Today in History for Sept. 18, 2017

Sept. 18, 1066 – Norwegian king Harald Hardrada landed on the beaches of Scarborough and began his invasion of England.

Sept. 18, 1502 – Christopher Columbus landed at Honduras on his fourth, and final, voyage.

Sept. 18, 1679 – New Hampshire became a county of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Sept. 19, 1709 - The creator of the first dictionary of the English language, Samuel Johnson, was born in Litchfield, England.

Sept. 18, 1776 - General George Washington wrote to the president of the Continental Congress, John Hancock, to report on the Battle at Harlem Heights and relayed the news of the death of Captain Thomas Knowlton.

Sept. 18, 1793 – George Washington laid the U.S. Capitol’s cornerstone in a Masonic ceremony. Wearing an apron embroidered with Masonic symbols, Washington led a ceremony laced with the society's rituals. The apron, along with the trowel and tools used to set the Capitol's cornerstone in place, is currently housed at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, Va.

Sept. 18, 1817 – David A. Moniac of Alabama entered West Point Military Academy. He would become the first Native American graduate of West Point.

Sept. 18, 1819 – French physicist Jean Bernard Leon Foucault was born in Paris. He invented the gyroscope and took the first clear photograph of the sun, and he introduced and helped develop a technique of measuring the absolute velocity of light with extreme accuracy. He is probably best known for originating the pendulum that demonstrated the earth’s rotation.

Sept. 18, 1850 - The Fugitive Slave Act was declared by the U.S. Congress. The act allowed slave owners to claim slaves that had escaped into other states.

Sept. 18, 1851 – The first issue of The New-York Daily Times was published. Originally founded by journalists Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jomnes, it was later renamed “The New York Times.”

Sept. 18, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought near Berlin, Md.

Sept. 18, 1862 – During the Civil War, Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s army pulled away from Antietam Creek, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and headed back to Virginia. The day before, at the Battle of Antietam, Lee’s force had engaged in the bloodiest one-day battle of the Civil War against the army of General George B. McClellan. The armies struggled to a standstill, but the magnitude of losses forced Lee to abandon his invasion of Maryland.

Sept. 18, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought near Cave City, Florence, Flasgow and Owensborough, Kentucky; at Rienzi, Mississippi; and near Fort Donelson. Six days of Federal operations also began around Fort Henry and Fort Donelson in Tennessee.

Sept. 18, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Pea Vine Bridge, Alexander’s Bridge, Reed’s Bridge, Dryer’s Ford, Spring Creek and Steven’s Gap in Georgia; at Calhoun, Cleveland, Fort Donelson, Kingsport and near Bristol in Tennessee; and at Crooked Run, Virginia.

Sept. 18, 1863 – During the Civil War, the Army of Tennessee was on the march on this day. Leaving only three divisions near Ringgold, Braxton Bragg moved all the rest across West Chickamauga Creek. These men were joined by Gen. James Longstreet’s corps from the Army of Northern Virginia, which had been detached after Gettysburg and sent west to help Bragg’s sagging fortunes. On the Union side, Rosecrans swung Thomas’s men far to the northeast to guard the right flank and the roads to Chattanooga. This required a difficult forced march, as they were far to the south of where they needed to be. As the armies got closer to each other skirmishes flared all along the line, at Pea Vine Ridge, Stevens’ Gap, Spring Creek, and numerous fords and bridges. The Chickamauga may have been only a creek, but it flowed between steep rocky banks and could only be crossed at a few points.

Sept. 18, 1864 – During the Civil War, a 15-day Federal operation between Barrancas and Marianna, Fla. began.

Sept. 18, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought near Lexington and Thomasville, Missouri; and near Martinsburg, West Virginia.

Sept. 18, 1864 – During the Civil War, a Federal operation bgan against Kiowa and Comanche Indians on the Cimarron River in the New Mexico Territory.

Sept. 18, 1870 – The Old Faithful Geyser was observed and named by Henry D. Washburn during the Washburn–Langford–Doane Expedition to Yellowstone.

Sept. 18, 1883 - Dr. Henry L. Rankin died of malarial fever at Brewton. His remains, in the custody of relatives and friends, passed through Evergreen at an early hour on the morning of Sept. 19, en route for Burnt Corn in Monroe County, where the mother and sisters of the deceased lived. For several years past, Dr. Rankin has been extensively engaged in the practice of dentistry in Escambia and adjoining counties, and had for the past year been interested in running a timber mill near Brewton.

Sept. 18, 1893 - William Edward Campbell was born in Mobile, Ala. He would gain fame as the author, William March. In June 1917, March enlisted as a private in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was assigned to the Marine Brigade in the Army's Second Division and took part in several notable actions. March received the French Croix de Guerre and the Distinguished Service Cross and Navy Cross – the United States' second-highest decorations for bravery in combat – for his actions in the assault on Blanc Mont Ridge, a key German stronghold east of Reims, in October 1918. March's first novel, “Company K,” was published in 1933. It dealt with his war experiences and is recognized today as a classic of its type.

Sept. 18, 1895 - The first chiropractic adjustment was performed by Daniel David Palmer, who ignited a new, sometimes controversial field of medicine.

Sept. 18, 1895 – Booker T. Washington delivered the "Atlanta compromise" address.

Sept. 18, 1905 – The school in the Drewry, Ala. community was scheduled to open on this day, the “patrons having elected their old teachers.”

Sept. 18, 1905 – J. Alex Grace, who had been the proprietor of the upper warehouse at Claiborne, Ala. for more than 20 years, died at his home at Claiborne after an illness of several days.

Sept. 18, 1907 – Work continued on the Cedar Creek Mill Co. logging road from Brewton to Andalusia in Alabama, where it was to connect to the Central of Georgia railroad terminus.

Sept. 18, 1912 – The Agricultural School in Evergreen, Ala. opened the 1912-13 school year with 94 pupils on the roll.

Sept. 18, 1913 – Evergreen newspapers reported that Jno. L. Jones, postmaster at Paul, Ala., reported the cotton crop in that neighborhood better than at first thought, but the corn crop was short.

Sept. 18, 1916 – An election was scheduled to be held in Monroeville, Ala. for the selection of mayor and five councilmen for terms of two years, beginning on the first Monday in October. L.J. Bugg was Monroeville’s mayor at the time of the election.

Sept. 18, 1919 – Fritz Pollard became the first African American to play professional football for a major team, the Akron Pros.

Sept. 18, 1925 – H.P. Lovecraft completed “In the Vault,” which was originally published in the November 1925 issue of The Tryout.

Sept. 18, 1927 - Columbia Phonograph Broadcasting System made its debut with its network broadcast over 16 radio stations. The name was later changed to CBS.

Sept. 18, 1939 - The Monroe County, Ala. schools opened on this Monday for the 1939-40 session.

Sept. 18, 1939 – The Nazi propaganda broadcaster known as Lord Haw-Haw began transmitting.

Sept. 18, 1943 – During World War II, Adolf Hitler ordered the deportation of Danish Jews.

Sept. 18, 1947 – The United States Air Force became an independent branch of the United States Armed Forces when it was established as a separate military branch by the National Security Act.

Sept. 18, 1947 – The National Security Council and the Central Intelligence Agency were established in the United States under the National Security Act.

Sept. 18, 1950 – Marine Cpl. Manford Frederick Langley of Castleberry was wounded in action while serving with the 1st Marines during the Korean War. Langley attended Conecuh County High School before enlisting in the Marine Corps in July 1948.

Sept. 18, 1953 – Evergreen High School, under head coach Wendell Hart and assistant coach Bill Parsons, opened the 1953 season with a 6-6 tie against Escambia County High School at Municipal Stadium in Atmore, Ala. Standout players on Evergreen’s team that year included Capt. Sam Cope, Wayne “Dog” Douglas, Richard Taylor, Ronnie Edson, Bud Ward, Wayne Bell, Paul Hanks, Vernon Purnell, Alt. Capt. Ward Alexander Jr., Jimmy Frazier, Buck Lewis, Walter Carrier, Johnny Fussell and Eugene “Pee Wee” Hyde. Atmore’s best player was running halfback James Kennedy.

Sept. 18, 1954 – Former Auburn University head coach Tommy Tuberville was born in Camden, Ark. He went on to play safety for Sourthern Arkansas and serve as head coach at Ole Miss, Auburn, Texas Tech and Cincinnati.

Sept. 18, 1956 - Mickey Mantle hit his 50th career home run.

Sept. 18, 1959 – Before one of the largest crowds in several years, Andalusia High School beat Evergreen High School, 20-6, in Evergreen, Ala. James Reeves scored Evergreen’s only touchdown on a two-yard run. Other standout Evergreen players in that game included Billie Bateman, Leon Stinson, Phillip Brown, H.W. Ward, Edwin Harper, Paul Hardin, Jimmy Eddins, Billy Melton, Ceylon Strong and Wayne Stinson.

Sept. 18, 1959 – National Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman and manager Ryne Sandberg was born in Spokane, Wash. He went on to play for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs and managed the Phillies for two seasons. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.

Sept. 18, 1961 – The fall session of court in Conecuh County, Ala. opened with Judge A.H. Elliott presiding.

Sept. 18, 1962 - Charlie Finley was denied permission to move the Athletics baseball team to Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas.

Sept. 18, 1964 – Frisco City High School, under head coach Leon Jackson, beat Excel High School, 18-6, in Frisco City, Ala. Fairhope beat Monroeville, 10-7. Repton High School, under head coach Gene Madison, beat Baker, 7-0, in Baker, Fla.

Sept. 18, 1964 – The North Vietnamese Army began infiltration of South Vietnam.

Sept. 18, 1965 - Mickey Mantle played in his 2,000th game.

Sept. 18, 1969 - Antiwar protestors announced that they would organize a 36-hour “March Against Death” to take place in Washington in November; there was to be a simultaneous rally in San Francisco. This effort was led by Dr. Benjamin Spock and 10 other representatives of the New Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam.

Sept. 18, 1970 - James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix died in his London apartment at the age of 27. The death was from an overdose of sleeping pills.

Sept. 18, 1973 - Future President Jimmy Carter filed a report with the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP), claiming he had seen an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) in Leary, Ga. in October 1969.

Sept. 18, 1975 – The FBI captured and arrested newspaper heiress Patty Hearst in San Francisco, Calif. after a year on the FBI Most Wanted List. Nineteen months earlier she had been kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army.

Sept. 18, 1980 - This Thursday marked the end of an era as the last piece of the Vredenburgh sawmill was auctioned off. Built in 1910, the mill operated as the lifeblood of the community until production was shut down in November 1979 by Bendix Corp., the present owner of the mill. More than 1,000 people showed up during the two days of the auction – some making bids but others just watching as the mill was sold piece by piece.

Sept. 18, 1981 – Evergreen High School lost to Opelika High School, 41-14, in Opelika, Ala. Mark Bell led Evergreen’s offense with eight carries for 75 yards and two touchdowns. Barry Padgett led Evergreen’s defense with seven solos and seven assists.

Sept. 18, 1983 - George Meegan reached the edge of an Alaskan tundra, and completed his 2,426-day trek of the Western Hemisphere- a journey of over 19,000 miles or 31 million steps.

Sept. 18, 1984 – Joe Kittinger completed the first solo balloon crossing of the Atlantic.

Sept. 18, 1987 – Jerzy Kukuczka became the second mountaineer to summit all 14 Eight-thousanders.

Sept. 18, 1991 - U.S. President George H.W. Bush said that he would send warplanes to escort U.N. helicopters that were searching for hidden Iraqi weapons if it became necessary.

Sept. 18, 1996 - Boston Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens struck out 20 Detroit Tigers, tying his own Major League record for most strikeouts in a game.

  

Sept. 18, 2001 – The first mailing of anthrax letters from Trenton, New Jersey in the 2001 anthrax attacks took place.

Sept. 18, 2003 – Robert Duvall, who played the role of Boo Radley in 1962’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Sept. 18, 2006 - With the Los Angeles Dodgers playing the San Diego Padres for first place in the National League West with only two weeks left in the regular season, Marlon Anderson of Montgomery, Ala. went five for five, including two home runs. His second home run that night was the last of a record tying four consecutive home runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, following home runs hit by Jeff Kent, J. D. Drew and Russell Martin. Anderson's home run tied the score at 9-9 after the Dodgers trailed 9-5 to begin the inning. The Dodgers would eventually win the game on a walk-off home run by Nomar Garciaparra, and would tie San Diego for the NL West title. The tiebreaker however, went to San Diego as they had beaten the Dodgers 13 of 18 games in 2006. The Dodgers would still make the playoffs after being awarded the wild card spot.