Today in History for Jan. 19, 2017

Grave of James Gibby in France.

Jan. 19, 1736 – Steam engine innovator James Watt was born in Greenock, Scotland.

Jan. 19, 1764 - The British Parliament expelled John Wilkes from its ranks for his reputedly libelous, seditious and pornographic writings, and over the next 12 years, Wilkes’ name became a byword for Parliamentary oppression both in Britain and in Britain’s North American colonies.

Jan. 19, 1807 – Confederate General Robert E. Lee was born in Westmoreland County, Va. Lee commanded the Army of Northern Virginia during most of the Civil War and his brilliant battlefield leadership earned him a reputation as one of the greatest military leaders in history as he consistently defeated larger Union armies.

Jan. 19, 1809 – Poet and short-story writer Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Mass.

Jan. 19, 1818 - The first legislature of the Alabama Territory convened at the Douglass Hotel in the territorial capital of St. Stephens. Attendance was sparse with 12 members of the House, representing seven counties, and only one member of the Senate conducting the business of the new territory.

Jan. 19, 1825 – During his tour of the United States, the Marquis de Lafayette visited Baltimore, Md.

Jan. 19, 1830 - LaGrange College in Franklin County, Ala. was chartered by the state legislature, and it eventually became the University of North Alabama. The college officially opened its doors to students on Jan. 11, 1830.

Jan. 19, 1836 – Col. James “Jim” Bowie arrived at the Alamo with 30 men to investigate the military situation for govern Henry Smith and General Sam Houston.

Jan. 19, 1840 – Captain Charles Wilkes circumnavigated Antarctica, claiming what became known as Wilkes Land for the United States.

Jan. 19, 1861 – During the Civil War, the ordinance of secession was adopted at Milledgeville, Ga. at a special state convention by the Georgia State Legislature, making Georgia the fifth state to secede, joining South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi and Alabama in seceding from the United States. The vote was 208-89 to leave the Union.

Jan. 19, 1862 – At the Battle of Mill Springs in Pulaski and Wayne counties in southern Kentucky, the Confederacy suffered its first significant defeat of the Civil War. Union forces were led by General George Thomas, and Confederate forces were led by George Crittenden. The battle, which secured Union control of the region and resulted in the death of Confederate General Felix Zollicoffer, is also known as the Battle of Logan’s Crossroads, Battle on Fishing Creek and Beech Grove. The Confederates lost 400 men in the engagement; the Yankees lost about 250.

Jan. 19, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at White Oak Creek, N.C.; in the vicinity of Woodbury, Tenn.; and at Burnt Ordinary, Va.

Jan. 19, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Branchville, Ark. and at Big Springs, in the vicinity of Tazewell, Tenn. A seven-day Federal operation began in and about Williamsburg, Va.

Jan. 19, 1865 - A two-day Federal reconnaissance began in the vicinity of Donaldsonville, La. and a four-day Federal operation began between Memphis, Tenn. and Marion, Ark. Skirmishes were also fought at outside of Corinth, Miss. and at Half-Moon Battery, N.C. Federal reconnaissance was conducted to Myrtle Sound, with assistance from the gunboat USS Buckingham. General Robert E. Lee also grudgingly accepted the command of all Confederate military forces.

Jan. 19, 1865 - Confederate General John Pegram and Hetty Cary were married. The ceremony was attended by nearly all of the high-ranking Confederates, including Jefferson Davis and his wife. On Feb. 6, Pegram's body was returned to the same church after he was killed at the Battle of Dabney's Mill, Va.

Jan. 19, 1884 – Excel, Ala. received its name when M.D. Harrison named its post office “Excel” because of the “excellent surrounding farmland and the possibility of future development.”

Jan. 19, 1885 – The Monroe Journal reported that during a public sale C.T. Simmons purchased the “Clausell place” on the south side of Monroeville, Ala. for $600.

Jan. 19, 1895 – The Monroe Journal office in Monroeville, Ala. received a visit from San Francisco native Frank C. Carpenter, who was walking from Cincinnati to Mobile “on a wager.” Carpenter left Cincinnati on Dec. 1 and under the conditions of the bet, he had to make the entire journey on foot and “without other pecuniary assistance than that he should earn while en route” by Jan. 30.

Jan. 19, 1906 - The Col. J.M. Falkner Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy were scheduled to hold a public meeting at the Conecuh County (Ala.) Courthouse on this Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. to commemorate the birthday of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Crosses of Honor were to also be presented to all veterans entitled to them.

Jan. 19, 1915 – The Conecuh County, Ala. United Daughters of the Confederacy Chapter met at the Evergreen, Ala. school to celebrate Robert E. Lee’s birthday and to confer Crosses of Honor on local Confederate veterans.

Jan. 19, 1915 – During World War I, German zeppelins bombed the towns of Great Yarmouth and King's Lynn in the United Kingdom killing at least 20 people, in the first major aerial bombardment of a civilian target.

Jan. 19, 1919 – During World War I, Army Sgt. James A. Powell of Georgiana, Ala. and Army Pvt. Wiley Payne of Greenville, Ala. “died from disease.”

Jan. 19, 1919 – During World War I, Army Pvt. James Gibby of Barlow Bend in Clarke County, Ala. “died from disease.” He is buried in the Saint Mihiel American Cemetery and Memorial, Thiaucourt-Regnieville, Departement de Meurthe-et-Moselle, in Lorraine, France.

Jan. 19, 1919 – Dr. Charles Brooks Thomas passed away at the age of 60 and was buried in the Thomaston Cemetery in Marengo County, Ala. Earlier in life, he bought a plantation where Thomaston, Ala. is now located and was appointed postmaster. Thomaston was named in his honor, and he had the land surveyed, laid out the town and served as the town’s first mayor.

Jan. 19, 1921 – Novelist Patricia Highsmith was born in Fort Worth, Texas. She is best known for her 1955 novel, “The Talented Mr. Ripley.”

Jan. 19, 1922 – The Monroe Journal reported that A.C. Lee visited Tallahassee and Monticello, Fla. on business during the first of that week.

Jan. 19, 1922 – The Monroe Journal reported that a “partial shipment of the art glass and Florentine windows for the new Baptist church” had been received and were to be put in place shortly.

Jan. 19, 1929 – The Evergreen, Ala. Night Hawks basketball team beat the Mobile Rangers, 37-25.

Jan. 19, 1929 – Confederate veteran Solomon Monroe Long of Range, Ala. passed away. Born in Rutledge in Crenshaw County, he enlisted in Greenville at the age of 19 on April 16, 1862 and was in Co. B, 1st Battalion of Hilliard’s Legion. He fought at Chickamauga and was wounded on Sept. 20, 1863. He was transferred to Co. H of the 60th Alabama and was listed as sick at Knoxville on Nov. 28, 1863. He was listed as sick at Bean’s Station on Dec. 14, 1863 and was on the muster roll at Drewry’s Bluff, Va. on May 16, 1864 and at Petersburg, Va. on Jan. 1, 1865. He was later captured and sent to Point Lookout, Md. only to be paroled on May 27, 1865.

Jan. 19, 1930 - Alabama author Ann Deagon was born in Birmingham, Ala.

Jan. 19, 1932 – The Annual Conecuh County Farm Bureau meeting was held at the Conecuh County (Ala.) Courthouse at 10 a.m., immediately after that morning’s Cotton Mass Meeting. E.L. Albreast was president of the Conecuh County Farm Bureau.

Jan. 19, 1938 – Alabama State Representative Forrest Castleberry announced he would seek reelection in the May and June primaries. He was serving his first term in office, having been elected in 1934.

Jan. 19, 1945 – During World War II, Soviet forces liberated the Łódź Ghetto. Of more than 200,000 inhabitants in 1940, less than 900 had survived the Nazi occupation.

Jan. 19, 1946 – Dolly Parton was born in Sevier County, Tenn.

Jan. 19, 1949 – UMS’s varsity boys basketball team beat Evergreen High School, 33-27, in Mobile, Ala. Dickey Bozeman led Evergreen with 12 points.

Jan. 19, 1950 – The Evergreen Courant reported that a Burnt Corn man had gained worldwide recognition for an act of generosity. Joe McCarter of Burnt Corn sent a turkey to the late President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in November 1943. Joe thought everything was fine when he received a letter of thanks from Roosevelt through his private secretary, Gene Tully. What happened later came as a complete surprise to Joe. Roosevelt flew to Cairo, Egypt, late in November of 1943 for a meeting with Winston Churchill, then Prime Minister of Great Britain. And, it has been revealed by Elliott Roosevelt in his biography of his father, Joe’s turkey flew with the late president. In Elliott’s book, “As He Saw It,” it was reported that President Roosevelt had Churchill and other prominent leaders as his guests for Thanksgiving dinner. The president brought his own turkeys, among them a bird sent by “one Joe McCarter.” Elliott quoted his illustrious father as saying, “Can you imagine how surprised Joe’ll be, when he finds out how far his bird was flown, before it was eaten?” A number of world famous persons enjoyed some of Joe’s turkey. In addition to Roosevelt, Elliott and Churchill, Sara Churchill, Anthony Eden, Admiral William Leahy, Harry Hopkins, and others ate the Conecuh County turkey.

Jan. 19, 1950 – Evergreen High School’s varsity boys basketball team was scheduled to play Cuthbert (Ga.) on this Friday night at Memorial Gym in Evergreen, Ala. The game was scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m.

Jan. 19, 1952 - The National Football League bought the franchise of the New York Yankees from Ted Collins. The franchise was then awarded to a group in Dallas on Jan. 24.

Jan. 19, 1953 - Jesse Owens of Alabama was named Illinois Athletic Commission secretary.

Jan. 19, 1958 - The Canadian Football Council changed its name to the Canadian Football League.

Jan. 19, 1959 – John Malcolm Patterson took the oath of office as Alabama’s 44th Governor. Patterson was administered the oath by Judge Walter B. Jones of Montgomery, Alabama’s senior circuit judge. Conecuh County had a float in the inaugural parade, and Evergreen High School’s band also marched in the parade.

Jan. 19, 1961 - Outgoing President Dwight D. Eisenhower cautioned incoming President John F. Kennedy that Laos is “the key to the entire area of Southeast Asia,” and might even require the direct intervention of U.S. combat troops.

Jan. 19, 1963 – Lee Roy Jordan of Excel was named Associated Press College Football Lineman of the Year in Columbus, Ohio.

Jan. 19, 1965 - Frank T. Salter began his new duties as Conecuh County’s Judge of Probate on this Tuesday morning. He succeeded Judge Lloyd G. Hart, who ended 18 years in the office the day before. Judge Salter was administered the oath of office by his brother, State Representative Wiley Salter, at 9:30 a.m. on Monday morning in a brief ceremony in the courtroom. Judge Salter made his first political bid a successful one in the spring of 1964 when he won the probate judge’s election. He ran a close second in the first primary in May and defeated Judge Hart in the runoff in June. He had no opposition in the general election in November 1964. Judge Salter was born and reared on a Conecuh County farm and was graduated from Lyeffion High School. He served overseas in the U.S. Army during World War II and was recalled to active duty and served overseas again during the Korean War.

Jan. 19, 1967 - Lesly Gore appeared on ABC-TV's "Batman" as Catwoman's sidekick, Pussycat.

Jan. 19, 1967 – The Monroe Journal reported that copies of its 200-page Centennial Edition were selling at a “rapid pace.” Single copies of the permanently bound Centennial were selling for $2 each when picked up at The Journal office and for $2.50 when mailed.

Jan. 19, 1968 – During the Vietnam War, “Sky Soldiers” from the 173rd Airborne Brigade began Operation McLain with a reconnaissance-in-force operation in the Central Highlands, looking to find and destroy the communist base camps in the area in order to promote better security for the province.

Jan. 19, 1969 – Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau was born in San Diego, Calif. During his career, he played for USC, the San Diego Chargers, the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.

Jan. 19, 1971 - The Pinckney D. Bowles Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy met on this Tuesday in the home of Miss Elizabeth Riley with Mrs. Hunter Morgan co-hostess. The meeting was called to order by Mrs. Ray Owens, the president. Miss Demoval Hagood gave the program on “The Virginia Lees.”

Jan. 19, 1974 – China gained control over all the Paracel Islands after a military engagement between the naval forces of the People's Republic of China and Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam).

Jan. 19, 1977 – Snow fell in Miami, Fla., and this was the only time in the history of the city that snow had fallen. It also fell in The Bahamas.

Jan. 19, 1978 – The Macon General Store Museum Collection in Andalusia, Ala. was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Jan. 19, 1979 - Former U.S. Attorney General John N. Mitchell was released on parole after serving 19 months at a federal prison in Alabama.

Jan. 19, 1980 - Conecuh County’s Junior Miss, Cordella Johnson, was to represent the county in the state Junior Miss finals on this Saturday at 7 p.m. at Lee High School in Montgomery, Ala. Cordella was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alex Johnson and was crowned Conecuh County’s Junior Miss on Nov. 29, 1979. Cordella was to present a vocal selection, “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” in the program.

Jan. 19, 1983 – Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie was arrested in Bolivia.

Jan. 19, 1989 - President Ronald Reagan pardoned George Steinbrenner. Steinbrenner was indicted on 14 criminal counts on April 5, 1974, then pleaded guilty to making illegal contributions to Nixon's re-election campaign and a felony charge of obstruction of justice on Aug. 23.

Jan. 19, 1991 – During the Gulf War, Iraq fired a second Scud missile into Israel, causing 15 injuries.

Jan. 19, 1993 - The Oakland A's unveiled its new elephant logo.

Jan. 19, 1995 - The annual banquet for the Conecuh-Evergreen Chamber of Commerce was scheduled to be held on this Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Evergreen Inn. Griffin Lassiter, Director of the Alabama Resource Centers, was to be one of the featured speakers at the banquet along with Mr. Ed Pitchford of Alabama Power Company’s Community Development Division.

Jan. 19, 1997 - Ivan Rodriguez signed a deal with the Texas Rangers worth $6.65 million for one year.

Jan. 19, 1999 – Former Evergreen coach Charles Branum found dead in his home in Tillman’s Corner, Ala., murdered by escaped convicts Kathy R. Jenkins of Mobile and Leslie M. Fillingim of Eight Mile, Ala.

Jan. 19, 2001 – Sparta Academy’s varsity boys beat Clarke Prep, 71-59, in Evergreen, and Sparta’s varsity girls beat Clarke Prep, 59-42. John McKenzie led Sparta’s boys with 15 points, and Katie Etheridge led Sparta’s girls with 29 points. Other top Sparta boys in that game included Jimmy Hyde, Chris Garner, Rusty Salter, Derrick Williams, Kyle Johnston and Justin Tranum. Top Sparta girls in their game included Jill Pate, Ashley Hammonds, Jessica Bennett, Laura Wiggins, Ashton Garner and Callie Ezell.

Jan. 19, 2001 - J.M. “Jack” Davis, 58, of Castleberry died. Davis was a member of the Air Force Reserves and a Vietnam Veteran.

Jan. 19, 2010 – The Orange Beach Community Cemetery in Baldwin County was added to the Alabama Historic Cemetery Register.

Jan. 19, 2010 - The Evergreen City Council, during a meeting on this Tuesday at Evergreen (Ala.) City Hall, voted unanimously in favor of a resolution “to celebrate the athletic achievement” of Drew Davis and named him as as the city’s special athletic ambassador. Davis, the University of Alabama’s starting right offensive tackle for the past two seasons, closed out his college football career on Jan. 7 when Alabama claimed its 13^th national championship with a 37-21 win over Texas in the BCS National Championship Game in Pasadena, Calif.

Jan. 19, 2013 – Former Major League Baseball infielder Milt Bolling passed away at Providence Hospital in Mobile, Ala. at the age of 82. Born on Aug. 9, 1930 in Mississippi City, Miss., he went on to play for the Boston Red Sox, the Washington Senators and the Detroit Tigers. He attended Spring Hill College in Mobile and after his playing days, he spent more than 30 years with the Red Sox, including time as an area scout based in Alabama.

Jan. 19, 2013 - In Scottsdale, Ariz., the original Batmobile for the TV series "Batman" sold at auction for $4.6 million. It was the first of six Batmobiles produced for the show.

Jan. 19, 2013 – National Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder and first baseman Stan Musial died at the age of 92 in Lade, Mo. He played his entire career for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1969.

Jan. 19, 2013 – National Baseball Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver died around 2 a.m. of an apparent heart attack, at the age of 82, while on an Orioles’ fantasy cruise aboard the Celebrity Silhouette in the Caribbean Sea. He coached and managed for his entire career for the Baltimore Orioles. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996.

Jan. 19, 2015 – Around 5:30 a.m. in Greenville in Butler County, Ala., a UFO witness said he went outside with his dog and saw a “real, bright light” overhead at an estimated 10,000 feet. The light increased in brightness and then flew off into the sky, the witness said.