Today in History for June 1, 2017

Braxton Bragg "B.B." Comer

June 1, 1495 – A monk, John Cor, recorded the first known batch of Scotch whisky.

June 1, 1637 – French missionary and explorer Jacques Marquette was born in Laon, Kingdom of France.

June 1, 1774 - The British government ordered the Port of Boston closed, and the Boston Port Act demanded payment for the tea destroyed in the Boston Tea Party event before the port could reopen for any imports but food.

June 1, 1776 - Patriots attempted to knock the light out of the Sandy Hook lighthouse, but they did not succeed. The lighthouse is the oldest in the United States.

June 1, 1779 – Benedict Arnold, a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, was court-martialed in Philadelphia, Pa. for malfeasance. He was charged with 13 counts of misbehavior and illegally buying and selling goods.

June 1, 1792 - Kentucky became the 15th state of the U.S.

June 1, 1796 - Tennessee became the 16th state of the U.S.

June 1, 1796 – French engineer and physicist Nicolas Leonard Sadi Carnot, who is often referred to as the “father of thermodynamics,” was born in the Luxembourg Palace in Paris.

June 1, 1800 - Alabama author Caroline Lee Hentz was born in Lancaster, Mass.

June 1, 1812 – During the War of 1812, U.S. President James Madison asked the Congress to declare war on the United Kingdom.

June 1, 1825 – During his tour of the United States, the Marquis de Lafayette arrived in Butler, Pa., where he stayed overnight.

June 1, 1825 – Future Confederate general and cavalry officer John Hunt Morgan was born in Huntsville, Ala. He is best known as the leader of "Morgan's Raiders," a Confederate military unit that laid waste to Union materiel and supply lines during the Civil War. He earned the nickname "Thunderbolt of the Confederacy" as he raided from Tennessee into Kentucky and Ohio between the spring of 1862 and the summer of 1864, taking prisoners and equipment and disrupting Union supply lines. Men under his command engaged in pillaging on several occasions, and he was suspended from command in August 1864 shortly before he was killed on Sept. 4 while evading capture by Union forces. Morgan's birthplace, the Hunt-Morgan House in Huntsville's Twickenham Historic District, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and bears a historic marker; it houses a Civil War museum.

June 1, 1827 – William Marshall Carney was born. In 1895, when a post office was first established at the freight station at Williams Station, Carney, the first post master, suggested that the name of the location be changed to Atmore to honor C.P. Atmore, general passenger agent for the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. When the L&N reached this point around 1867, William L. Williams, who lived a short distance away over the state line in Florida, built a freight station called Williams Station here. Atmore was incorporated in 1907.

June 1, 1831 – British explorer James Clark Ross became the first European at the Magnetic North Pole. However, this location gradually moves over time, and it's currently drifting away from North America towards Siberia.

June 1, 1843 - It snowed in Buffalo, Rochester and Cleveland.

June 1, 1855 – American adventurer William Walker conquered Nicaragua.

June 1, 1861 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Arlington Mills and Fairfax Court House, Va.

June 1, 1861 – Thomas Wesley Simpson Jr., an early Conecuh County, Ala. settler and Freemason, died at his home near Belleville, Ala. at the age of 55. Born on March 23, 1806, he was buried in the Burnett-Donald-Simpson Cemetery in Belleville.

June 1, 1861 – During the Civil War, at the Battle of Fairfax Court House, the first land battle of the American Civil War, after the Battle of Fort Sumter, occurred, producing the first Confederate combat casualty.

June 1, 1862 – During the Civil War’s Peninsula Campaign, the Battle of Seven Pines (or the Battle of Fair Oaks) ended inconclusively, with both sides claiming victory. Gen. Robert E. Lee replaced Joseph Johnston as commander of the Army of Northern Virginia after Johnston was severely wounded at the Battle of Fair Oaks.

June 1, 1862 – During the Civil War, Robert E. Lee issued the first orders bearing the name Army of Northern Virginia.

June 1, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Eleven Points, Missouri and at Mount Carmel Church, Virginia.

June 1, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Berwick Bay, Louisiana and at Snicker's Gap, Virginia.

June 1, 1863 – During the Civil War, the siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi entered Day 14.

June 1, 1863 – During the Civil War, Ambrose Burnside ordered the Chicago Times to close because of the paper's anti-Lincoln rhetoric.

June 1, 1864 - The Battle of Cold Harbor began when Confederate troops attacked Union troops at the strategic crossroads of Cold Harbor, Virginia, less than a dozen miles from Richmond.

June 1, 1864 - Cavalry troops under General Samual D. Sturgis left Memphis in search of Confederate commander Nathan Bedford Forrest.

June 1, 1864 – During the Civil War, the Battle at Bethesda Church was fought in Virginia

June 1, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought near Pound Gap, Virginia and at Allatoona Pass, Geogia.

June 1, 1864 – During the Civil War, a raid was conducted on New Market and a skirmish was fought near Arnoldsville, Missouri.

June 1, 1864 – During the Civil War, Don Carlos Buell resigned his commission.

June 1, 1868 - The fifteenth president of the United States, James Buchanan, died at the age of 77 in Lancaster, Pa.

June 1, 1871 – Eighteen-year-old hired trail boss John Wesley Hardin, one of the deadliest men in the history of the Old West, who lived in Pollard, Ala. for about 18 months, arrived with his cattle herd in Abilene, Kansas, where he briefly became friends with Town Marshal Wild Bill Hickok. During his stay in Abilene, Hardin rented a room at the American House Hotel and shot a stranger in the next room to death for snoring too loudly.

June 1, 1878 – Poet John Masefield was born in Ledbury, England. Masefield was chosen as the U.K.’s poet laureate in 1930 and kept the post for 37 years.

June 1, 1886 - J.H. Moore of Claiborne visited The Monroe Journal on this Tuesday and reported crops “in his section in a promising condition.”

June 1, 1886 - A “refreshing little shower of rain” fell in Monroeville on this Tuesday evening, according to The Monroe Journal.

June 1, 1889 – Editor, translator, journalist and linguist Charles Kay Ogden was born in Fleetwood, Lancashire, England.

June 1, 1895 – The Monroe County Board of Confederate Pension Examiners was scheduled to meet at the Monroe County Courthouse. Members of the board included Capt. Thomas A. Nettles, John I. Watson and Thos. A. Rumbly.

June 1, 1896 - A cotton bloom was received at the office of The Monroe Journal on this day, grown on the plantation of Nick Stallworth Jr. at Pineville. James T. Snow of Monroeville also reported a bloom found in his field about the same date. The first bloom of the 1895 season was reported on June 7.

June 1, 1904 – The Evergreen Courant reported that General P.D. Bowles had returned from a visit to Tampa, Fla.

June 1, 1904 – The Evergreen Courant reported that, at a meeting of the school board in Montgomery, Ala. during the previous week, Prof. J.A. Liner was re-elected President of the Agricultural School, and Prof. W.W. Monroe and Misses Ethel King and Willie Cunningham members of the faculty. The other members of the faculty were to be chosen and their names announced later.

June 1, 1904 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Jim Salter, after being a fugitive from justice for eight years, now occupied a cell in the Conecuh County Jail. He was captured by Sheriff Pridgen in Evergreen one day during the previous week. He shot George Murphy’s arm off in Evergreen about eight years before, made his escape and had successfully evaded arrest until he stopped off in Evergreen a few days before and the sheriff picked him up. He was charged with assault with intent to murder.

June 1, 1909 – The 16th Annual commencement exercises of the Southwest Alabama Agricultural School in Evergreen, Ala. took place. The graduates included Virginia Witherington, Maude S. Lowery, Sadie Moorer, Mary E. Stallworth, Mae Binion, Lois Mixon, Chas. R. Wiggins, Andrew T. Riley and Paul P. Salter. Speeches were delivered by Gov. B.B. Comer and State Treasurer W.D. Seed of Tuscaloosa. School President H.T. Lile delivered the diplomas.

June 1, 1910 – The engine house of the Monroeville, Ala. waterworks was destroyed by fire, putting the plant out of commission and causing a serious water shortage. The plant was restarted within 20 to 30 hours.

June 1, 1910 – Robert Falcon Scott's second South Pole expedition left Cardiff.

June 1, 1911 – Deputy Collector of Internal Revenue W.F. Nabors found and destroyed two distilleries in Monroe County, Ala. The first still was located at a home about 1-1/2 miles northwest of Franklin and the homeowner was placed in the Monroe County Jail on charges of petit larceny. The other still was found in the smokehouse of an old woman named Parthenia Hunter, who lived about two miles west of Franklin.

June 1, 1915 – The third day of Monroe County High School’s four-day fourth-annual commencement exercises continued on this Tuesday with a baseball game between MCHS and Finchburg at 3:30 p.m. A declamation contest was held at 8 p.m.

June 1, 1915 – Graduation exercises were scheduled to be held at Conecuh County High School in Castleberry, Ala. J.B. Hobdy with the Department of Education in Montgomery was to give the graduation address and present diplomas to graduates.

June 1-3, 1915 – The 25th Annual Reunion of United Confederate Veterans was held in Richmond, Va. A special round-trip train ticket from Evergreen, Ala. to the reunion and back cost $16.35.

June 1, 1916 – The Monroe Journal reported that Dr. T.E. Dennis was having “a commodious new dwelling” built in the northern part of Monroeville. J.M. Daniel was the contractor.

June 1, 1916 – The Monroe Journal reported that “the local committee having in charge the entertainment and piloting of the Forrest Highway commission through Monroe County on the occasion of the inspection tour” on Mon., June 5, requested that all owners of cars to assemble at Burnt Corn by 3 p.m. to form an escort of honor from that place to Monroeville. The Forrest party was to spend the night in Monroeville and proceed to Bay Minette on Tues., June 6. A banquet was to be served at the Crook Hotel on the evening of Mon., June 5, at which the Hon. Richard W. Massey, president of the association, was to deliver an address on “The Aims and Purposes of the Forrest Highway.” The visiting party was expected to consist of 25 or more persons including representatives of the press.

June 1, 1916 - A meeting of the directors of the Monroe County Fair Association and others interested in the enterprise, was held in Monroeville. Encouraged by the success attending the first county fair in 1915, the directors determined to put on a bigger and better display of homegrown products the following fall and appointed committees to work out of the necessary details. October 19, 20 and 21 were tentatively designated as the dates for holding the fair.

June 1, 1916 - As German and British naval forces clashed in the North Sea during the Battle of Jutland and the French resist the persistent German siege at Verdun, German army troops launched a major attack on British lines in the Ypres Salient on the Western Front.

June 1, 1918 – During World War I on the Western Front at the Battle of Belleau Wood, Allied Forces under John J. Pershing and James Harbord engaged Imperial German Forces under Wilhelm, German Crown Prince.

June 1, 1923 - The New York Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 22-8. The Giants scored in every inning of the game.

June 1, 1925 – Baseball Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig began his legendary consecutive games played streak when Yankees manager Miller Huggins sent Gehrig in to pinch hit for Paul “Pee-Wee” Wanninger against the Senators, and for the next 14 seasons – despite a fractured rib, broken toe, sore back and numerous other ailments – Gehrig played in every game. In all, the played in 2,130 consecutive games, and his streak ended on May 2, 1939.

June 1, 1926 – Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jean Mortenson in Los Angeles, Calif.

June 1, 1937 - Author Olivia Solomon was born in Tallassee, Ala.

June 1, 1937 – Writer and neuroscientist Collen McCullough was born in Wellington, Australia.

June 1, 1938 - Baseball helmets were worn for the first time.

June 1, 1939 – Effective on this date, Harry L. Riley Jr. became the owner of the grocery business which formerly was owned and operated by J.T. Gaillard. Riley purchased the entire stock and fixtures and planned to continue to operate the business at the same location under the name, “Riley Grocery.”

June 1, 1939 – Milton, Florida’s baseball team beat the Evergreen Greenies on this Thursday afternoon, 3-2, in Milton. Stewart was on the mound for Milton while Watson took care of the Evergreen mound chores.

June 1, 1941 - Mel Ott hit the 400th home run of his career. He also drove in his 1,500th career run.

June 1, 1941 – The Farhud, a pogrom of Iraqi Jews, took place in Baghdad.

June 1, 1948 - Monroe County voters were to go to the polls again on this Tuesday but this time there was only one local candidate on the ballot - John M. Coxwell of Monroeville, county solicitor, who was seeking one of the two positions as delegate from the First District to the Democratic National Convention that summer. He was opposed by three Mobilians.

June 1, 1950 - Author Michael McDowell was born in Enterprise, Ala.

June 1, 1956 - The NAACP was barred from operating in Alabama. Montgomery County Circuit Judge Walter B. Jones issued the order at the request of Attorney General John Patterson, who argued that the NAACP was not properly registered in the state. Jones also fined the organization $100,000 and ordered it to turn over its records and membership lists to the state. The ban lasted until October 1964.

June 1, 1961 – Birmingham, Ala. native Lee May signed an amateur free agent contract with the Cincinnati Reds with a $12,000 bonus.

June 1, 1961 - Radio listeners in New York, California and Illinois were introduced to FM multiplex stereo broadcasting. A year later, the FCC made this a standard.

June 1, 1962 – Adolf Eichmann was hanged in Israel.

June 1, 1963 - Governor George Wallace vowed to defy an injunction that ordered the integration of the University of Alabama.

June 1, 1964 - The second meeting of the Evergreen Senior League was held in the Civil Room of the Conecuh County Court House on this Monday night at 7:30 p.m. The meeting was presided over by President Bill Chapman. After discussing the general rules and specifications governing League play, the managers completed their rosters by bidding on the new players coming into the league. The rosters for the Senior League were: Braves: Johnny Brown, Jud Stinson, George Stinson, Bobby Sasser, James Adams, Grover Jackson, Don Hansen, Forrest Simpson, Charley Wild, John Adams, Gray Sullivan and Eddie Rawls. Pirates: Mike Moorer, Tommy Chapman, Benny Burt, Ronnie Chastain, Steve Baggett, Johnny Thornley, Glenn Bolton, Eddie Thornley, Harold Hamiter, Ralph Deason, Elliott Quarles and Wayne Hicks. Indians: Knud Nielsen, Claude Nielsen, Ed Smith, Bill Snowden, Bubba Mininger, Bill Bailey, Wayne Caylor, Jerry Caylor, Thomas Riley, Larry Wright, Tommy Weaver and Dan Johnson. Tigers: Wayne Pate, Eddie Ellis, Miles Covin, Ronnie Elliott, Jerry Johnson, Bubba Faulkner, Donald Brewton, Herbert Ellis Jr., Bobby Jernigan, Dallas Kelly and Emmett Price.

June 1, 1964 - Top U.S. officials concerned about the Vietnam War gathered for two days of meetings in Honolulu. Attendees included Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge, Gen. William Westmoreland, Gen. Maxwell Taylor, and CIA Director John McCone, among others. Much of the discussion focused on the projected air war against North Vietnam, including a list of 94 potential targets.

June 1, 1965 – Pro Football Hall of Fame halfback and kicker Curly Lambeau died at the age of 67 at Sturgeon Bay, Wisc. During his career, he played for Notre Dame and the Green Bay Packers, and he also coached the Packers, the Chicago Cardinals and the Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1963.

June 1, 1966 – Novelist and screenwriter Sheri Holman was born near Richmond, Va.

June 1, 1967 – “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” by the Beatles was released for the first time.

June 1, 1968 – Wolff Motor Co. in Evergreen, Ala. first opened when owner Pete Wolff purchased his first vehicle for sale.

June 1, 1968 – Helen Adams Keller passed away at the age of 87 in Easton, Conn.

June 1, 1971 - In support of the Nixon Administration’s conduct of the war, a group named the Vietnam Veterans for a Just Peace declared that it represented the majority of the U.S. veterans that had served in Southeast Asia, and called the protests and congressional testimony of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War “irresponsible.”

June 1, 1972 - At Abbey Road Studios in London, Pink Floyd began recording their album "Dark Side of the Moon."

June 1, 1973 – On a short run from Fort Lauderdale to Freeport in the Bermuda Triangle, pilot Reno Rigoni and copilot Bob Corner disappeared in a Cessna 180.

June 1, 1974 – Henry Jay Heimlich published his “Heimlich maneuver” in the “Journal of Emergency Medicine.”

June 1, 1975 - Nolan Ryan pitched his fourth career no-hitter in his 100th career victory.

June 1, 1980 – The Cable News Network (CNN) made its debut as the first all-news station.

June 1, 1980 - Steve Garvey hit the 7,000th home run for the Dodgers.

June 1, 1980 – National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Rube Marquard passed away at the age of 93 in Baltimore, Md. During his career, he played for the New York Giants, the Brooklyn Robins, the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Braves. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1971.

June 1, 1981 – Comedian, writer and actor Amy Schumer was born on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

June 1, 1992 – Monroe Academy graduate B.J. Wallace was drafted in the first round of the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft by the Montreal Expos.

June 1, 1993 – Hillcrest High School’s commencement exercises were to be held on this Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Brooks Memorial Stadium in Evergreen, Ala. James Powell was valedictorian, and Kristy Sims was salutatorian.

June 1, 1996 - Alabama author Jesse Hill Ford died in Nashville, Tenn.

June 1, 2000 - Dr. Woodrow Wilson Eddins Sr., a retired physician who practiced medicine in his native Monroe County for over 50 years, passed away at the age of 87. Born on Nov. 5, 1912, he was buried in the Pineville Cemetery in Monroeville. Eddins, a graduate of the University of Alabama, completed his medical studies at the University of Chicago. He interned at Mobile General Hospital and Lloyd Nolan Hospital in Birmingham. He was a member and life counselor of the Medical Association of Alabama and a member of the American Medical Association. He served on the Monroe County Hospital Board of Directors and was a director of Peterman State Bank. He was a member of the Monroeville Kiwanis Club and attended Monroeville First Baptist Church.

June 1, 2003 – The Kathryn Tucker Windham Museum on the campus of Alabama Southern Community College in Thomasville, Ala. was dedicated on this day, which was Windham's 85th birthday.