Today in History for Oct. 14, 2016

Chuck Yeager

Oct. 14, 1773 – Just before the beginning of the American Revolutionary War, several of the British East India Company's tea ships are set ablaze at the old seaport of Annapolis, Maryland.

Oct.  14, 1780 – In the early morning hours, a contingent of approximately 350 Patriot troops from the North Carolina and Virginia militias under Major Joseph Cloyd engaged a group of British Loyalists, numbering between 400 and 900, at the Shallow Ford crossing of the Yadkin River in North Carolina. Although they were severely outnumbered, Cloyd ordered the Patriot forces to attack; they gained the advantage when Loyalist leader Colonel Samuel Bryan was killed early in the battle. The Patriot militia lost one soldier killed and four wounded while it is believed that the Loyalists lost 14 killed. The Battle of Shallow Ford, which lasted just under 90 minutes, is considered one of the most important battles for the Patriot cause to take place in North Carolina during the Revolutionary War.

Oct. 14, 1824 – John M. Henderson was born at Brooklyn, Ala. He was a prominent businessman, deputy sheriff, county treasurer and probate judge. He also established the train depot in Castleberry, Ala. and served in 38th Ala. Reg. in the Civil War as a first lieutenant.

Oct. 14, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought near Bird’s Point and Linn Creek, Mo.

Oct. 14, 1863 – During the Civl War, at the Battle of Bristoe Station, Confederate troops under the command of General Robert E. Lee failed to drive the outnumbered Union Army completely out of Virginia. In a very short engagement, the Confederates suffered 1,400 men killed, wounded, orcaptured, while the Union lost only 546. The Union army was driven back 40 miles from its original positions, and the Confederates destroyed a large section of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, a key Union supply line.

Oct. 14, 1888 – Short story writer Katherine Mansfield was born in Wellington, New Zealand.

Oct. 14, 1890 - Dwight David 'Ike' Eisenhower, the 34th U.S. President, was born in Denison, Texas.

Oct. 14, 1894 – Poet Edward Estlin “E.E.” Cummings was born in Cambridge, Mass.

Oct. 14, 1895 - Prof. Powers’ school opened up in the new Monroeville Academy building on this Monday.

Oct. 14, 1895 – R.W. Wiggins, who lived about seven miles north of Monroeville, lost his house in a fire on this Monday night. The fire was caused at a kitchen stove, and the fire grew out of control before help could arrive. Most of the household furniture was saved, but the kitchen’s contents were entirely destroyed.

Oct. 14, 1908 – The Chicago Cubs defeated the Detroit Tigers, 2-0, clinching the World Series. It would be their last one to date.

Oct. 14, 1912 - Theodore Roosevelt, the former President of the United States, was shot and mildly wounded while campaigning in Milwaukee, Wisc. by mentally-disturbed saloon keeper John Schrank. With the fresh wound in his chest, and the bullet still within it, Roosevelt still carried out his scheduled public speech.

Oct. 14, 1914 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Col. J.F. Tate, a former principal of the Evegreen Academy, had passed away at Hurtsboro in Russell County, Ala.

Oct. 14, 1918 – During World War I, Army Pvt. Carl B. Smith of Belleville, Ala.; Army Pvt. William T. Broughton of Monroeville, Ala. (Co. M, 165th Infantry); and Army PFC Harry E. Parkman of Jackson, Ala. were killed in action. Army Cpl. Carey J. Parker of Brewton, Ala. “died from disease.”

Oct. 14, 1926 - The preliminary trial for Dan W. Presley, Curt Coleman and Henry Presley, who were charged with killing Newman Wiggins, was scheduled to take place at 10 a.m. in Evergreen, Ala. before Judge S.P. Dunn. The trial was originally scheduled for Oct. 12, but was postponed “on account of unavoidable absence of some of the defense attorneys.” The hearing was expected to attract a large crowd.

Oct. 14, 1927 - Atmore defeated Excel in football, 13-0, on the Excel field on this Friday afternoon. According to The Monroe Journal, this was Excel’s first loss in two years.

Oct. 14, 1940 – Major League Baseball outfielder and third baseman Tommy Harper was born in Oak Grove, La. He would go on to play for the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Seattle Pilots, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, California Angels, Oakland Athletics and the Baltimore Orioles.

Oct. 14, 1941 - The Department of the Army's recently constructed ammunition storage facility in Calhoun County, Ala. was officially named the Anniston Ordnance Depot.

Oct. 14, 1944 – Linked to a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was forced to commit suicide.

Oct. 14, 1945 - The Chicago Cardinals ended the longest losing streak in NFL history. The team had lost 29 consecutive games.

Oct. 14, 1946 – Major League Baseball outfielder and first baseman Al “Scoop” Oliver was born in Portsmouth, Ohio. He went on to play for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers, Montreal Expos, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays.

Oct. 14, 1947 – Pro Football Hall of Famer Charlie Joiner was born in Many, La. He would go on to play for the Houston Oilers, Cincinnati Bengals and San Diego Chargers.

Oct. 14, 1947 – Around 2 p.m., masked bandit W.C. Ethredge, age about 30, of Atmore, Ala. held up the Farmers Exchange Bank in McCullough and robbed it of $800. Ethredge fled in a 1941 Chevrolet Coupe, but was chased and got into a shoot out with his pursuers. Ethredge eventually abandoned his car at Goodway and fled into the woods, only to commit suicide a short while later. Pursing officers heard two shots and then found Ethredge dead with one shot in his left breast and one shot above his right ear. He was clutching a .38 caliber Smith-Wesson revolver in his right hand and money from the bank in his left.

Oct. 14, 1947 – Captain Chuck Yeager of the United States Air Force flew a Bell X-1 rocket-powered experimental aircraft, the Glamorous Glennis, faster than the speed of sound at Mach 1.06 (700 miles per hour (1,100 km/h; 610 kn) over the high desert of Southern California and became the first pilot and the first airplane to do so in level flight.

Oct. 14, 1951 - Jack Christiansen of the Detroit Lions ran back two punts for touchdowns.

Oct. 14, 1954 – Coffeeville beat Lyeffion, 39-7, in Lyeffion, Ala. Wayne Thames scored Lyeffion’s only touchdown on a 53-yard run.

Oct. 14, 1958 – Australian geologist, academic, and explorer Douglas Mawson died at home at the age of 76 of a cerebral haemorrhage in Brighton, South Australia. Along with Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton, Mawson was a key expedition leader during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

Oct. 14, 1962 - George Blanda of the Houston Oilers threw six touchdown passes against the New York Titans.

Oct. 14, 1963 – NFL running back Keith Byars was born in Dayton, Ohio. He would go on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots and New York Jets.

Oct. 14, 1972 - In Iraq, oil was struck for the first time just north of Kirkuk.

Oct. 14, 1972 – Scoring in all four quarters, Excel High School’s football team, led by head coach Lee Holladay, improved to 7-0 on the season and held onto the No. 3 spot in the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Class 1A football poll with a 37-6 win over J.U. Blacksher in Excel. An estimated crowd of 2,500 attended the game, and this was said to be the largest crowd to ever attend a football game at Excel. Outstanding Excel players in that game included Rhett Barnes, Jack Booth, Butch Grissette, Larry Hixon, Joe Dale Ikner and Paul Wiggins. Standout Blacksher players in the game included Jimmy Hadley and Hilburn.

Oct. 14, 1975 – Ronald DeFeo Jr. went on trial for the killings of his parents and four siblings in their Amityville, New York home. The family’s house was later said to be haunted and served as the inspiration for the “Amityville Horror” book and movies.

Oct. 14, 1976 - The New York Yankees won their first American League pennant since 1964.

Oct. 14, 1977 – Sparta Academy beat South Montgomery County Academy, 14-11, in Grady, Ala. Sparta trailed, 11-8, with less than a minute to go when quarterback Terry Peacock hooked up with Tony Raines on a pass-and-run play good for 56 yards and the winning touchdown. Other standout Sparta players in that game included Greg Anthony, Tony Baggett, Bill Cope, Greg Crabtree, Harry Crabtree, Steve Dubose, Tommy Hutcheson, Ronny McKenzie, Cook Morrison, Bobby Padgett, Johnny Ralls, David Sabino and Gray Stevens. Mike Bledsoe was Sparta’s head coach, and Bo Owens was assistant coach.

Oct. 14, 1977 – Frisco City High School beat Conecuh County High School, 25-0, in Castleberry, Ala. Standout Castleberry players in that game included Darryll Crane, Anglo Dees, Wendall Kast, Johnny McIntyre, Ricky Reeves, Joe Richardson, Curtis Scott, Robert Taylor, Richard Terry, Ronald Terry and Anthony Tripp.

Oct. 14, 1977 – The Pilot Club of Evergreen, a service club for business and professional women, was founded in Evergreen, Ala. Mayor O.B. “Bert” Tuggle declared this day as “Pilot Founders Day,” and Jo Ann Jones, Mamie Lambert and Correan Salter, directors of the Pilot Club, signed the incorporation papers of the club in attorney William D. Melton’s law office.

Oct. 14, 1984 – George ‘Sparky’ Anderson became the first baseball manager to win 100 games and a World Series in both leagues.

Oct. 14, 1987 - Retired three-term Circuit Solicitor Ralph Lee Jones was buried on this Wednesday following a 10 a.m. tribute in the Monroe County Courthouse with several lawyers and officials speaking and an 11 a.m. graveside service at Hillcrest Cemetery with the Rev. Vince Whittington officiating. Jones served several counties while holding the position of solicitor, now known as district attorney, and he had also practiced law in Monroeville and was elected to the state legislature.

Oct. 14, 1990 - Joe Montana of the San Francisco 49ers passed for 476 yards and six touchdowns. Five of the touchdowns were thrown to Jerry Rice.

Oct. 14, 1993 – The Alabama Historical Commission completed an historical survey and study of sites and structures in Conecuh County.

Oct. 14, 1998 - The San Diego Padres beat the Atlanta Braves, 5-0, to advance to their first World Series in 14 years.

Oct. 14, 2000 - Neil Parry had his right leg severely broken while playing on kickoff coverage during a game at UTEP. Nine days later his lower leg was amputated. Three years later he returned to football on one play with a prosthetic leg.

Oct. 14, 2002 - U.S. President George Bush warned that Iraq's Saddam Hussein wanted to use al-Quaida as his "forward army" against the West. Bush also noted that the U.S. could fight both Iraq and al-Qaida simultaneously.

Oct. 14, 2003 – Chicago Cubs fan Steve Bartman became infamously known as the scapegoat for the Cubs losing Game Six of the 2003 National League Championship Series to the Florida Marlins. In the eighth inning, with the Cubs just five outs away from their first World Series since 1945, Bartman plucked a fly ball hit to left field by Luis Castillo out of the air before outfielder Moises Alou could catch it—a catch that would have been a crucial out—in the sixth game of the league championship series against the Florida Marlins. As a result of Bartman’s interference, the Cubs lost their momentum and the game.

Oct. 14, 2006 – The college football brawl between University of Miami and Florida International University led to suspensions of 31 players of both teams.