Today in History for Aug. 28, 2017

Aug. 28, 1565 – Pedro Menéndez de Avilés sighted land near St. Augustine, Fla. and founded the oldest continuously occupied European-established city in the continental United States.

Aug. 28, 1609 - Delaware Bay was discovered by Henry Hudson.

Aug. 28, 1749 – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the father of German literature and the author of the epic drama “Faust,” was born in Frankfurt.

Aug. 28, 1774 - Elizabeth Ann Bayley was born in New York City. She went on to found the first Catholic school and the first female apostolic community in the United States. She was also the first American-born saint beatified by the Roman Catholic Church.

Aug. 28, 1776 - General George Washington ordered 1,200 more men from Manhattan to Brooklyn.

Aug. 28, 1833 – The Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 received Royal Assent, abolishing slavery through most of the British Empire.

Aug. 28, 1845 – The first issue of Scientific American magazine was published. It’s the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States, and it started as a four-page weekly newsletter.

Aug. 28, 1859 – The Carrington event disrupted electrical telegraph services and caused aurora to shine so brightly that they are seen clearly over the Earth's middle latitudes.

Aug. 28, 1861 – During the Civil War, Union forces attacked Cape Hatteras, N.C. in the Battle of Hatteras Inlet Batteries, which lasted for two days. This closed an important outlet from Pamlico Sound for Confederate blockade runners. Its propaganda value was vastly greater. It was the first Federal incursion of Confederate soil in the Carolinas since secession, and caused rejoicing in the North, and corresponding despondency in the South, all out of proportion to its true value.

Aug. 28, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Ball's Mill, Mo.

Aug. 28, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Ball's Cross Roads and near Baily's Cross Roads, Va.

Aug. 28-30, 1862 – The Second Battle of Manassas (Second Bull Run) began in Prince William County, Va. and four members of the Conecuh Guards were killed there - Thomas Robertson, Joseph Stallworth, James H. Thomas (who’d been wounded earlier at Seven Pines on May, 31, 1862) and Jasper Newton Stinson (who’d been promoted to color sergeant of the Fourth Alabama Regiment about a month before). Five other members of the Conecuh Guards were wounded - 1st Lt. Alfred Christian, 1st Lt. John G. Guice (who was wounded in two places, lost a leg and was honorably discharged), William Morrow (who was later wounded at Spotsylvania Court House in May 1864 and returned to live in Mobile County after war), Buck Stuckey (who would be killed at the Battle of Darbytown Road in September 1864) and Francis M. Sampey (who would be wounded later near Farmville, Va. in April 1865 and die in Selma in 1874).

Aug. 28, 1862 - Confederate General Braxton Bragg captured a Union garrison at Mumfordsvilled, Ky.

Aug. 28, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Thoroughfare Gap, near Gainesville, Lewis' Ford, Centreville and Hay Market in Virginia; at Ashley, Mo.; and near Corinth, Miss.

Aug. 28, 1862 – During the Civil War, not far from Groveton, Va., was a farm owned by a man named Brawner. It was on this unfortunate fellow’s land that the equally unfortunate Gen. John “Headquarters in the Saddle” Pope ventured on this day, under the impression that he was chasing the fleeing forces of Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson. When Rufus King’s men ran into Jackson’s, a fierce battle broke out at the Brawner place. Pope, hearing of this, ordered the rest of his men to move there. He had no idea that Lee and Longstreet had arrived, conferred with Stonewall, and were now moving around the entire battle into Pope’s rear. The following day would not be a good day for Pope.

Aug. 28, 1863 - Confederate Naval Lt. George W. Gift paid a visit to the shipyard above Mobile Bay, Ala. to observe the progress in construction of the two vessels, the Tennessee and Nashville. The Tennessee was nice enough, but Gift was in awe of the immense Nashville. “She is tremendous!” he wrote. “The wardroom...is six staterooms and a pantry long, and about as broad between the rooms as the whole Chattahoochee. Her engines are tremendous, and it requires all her width, fifty feet, to place her boilers. The Tennessee is insignificant alongside her.”

Aug. 28, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought in Callaway County, Mo.; and at Hartwood Church, Va.

Aug. 28, 1864 - Union General Alfred Terry, a native of Connecticut, was promoted from brigadier general to major general in the United States Volunteers.

Aug. 28, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought near Rocheport, Mo.; near Holly Springs, Miss.; and at Leetown and Smithfield in West Virginia.

Aug. 28, 1869 - Convinced they would have a better chance surviving the desert than the raging rapids that lay ahead, three men (Seneca Howland, O.G. Howland and William H. Dunn) left John Wesley Powell’s expedition through the Grand Canyon and scaled the cliffs to the plateau above. When Powell reached the nearest settlement, he learned that the three men who left had encountered a war party of Shivwit Indians and were killed.

Aug. 28, 1895 – Monroe Masonic Lodge, No. 485, was scheduled to hold its regular communication at 10 a.m. at River Ridge, Ala. A.H. Johnson was the lodge’s secretary.

Aug. 28, 1895 – Col. B.L. Hibbard left on this Wednesday for Birmingham, Ala. to attend the Midsummer Carnival of United Confederate Veterans, given under the auspices of Camp Hardee, of which he was a member. Hibbard was on the program for an address on the theme, “Fraternal Patriotism.”

Aug. 28, 1896 - The Monroe Journal suggested “that as a means of preserving order and improving the moral tone of the community that our citizens take immediate steps to incorporate the town (Monroeville), enact ordinances against the vices and evils most indulged and elect town officers who will have the courage to enforce them. Our town can never permanently improve, our school can never be built up nor our youth develop a character that will render them useful or respected so long as we live in so unwholesome an atmosphere as has existed here for sometime past, and which we grieve to say, has shown no signs of improvement, but rather the reverse. The violations of the prohibition law have become so flagrant of late and the loathsome spectacle of public drunkenness so disgusting that forbearance has ceased to be a virtue, and the good citizens of the community are justly incensed. The Journal stands ready to aid in every needed reform.”

Aug. 28, 1898 – Caleb Bradham invented the carbonated soft drink that will later be called "Pepsi-Cola."

Aug. 28, 1906 – British poet laureate John Betjeman was born in the Highgate section of London.

Aug. 28, 1906 - Mrs. Maria Elizabeth Jones, the 58-year-old wife of Capt. F.M. Jones, died at Tuscaloosa, Ala., on this Tuesday morning, aged 63 years. She had been an inmate of the hospital at Tuscaloosa for a number of years. Her remains were expected to arrive in Monroeville, Ala. on the Aug. 30 afternoon train and were to be interred in the Methodist cemetery on arrival. Born on May 14, 1848, she was buried in the Methodist Cemetery in Monroeville.

Aug. 28, 1914 – Noah B. Jones, a “well known and highly esteemed citizen of Evergreen,” passed away at his home on Pecan Street at the age of 73. (Some sources say he died on Aug. 26.) A former Evergreen postmaster, merchant and farmer, he was also a Confederate veteran and a member of Camp Capt. Wm. Lee, U.C.V. and of Armor Lodge, No. 31, Knights of Pythias. Born at Fort Decatur, Macon County, Ala. on Nov. 21, 1841. Moved to Butler County with his family in 1858 and joined the Confederate Army in 1862, serving with Capt. Isbell’s company from Talladega County, which was part of the 1st Alabama Infantry Regiment. He served in Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana, and was taken prisoner during the battle and siege at Port Hudson. He was later exchanged and was sent with his regiment to Georgia. He was later severly wounded in the Battle at New Hope Church, which closed his active service, but he served on detail duty until the end of the war. He and his family moved to Conecuh County in 1865.

Aug. 28, 1914 – During World War I, the Royal Navy defeated the German fleet in the Battle of Heligoland Bight.

Aug. 28, 1914 - World War I spread from land to sea when the first major naval battle of the conflict broke out between British and German ships in the North Sea, near the northern coast of Germany, in a partially enclosed body of water known as Heligoland Bight, which was used to shelter several bases of the German High Seas Fleet and also offered a good starting-off point for attacks against the British Isles.

Aug. 28, 1914 – During World War I, German troops took the city of Namur in Belgium.

Aug. 28, 1915 – While hunting on Cedar Creek on this Saturday morning, Ernest Frazier accidentally shot and killed his friend, L.A. Palmer. Frazier mistakenly thought that Palmer was a turkey in the underbrush.

Aug. 28, 1915 – American illustrator Tasha Tudor was born Starling Burgess in Boston.

Aug. 28, 1916 – During World War I, Germany declared war on Romania.

Aug. 28, 1916 – During World War I, Italy declared war on Germany.

Aug. 28, 1934 – Welsh-Australian geologist and explorer Edgeworth David passed away at the age of 76 in Sydney, Australia.

Aug. 28, 1941 - The Football Writers Association of America was organized.

Aug. 28, 1941 – Monroeville’s American Legion sponsored a program of entertainment for about 5,000 soldiers who were returning from Louisiana to Fort Benning, Ga. The boys were expected to begin arriving in Monroeville on this Thursday afternoon about five p.m. and pitch their tents at the airport. Arrangements had been made for a street dance and the streets around the public square were to be roped off for that purpose. There was also be a square dance and other forms of entertainment. The Monroe County High School Band planned to furnish music for this occasion and Professor John Williams, director of the band, requested that all members of the band be present to take part in the program. Early the next morning, the soldiers were expected to depart for Ft. Benning.

Aug. 28, 1941 – The Monroe Journal reported that Israel Katz, who had recently left for the Army and was stationed at Ft. McPherson, Ga., spent the weekend with this mother, Mrs. Minnie Katz, and other relatives.

Aug. 28, 1943 – During World War II, in Denmark, a general strike against the Nazi occupation started.

Aug 28, 1943 - A horrible tragedy occurred on the Monroeville-Frisco City highway near Ollie about eight o’clock on this Saturday night when a car driven by Byron Stacey and a truck driven by Clarence Brooks collided. Stacey, his wife and their small child were killed and Brooks was injured about the head and also suffered a badly broken knee. He was treated in the Repton Hospital. According to reports, Brooks was driving north and the Stacey car was going south when the accident happened.

Aug. 28, 1943 - The saw mill belonging to Hugh Dickson and located about three miles south of Monroeville, was destroyed by fire about three o’clock on this Saturday afternoon. The loss was said to include two engines, mill equipment, a collection of tools and a small quantity of lumber.

Aug. 28, 1947 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Robert Gaston Bozeman Jr. was doing nicely after undergoing an appendectomy at Carter’s Hospital in Repton during the week.

Aug. 28, 1947 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Mrs. F.L. Cardwell, who was bitten on the ankle by a rattlesnake on Sat., Aug. 23, was reported to be fast recovering.

Aug. 28, 1947 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Superintendent of Schools, Harvey G. Pate, wished to remind all patrons of Conecuh County Schools that the old law, providing that children may enter schools in the Fall if they reached their sixth birthday before Oct. 1, still remained in effect. The Legislature at that time passed an act providing for the admission of children who would reach their sixth birthday on or before Jan. 15. This new law was held invalid by the Attorney General in a recent ruling. Since the Attorney General’s decision was legally binding, the Board of Education had made its plans to operate under the old law. All parents asking for entrance for beginners were requested to show proof of birth date of the children. All schools in Conecuh County were to open on Sept. 8, 1947.

Aug. 28, 1947 – The Evergreen Courant reported that a series of burglaries had been reported during the previous week or so by citizens living in various sections of the city. In most instances reported, cash was taken from pockets and billfolds of the victims. A number of other instances of prowling had been reported at several different homes.

Aug. 28, 1947 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the Evergreen Greenies won the honor of playing the winner of the McCullough-Atmore series by defeating Flomaton two straight games in the elimination playoff. The first game of the championship playoff was to be played in Brooks Stadium on Sun., Aug. 31, at three o’clock. This was to be the final game to be played in Evergreen that season. Wade Nobles, a fastball-throwing right-hander, came through with an 8-3 win on Thurs., Aug. 21, to solve acting-manager Zell Murphy’s pre-game pitching worries. Making his debut as a pitcher, Nobles gave up only nine scattered hits and allowed only one earned run to cross the plate. Harry Brooks, Flomaton pitcher, held Evergreen to only six hits, but was given very little support by his teammates who made eight costly errors. Eben Moorer and Joe McDonald collected two blows each to pace the Greenies to their 8-3 victory. Manager Hart opened on the mound for Evergreen on Sun., Aug. 24, but had to call on Edsel Johnson to take over in the ninth when he ran into some trouble. The Greenies drove out a total of 12 base hits off two Flomaton pitchers, one of which was a 365-foot home with two men aboard by Nobles in the third inning. White had three singles to his credit to gain batting honors for the winners.

Aug. 28, 1947 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Evergreen High School’s 1947 Football Schedule was as follows: Sept. 19, v. Repton; Sept. 26, v. Pine Hill; Oct. 3, at Greenville; Oct. 10, at Frisco City; Oct. 16, v. W.S. Neal; Oct. 31, v. Monroeville; Nov. 7, v. Uriah; Nov. 14, v. Camden; Nov. 21, v.  T.R. Miller.

Aug. 28, 1952 – Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and novelist Rita Dove was born in Akron, Ohio.

Aug. 28, 1955 – In Sunday afternoon baseball action, McKenzie beat Paul, 9-3.

Aug. 28, 1963 – In a disappearance attributed to the “Bermuda Triangle,” two new KC-135, four-engine jet Stratotankers, on a refueling mission out of Homestead Air Force Base, Fla. on their way to a classified refueling range in the Atlantic, disappeared shortly after giving their position as 300 miles southwest of Bermuda.

Aug. 28, 1963 - Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington, D.C.

Aug. 28, 1966 - It was reported in three Soviet newspapers that North Vietnamese pilots were undergoing training in a secret Soviet air base to fly supersonic interceptors against U.S. aircraft.

Aug. 28, 1967 - Reverend Thomas Lee Hayes, speaking for the National Mobilization Committee, announced that there would be a massive protest march on October 21 in Washington.

Aug. 28, 1968 - The Democratic National Convention in Chicago endorsed the Johnson administration’s platform on the war in Vietnam and chose Vice President Hubert Humphrey as the party’s nominee for president.

Aug. 28, 1972 - The U.S. Air Force got its first ace (a designation traditionally awarded for five enemy aircraft confirmed shot down) since the Korean War. Captain Richard S. Ritchie, flying with his “backseater” (radar intercept officer), Captain Charles B. DeBellevue, in an F-4 out of Udorn Air Base in Thailand, shot down his fifth MiG near Hanoi.

Aug. 28, 1972 - President Nixon announced that the military draft would end by July 1973

Aug. 28, 1976 - Mike Bledsoe’s debut as head coach of the Sparta Academy Warriors in Greenville on this Saturday night was disappointing. His team lost 19-6 to a bigger, more experienced and faster bunch of Greenville Tornadoes. Bobby Johnson legged 59 yards on 19 carries, Andy Skipper 41 on 14, and Jerry Peacock 20 on 11, including a touchdown from a yard out. Peacock also passed 20 times, completing seven for 73 yards, in his first start at quarterback. His brother, Terry, a freshman, pulled in four catches for 67 yards. Johnson grabbed two and Gray Stevens one. Other top Sparta players in that game included Hugh Bradford, John Cook, Bobby Padgett, Kent Cook, Tim Johnson, Joey Rayfield, Ronnie McKenzie, Steve Dubose, Jamie McKenzie and Greg Anthony.

Aug. 28, 1981 – Leroy, Ala. native Kelvin Moore made his Major League Baseball debut, playing first base for the Oakland A’s against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston. Oakland lost, 12-5. Batting fifth, Moore went 1-for-4, his hit coming on a single to center field in the top of the eighth.

Aug. 28, 1981 - "The New York Daily News" published its final afternoon edition.

Aug. 28, 1981 - John Hinckley, Jr. pled innocent to the charge of attempting to kill U.S. President Ronald Reagan. Hinckley was later acquitted by reason of insanity.

Aug. 28, 1985 – Hurricane Elena, which destroyed about 300 coastal Alabama homes, formed in the Atlantic. The hurricane did very little damage in Conecuh County, Ala., but did knock out power to a number of homes.

Aug. 28, 1985 – ABC Agent Dennis Farr, Conecuh County Sheriff’s Deputy Jimmy Lambert and Conversation Officer Glenn McDaniel destroyed an illegal liquor still in the Lenox community. No arrests were made in connection with the still, which was capable of making between 20 and 25 gallons of moonshine at a time.

Aug. 28, 1986 – Six historic districts in Greenville, Ala. were added to the National Register of Historic Places. Those districts included the Commerce Street Residential Historic District, the Fort Dale-College Street Historic District, the King Street Historic District, the South Greenville Historic District, the South Street Historic District and the West Commerce Street Historic District.

Aug. 28, 1987 – Evergreen High School was scheduled to open the season against J.F. Shields at Brooks Memorial Stadium in Evergreen, Ala. at 7:30 p.m. Projected offensive starters for Evergreen included Travis Stallworth, tight end; Patrick Atkins, tackle; James Gross, guard; Craig Blackburn, center; Russell Meeks, guard; Scott Jones, tackle; Marvin Cunningham, split end; Tony Simpson, tailback; Steve Cunningham, fullback; Jack Harvey, quarterback; and Greg Stanton, tailback. Projected defensive starters for Evergreen included Craig Palmer, James Gross, Patrick Atkins, James Grace, Travis Stallworth, Greg Stanton, Tony Simpson, Russell Meeks, Earl Johnson, Steve Cunningham and Marvin Cunningham.

Aug. 28, 1988 - Sixty-nine spectators were killed when three jets collided at an air show in Germany. The carnage from the accident was horrific, as debris and jet fuel covered the crowd below. It would be three years before Germany allowed another air show to be held, this time with more stringent safety precautions.

Aug. 28, 1990 - Iraq declared Kuwait to be its 19th province and renamed Kuwait City al-Kadhima.

Aug. 28, 1992 - The 1992 Sparta Academy Warrior Cheerleading Squad cheering on their Warriors on this Friday night in Luverne to open the 1992 gridiron season against the Crenshaw Christian Academy Cougars included co-captains Stephanie Booth and Julie Brundage, Rachel Bohannon, Regina Hawsey, Kelly Booker, Nann Castleberry, captain Kelly Booker and Carla Grimes.

Aug. 28, 2003 - Excel High School’s new head coach Jodie Jones wiped the sweat from his brow and breathed a long sigh of relief on this Thursday in Excel as the last second ticked off the game clock. Jones was relieved to open the season with a 14-8 victory over Monroe County rival Frisco City on a wet and humid evening. Standout Excel players in that game included Neal Butler, Jerry Elliott, Kyle Holder, Seth Mack, Chase Reeves, Ryan Smith and Justin Whatley. Frisco City players in that game included Scottie English, Risamar Lett, Eric McCants, Laquentin Robinson and Jeffrey Williams. Troy Quinn was FCHS’s head coach.

Aug. 28, 2005 - Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast of the United States. At least 1,200 people were killed in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Aug. 28, 2008 – The Beda Cemetery and Butler Cemetery in Covington County, Ala. were added to the Alabama Historic Cemetery Register.