Today in History for Sept. 24, 2017

Ed Williams in September 1981.

Sept. 24, 1717 - British parliamentarian, art historian and writer Horace Walpole was born in London.

Sept. 24, 1775 - Ethan Allen was defeated by British General and Canadian Royal Governor Guy Carleton at Montreal

Sept. 24, 1776 - The Continental Congress prepared instructions for agents appointed to negotiate a treaty between the United States and France and instructed these agents to request assistance in securing arms. Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane and Arthur Lee were selected two days later.

Sept. 24, 1780 – Benedict Arnold fled to British Army lines when the arrest of British Major John André exposed Arnold's plot to surrender West Point.

Sept. 24, 1789 – The United States Congress passed the Judiciary Act which created the office of the United States Attorney General and the federal judiciary system, and ordered the composition of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Sept. 24, 1827 - Union General Henry Slocum was born in Delphi, New York. He fought at the First Battle of Bull Run, Va. in July 1861 and was named commander of the army’s XII Corps in October 1862. He fought in the Battle of Gettysburg, Pa. in July 1863 and was selected to command one wing of the Federal army during General William T. Sherman’s famous “March to the Sea” in late 1864.

Sept. 24, 1861 - A historic ruling came on this day from Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles, in a letter to Flag Officer Samuel duPont of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. A new regulation “with respect to...persons of color, commonly known as ‘contraband’, now subsisted at the navy yards and on board ships of war. It is not proper that they should be compelled to render...services without compensation. You are therefore authorized...to enlist them for the naval service, under the same forms and regulations as apply to other enlistments.” It would be some years before blacks were enlisted in the other services.

Sept. 24, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Point of Rocks, Md.

Sept. 24, 1861 – The Confederate infantry company known as the “Scotland Invincibles,” which was raised at Old Scotland in Monroe County, Ala., began marching from Old Scotland to Evergreen to catch the train to Montgomery, where they were officially organized as Co. H of the 17th Alabama Volunteer Regiment, under the command of Col. T.H. Watts.

Sept. 24, 1862 – During the Civil War, an engagement was fought at Sabine Pass, Texas as the Union steamer Kensington, schooner Rachel Seaman and mortar schooner Henry James appeared off the bar at Sabine Pass. The next morning, the two schooners crossed the bar, took position and began firing on the Confederate shore battery. The shots from both land and shore fell far short of the targets. The ships then moved nearer until their projectiles began to fall amongst the Confederate guns. The Confederate cannons, however, still could not hit the ships. After dark, the Confederates evacuated, taking as much property as possible with them and spiking the four guns left behind. On the morning of Sept. 25, the schooners moved up to the battery and destroyed it while Acting Master Frederick Crocker, commander of the expedition, received the surrender of the town. Union control of Sabine Pass made later incursions into the interior possible.

Sept. 24, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Granby, Mo. and along Skull Creek in S.C.

Sept. 24, 1862 - Abraham Lincoln announced another proclamation suspending the right of habeas corpus, this time in any area under Federal control. The particular target of this move was “all Rebels and Insurgents, their aiders and abettors within the United States, and all persons discouraging volunteer enlistments, resisting militia drafts, or guilty of any disloyal practice, affording comfort to Rebels against the authority of the United States.” This action suspending perhaps the primary guarantee of civil liberties in the Constitution was, in fact, Constitutional--Article I, section 9, states “The writ shall not be suspended unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.” Many were outraged at this trampling of civil liberties and regarded it as a sign of the downfall of the Republic.

Sept. 24, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Zollicoffer, Tenn.; at Bristoe Station, Va.; and at Greenbrier Bridge, about 21 miles from Huttonsville, W.Va.

Sept. 24, 1864 - Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest took more than 1,400 Union soldiers prisoner when he tricked Col. Wallace Campbell into surrendering a fort on Coleman Hill near Athens, Ala. Forrest convinced Campbell that his force was three times its actual size and that resisting or waiting on reinforcements was pointless. Most of the Union troops were from the 110th U.S. Colored Infantry, which was made up of former slaves from northern Alabama and southern Tennessee.

Sept. 24, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Magnolia, Fla.; at Jackson and Farmington in Missouri; and at Luray, Forest Hill (Timberville,) Mount Jackson, New Market, and near Winchester in Virginia.

Sept. 24, 1868 – Longtime Monroe Journal editor and publisher Q. Salter was born. (Some sources say he was born in 1867.)

Sept. 24, 1869 – During what is now known as "Black Friday," gold prices plummeted after Ulysses S. Grant ordered the Treasury to sell large quantities of gold after Jay Gould and James Fisk plotted to control the market.

Sept. 24, 1890 – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially renounced polygamy.

Sept. 24, ca. 1893 – Blues musician “Blind” Lemon Jefferson was born on a farm in Couchman, Texas.

Sept. 24, 1896 - F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of “The Great Gatsby,” was born Francis Scott Fitzgerald in St. Paul, Minn.

Sept. 24, 1896 – The Monroe Journal announced that the Hon. Joseph F. Johnston, Governor-elect of Alabama, and the Hon. Geo. W. Taylor, Democratic nominee for Congress in first district, planned to address citizens “on the political issues of the day” at the following times and places: Walker Springs, Clarke County, Tues., Sept. 29; Mt. Pleasant, Monroe County, Wed., Sept. 30; Monroeville, Monroe County, Thurs., Oct. 1; Pineville, Monroe County, Fri., Oct. 2.

Sept. 24, 1906 – U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Devils Tower in Wyoming as the nation's first National Monument.

Sept. 24, 1914 - D.R. Lamont, “who was cashier of the recently defunct bank at Atmore,” Ala., committed suicide by shooting himself.

Sept. 24, 1914 – The Monroe Journal reported that the construction of the electric light plant in Monroeville, Ala. was “making excellent progress” and that poles were being raised for lines around the public square. The electrical machinery had been shipped and was expected to arrive that week. The machinery had been formerly used at Marion Institute and had a 400-light capacity.

Sept. 24, 1915 – “The Daughter of the People,” featuring Laura Sawyer, was scheduled to be shown at the Arcade Theater in Evergreen, Ala.

Sept. 24, 1918 - The government of Bulgaria issued an official statement announcing it had sent a delegation to seek a ceasefire with the Allied powers that would end Bulgaria’s participation in World War I.

Sept. 24, 1934 - Babe Ruth played his last game as a New York Yankee player.

Sept. 24, 1935 - A long illness proved fatal to 52-year-old James Monroe Agee, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, who passed away at his home in Monroeville on this Tuesday evening shortly after 6:30 o’clock. He would have observed his 53^rd birthday on Oct. 3, 1935. Agee had served six years in the clerk’s office and was not opposed for re-election in the campaign of 1934. At his death, he had completed about nine months of his second term. Born on Oct. 3, 1882 at Perdue Hill, he was buried in the McConnico Cemetery at Perdue Hill.

Sept. 24, 1939 – Shortly after 1 p.m., a fire that originated in the editorial rooms of The Selma Times-Journal destroyed the century-old files of the newspaper and the composing room. “The Selma Times-Journal file room contained copies of the old Journal and Times, whose consolidation produced the present publication, suffered both fire and water damage and its contents were said to have been rendered worthless.” Fire officials believed that faulty wiring or a cigarette caused the fire. Publisher Mrs. F.T. Raiford said there would be no interruption in publication.

Sept. 24, 1940 - Jimmie Foxx of the Boston Red Sox hit his 500th career home run.

Sept. 24, 1941 – Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey was born in New York City. He would go on to play for Syracuse, the Baltimore Colts and the San Diego Chargers. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1992.

Sept. 24, 1943 - Alabama author Martha Humphreys was born.

Sept. 24, 1944 – Irish poet Eavan Boland was born in Dublin.

Sept. 24, 1946 – Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle Charles Edward "Mean Joe” Greene was born in Elgin, Texas. He went on to play for North Texas and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987.

Sept. 24, 1947 – U.S. President Harry S. Truman supposedly created secret committee known as Majestic 12 on this date to deal with the Roswell Incident and other alien incursions.

Sept. 24, 1948 – The Honda Motor Company was founded.

Sept. 24, 1948 – Lamar County, Ala. native Terry Moore appeared in his final Major League Baseball game, taking the field a final time as an outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Sept. 24, 1950 - Forest fires in British Columbia and Alberta blacked out the sun over portions of Canada and New England. The after effects also caused the sun and moon to appear blue in locations as far away as Europe.

Sept. 24, 1952 – In an incident attributed to the “Devil’s Sea,” the Japanese research vessel Kaiyo Maru No. 5, with a crew of 31 aboard, was destroyed by an eruption while investigating undersea volcano activity.

Sept. 24, 1957 - The Brooklyn Dodgers played their last game at Ebbets Field.

Sept. 24, 1959 – According to The Evergreen Courant, John Andrews was the City of Evergreen’s police chief and his patrolmen included James Ellis, Leroy McDonald, Travis Baggett and Matthew Davis Jr. L.E. “Gene” Salter was the radio dispatcher.

Sept. 24, 1959 – The Evergreen Courant reported that D.M. Pugh had sold Pugh’s Café on Rural Street in Evergreen, Ala. to Truman Hyde of Evergreen, who changed the name to “The Sweet Shop.”

Sept. 24, 1959 – The Evergreen Courant reported that during a recent meeting of the Conecuh Farm Bureau’s board of directors at the Evergreen (Ala.) Recreation Center, Hugh Brown, past president and longtime leader of the Conecuh Farm Bureau, crowned Olivia Kindig as Conecuh County’s 1959 Maid of Cotton.

Sept. 24, 1960 – USS Enterprise, the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was launched.

Sept. 24, 1963 - Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and Gen. Maxwell Taylor, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Vietnam. At President John F. Kennedy’s request, they were to determine whether South Vietnam’s military situation had deteriorated as a result of the continuing clash between the Ngo Dinh Diem government and the Buddhists over Diem’s refusal to institute internal political reform.

Sept. 24, 1964 - President Lyndon B. Johnson receives the Warren Commission's report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, which had occurred on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas.

Sept. 24, 1964 – Baseball great Rafael Palmeiro was born in Havana, Cuba.

Sept. 24, 1965 – Alabama Gov. George Wallace signed into law a bill that created the 35th Judicial Circuit, which was composed of Conecuh and Monroe County’s Rep. Wiley Salter introduced the bill, and Wallace appointed Evergreen attorney Robert E.L. Key as the circuit’s first circuit judge.

Sept. 24, 1967 - In Saigon, Hue and Da Nang, demonstrations were staged against the recent election of President Nguyen Van Thieu and Vice President Nguyen Cao Ky, led by the militant Buddhist faction, who charged that the elections were rigged and demand that the Constituent Assembly cancel the results.

Sept. 24, 1967 - In the United States, the Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) adopted a resolution against the Johnson administration’s policy and strategy in Vietnam, charging that in Vietnam the United States was “in league with a corrupt and illiberal government supported by a minority of the people.”

Sept. 24, 1968 – “60 Minutes” debuted on CBS.

Sept. 24, 1971 - Journalist Grover Cleveland Hall Jr. died in Montgomery, Ala. at the age of 56 and was buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in Montgomery. Born on Feb. 10, 1915, he served as editor of The Montgomery Advertiser from 1948 to 1966.

Sept. 24, 1975 – Dougal Haston and Doug Scott on the Southwest Face expedition became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest by any of its faces.

Sept. 24, 1980 – Seven Evergreen (Ala.) Rotary Club golfers finished first in a four-club match at the Andalusia Country Club on this Wednesday. At that time, the Rotary Clubs of Andalusia, Brewton, Opp and Evergreen played each year in a ‘winner-take-all’ team tournament with the money going to the Rotary Foundation in the name of the winning club. Evergreen’s golfers included Jimmy Bell, Clyde Gibson, James Wilson, Bill McKenzie, David Hyde, Bill McGehee and Roy Pace, who finished 14 strokes in front and made it possible for well over $400 to be given to the Rotary Foundation on behalf of the Evergreen Rotary Club.

Sept. 24, 1981 – Ed Williams, 28, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Edsel Williams of Owassa, Ala., was named editor and general manager of The Andalusia Star-News by Publisher Joe Starling. Williams, who’d been the editor and general manager of The Brewton Standard for the previous 2-1/2 years, replaced managing editor Ron Culbreth, who went to work at a Birmingham newspaper.

Sept. 24, 1982 – Birmingham, Ala. native Lee May appeared in his last Major League Baseball game, taking the field one last time for the Kansas City Royals.

Sept. 24, 1991 - Nirvana's album "Nevermind" was released.

Sept. 24, 1993 – The third episode of “The X-Files” – entitled “Squeeze” – aired for the first time.

Sept. 24, 1996 - Blockbusting bestselling author Stephen King released two new novels at once on this day. The first, “Desperation,” was released under King's name, while the second, “The Regulators,” was published under his pseudonym, Richard Bachman.

Sept. 24, 1996 - The United States, represented by President Clinton, and the world’s other major nuclear powers, like Russia, China, and Great Britain, signed a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty to end all testing and development of nuclear weapons.

Sept. 24, 1998 - Steven Tyler of Aerosmith threw out the first pitch at the Expos-Cardinal game in St. Louis, Mo.

Sept. 24, 2001 - U.S. President George W. Bush froze the assets of 27 suspected terrorists and terrorist groups.

Sept. 24, 2002 – Weather reporter Harry Ellis reported 1.28 inches of rain in Evergreen.

Sept. 24, 2002 – Pro Football Hall of Fame center Mike Webster died at the age of 50 in Pittsburgh, Pa. During his career, he played for the University of Wisconsin, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Kansas City Chiefs. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997.

Sept. 24, 2004 – Eight days after the passage of Hurricane Ivan, Monroe County High School beat Hillcrest High School, 18-14, at Tiger Stadium in Monroeville, Ala. Outstanding Hillcrest players in that game included Maurice Bradley, Chris Hines, Clarence Jackson, Jerry Jackson and Brent Smith. Arlton Hudson was Hillcrest’s head coach. Outstanding Monroe players in that game included Taylor Anderson, Watson Black, Terrell Richardson and Omar Scott.

Sept. 24, 2004 – Abbeville Christian beat Sparta Academy, 52-14, in Evergreen, Ala.. Sparta’s touchdowns came on runs of five and 15 yards by Chase Brown, and Tony Raines scored a two-point conversion run after the first of Brown’s touchdowns. Other standout Sparta players in that game included Will Ivey and David McGinity.

Sept. 24, 2006 - The Detroit Tigers clinched their first playoff berth since 1987, and the Atlanta Braves were eliminated from the playoffs for the first time in 14 years.