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| Samuel J. Tilden |
March 2, 1498 – Vasco da Gama's fleet visited the Island of
Mozambique.
March 2, 1770 - British soldiers
and Bostonian laborers fought at John Hancock's wharf. The soldiers were
confined to their barracks after the incident.
March 2, 1776 - In advance of the
Continental Army’s occupation of Dorchester Heights, Mass., General George
Washington ordered American artillery forces to begin bombarding Boston from
their positions at Lechmere Point, northwest of the city center. After two
straight days of bombardment, American Brigadier General John Thomas slipped
2,000 troops, cannons and artillery into position just south of Boston at
Dorchester Heights. The 56 cannon involved in the move were those taken at
Ticonderoga, New York, by Lieutenant Colonel Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen
with his Green Mountain Boys, which had then been transported to Boston by
Colonel of Artillery Henry Knox the previous winter.
March 2, 1776 – During the American
Revolutionary War, Patriot militia units arrested the Royal Governor of Georgia
James Wright and attempted to prevent the capture of supply ships in the Battle
of the Rice Boats.
March 2, 1793 - Sam Houston, the
first President of the Republic of Texas, was born in Rockbridge County, Va.
March 2, 1807 – The U.S. Congress
passed the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves, disallowing the importation
of new slaves into the country. The act prohibited “the importation of slaves
into any port or place within the jurisdiction of the United States... from any
foreign kingdom, place, or country.”
March 2, 1819 - President James Monroe signed the Alabama
enabling act.
March 2-3, 1825 – During his tour of the United States, the
Marquis de Lafayette stayed in Raleigh, North Carolina where he was reunited
with Colonel William Polk who had fought beside him at the Battle of Brandywine
where both had been wounded.
March 2, 1836 - The siege at the Alamo continued.
Unbeknownst to defenders of the Alamo, the provisional Texas government at
Washington-on-the-Brazos declared independence from Mexico, officially
establishing the Republic of Texas.
March 2, 1836 - Texas declared its independence from Mexico
and an ad interim government was formed.
March 2, 1855 - Congress appropriated $30,000 on this day to
install camels in the American Southwest, as part of the U.S. Army. Though they
proved successful as pack animals, after the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861,
the camels became all but forgotten about.
March 2, 1859 – Sholem Aleichem, one of the world’s most
prolific and widely read Yiddish-language writers, was born in Pereyaslave,
Ukraine.
March 2, 1861 - The U.S. Congress created the Territory of
Nevada.
March 2, 1861 – During the Civil War, the US revenue cutter, Henry Dodge, was seized in Galveston, Texas. The U.S. Congress voted to create the Dakota Territory, comprising present day North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming.
March 2, 1862 - The Confederate forces under General Ben
McCulloch, General Earl Van Dorn and General Sterling Price joined together in
preparation to advance on Union General Samuel Curtis' army.
March 2, 1862 – During the Civil War, Columbus, Ky. was evacuated by Confederate Major General Leonidas Polk, and a skirmish was fought near New Madrid, Mo. Albuquerque, in the New Mexico Territory, was abandoned by Federal forces, and a Naval engagement took place near Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., involving the Federal gunboats, Lexington and Tyler.
March 2, 1863 – During the Civil War, a 28-day Federal expedition from New Orleans, La., to the mouth of the Rio Grande River in Texas, began. Skirmishes were fought in the vicinity Neosho, Mo.; near Eagleville, Tenn.; in the vicinity of Petersburg, Tenn. and at Aldie, Va. A two-day Federal operation between La Grange, Tenn. and Salem, Miss. began.
March 2, 1864 – During the Civil War, a Federal operation
began between Larkin’s Landing and Guntersville, Ala.
March 2, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Canton, Miss. and at Old Church and Walkerton, Va.
March 2, 1865 - Union General George Custer's troops
defeated Confederate General Jubal Early's forces at the Battle of Waynesboro,
Virginia. The battle brought an end to fighting in the Shenandoah Valley.
March 2, 1867 - The United States Congress passed the First
Reconstruction Act, which divided the South into five military districts.
March 2, 1871 - James Osgood Andrew passed away in Mobile,
Ala. at the age of 76. He was the first native of Georgia to enter the
Methodist ministry, and the Andrews Chapel in McIntosh, Ala. was named in his
honor.
March 2, 1877 – Just two days before his inauguration, the
U.S. Congress declared Rutherford B. Hayes the winner of the 1876 election even
though Samuel J. Tilden had won the popular vote on Nov. 7, 1876.
March 2, 1882 – Queen Victoria narrowly escaped an
assassination attempt by Roderick McLean in Windsor.
March 2, 1885 – During the Sino-French War, the French
victory in the Battle of Hòa Mộc occurred near Tuyên Quang, northern Vietnam.
March 2, 1895 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture Weather
Bureau Station at Claiborne, Ala. recorded 1.10 inches of rainfall.
March 2, 1899 - Mount Rainier National Park in Washington
was established by the U.S. Congress.
March 2, 1900 – Astronomer Morris K. Jessup, the author of
“The Case for the UFO,” was born near Rockville, Indiana. He was heavily
involved in early research of the “Philadelphia Experiment.”
March 2, 1901 - Trustees of the Alabama Department of
Archives and History met in Gov. William J. Samford's office to organize the
nation's first state archival agency. Charged with, among other
responsibilities, "the care and custody of official archives [and] the
collection of materials bearing upon the history of the State," the
department was housed in the capitol until 1940. In that year it moved across
Washington Avenue to the War Memorial Building, which had been constructed for
the Archives.
March 2, 1904 - The "Official Playing Rules of
Professional Base Ball Clubs" were adopted.
March 2, 1904 – Writer and illustrator Theodor Geisel, also
known as “Dr. Seuss,” was born in Springfield, Mass. His most famous books
included “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street” (1937), “The Cat in
the Hat” (1957) and “Green Eggs and Ham” (1960).
March 2, 1909 – National Baseball Hall of Fame right fielder
Mel Ott was born in Gretna, La. He would go on to play for and manage the New
York Giants. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1951.
March 2, 1915 - The Monroeville, Ala. Lodge of the Knights
of Pythias held a meeting under special permit for the election of officers.
The former officers were elected for a semi-annual term.
March 2, 1916 – The Conecuh Record reported that Judge
Thames of Brooklyn had withdrawn from the race for Conecuh County Probate
Judge.
March 2, 1925 - State and federal highway officials
developed a nationwide route-numbering system and adopted the familiar U.S.
shield-shaped, numbered marker.
March 2, 1927 - Babe Ruth signed a three-year contract with
the New York Yankees worth $70,000 a year.
March 2, 1931 – Journalist and novelist Tom Wolfe was born
in Richmond, Va. His most famous books include “The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine
Flake Streamline Baby” (1965), “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test” (1968), “The
Right Stuff” (1979) and “The Bonfire of the Vanities” (1987).
March 2, 1933 – The film “King Kong” opened at New York's
Radio City Music Hall.
March 2, 1935 – Confederate officer Thomas Mercer Riley died
at the age of 94 and was buried at Turnbull Cemetery near Riley Crossing in
Monroe County, Ala. He was born on July 2, 1840 at Turnbull in Monroe County.
He enlisted in the Monroe Guards on March 15, 1861 and served as 2nd Captain. He
enlisted in the 5th Alabama on May 13, 1861 and was elected 2nd Lt. He was
appointed a 1st Lt. by the State of Alabama on Oct. 13, 1861. Co. D, 5th
Alabama reorganized and became Co. C, 5th Alabama on April 27, 1862 and he was
named captain on that date. He was wounded on June 2, 1864 and sent home on a
30-day furlough. He commanded Co. C, 5th Alabama and assumed command of the
entire regiment during the battle. He surrendered the regiment at Appomattox
Courthouse on April 9, 1865. After the war, he averted a financial disaster
within Monroe County in his position as head of the Bank of Beatrice. The
post-war Riley home stands today just north of Riley Crossing on the west side
of State Highway 21.
March 2, 1935 – Former University
of Alabama head coach Gene Stallings was born in Paris, Texas.
March 2, 1936 – The Clarke-Washington Electric Membership
Corporation was organized by some 83 members from Clarke and Washington
counties. This was the first rural electrical co-op organized in Alabama under
an executive order signed by Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt on May 11, 1935.
March 2, 1942 – Novelist John Irving was born in Exeter, New
Hampshire. His most famous books include “The World According to Garp” (1978),
“The Cider House Rules” (1978) and “A Prayer for Owen Meany” (1989).
March 2, 1946 – Ho Chi Minh was elected the President of North
Vietnam.
March 2, 1950 – The J.U. Blacksher High School building at
Uriah, Ala. burned.
March 2, 1950 – The Evergreen Courant reported that
Evergreen High School’s varsity boys basketball team, led by head coach Wendell
Hart, wrapped up their regular season schedule with a 42-41 win over Andalusia,
which was coached by Bill Stanford, in Andalusia, Ala. Guerry Moorer led
Evergreen with 16 points; Jack Cunningham scored 11; Gwyn Daniels, nine; Bobby
“Pistol Pete” Wells, four; Dickey Bozeman, two. Evergreen played without John
Greel Ralls, who missed the game due to sickness.
March 2, 1950 – The First District AA Basketball Tournament
was scheduled to begin in Evergreen, Ala. with a game between W.S. Neal and
Robertsdale at 7 p.m. at Memorial Gym in Evergreen. Also that night, top-seeded
McGill of Mobile was scheduled to play Choctaw County High School of Butler at
8:15 p.m., and after that UMS of Mobile was to play Clarke County High School.
Other teams in the tournament included Bay Minette, Citronelle, Murphy, Semmes
Tech, Fairhope, Evergreen, Jackson, Foley and Atmore. The three-day tournament
was scheduled to end on Sat., March 4. Both the tournament winner and runner-up
were to enter the state AA tournament in Tuscaloosa March 10-11. At the end of
the final game, the all-district team selections were to be announced and
trophies were to be awarded.
March 2, 1950 – The Evergreen Courant reported that March
2-4 had been proclaimed Tournament Days in Evergreen, Ala. by Major J.H.
Robison. The Mayor’s Proclamation was issued to encourage cooperation of local
people during the First District AA Tournament, which was scheduled to begin on
March 2 in Memorial Gym at Evergreen High School and continue through Saturday
night, March 4. In his proclamation, the mayor asked the merchants and
businessmen in Evergreen to fly their United States flags on each of the three
days the tournament is in progress, and urged the cooperation and support of
townspeople during the meet.
March 2, 1961 - President John F. Kennedy appointed Red
Level, Ala. native Dr. Luther Leonidas Terry U. S. Surgeon General. Terry was
born in Red Level in 1911 and graduated from Birmingham-Southern College in
1931. As Surgeon General he issued a landmark report on smoking and health that
raised awareness among policymakers and the public about the dangers of
smoking. The report, “Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to
the Surgeon General of the United States,” was released on Jan. 11, 1964 and
concluded that lung cancer and chronic bronchitis are causally related to
cigarette smoking. Terry served as Surgeon General until Oct. 1, 1965.
March 2, 1965 – Operation Rolling Thunder began with more
than 100 United States Air Force jet bombers striking an ammunition depot at
Xom Bang, 10 miles inside North Vietnam. Simultaneously, 60 South Vietnamese
Air Force propeller planes bombed the Quang Khe naval base, 65 miles north of
the 17th parallel.
March 2, 1967 - Senator Robert Kennedy (D-New York) proposed a three-point plan to help end the war. The plan included suspension of the U.S. bombing of North Vietnam and the gradual withdrawal of U.S. and North Vietnamese troops from South Vietnam with replacement by an international force. Secretary of State Dean Rusk rejected Kennedy’s proposal because he believed that the North Vietnamese would never agree to withdraw their troops.
March 2, 1972 – A tornado struck Evergreen, Ala. and
demolished a lumber shed at the Conecuh Lumber Co. and a number of other
buildings. No injuries were reported.
March 2, 1980 - Weather observer Earl Windham reported a low
of 20 degrees on this day in Evergreen, Ala.
March 2, 1982 – NFL quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was born
in Lima, Ohio. He would go on to play for Miami (Ohio) and the Pittsburgh
Steelers.
March 2, 1984 – Kenneth Ausby, son of Dot Floyd of
Evergreen, Ala., graduated from the Southwest Alabama Police Academy at
Faulkner State Junior College in Bay Minette. Ausby, who had been a member of
the Evergreen Police Department since July 1983, finished No. 4 in his class.
March 2, 1985 – NFL running back Reggie Bush was born in
Spring Valley, Calif. He would go on to play for Southern Cal, the New Orleans
Saints, the Miami Dolphins and the Detroit Lions.
March 2, 1990 – College and NFL cornerback Malcolm Butler
was born in Vicksburg, Miss. He went on to play for Vicksburgh High School, the
University of West Alabama and the New England Patriots.
March 2, 1991 – The Battle at Rumaila Oil Field brought an
end to the 1991 Gulf War.
March 2, 1992 - Ryne Sandberg signed a five-year contract
with the Chicago Cubs worth $30.5 million.
March 2, 1993 – Weather reporter Harry Ellis reported 1.00
inches of rain in Evergreen, Ala. Evergreen received .06 inches on March 1 and
.35 inches on March 3 for a three-day total of 1.41 inches.
March 2, 1995 – The Evergreen Courant reported that
Evergreen (Ala.) Baptist Church was celebrating its Sesquicentennial during
March 1995. The church’s pastor, the Rev. Jack Williamson, and its
Sesquicentennial Committee invited the public to participate in special
services scheduled for March 5, March 12 and March 19. The Founders Day Service
was to be observed on Sun., March 19, and was to be followed by a noon meal in
the Activities Building. Historical items were to be displayed all month.
March 2, 1995 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Betty
Oliver had been named as the Employee of the Year at Natural Decorations, Inc.
She was presented a cash award by Joe Gordy, co-owner of NDI, and she also
received a plaque.
March 2, 2004 - The Indianapolis Colts signed Peyton Manning
to a seven-year, $98-million deal with a $34.5 million signing bonus. It was
the largest package to date in the NFL.
March 2, 2004 – During the War in Iraq, Al-Qaeda carried out
the Ashoura Massacre in Iraq, killing 170 and wounding over 500.
March 2, 2005 - At a White House ceremony, President George
W. Bush congratulated the 2005 World Champion Boston Red Sox baseball team for
winning their first World Series since 1918. Massachusetts Senators Edward
Kennedy and John Kerry, and former Red Sox players were among those on hand for
the event.
March 2, 2011 – The James Landing Cemetery in Clarke County,
Ala. was added to the Alabama Historic Cemetery Register.
March 2, 2011 – The Lamb Cemetery and the James Whitley
Family Cemetery in Butler County, Ala. were added to the Alabama Historic
Cemetery Register.
March 2, 2012 – The Yancey-Crane Cemetery in Baldwin County,
Ala. was added to the Alabama Historic Cemetery Register.
March 2, 2012 – South African environmentalist, explorer and
author Lawrence Anthony died at the age of 61.
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