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| Lurleen B. Wallace |
July 31, 1498 – On his third voyage to the Western
Hemisphere, Christopher Columbus became the first European to discover the
island of Trinidad.
July 31, 1703 – English novelist, journalist and pamphleteer
Danie Defoe was pilloried for sedition after the publication of his
best-selling pamphlet, "The Shortest-Way with the Dissenters.”
July 31, 1715 – Seven days after a Spanish treasure fleet of
12 ships left Havana, Cuba for Spain, 11 of them sank in a storm off the coast
of Florida. A few centuries later, treasure was salvaged from these wrecks.
July 31, 1775 - In Boston Harbor, at Nantasket Point (Little
Brewster Island) Patriots stopped completion of repairs on a lighthouse and
killed or captured 32 Redcoats. Minutemen had raided the island 10 days before
and burned the lighthouse.
July 31, 1777 – French aristocrat Marie-Joseph Paul Roch
Yves Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, then age 19, was commissioned a
major general in the Continental Army by the U.S. Second Continental Congress –
without pay. The resolution passed by Congress asked that the services of Gilbert
du Motier "be accepted, and that, in consideration of his zeal,
illustrious family and connexions, he have the rank and commission of
major-general of the United States." He would visit Claiborne in Monroe
County on April 6, 1825.
July 31, 1790
– The first U.S. patent was issued, to inventor Samuel Hopkins for a potash
process.
July 31, 1792 - The cornerstone of the U.S. Mint in
Philadelphia, Pa. was laid. It was the first building to be used only as a U.S.
government building.
July 31, 1806 – The Rev. Pitts Milner, founder of Georgiana,
Ala., was born in Wilkes County, Ga.
July 31, 1816 - Union General George H. Thomas, who deserves
a share of the credit for the Union success in the west, was born in
Southhampton County, Va. Thomas commanded a corps at Stones River and became a
Northern hero for his actions at Chickamauga in September 1863. When a gap
appeared in the Union line at a crucial moment and Confederate troops began to
pour through it, Thomas led a rally that saved the Federals from a serious
defeat.
July 31, 1831 – Monroe County Commissioners purchased the
80-acre plot that surrounds the three-acre public square in present-day
Monroeville, Ala., the site of the old 1903 courthouse, now the Monroe County
Heritage Museum, and the present courthouse built in 1963.
July 31, 1835 – French-American anthropologist and explorer
Paul Du Chaillu in either Paris or New Orleans, La.
July 31, 1837 – Mary Harris Jones or “Mother Jones” was born
in Cork, Ireland.
July 31, 1861 - Ulysses S. Grant was promoted to brigadier
general of volunteers.
July 31, 1861 - The Missouri State
Convention voted 56 to 25 to elect a new pro-Union governor. Hamilton R.
Gamble, pro-Union was elected to replace Claiborne Jackson, pro-Confederate.
July 31, 1861 - The Army of the
State of Tennessee was transferred to the Confederate States of America.
July 31, 1862 – During the Civil
War, in response to Union General John Pope's order that citizens be shot as
spies, Confederate President Jefferson Davis ordered Pope's officers be held as
felons and not prisoners-of-war.
July 31, 1862 – During the Civil
War, Confederates Braxton Bragg and Kirby Smith met in Chattanooga to agree on
strategy against the Army of the Ohio.
July 31, 1862 – During the Civil
War, two days of Confederate attacks began on the Union camps and shipping between
Shirley and Harrison’s Landing, Virginia.
July 31, 1863 – During the Civil
War, a treaty was signed with bands of the Shoshone Indians at Fort Boise, in
the Snake River County, the Idaho Territory.
July 31, 1863 – During the Civil
War, skirmishes were fought at Lancaster, Paint Lick Bridge and Stanford in Kentucky;
at Saint Catharine’s Creek, near Natchez, Miss.; and at Morris’ Mills, W.Va.
Two days of skirmishing also began in the vicinity of Kelly’s Ford, Va.
July 31, 1864 – During the Civil War, a skirmish occurred
near Watkins’ Plantation in Northern Alabama.
July 31, 1864 – During the Civil
War, skirmishes were fought in the vicinity of Fort Smith, Ark.; at Orange
Grove, which is near Donaldsonville, La.; and at Hancock, Md.
July 31, 1864 – During the Civil War,
Brownsville, Texas was reoccupied by Confederate forces.
July 31, 1864 – During the Civil
War, lines were reestablished at Petersburg, Va. in the area of the huge
crater.
July 31, 1875 - Andrew Johnson, the 17th President of the
United States, died of a stroke at the age of 66 while visiting his daughter in
Elizabethton, Tenn.
July 31, 1879 – Around 10 p.m., after the “Emma” delivered a
load of freight on the wharf at the Lower Warehouse at Claiborne, Ala., J.B.
Crow and a “couple of young men” caught a “gang of thieves” in the act of
stealing flour and coffee, something they’d apparently been doing for several
years. The thieves included Allen Howard, Ran Taswell, Dick James, Adam
Taswell, Lang Agee, Singleton James and Jesse McGrew. In the ensuing
confrontation, Ran Taswell was shot in the leg and died from his wounds about
four hours later. Agee was also shot, but managed to escape as did Dick James,
Adam Taswell and Singleton James. McGrew and Howard were arrested and placed in
jail. “Thus has one of the boldest and most shameless band of thieves been
bursted up that has been organized in this section in many years.”
July 31, 1896 – The Hon. E.R. Morrisette was scheduled to
“address the people on the issues of the campaign” in Monroeville, Ala. on this
Friday at 10 a.m. He was also scheduled to speak at Perdue Hill the following
day at 10 a.m.
July 31, 1896 – The Monroe Journal reported that Misses
Janie and Jessie and Master John Grissette of Garland were visiting the family
of their uncle, Capt. Thos. S. Wiggins.
July 31, 1896 – The Monroe Journal reported that work on the
new parsonage had been at a standstill for a few days, the workmen “having
worked up all available material on the grounds.”
July 31, 1896 – The Monroe Journal reported that, according
to The Evergreen Courant, “while at the baseball game, Mr. S.P. Dunn’s horse
became suddenly frightened and ran away, throwing himself and Dr. J.C. Snead
out. Dr. Snead was not hurt seriously, but Mr. Dunn was knocked insensible for
some time and was severely shook up.”
July 31, 1896 – Confederate veteran Marion D. Lambert, 49,
died at his home near Perdue Hill on this Friday night after a protracted
illness. Lambert was “one of Monroe’s most estimable and useful citizens and
the announcement of his death will cause universal sorrow,” The Monroe Journal
reported. He was “born again” and joined Claiborne Baptist church in 1878,
remaining there until two years before his death when he became a member at
Perdue Hill. He left a wife, seven children and many friends. Born on July 20,
1846, Lambert was buried at the Medlock Cemetery at Perdue Hill. According to
his headstone, he served in Co. G of the 7th Alabama Cavalry.
July 31, 1896 - By invitation of the county campaign
committee, E.R. Morrisette spoke in the Monroe County Courthouse at 10 a.m. on
this Friday to a “very good audience.” Morrisette’s speeches in Monroeville and
at Perdue Hill were the only ones made in the county under the direction of the
Democratic committee, according to The Monroe Journal.
July 31, 1905 – A “windstorm” caused “great devastation” in
and around the Buena Vista community in Monroe County, Ala. The Liddell
brothers gin house was blown down, a wagon and buggy were “torn to pieces” and
many trees were blown down four to five miles from Buena Vista.
July 31, 1908 – Fletcher Stallworth and Sam Booker were
killed and two others were critically injured in a boiler explosion at W.D.
Johnson’s saw mill near Skinnerton, Ala.
July 31, 1912 – W.B. Coker of the China community exhibited
the first open boll of cotton of the season in Conecuh County, Ala.
July 31, 1914 – W.A. Baggett of Belleville, Ala. produced
the first bale of cotton for 1914 and marketed it at Repton.
July 31, 1915 – Capt. T.M. Riley held a reunion of the
members of his Civil War company, and all the company members that were there
the previous year attended except for John McCants of Tinela, who had died.
J.J. Finklea gave a brief report on the reunion in the Aug. 5, 1915 edition of
The Monroe Journal.
July 31, 1915 – In a doubleheader between baseball teams
from Herbert and Mason at Mason, Herbert won both games, 2-1 and 3-0.
July 31, 1915 – Holly Grove’s baseball team beat Bowles,
19-8, at Bowles (in Conecuh County, Ala.).
July 31, 1916 – Baseball and
football great William “Billy” Clyde Hitchcock was born in Inverness in Bullock
County, Ala. He was an infielder, coach, manager and scout in Major League
Baseball. In minor league baseball, he served as president of the Double-A
Southern League from 1971–80. During his career, he played for the Detroit
Tigers, the Washington Senators, the St. Louis Browns, the Boston Red Sox and
the Philadelphia Athletics, and he managed the Tigers, the Baltimore Orioles
and the Atlanta Braves.
July 31, 1916 - Capt. E.R. Morrissette Sr. of Mobile visited
Monroeville on this Monday, the guest of his son, E.R. Morrissette Jr. This was
Capt. Morrissette’s first visit to Monroeville in 14 years and he noted much
growth and improvement. Capt. Morrissette was master of the steamer City of
Mobile which was badly damaged in a recent storm. A new boat had been
purchased, however, and was to shortly be placed in commission on the Alabama
River.
July 31, 1917 – During World War I, the Battle of
Passchendaele began near Ypres in West Flanders, Belgium.
July 31, 1917 - The Allies launched a renewed assault on
German lines in the Flanders region of Belgium, in the much-contested region
near Ypres, during World War I. The attack begins more than three months of
brutal fighting, known as the Third Battle of Ypres.
July 31, 1918 – During World War I, Army Pfc. William F.
Atchinson of Thomasville, Ala. was killed in action. He was bured in the Oise-Aisne
American Cemetery and Memorial, Fere-en-Tardenois Departement de l'Aisne, in Picardie,
France.
July 31, 1919 – Writer and poet Primo Levi was born in
Turin, Italy.
July 31, 1930 - The radio mystery program “The Shadow” aired
for the first time.
July 31, 1932 - The
NSDAP (Nazi Party) won more than 38 percent of the vote in German elections.
July 31, 1938 – Archaeologists discovered engraved gold and
silver plates from King Darius the Great in Persepolis.
July 31, 1938 – The Dothan Browns baseball team beat the
Evergreen Greenies, 10-0, in Dothan, Ala. Also that day, Evergreen’s amateur
baseball team beat the Atmore prison team, 7-6, behind the pitching of Bill
Seales and Wendell Hart.
July 31, 1941
– During the Holocaust, under instructions from Adolf Hitler, Nazi official Hermann
Göring, ordered SS General Reinhard Heydrich to "submit to me as soon as
possible a general plan of the administrative material and financial measures
necessary for carrying out the desired Final Solution of the Jewish
question."
July 31, 1944 - Pvt. and Mrs. Lorenzo Turberville announced
the arrival of a son at Carter’s Hospital in Repton on this day. Pvt.
Turberville was serving with the armed forces in England.
July 31, 1952 – Jerry Donovan, a graduate of Evergreen High
School and 1950 graduate of the University of Alabama, left Mobile, Ala. by air
for her new assignment as an elementary teacher at an Air Force base in the
Philippine Islands.
July 31, 1953 - A television version of Alabama author
Ambrose Bierce's story "Horseman in the Sky" was broadcast as part of
the “Your
Favorite Story” series.
July 31, 1954 – The first bale of cotton from the 1954 crop
in Conecuh County, Ala. was officially ginned.
July 31, 1954 - An official announcement was made by
researchers that Los Angeles smog was caused by the chemical reaction of
sunlight on auto and industrial emissions.
July 31, 1954 – The first ascent of K2 was achieved by an
Italian expedition led by Ardito Desio.
July 31, 1954 – Poet and novelist Kim Addonizio was born in
Washington, D.C.
July 31, 1955 – In the Conecuh County, Ala. Amateur Baseball
League, McKenzie was scheduled to play at Lyeffion; Paul was scheduled to play
at Old Texas; and Chapman was scheduled to play at Garland.
July 31, 1961 – At Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, the
first All-Star Game tie in Major League Baseball history occurred when the game
was stopped in the ninth inning because of rain.
July 31, 1962 – Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Kevin
Greene was born in Schenecady, N.Y. He went on to play for Auburn University,
the Los Angeles Rams, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Carolina Panthers and the
San Francisco 49ers. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016.
July 31, 1963 - A movie version of Alabama author Lillian
Hellman's play “Toys
in the Attic,” was released.
July 31, 1964 - The first close-up photographs of the moon
were sent back to Earth by Ranger 7.
July 31, 1964 - In a news
conference, Secretary of State Dean Rusk admitted there were differences
between the United States and South Vietnam on the issue of extending the war
into North Vietnam, but agreement on the general conduct of the war.
July 31, 1965 – “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling was born
in Yate, Gloucestershire, England.
July 31, 1967 – At 9:05 p.m., Alabama Gov. Lurleen B.
Wallace signed Act No. 106 into law, which extended the city limits of
Evergreen, increasing the city’s size from 6.25 square miles to 16 square
miles. The Act began as House Bill 227 and was introduced by State
Representative William D. “Billy” Melton. The bill passed the House on June 20
and passed the Senate on July 11. Secretary of State Mabel Amos received the
bill and enrolled it at 11:27 a.m. on Aug. 1.
July 31, 1972 - Hanoi challenged
the Nixon administration on the dike controversy, claiming that since April
there had been 173 raids against the dikes in North Vietnam with direct hits in
149 locations.
July 31, 1974 – Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle
Jonathan Ogden was born in Washington, D.C. He went on to play for UCLA and the
Baltimore Ravens. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013.
July 31, 1974 – Local weather observer Earl Windham reported
that total rainfall for the first seven months of 1974 in Evergreen, Ala. was
45.8 inches, compared with 63.5 inches for the same period in 1973.
July 31, 1975 – The Drish House on 17th Street in
Tuscaloosa, Ala. was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.
(13 Alabama Ghosts)
July 31, 1980 – The following Repton High School
cheerleaders were one of eight squads chosen at the Bama Cheerleading Clinic to
lead the cheers for the South 1A-2A Team in the annual State All-Star
Basketball Game on this day. The clinic was held at the University of Alabama
in Tuscaloosa July 28-Aug. 1. The girls were Beth Ballard, Gale Stallworth,
captain, Patti Ballard, Donna Watson, co-captain, Mary White, Gwen Stallworth
and Sally Morris.
July 31, 1981 - The seven-week baseball players’ strike came
to an end when the players and owners agreed on the issue of free agent
compensation.
July 31, 1982 – NFL outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware was
born in Auburn, Ala. He went on to play for Auburn High School, Troy
University, the Dallas Cowboys and the Denver Broncos.
July 31, 1984 – In municipal elections in Castleberry, Ala.,
Lawrence Ryals beat Billy Wayne Godwin, 230-100, in the race for mayor. Billy
Seales won the runoff for the Place 1 seat on the town council over James
Masingill; Phelan Findley Sr. won the runoff for the Place 2 seat on the
council over Douglas Graham; Larry Bethuen won the runoff for the Place 4 seat
on the council over Lula B. Sellers Palmer. On July 10, Mitt Sullivan won the
Place 3 seat on the council, and Bill Moncrease won Place 5.
July 31, 1989 - Local weather observer Harry Ellis reported
that total rainfall for July 1989 in Evergreen, Ala. was 6.73 inches.
July 31, 1990 - Nolan Ryan won the 300th game of his career,
throwing 7-2/3 strong innings with eight strikeouts to lead his Texas Rangers
to an 11-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
July 31, 1990 – Local weather observer Harry Ellis reported
a total of 5.20 inches of rainfall during the month of July 1990 in Evergreen,
Ala.
July 31, 1995 – Local weather observer Harry Ellis reported
that total rainfall for the month of July 1995 was 4.96 inches in Evergreen,
Ala.
July 31, 1998 – Local weather reporter Harry Ellis reported
a high temperature of 100 degrees in Evergreen, Ala.
July 31, 2001 - Korey Stringer of the Minnesota Vikings
collapsed during practice. The 27-year-old died the next day of multiple organ
failure due to heatstroke.
July 31, 2014 – Evergreen, Ala. weather reporter Betty Ellis
reported that total rainfall for the month of July 2014 was 1.39 inches.
July 31, 2014 – During a special called meeting, the
Castleberry, Ala. Town Council voted to revive the town’s dormant municipal
court, which hadn’t heard a case in over a decade. Town officials began mailing
out certified letters about the change to county and state officials the
following days.
A number of years ago, I read an interesting article about musical
composer George Gershwin, whose life was cut short in 1937 when he was just 38
years old. Gershwin wrote a number of famous musical compositions, including
his well-known “Rhapsody in Blue.” I couldn’t honestly say that I’d ever
listened to this widely-known musical work, which is why I put it on my “bucket
list” a few years ago.
