Today in History for June 10, 2017

Ottis Johnson of Evergreen, Ala.

June 10, 1596 – Willem Barents and Jacob van Heemskerk discovered Bear Island.

June 10, 1692 – During the Salem witch trials, Bridget Bishop was hanged at Gallows Hill near Salem, Massachusetts for "certaine Detestable Arts called Witchcraft & Sorceries." Following the hanging Nathaniel Saltonstall resigned from the court and was replaced by Jonathan Corwin.

June 10, 1716 – Swedish explorer Carl Gustaf Ekeberg was born in Djursholm, Uppland.

June 10, 1752 - Benjamin Franklin flew a kite during a thunderstorm, enabling him to demonstrate the electrical nature of lightning.

June 10, 1768 - British customs officials confiscated John Hancock's sloop Liberty.

June 10, 1772 - Off Rhode Island, colonists boarded the HMS Gaspee and set it aflame. The ship was an armed British customs schooner that had run aground the previous day.

June 10, 1775 - John Adams proposed to Congress that the group of men laying siege to Boston should be considered a Continental Army.

June 10, 1776 - The Continental Congress appointed a committee to write a Declaration of Independence.

June 10, 1854 – The first class of United States Naval Academy students graduated.

June 10, 1861 – During the Civil War, at the Battle of Big Bethel, what is considered the first land battle of the war, Confederate troops under John Bankhead Magruder defeated a much larger Union force led by General Ebenezer W. Pierce and General Benjamin Butler in Virginia.

June 10, 1862 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought on James Island, South Carolina.

June 10, 1862 – During the Civil War, General Henry Halleck assigned Ulysses S. Grant, Don Carlos Buell, and John Pope to corps commanders.

June 10, 1863 – During the Civil War, the siege of Vicksburg, Miss. entered Day 23.

June 10, 1864 – During the Civil War, at the Battle of Brice's Crossroads, Confederate troops under Nathan Bedford Forrest defeated a much larger Union force led by General Samuel D. Sturgis in Mississippi. Sturgis's command suffered over 600 killed and wounded and over 1,600 captured—more than a quarter of the entire force. Forrest's force suffered less than 600 killed and wounded, and the Confederates captured 16 cannons and 176 supply wagons. Forrest’s reputation grew substantially because of this victory.

June 10, 1864 – During the Civil War, affairs occurred near the St. James River, Missouri and near Benson's Bridge, Kentucky. An action also took place at Brush Mountain, Georgia. An affair also occurred at Newport, and skirmishes were fought at Old Church, Brownsburg, Middlebrook, and Waynesborough, Virginia.

June 10, 1865 – American physician and explorer Frederick Cook was born in Callicoon, Sullivan County, New York.

June 10, 1865 – During the Civil War, President Johnson appointed William Starkey as provisional governor of Mississippi.

June 10, 1881 – Leo Tolstoy, 52, set off on a pilgrimage to the Optina-Pustyn monastery.

June 10, 1895 - Controversial scientist Immanuel Velikovsky was born in Vitebsk, Russian Empire (in present-day Belarus). In his best-selling 1950's book, “Worlds in Collision,” he wrote about celestial catastrophes that affected ancient peoples.

June 10, 1906 - Quite a crowd attended church at New Home (near Excel?) on this Sunday as part of the church’s annual Communion Day, according to The Monroe Journal.

June 10, 1911 – Playwright Terence Rattigan was born in London.

June 10, 1912 – Sam Moorer picked the first cotton bloom in Conecuh County, Ala., according to The Evergreen Courant.

June 10, 1912 – The Villisca axe murders were discovered in Villisca, Iowa.

June 10, 1915 – Canadian-American novelist Saul Bellow was born Solomon Bellows in Lachine, Quebec, Canada. (Some sources say he was born in 1913.)

June 10, 1916 – An Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire led by Lawrence of Arabia broke out.

June 10, 1916 - The first picnic of the season was to be given at Tomlinson’s Mill on this Saturday. This old mill was an historic place and one of the old ‘landmarks’ of the county. Everybody was cordially invited to attend this picnic.

June 10, 1917 - Italian troops launched a renewed assault on Austro-Hungarian positions in the mountains of the Trentino region in northern Italy, on the border with Austria.

June 10, 1921 - Babe Ruth became baseball's all-time home run leader with 120.

June 10, 1921 - The body of Rix Smith, who died of wounds in France about two years before during World War I, reached Evergreen on this Friday night and on the morning of Sat., June 11, was conveyed to Old Town cemetery for interment. Rev. S.P. Lindsay officiated at the funeral and quite a number of overseas soldiers were present at the interment, according to The Evergreen Courant. According to his tombstone at Old Town Cemetery, Ryx Ivey Smith was born on March 25, 1900 and died on Dec. 9, 1918. He was a private in Co. I of the 167^th Infantry during World War I.

June 10, 1924 - The Republican National Convention was broadcast by NBC radio. It was the first political convention to be on radio.

June 10, 1925 – Novelist and short-story writer James Salter was born James Horowitz in New York City.

June 10, 1929 – Biologist and Pulizer Prize-winning writer Edward O. Wilson was born in Birmingham, Ala. His research was presented in the books “Sociobiology: The New Synthesis” (1975) and the Pulitzer Prize-winning “On Human Nature” (1978). He received a second Pulitzer Prize for “The Ants” (1990). His most recent book is “The Meaning of Human Existence” (2014). He lived briefly in Evergreen and Brewton as a child.

June 10, 1930 – In Conecuh County, Ala. The Peoples Bank of Evergreen, founded in 1901, merged with the First National Bank of Evergreen.

June 10, 1933 - Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were in a car accident on a rural road in north Texas. The third-degree burns suffered by Parker resulted in a pronounced limp for the rest of her life.

  

June 10, 1942 – During World War II, Nazis burned the Czech village of Lidice in reprisal for the killing of Reinhard Heydrich.

June 10, 1944 – In baseball, 15-year old pitcher Joe Nuxhall of the Cincinnati Reds became the youngest player ever in a major-league game.

June 10, 1947 – On the opening day for the Evergreen (Ala.) Softball League, Stuart Motor Co. beat Southern Coach, 21-3, and French Dry Cleaners beat National Guard, 17-10.

June 10, 1947 – Greening Masonic Lodge No. 53 in Evergreen, Ala. held its annual election of officers on this Tuesday night and the following officers were elected: Alvin Brewton, Worshipful Master; T.S. Holly, Senior Warden; Claude Murphy, Junior Warden; F.L. Cardwell, Treasurer; W.G. Jones, Secretary; A.K. Williams Jr., Senior Deacon; Ray Williams, Junior Deacon; S.J. Brundage, Tiler; Herbert Mellinger, Senior Steward; Raymond Hayes, Junior Steward; A.K. Williams Sr., Chaplain; R.F. Hyde, Marshall.

June 10, 1949 - The 12^th annual “Monroe Mills Day” was scheduled to be held in Monroeville, Ala. A day packed full of activities in which the public was invited to join, beginning with open house at the mill at 7:30 a.m. and culminating in a dance at the American Legion club house that night, was in store for mill employees, the public and the many visitors that were expected to attend. The events scheduled for the day included an open house at the mill, a girls softball game, swimming contests, speeches by prominent visitors, dedication of the new recreation area park, presentation of service awards, barbecue, baseball game and dance. Frank P. Samford, president of the State Chamber of Commerce, headed the list of speakers.

June 10, 1951 – Dothan Browns baseball player John Ottis Johnson of Evergreen, Ala. died at the age of 25, eight days after getting hit in the temple by a pitch delivered by Headland Dixie Runners pitcher Jack Clifton. The accident happened during an Alabama-Florida League game at Peanut Stadium in Headland. He is buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Evergreen.

June 10, 1951 – Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts was born in San Fransisco, Calif. He went on to play for the University of Oregon and the San Diego Chargers. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993.

June 10, 1954 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Evergreen city officials were contacting the L&N Railroad and asking for permission to place parking meters on the railroad side of West Front Street behind the curbing and on railroad property. As of June 10, those meter posts were in front of the curbing and served as collectors of dirt and trash.

June 10, 1954 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the City of Evergreen had received authorization for two-way radios for the police car and city superintendents’ trucks. Equipment was on order at that time and was to be installed on arrival. The city system was to connect with the Alabama Highway Patrol and would be part of the civil defense setup.

June 10, 1954 - The Evergreen Courant reported that it was in receipt of a letter from Asa Rountree Jr., director of Department of Aeronautics for the State of Alabama, which quoted a telegram from Senator Lister Hill indicating that there were excellent prospects for the Evergreen Airways Communications station to be continued.

June 10, 1954 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Jeff Moorer and Douglas Potts, Evergreen players on the Crimson Tide football squad were home last week. Potts returned to the University for summer school, but Moorer stayed home for the summer. Moorer played a lot of guard for the Tide in the fall of 1953. Potts was a standout at tackle in spring training. Moorer was to begin his senior year in the fall of 1954 while Potts was just a sophomore. Sam Cope, captain of the Aggie squad in 1953, entered the University that same week. Cope had a scholarship and was to join the freshman squad in the fall of 1954, so Evergreen was to have three players at the University on scholarships that year.

June 10, 1954 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the new City Recreation Center at the armory on South Main Street had been drawing big crowds since its opening on Fri., June 4. On the afternoon of Wed., June 9, the forms had been set and all materials on machinery readied for the pouring of the concrete tennis court and play area in front of the building. This was to be completed that week and was to be put in use in the very near future. It was also to be lighted for play at night. That same week members of the City Recreation Board were keeping the center open while Director Bill Parsons took a leave of absence to get married on Sun., June 13, in Americus, Ga. His bride-to-be was Dora Ann Johns of Evergreen. The directors were to keep the center open at night while Tommy Melton was in charge at the afternoon sessions.

June 10, 1956 – Lyeffion’s baseball team was scheduled to play Red Level in Red Level, Ala. Garland was scheduled to play Paul in Paul. Buck Creek was scheduled to play Flat Rock in Evergreen.

June 10, 1956 – Evergreen’s National Guard Unit, Battery C, 117th Field Artillery Battalion, 31st Infantry (Dixie) Division, was scheduled to leave on this Sunday at 6:45 a.m. for their annual two weeks of summer camp at Fort McClellan, Ala. The unit included five officers and 70 enlisted men.

June 10, 1959 - Rocky Colavito of the Cleveland Indians hit home runs in four straight at-bats.

June 10, 1965 - Some 1,500 Viet Cong started a mortar attack on the district capital of Dong Xoai, about 60 miles northeast of Saigon, and then quickly overrun the town’s military headquarters and an adjoining militia compound. Other Viet Cong forces conducted a raid on a U.S. Special Forces camp about a mile away. U.S. helicopters flew in South Vietnamese reinforcements, but the Viet Cong isolated and cut down the troops. Heavy U.S. air strikes eventually helped to drive off the Viet Cong, but not before the South Vietnamese had suffered between 800 and 900 casualties and the United States had seven killed, 12 missing and presumed dead, and 15 wounded. The Viet Cong were estimated to have lost 350 in the ground combat and perhaps several hundred more in air attacks. Two Americans, First Lt. Charles Q. Williams and CM3 Marvin G. Shields, later received the Medal of Honor for their actions during this battle.

June 10, 1968 - At a Saigon news conference on the day he was to turn over command of U.S. forces in Vietnam to Gen. Creighton Abrams, Gen. William Westmoreland offered his assessment of past and current trends in the war.

  

June 10, 1977 – James Earl Ray escaped with six others from Brushy Mountain State Prison in Petros, Tenn. but was recaptured on June 13.

June 10, 1987 – NFL defensive tackle Amobi Okoye was born in Anambra, Nigeria. He moved to Huntsville, Ala. at the age of 12, and he went on to become an All State player at Lee High School in Huntsville. He went on to play for Louisville, the Houston Texans, the Chicago Bears and the Dallas Cowboys.

June 10, 1988 - Author Louis L'Amour died from lung cancer at the age 80 in Los Angeles. In all, he wrote 89 novels, 14 short-story collections and two full-length works of nonfiction.

June 10, 1981 - Pete Rose got his 3,630th career hit, tying Stan Musial's National League record.

June 10, 1983 - Johnny Bench announced his plans to retire. He was a catcher in the major leagues for 16 years.

June 10, 1989 - HBO aired the first episode of "Tales from the Crypt."

June 10, 1997 - Kevin Brown of the Florida Marlins threw his first no hitter. It was the second no-hitter in Marlins history.

June 10, 1999 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the Evergreen Rotary Club, administrators of the Wendell Hart Scholarship Fund, announced that applications for the $2,500 scholarship were available. The deadline for submitting applications was July 1, 1999. This scholarship was dedicated to the memory of the late Coach Wendell Hart, who deeply cared for his students and desired that all deserving young men and women be able to advance their education.

June 10, 2005 - Babe Ruth's 1919 contract that moved him from Boston to the Yankees sold at auction for $996,000.

June 10, 2007 - Almost 12 million people tuned in for the series finale of HBO’s critically acclaimed, multi-award-winning Mob-family drama “The Sopranos.” 

June 10, 2016 – A UFO was reported to have been seen around midnight in Daleville, in Dale County, in the southeast corner of Alabama. The witness in this case provided few details other than to say that he saw a “clear light” traveling across the sky over Fort Rucker. The witness said that what he saw was “hard to explain,” but noted that it was observed by at least two other witnesses. “It looked like it was gliding faster than a jet, with no sound,” the witness said. “It was no jet (and it) kind of gave me a bad feeling like something very bad is going to happen very soon.”