Today in History for Oct. 28, 2016

William Rufus King

Oct. 28, 1492 – Christopher Columbus discovered Cuba on his first voyage to the New World.

Oct. 28, 1636 – A vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony establishes the first college in what would become the United States, today known as Harvard University.

Oct. 28, 1718 – Croatian explorer Ignacije Szentmartony was born in Kotoriba (Međimurje).

Oct. 28, 1758 - Alabama poet Jean-Simon Chaudron was born in Vignery, France.

Oct. 28, 1775 – During the American Revolutionary War, new commander in chief of the British army, Major General Sir William Howe, issued a proclamation to the residents of Boston that forbid them from leaving the city and ordered citizens to organize into military companies in order to “contribute all in his power for the preservation of order and good government within the town of Boston.”

Oct. 28, 1776 – During the American Revolutionary War, at the Battle of White Plains, British Army forces arrived at White Plains, New York, attacked and captured Chatterton Hill from the Americans.

Oct. 28, 1794 – In Lovecraftian fiction, Alexis Ladeau, the author of “Reminiscences of Friedrich Wilheim von Junzt,” was born in Vienna. He first appeared in 1931’s “The Black Stone” by Robert E. Howard.

Oct. 28, 1818 – Belleville Baptist Church in Belleville, Ala. was organized by the Rev. Alexander Travis and the Rev. David Wood.

Oct. 28, 1819 - The Alabama legislature elected William Rufus King and John W. Walker as Alabama's first United States senators. King served several terms in the Senate and in 1852 was elected U.S. Vice President. Walker, who had been president of the Alabama constitutional convention of 1819, served in the Senate until 1822, when he resigned. The terms of both senators officially began December 14, 1819, the day that Alabama became the 22nd state.

Oct. 28, 1819 – Abel Farrar was commissioned as Monroe County, Alabama’s Circuit Court Clerk and Sheriff Yancey was commissioned as Monroe County’s Sheriff.

Oct. 28, 1824 – In an incident attributed to the Bermuda Triangle, the USS Wild Cat disappeared while en route from Cuba to Thompson’s Island with a crew of 14.

Oct. 28, 1841 – The steamboat “Jewess” struck a snag and sank in the area of Prairie Bluff (Prairie Blue), a river landing on a high bluff on the north bank of the Alabama River in the section of the river known as Canton Bend, near the present day Miller’s Ferry Bridge in Wilcox County, Ala.

Oct. 28, 1846 - Alabama poet Jean-Simon Chaudron died in Mobile, Ala.

Oct. 28, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Laurel Bridge, Laurel County, Ky.

Oct. 28, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought near Budd’s Ferry, Md.

Oct. 28, 1861 – During the Civil War, a Federal expedition to Fulton, Mo. was carried out.

Oct. 28, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at McGuire’s, Ark. and near Waverly, Tenn.

Oct. 28, 1862 – During the Civil War, an action was fought at Oxford Bend, White River, near Fayetteville, Ark., forcing a Confederate retreat, by Union Brig. General Samuel R. Curtis, the Army of the Frontier.

Oct. 28, 1863 - Union troops retained control of Brown's Ferry in Hamilton County, Tenn. after counter attacks. Confederate General Longstreet withdrew his troops before dawn.

Oct. 28, 1863 – During the Civil War, Federal cavalry occuppied Arkadelphia, Ark.

Oct. 28, 1863 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Clarksville and Leiper’s Ferry, Tenn.

Oct. 28, 1863 - The “Cracker Line” was the name for the supply line cut through to the Union army bottled up in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It had barely been established, and in fact was still under threat by Confederate forces on Raccoon Mountain overlooking vital Brown’s Ferry. The threat was obvious to both sides, and on this night in the war, Gen. James Longstreet’s men came to try to knock it out. Brig. Gen. John W. Geary’s troops in the Lookout Valley and Wauhatchie were the defenders in this action, and despite intense action and being outnumbered, the Federal lines held. It was one of the rare nighttime actions of the war. Most combat was over by 4 a.m. The Cracker Line was not threatened again.

Oct. 28, 1864 - The Battle of Fair Oaks & Darbytown Road (also known as the Second Battle of Fair Oaks) ended with Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant withdrawing from Fair Oaks, Virginia after failing to breach the Confederate defenses around Richmond, Virginia. The assault was actually a diversion to draw attention from a larger Union offensive around Petersburg, Virginia. Some 1,100 Union men were killed, wounded, or captured during the attack, while the Confederates lost some 450 troops.

Oct. 28, 1864 – During the Civil War, a skirmish occurred at Goshen, Ala. as Lt. General John B. Hood, CSA, moved his Army of Tennessee westward. A skirmish also occurred at Ladiga, Ala. as Hood moved westward and contrary to previous army theory, Major General William T. Sherman, USA, moved eastward back towards Atlanta, Ga.

Oct. 28, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Newtonia. Mo.; with Indians near Midway Station, in the Nebraska Territory; at Morristown, Tenn., with Confederate Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest and another at Russellville, Tenn.; and near Newtown, Snicker’s Gap, and Upperville, Va.

Oct. 28, 1886 - The Statue of Liberty was officially unveiled and dedicated in New York Harbor by U.S. President Grover Cleveland. The statue weighs 225 tons and is 152 feet tall. It was originally known as "Liberty Enlightening the World."

Oct. 28, 1888 – William Joseph Mason, who served as mayor of Beatrice, Ala. for 12 years, was born at Midway.

Oct. 28, 1903 – Novelist Evelyn Waugh was born in London, England.

Oct. 28, 1908 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the trial of K. Wyrosdick, who was charged with the murder of Claud Vickery, resulted in Wyrosdick’s acquittal. The cases against Jno. Wyrosdick and Frank Whitlock were nol prossed.

Oct. 28, 1914 – The first frost of the season was observed in Monroeville, Ala.

Oct. 28, 1914 – B.W. Slaughter shot and killed Watt Cobb, who was a sheriff’s deputy and constable, at Slaughter’s gin near Lower Peachtree. Cobb went to the gin to arrest a black man who worked for Slaughter, but Slaughter agreed to be responsible for his appearance in court, which Cobb agreed to. As Slaughter began to walk away, Cobb called him back and said he wanted to settle a dispute they’d had for several months. During the ensuring argument, Cobb drew his pistol, and Slaughter shot him twice, “causing his death within a short time.” The black man who worked for Slaughter was the only witness to the incident. Slaughter traveled to Monroeville the following day and voluntarily surrendered to Sheriff Stallworth. Slaughter was discharged after a preliminary hearing before Judge McCorvey.

Oct. 28, 1914 – Dr. Jonas Salk, who developed the polio vaccine in the mid-1950s, was born in New York City.

Oct. 28, 1918 – During World War I, Army Pvt. Archie D. McCrory of Repton, Ala. and Army Pvt. Claude Chapman of Grove Hill, Ala. “died from disease.”

Oct. 28, 1919 – The U.S. Congress passed the Volstead Act (also known as the National Prohibition Act) over President Woodrow Wilson's veto, paving the way for Prohibition to begin the following January. Prohibition was repealed in 1933 with the passing of the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Oct. 28, 1921 – The Citizens Military Committee of Conecuh County held a meeting at the Conecuh County Courthouse in Evergreen, Ala. at 11 a.m. for the purpose of organizing a Machine Gun Company in Conecuh County.

Oct. 28, 1922 – The first ever cross-country broadcast of a college football game took place when the University of Chicago took on Princeton University at Stagg Field in Chicago.

Oct. 28, 1923 – Wilbur “Fats” Henry of the Canton Bulldogs set a pro football record for longest punt with a 94-yarder.

Oct. 28, 1926 – Major League Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn was born in Takoma Park, Maryland.

Oct. 28, 1927 - Mrs. J.W. Rutherford was scheduled to give a Halloween supper on this Friday evening at the Masonic hall at Franklin with the proceeds to go to the Episcopal church at Monroeville, Ala.

Oct. 28, 1929 - The first child was born in an aircraft, a girl over Miami, Florida.

Oct. 28, 1938 – A humorous contest – a diaper pinning contest – was scheduled to be held at the Pix Theatre in Evergreen, Ala. on this Friday night with a number of local men planned as the contestants.

Oct. 28, 1938 – On their way to the first perfect season in school history, Monroe County High School, under coach T.C. Huckabee, beat previously unbeaten Frisco City High School, 6-0, on this Friday night in Monroeville. “The game was witnessed by the largest crowd ever to attend a game in Monroeville and was packed with t hrills from start to finish, many plays being of the sensational variety.” Monroe’s only touchdown came midway through the fourth quarter when Monroeville end Feagin intercepted a FC pass and returned it for a TD.

Oct. 28, 1938 – Best-selling detective novelist Anne Perry was born Juliet Hulme in London.

Oct. 28, 1939 – The final coat of paving was applied to the one-mile stretch of road west of the downtown square in Monroeville, Ala. Also on that day, contractors poured slag and put the final coat of paving on the east side of the square and on the highway east of the square to the Shell service station.

Oct. 28, 1943 – The W.T. Smith Lumber Co. in Evergreen was presented the Army-Navy ‘E’ award in a ceremony at the plant at 4 p.m. on this Thursday for high achievement in the production of war materials. Lt. Comdr. Edwin Phillips, U.S. Naval Reserve, commanding officer of the Naval Training School at Alabama Polytechnic Institute in Auburn was the official Naval representative at the ceremony and presented the award flag to Floyd McGowin, president of the lumber company.

Oct. 28, 1950 – Prominent Conecuh County, Ala. merchant William T. Wiggins passed away in a Greenville hospital at the age of 75. A native of Butler County, Wiggins had lived in the Mt. Union community of Conecuh County for many years.

Oct. 28, 1952 - Annie Potts, who played receptionist Janine Melnitz in “Ghostbusters” and “Ghostbusters II,” was born in Nashville, Tenn.

Oct. 28, 1953 – Famed marksman Ken Beegle was scheduled to give an exhibition of his shooting abilities and trick shots at Brooks Stadium in Evergreen, Ala. at 1:30 p.m. The exhibition was sponsored by local dealers, who sold Remington guns and ammunition.

Oct. 28, 1954 – The Monroe Journal reported that two distinguished visitors – R.E. Lambert Jr. of Darlington, Ala. and Bart R. Stafford of Brooklyn, N.Y. – were welcomed to a recent meeting of Alabama Masonic Lodge No. 3 in Monroeville. Stafford was the great-great-grandson of a notable historical figure in Monroe County, Arthur Pendleton Bagby, who was governor of Alabama from 1837 to 1841, and a former resident of Claiborne. Gov. Bagby was also a member of Lodge No. 3. Ben Jones was the lodge’s Worshipful Master in 1954.

Oct. 28, 1955 - Alabama author Frances Gaither died in Cocoa, Fla.

Oct. 28-31, 1957 - The Dixie Fox Hunters Association was scheduled to hold its annual Bench Show and Field Trials at Burnt Corn.

Oct. 28, 1960 – In their last home game of the season, Evergreen High School beat Red Level High School, 14-0, at Brooks Stadium in Evergreen, Ala.

Oct. 28, 1961 - Construction began on Municipal (Shea) Stadium for the New York Mets.

Oct. 28, 1962 – The Cuban Missile Crisis ended as Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev ordered the removal of Soviet missiles from Cuba.

Oct. 28, 1963 - The 100th episode of "The Andy Griffith Show" aired.

Oct. 28, 1964 – During the Vietnam War, U.S. T-28 airplanes flown by Thai pilots bombed and strafed North Vietnamese villages in the Mugia Pass area. North Vietnam charged publicly that U.S. personnel participated in the raids, but U.S. officials denied that any Americans were involved.

Oct. 28, 1965 – Construction on the St. Louis Arch was completed.

Oct. 28, 1965 - Viet Cong commandos damaged and destroyed a number of allied aircraft in two separate raids on U.S. air bases, including Chu Lai, on the coast of the South China Sea in Quang Tin Province, I Corps.

Oct. 28, 1967 - Minnie Lee “Miss Minnie” Robbins of Beatrice, Ala., who operated Robbins Hotel as “an elegant haven for commercial men,” passed away at the age of 99.

Oct. 28, 1969 - G.L. Kuhlman resigned as Monroe County’s civil defense coordinator when he submitted his letter of resignation to the Monroe County Commission. Kuhlman was hired as the county’s first civil defense coordinator about 3-1/2 years prior to his resignation, which became effective Nov. 1. He resigned to return home to Beardstown, Ill.

Oct. 28, 1972 – NFL running back Terrell Davis was born in San Diego, Calif. He would go on to star at the University of Georgia and for the Denver Broncos.

Oct. 28, 1976 - John D. Erlichman, a former aide to U.S. President Richard Nixon, entered a federal prison camp in Safford, Az. to begin serving his sentence for Watergate-related convictions.

Oct. 28, 1977 – The River Falls Post Office in River Falls in Covington County, Ala. was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Oct. 28-29, 1980 – Weather reporter Earl Windham reported 3.88 inches of rain during this two-day period, including 3.02 inches on Oct. 28 and .86 inches on Oct. 29.

Oct. 28, 1983 – Monroe Academy, under head coach Rob Kelly, clinched another berth in the Alabama Private School Athletic Association 3A state playoffs on this Friday with a 49-27 win over Macon Academy in Monroeville, Ala. Monroe’s ground game rolled up 355 yards rushing as senior halfback Tim Carter rambled for 130 yards on just five rushes and junior halfback Donald Foster piled up 129 yards on 16 carries. Other standout MA players in that game included Jody Brannon, Keith Dees, Hudson Hines, Brent King, Steve Lambert, Keith Langham, Michael McCrory, Steven Simmons, Don Smith, Todd Stacey, Richard Tippy, Gene Wiggins and Troy Wilson.

Oct. 28, 1988 – Sparta Academy, under head coach Mike Bledsoe, wrapped up the first ever 10-0 undefeated season in school history with a 7-0 win over Greenville Academy in Greenville. Jamie Deason scored Sparta’s only touchdown that night on a one-yard run and finished the game with 63 yards on 16 carries. Other outstanding Sparta players in that game included Craig Blackburn, Kenny Bledsoe, Jeff Carrier, Jimmy Hart and Lee Wild. Sparta also won the APSA East Region Class A championship that season by posting a perfect 7-0 record in region play during the regular season.

Oct. 28, 1990 - Iraq announced that it was halting gasoline rationing.

Oct. 28, 1990 – Austrian SS officer Erich Göst died at the age of 65 in Sankt Jakob, Austria.

Oct. 28, 1992 - Scientists used sonar to map Scotland's Loch Ness. Though they reportedly discovered a mysterious object, they declined to speculate whether it might be Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster.

  

Oct. 28, 1994 – Charles Henderson High School beat Hillcrest High School, 26-6, in Troy State University’s stadium in Troy, Ala. Carey Pugh scored Hillcrest’s only touchdown on a 45-yard pass from Don Ray Mixon. Dennis Anderson was Hillcrest’s head coach, and other standout players in that game included Blake Anderson, Paul Brock, Kharlis Crosby, Ryan Meeks, Derrick Rudolph, Roger Rudolph, Sylvester Rudolph, Chad Smith and Ansel Thomas.

Oct. 28, 1994 - U.S. President Bill Clinton visited Kuwait and implied that all the troops there would be home by Christmas.

Oct. 28, 1994 - The NFL Management Council and the NFL Players Association announced an agreement for the formulation and implementation of the most comprehensive drug and alcohol policy in sports.

Oct. 28, 1995 – The Alabama Historical Commission presented Lucy Warren of Evergreen, Ala. with a Distinguished Service Award during the commission’s annual historical preservation conference at the state capitol in Montgomery.

Oct. 28, 1996 - Members of the New York Yankees and their manager appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman.

  

Oct. 28, 2010 – The Conecuh County Board of Eduction said farewell to three out-going board members – Jean Harter, Mary Moncrease and David Thomas during the last official school board meeting of their terms in office. In all, they represented 42 years of combined service on the board.