels.

Feb. 24, 1976 – Actress and screenwriter Crista Flanagan was born in Mount Vernon, Ill.

Feb. 24, 1982 – Lyeffion played Brilliant in the quarterfinal round of the Class 1A state tournament at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Lyeffion entered the tourney as the 1A Area II and 1A Region I champs and with a 24-3 overall record.

Feb. 24, 1989 – Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini offered a $3 million bounty for the death of The Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie.

Feb. 24, 1992 - Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love were married in Hawaii.

Feb. 24, 1995 – The Snow Hill Normal and Industrial Institute and the Tait-Ervin House, both in Wilcox County, Ala., were added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Feb. 24, 2000 – Four locations in Clarke County, Ala. were added to the National Register of Historic Places. Those locations included the Airmount Grave Shelter, also known as the Hope Family Grave Shelter, located in Airmount Cemetery near Thomasville; the Doit W. McClellan Lustron House and the J.P. McKee Lustron House, both in Jackson; and the Isaac Nettles Gravestones in the Mount Nebo Baptist Church Cemetery near Carlton.

Feb. 24, 2013 – The Frisco City United Methodist Church in Frisco City, Ala. was devastated by fellowship hall fire.