Today in History for Aug. 21, 2016

Alabama's Gabby Street

Aug. 21, 1415 – Henry the Navigator led Portuguese forces to victory over the Marinids at the Battle of Ceuta.

Aug. 21, 1689 – The Battle of Dunkeld was fought in Scotland.

Aug. 21, 1720 – Peter Chester was born in Barkway, England, about 20 miles north of London. He would go on to become a lieutenant colonel and the governor of British West Florida on Aug. 10, 1770. He returned to Bath, England near Bristol and passed away there at the age of 79 on Dec. 20, 1799.

Aug. 21, 1754 - Banastre Tarleton was born as the fourth child of John Tarleton, the former lord mayor of Liverpool, and money lender, merchant and slave trader. After completing his education at Oxford, Tarleton became the most feared officer in the British army during the War for American Independence, memorialized in portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough, as well as on film in The Patriot (2000), starring Mel Gibson, as the basis for the character Colonel William Tavington.

Aug. 21, 1770 – James Cook formally claimed eastern Australia for Great Britain, naming it New South Wales.

Aug. 21, 1778 – During the American Revolutionary War, British forces began besieging the French outpost at Pondichéry.

Aug. 21, 1821 – Jarvis Island was discovered by the crew of the ship, Eliza Frances.

Aug. 21–24, 1824 – During his extended tour of the United States, the Marquis de Lafayette traveled through and made stops in New Haven, Conn., Providence, R.I, Stoughton, Mass. and Boston, Mass.

Aug. 21, 1831 - Nat Turner, a former slave, led a violent insurrection of black slaves and free blacks in Virginia. He was later executed.

Aug. 21, 1835 – Samuel McColl was commissioned for his third and final term as Monroe County, Alabama’s Circuit Court Clerk.

Aug. 21, 1858 - Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois and Abraham Lincoln, a Kentucky-born lawyer and one-time U.S. representative from Illinois, began a series of famous public encounters on the issue of slavery. The two politicians, the former a Northern Democrat and the latter a Republican, were competing for Douglas’ U.S. Senate seat. Lincoln lost the Senate race, but his campaign brought national attention to the young Republican Party.

Aug. 21, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Jonesboro, Mo.

Aug. 21, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Light Prairie, near Arcata, California; at Neosho, Missouri; at Pinckney Island, South Carolina; and along the Rappahannock River at Kelly’s, Beverly (or Cunningham’s) and Freeman’s Fords.

Aug. 21, 1862 - Baton Rouge, Louisiana was evacuated by Federal forces.

Aug. 21, 1862 - Union forces surrendered Gallatin, Tenn.

Aug. 21, 1863 – Union militiamen attacked the farm belonging to Frank and Jesse James’ stepfather, looking for Southern conspirators.

Aug. 21, 1863 - In Lawrence, the center of abolitionism in Kansas, pro-Confederate William C. Quantrill and 450 proslavery followers, including such future western outlaws as the Younger brothers and Frank and Jesse James, raided the town and killed 182 men. The group also burned 185 buildings before riding back to Missouri. This incident incited the North and led to even more killing by both sides along the Kansas-Missouri border

Aug. 21, 1863 – During the Civil War, a skirmish occurred at Maysville, Ala.

Aug. 21, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought near Brooklyn and Paola, Kansas, with Quantrill’s guerrilla force; at Coldwater, Mississippi; at Shellmound, Tennessee; and near Glenville, West Virginia.

Aug. 21, 1863 – During the Civil War, the shelling of Charleston, South Carolina began because Fort Sumter refused to surrender. This shelling was done by the Swamp Angel, a huge battery that fired 200 pound shells.

Aug. 21, 1863 – During the Civil War, the Federal shelling of Chattanooga Tennessee began.

Aug. 21, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Cane Hill, Arkansas; at Grubb’s Crossroads, Kentucky; at Diamond Cave, Missouri; at Rogersville, Tennessee; near Berryville and Leesville, Virginia; and at Summit Point and at Welch’s (or Flowing Springs, near Charlestown, West Virginia.

Aug. 21, 1864 – During the Civil War, a seven-day Federal expedition into Washington and Benton Counties, Arkansas began.

Aug. 21, 1864 – During the Civil War, a Confederate raid on Memphis, Tenn. was conducted by forces of Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Aug. 21, 1864 – During the Civil War, General Robert E. Lee conceded the Weldon Railroad after his latest attack on the Federal lines failed to force the Union forces to retreat.

Aug. 21, 1879 – The corpse of J.W. (G.W.?) Collins was found near Easts’ Store in Monroe County, Ala. and officials figured his death was “probably brought about by over-exertion.” Collins and accused murderer Charles Roberts had teamed up after their escape from the Monroe County Jail with Roberts saying that “if I would follow him (Collins), he would carry me through safely.”

Aug. 21, 1879 - Apparitions of the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist were said to be witnessed by 15 people at the Knock Parish Church in Knock County Mayo, Ireland.

Aug. 21, 1885 – The Monroe Journal reported that a change had been made to the mail route from Repton to Bermuda and that mail would be taken three times a week from Monroeville to the “growing town of Repton.” Mail was scheduled to depart Monroeville for Repton on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 3 p.m. to connect with the incoming train at Repton at 7:30 p.m. Congressional Representative Hon. J.T. Jones was responsible for the change.

Aug. 21, 1885 – The Monroe Jouranl reported that W.A. George had accepted the position of principal of the school in Monroeville.

Aug. 21, 1885 – George Fountain and Richard Kyle, two inmates in the Monroe County Jail in Monroeville, Ala., attempted “one of the most daring attempts” to escape from the jail by assaulting Monroe County Sheriff Burns when he went to check on them that evening. Fountain and Kyle were in jail for larceny and burglary. A crowd of citizens came to Burns’ aid, and their escape proved unsuccessful.

Aug. 21, 1905 – Noah Dallas Peacock (Lewis Lavon Peacock’s older brother) bought 320 acres from J.D. Kelley in the neighborhood of Baker in Okaloosa County, Fla. after moving to the area from Bullock in Crenshaw County, Ala.

Aug. 21, 1906 - A.R. Boulware went to Mobile on this Tuesday on business, according to The Monroe Journal.

Aug. 21, 1908 – Washington Senators catcher Gabby Street, a native of Huntsville, Ala., achieved a measure of immortality by catching a baseball dropped from the top of the Washington Monument—a distance of 555 feet. After muffing the first 12 balls thrown by journalist Preston Gibson, he made a clean reception of number 13. In addition, Street was fabled as an early catcher and mentor of the American League’s nonpareil right-handed pitcher, Walter Johnson.

Aug. 21, 1911 – The “Mona Lisa” was stolen by a Louvre employee.

Aug. 21, 1912 – Edward G. Stamps, the son of J.H. Stamps of Evergreen, Ala. was shot and killed by Samson Mayor Mizell.

Aug. 21, 1912 – Evergreen, Ala. received its first bale of that year’s cotton from J.S. Johnson of China. It was purchased by Northcutt & Rumbley and brought 11-3/4 cents.

Aug. 21, 1914 – While passing through his brother’s yard on a Saturday night in Evergreen, Ala., Dan Bailey stepped on the decayed covering of an old well, which gave way, causing him to fall to the bottom of the well, where he remained several hours. He eventually managed to climb out of the well and suffered only slight injuries.

Aug. 21, 1915 – Jennie Faulk of Monroeville stopped in Evergreen, Ala. on this Saturday with her friends on a return trip from Atlanta.

Aug. 21, 1916 - The midsummer term of the Law and Equity Court convened on this Monday in Monroeville, Ala. with Judge W.G. McCorvey presiding. This was to be the last term of the Law and Equity court because all law and equity courts of the state were abolished by the previous legislature and their jurisdiction conferred upon the circuit courts.

Aug. 21, 1929 - The Chicago Cardinals traveled out of town for training camp. They were the first professional football team to do this.

Aug. 21, 1937 – National Book Award-winning Novelist Robert Stone was born in Brooklyn.

Aug. 21, 1940 - Ernest Lawrence Thayer died at age 77 in Santa Barbara, Calif. He wrote the poem "Casey at the Bat."

Aug. 21, 1941 - A movie version of Alabama author Lillian Hellman's play “The Little Foxes” was released.

Aug. 21, 1942 – Conecuh County, Ala. Circuit Clerk W.S. Dreaden suffered a heat attack on this Friday night and was carried to the hospital two days later. As of Aug. 27, he remained “critically ill” in a Montgomery hospital.

Aug. 21, 1942 – During World War II, the flag of Nazi Germany was installed atop the Mount Elbrus, the highest peak of the Caucasus mountain range.

Aug. 21, 1945 – Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Willie Lanier was born in Clover, Va. He went on to play for Morgan State and the Kansas City Chiefs. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986.

Aug. 21, 1958 – The Evergreen Courant announced that the newspaper had purchased and installed a new printing press, a Heidelberg Platen Press, which was expected to allow the paper to “give faster and better printing service than ever before.”

Aug. 21, 1958 – Evergreen High School opened fall football practice on this day at 5 a.m. in preparation for their season opener on Sept. 12 against Atmore. Twenty-five players reported for the first practice under coaches Wendell Hart and Jeff Moorer.

Aug. 21, 1959 – United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed an executive order proclaiming Hawaii the 50th state of the union and issued the order for the 50-star flag. Hawaii's admission is currently commemorated by Hawaii Admission Day.

Aug. 21, 1960 – Poet Ellen Hinsey was born in Boston.

Aug. 21, 1963 – Around midnight, a UFO was sighted near Ashton, south of Orlando, Fla., apparently taking on water from a lake. Later, around 3 a.m., another UFO was spotted above the trees at the roadside on U.S. Route 441, a few miles south of Pearson, Ga., at the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp.

Aug. 21, 1963 – During the Xá Lợi Pagoda raids, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam Special Forces loyal to Ngô Đình Nhu, brother of President Ngo Dinh Diem, vandalizedd Buddhist pagodas across the country, arresting thousands and leaving an estimated hundreds dead.

Aug. 21, 1966 – The Evergreen Golf Club’s annual membership tournament was scheduled to begin with an 18-hole qualifying round on this Sunday afternoon. Bill Ivey was the defending champion. The championship round of the tournament was scheduled to be played on Aug. 28.

Aug. 21, 1968 – James Anderson Jr. posthumously received the first Medal of Honor to be awarded to an African American U.S. Marine.

Aug. 21, 1969 - President Nixon and South Korean President Park Chung Hee met in San Francisco. In his welcoming address, Nixon noted that South Korea had “more fighting men in South Vietnam than any other nation” except the United States and South Vietnam. The United States would spend $250 million in 1969 to maintain South Korea’s 50,000-man Tiger Division in South Vietnam, which they had previously agreed to outfit.

Aug. 21, 1971 - Antiwar protestors associated with the Catholic Left raided draft offices in Buffalo, New York and Camden, New Jersey to confiscate and destroy draft records. The FBI and local police arrested 25 protestors.

Aug. 21, 1975 – The Conecuh County High School Quarterback Club was scheduled to hold its monthly meeting in the school library in Castleberry at 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 21, 1976 – Major League Baseball infielder Ramón Vázquez was born in Aibonito, Puerto Rico. He went on to play for the Seattle Mariners, the San Diego Padres, the Boston Red Sox, the Cleveland Indians, the Texas Rangers and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Aug. 21, 1980 – The Monroe Journal reported that Monroe Academy football coach Rob Kelly would field a team lacking in experience when the Vols opened the season against Glenwood School in Phenix City on Aug. 29. The Vols were the defending Alabama Private School Association state champions, having beat Jackson Academy in the finals in 1979. Top players on Monroe’s 1980 team included Donald Brackin, Boyd Bradley, Johnny Brantley, Tim Carter, Scotty Croft, Todd Cruittt, Alan Deer, Byron Dunn, Billy Elliott, Buddy Elliott, Eugene Garrett, Brian Harris, Michael Jordan, Steve Lambert, Joey Langham, Black Masingill, Patrick Munday, Mark Nettles, Chuck Owens, Mike Owens, Joey Pierson, John Ryals, Ricky Sanchez, Don Smith, Scottie Stuckey, Greg Tatum, Will Thames, Randy Watson and Anthony Wilson.

Aug. 21, 1980 – The Monroe Journal reported that Harry Lowery and family of Wildfork had won a 1980 Yamahopper after finding the bike’s key on Wed., Aug. 13, in a Maxwell House coffee can at the now-defunct Putt-Putt Golf Course on Highway 21 South. The radio station had been giving out clues to the location of the key since Aug. 4 and had planned to run the contest until Aug. 27, WMFC radio man Fred Kelly said.

Aug. 21, 1981 – Sparta Academy was scheduled to begin the 1981-82 school year.

Aug. 21, 1984 - Victoria Roche, a reserve outfielder, became the first girl to ever compete in a Little League World Series game.

Aug. 21, 1989 - The space probe Voyager 2 reached Triton, the largest moon of Neptune-- the only satellite in our solar system with a retrograde orbit.

Aug. 21, 1990 – The Monroeville City Council voted to hire Toni Luker McKelvey of Monroeville, Ala. as the city’s new city clerk. McKelvey was to be trained by Mary Myrick, who retired as city clerk in January, but returned to the job temporarily in the spring after the resignation of her replacement, Sharon Fountain.

Aug. 21, 1990 – Steve Durgin, 15, of Hybart, Ala. drowned on this Tuesday, around 3:20 p.m., in Tallahatchee Creek off State Highway 41 near Hybart. Monroe County Rescue Squad Diver Rusty Till discovered Durgin’s body in about 12 feet of water around 5:40 p.m. Monroe County Coroner Farish Manning pronounced Durgin dead about 5:55 p.m.

Aug. 21, 1996 – Conecuh County, Ala. public schools were scheduled to open the 1996-97 school year with the first full day of class for returning students.

Aug. 21, 2006 - Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hit his 725th career homerun.

Aug. 21, 2009 - The Dallas Cowboys played their first game at their new stadium in Arlington, Texas. During the preseason game, against the Tennessee Titans, the Titans' kicker hit the scoreboard hanging in the center of the stadium.

Aug. 21, 2010 - The departing owner of the “Amityville Horror” house held a moving sale at the house, and hundreds of people turned up for the event. They were allowed to go inside the house, but not to visit the upstairs rooms or the basement.