Today in History for Nov. 11, 2016

Governor Isham Harris

Nov. 11, 1620 - The Mayflower Compact was signed by the 41 men on the Mayflower when they landed in what is now Provincetown Harbor near Cape Cod. The compact called for "just and equal laws."

Nov. 11, 1774 – William Lawrence Locklin was born in Milledgeville in Baldwin County, Ga., where he learned to build cotton gins. He moved to Fort Claiborne, Ala. in 1812 and established Alabama’s first cotton gin there in 1817.

Nov. 11, 1775 - The Continental Congress engaged missionary Samuel Kirkland to spread the "Gospel amongst the Indians" with the goal of confirming "their affections to the United Colonies...thereby preserving their friendship and neutrality."

Nov. 11, 1778 – In what is now known as the “Cherry Valley Massacre,” Loyalists and Seneca Indian forces attacked a fort and village in eastern New York, near Cooperstown, during the American Revolutionary War, killing more than 40 civilians and soldiers under the command of Patriot Col. Ichabod Alden. Alden was killed and 70 were taken prisoner.

Nov. 11, 1811 - Confederate General Ben McCulloch was born near Rutherford City, Tennessee.

Nov. 11, 1813 – During the War of 1812, at the Battle of Crysler's Farm, British and Canadian forces defeated a larger American force, causing the Americans to abandon their Saint Lawrence campaign.

Nov. 11, 1823 – Harry Toulmin passed away at his plantation at Fort Stoddert at the age of 57. Born in Taunton, Somersetshire, England on April 7, 1766, he succeeded Ephraim Kirby as Superior Court Judge for the Tombigbee District of the Mississippi Territory when Kirby died at Fort Stoddert in 1804. Toulmin assumed the role of first postmaster in January 1805.

Nov. 11, 1831 – In Jerusalem, Virginia, Nat Turner was hanged after inciting a violent slave uprising.

Nov. 11, 1839 – The Virginia Military Institute was founded in Lexington, Virginia.

Nov. 11, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Little Blue, Mo.

Nov. 11, 1861 – During the Civil War, Governor Isham Harris of Tennessee suppressed pro-Federal insurrection in East Tennessee during the next nine days.

Nov. 11, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at the New Market Bridge, which is near Fort Monroe, Va.

Nov. 11, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at New Berne, N.C. and at Jefferson, Va.

Nov. 11, 1862 - Corporal Barber of the 15th Illinois Volunteer Infantry was a great letter-writer, and many of his wartime missives have been preserved. On this day, he wrote describing his unit’s activities around Oxford, Mississippi: “We now kept shifting position and performing those uncertain movements so perplexing to a soldier... Restricted on our rations, all communications cut off...and surrounded by a relentless horde of rebel cavalry, our situation was anything but pleasant. The boys commenced an indiscriminate foraging with an avidity which knew no limits. In many places gold was found which the rebels had buried before leaving for the war to prevent its falling into the hands of the Yankees, but a little coaxing would induce the head darkey on the plantation to divulge its hiding place.”

Nov. 11, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Fouche-le-Faix Mountains and Caddo Gap, Ark.; at Greenleaf Prairie in the Indian Territory; at Carrion Crow and Vermillion Bayous in the Bayou Teche country of Louisiana; at Natchez, Miss.; and at Suffolk, Va.

Nov. 11, 1863 – During the Civil War, Union General Benjamin Butler was one of the more colorful, not to say controversial, figures of the War. Not much of a combat commander, he had been shifted into administration, particularly of occupied cities. During his tenure in command of New Orleans, he had infuriated so many that his picture was pasted in the bottom of chamber pots. (Replicas of which may still be obtained from Confederate Memorial Hall in New Orleans on Camp Street--adjacent to the D-Day Museum). Finally he was replaced, not for irritating his subjects but for failing to sufficiently support the campaign up the Mississippi River. On this day, he got his new assignment, replacing Gen. John G. Foster in the Department of Virginia and North Carolina. He got off to a reasonably typical start, issuing an order forbidding the populace to harass citizens loyal to the Union with “opprobrious and threatening language.” Women, for once, were not singled out.

Nov. 11, 1864 – During the Civil War, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, during his famous “Marchh to the Sea,” began burning Atlanta, Georgia to the ground in preparation for his march south.

Nov. 11, 1864 – During the Civil War, a skirmish occurred at Shoal Creek, Ala.

Nov. 11, 1864 – During the Civil War, a Federal operation from Springfield, Mo. to Huntsville and Yellville, Ark. began.

Nov. 11, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Bull Gap and Russellville, Tenn. and at Kernstown and Manassas Junction, Va.

Nov. 11, 1866 – The Conecuh County Courthouse at Sparta burned down. (Some sources say this happened on Nov. 10, 1866.)

Nov. 11, 1884 – The Monroe County Jail in Monroeville, Ala. caught fire around midnight, burning everything but the bare walls. All prisoners were safely removed.

Nov. 11, 1889 – The Monroe County Circuit Court convened at 12 p.m. in Monroeville, Ala. It adjourned on Nov. 19.

Nov. 11, 1889 – The State of Washington was admitted as the 42nd state of the United States.

Nov. 11, 1891 – National Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop and second baseman Rabbit Maranville was born in Springfield, Mass. He went on to play for the Boston Braves, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Chicago Cubs, the Brooklyn Robins and the St. Louis Cardinals. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1954.

Nov. 11, 1892 – T.J. Emmons was commissioned as Monroe County, Alabama’s Circuit Court Clerk.

Nov. 11, 1892 – The University of Alabama played the first football game in its history, a 56-0 win over Birmingham High School at Lakeview Park in Birmingham.

Nov. 11, 1895 - Chancery Court convened in Monroeville, Ala. and remained in session until Nov. 12 with Chancellor W.H. Tayloe presiding.

Nov. 11, 1901 - Alabama's 1901 Constitution was ratified by statewide vote in an election fraught with corruption. Following the trend of other southern states in this period, Alabama used the constitution to effectively disfranchise blacks and poor whites. With hundreds of amendments, the 1901 Constitution carries the distinction of being twice as long as the constitution of any other state.

Nov. 11, 1911 - The “Great Blue Norther of 11/11/11” struck the central United States - a dramatic cold snap brought in by a powerful storm system that swept away warm, humid air with frigid arctic air. Many Midwestern cities broke record highs and lows on the same day. In Springfield, Mo. it went from 80 to 40 °F within two hours. Oklahoma City had a high of of 83°F and a low of 17°F.

Nov. 11, 1918 – On the day World War I officially ended, Army soldier Jesse James Leonard of Opp, Ala., Army Cpl. George K. Ealum of McKenzie, Ala., and Army Pvt. Louis Hayles of Eliska, Ala. were killed in action.

Nov. 11, 1918 – World War I ended. More than two million American soldiers had served on the battlefields of Western Europe, and more than 50,000 of these men had lost their lives. Germany signed an armistice agreement with the Allies in a railroad car in the forest of Compiègne, France. The fighting officially ended at 11:00 a.m., (the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month) and this is commemorated annually with a two-minute silence. The war officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919.

Nov. 11, 1921 – The first ever football game between Jones Mill and Excel is believed to have been played on this day in Frisco City. It was Jones Mill’s first game ever, and they won, 26-0.

Nov. 11, 1921 – The Tomb of the Unknowns was dedicated by US President Warren G. Harding at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Nov. 11, 1922 – Writer and veteran Kurt Vonnegut was born in Indianapolis, Ind. He's the author of “Slaughterhouse Five” (1969), “Cat's Cradle” (1963), “Breakfast of Champions” (1973), and “Timequake” (1997).

Nov. 11, 1925 – Comedian Jonathan Winters was born in Bellbrook, Ohio.

Nov. 11, 1926 – The United States Numbered Highway System was established.

Nov. 11, 1943 – As per custom since World War I, the merchants of Monroeville, Ala. and the county’s five banks planned to close for the entire day in observance of Armistice Day.

Nov. 11, 1954 – Writer Mary Gaitskill was born.

Nov. 11, 1955 – Evergreen High School, under head coach Wendell Hart, beat T.R. Miller, 33-0, at Brooks Stadium in Evergreen. Standout Evergreen players in that game included Bert Cook, Russell Deason, Ronnie Edson, Wayne Frazier, Bill Grace, Eddie Kelly, Buck Lewis, Jimmy Moorer, James Nelson, Wendell Tolbert, Tommy Watts and Randy White.

Nov. 11, 1955 – Red Level, under head coach Ray Davis, beat Lyeffion, 60-0, in Lyeffion.

Nov. 11, 1955 – On homecoming night in Repton, Flomaton High School beat Repton High School, 18-0. Outstanding players for Repton included Ray Blackwell, Crutchfield and Waters.

Nov. 11, 1955 – The brick pillars and metal arch at the cemetery at Indian Springs Baptist Church at McWilliams were dedicated. A marker on one of the columns reads, “In Memory of Cynthia and Cullen Mims, these gates, arch and columns were donated to Indian Springs Cemetery by Alice Maxwell Brantley, daughter of Margaret Mims and James Franklin Maxwell and granddaughter of Cynthia and Cullen Mims, Nov. 11, 1955.”

Nov. 11, 1960 – A military coup against President Ngô Đình Diệm of South Vietnam was crushed.

Nov. 11, 1962 – Kuwait's National Assembly ratified the Constitution of Kuwait.

Nov. 11, 1963 – Lyeffion’s Donald Garrett appeared in Sports Illustrated. Garrett was featured in the magazine’s ‘Faces in the Crowd’ section for his exploits in the Repton game when he gained 350 yards rushing, scored four touchdowns and passed for another.

Nov. 11, 1964 – Monroeville, Ala. native Hugh B. DuBose, 66, of Birmingham passed away in a Birmingham hospital. DuBose ran unsuccessfully for Alabama governor in 1950 on a platform that included a call for state operated race tracks. He moved from Monroeville to Birmingham in 1930. In Birmingham, he opened several restaurants and private clubs and founded the DuBose Publishing Co.

Nov. 11, 1967 – During the Vietnam War, in a propaganda ceremony in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, three American prisoners of war were released by the Viet Cong and turned over to "new left" antiwar activist Tom Hayden.

Nov. 11, 1967 - In Vietnam, the Americal (formerly Task Force Oregon) and 1st Cavalry Divisions combined to form Operation Wheeler/Wallowa in Quang Nam and Quang Tin Provinces, I Corps. The purpose of the operation was to relieve enemy pressure and to reinforce the III Marine Amphibious Force in the area, thus permitting Marines to be deployed further north. The operation lasted more than 12 months and resulted in 10,000 enemy casualties.

Nov. 11, 1968 – During the Vietnam War, Operation Commando Hunt was initiated. The goal was to interdict men and supplies on the Ho Chi Minh trail, through Laos into South Vietnam.

Nov. 11, 1969 - Jim Morrison of The Doors and Tom Bakker were jailed for "interfering with the flight of an intercontinental aircraft and public drunkenness." The charges were eventually dropped.

Nov. 11, 1971 – A Veterans Day Parade was held in downtown Evergreen, Ala. The parade was followed by a program in No Man’s Land that featured a speech by State Auditor Melba Till Allen.

Nov. 11, 1972 – During theVietnam War, the United States Army turned over the massive Long Binh military base to South Vietnam.

Nov. 11, 1976 – Major League Baseball relief pitcher Jason Grilli was born in Royal Oak, Mich. He went on to pitch for the Florida Marlins, the Chicago White Sox, the Detroit Tigers, the Colorado Rockies, the Texas Rangers, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the Atlanta Braves and the Toronto Blue Jays.

Nov. 11, 1977 – Evergreen, Ala. weather reporter Earl Windham reported a low of 29 degrees.

Nov. 11, 1977 – In the opening round of the Class 1A playoffs, Repton High School improved to 10-0-1 by beating Sweet Water, 21-7, in Repton, Ala.

Nov. 11, 1978 - A stuntman on the Georgia set of “The Dukes of Hazzard” launched the show’s iconic automobile, a 1969 Dodge Charger named the General Lee, off a makeshift dirt ramp and over a police car. That jump, 16 feet high and 82 feet long (its landing totaled the car), made TV history. Although more than 300 different General Lees appeared in the series, which ran on CBS from 1979 until 1985, this first one was the only one to play a part in every episode: That jump over the squad car ran every week at the end of the show’s opening credits.

Nov. 11, 1981 - Rookie of the Year Fernando Valenzuela won the National League’s Cy Young Award, becoming the first player in baseball history to win both prizes in the same season.

Nov. 11, 1984 - The Houston Oilers ended their streak of 23 consecutive road losses when they beat Kansas City, 17-16.

Nov. 11, 1990 - Derrick Thomas of the Kansas City Chiefs set an NFL record when he had seven sacks in a game against the Seahawks.

Nov. 11, 1992 – A southbound CSX train collided with a 1985 Chevrolet Cavalier at the railroad crossing near the Old Depot in downtown Evegreen, Ala. around 11:22 a.m. The Cavalier was driven by Leroy Andrews, 23, of Castleberry. Andrews was not seriously injured.

Nov. 11, 1993 – A sculpture honoring women who served in the Vietnam War was dedicated at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

  

Nov. 11, 1994 – “Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles,” the big-screen adaptation of Anne Rice’s best-selling 1976 novel, opened in theaters around the United States.

Nov. 11, 1995 - A newly formed firing squad participated in Veterans Day activities on this Saturday on the Courthouse Square in Monroeville, Ala. The Rev. Tom Butts presented the invocation. Squad members included Commander Eddie Everette, Walt Bentley, J.V. Lundy, Allen Biggs, Alvin Bayles, E.C. Reid, Robert Sims and Bill McDonald.

Nov. 11, 1997 - Roger Clemens of the Toronto Blue Jays became the third Major League Baseball player to win the Cy Young Award four times.

Nov. 11, 1999 - The Greek ship HS Leon (D-54), formerly the USS Eldridge, was sold for scrap to the Piraeus-based firm V&J Scrapmetal Trading Ltd.

Nov. 11, 2002 - Barry Bonds became the first Major League Baseball player to win the league’s Most Valuable Player title five times.

Nov. 11, 2003 - Alabama author and Poet Laureate Helen Blackshear died in Cottondale, Ala.

Nov. 11, 2003 – About 150 people, including many veterans, attended a Veterans Day ceremony on this Tuesday morning at Veterans Memorial Park in Monroeville, Ala.

  

Nov. 11, 2013 – “Bear Grylls: Escape From Hell” premiered on the Discovery Channel in the U.S.