Today in History for Sept. 28, 2017

Country comedian Jerry Clower

Sept. 28, 551 BCE - Teacher, philosopher and political theorist Confucius was born near what is now Qufu, in Shandong Province, China.

Sept. 28, 1066 – William the Conqueror of Normandy arrived on British soil. He defeated the British in the Battle of Hastings, and on Christmas Day, he was crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey.

Sept. 28, 1542 - San Diego, Calif. was discovered by Portuguese navigator Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo.

Sept. 28, 1779 – During the American Revolution, Samuel Huntington was elected President of the Continental Congress, succeeding John Jay.

Sept. 28, 1781 – During the Revolutionary War, American forces under General George Washington, backed by a French fleet, began the siege of Yorktown, Va., leading to the surrender of British General Lord Charles Cornwallis on Oct. 17, effectively ending the War for Independence.

Sept. 28, 1787 – The newly completed United States Constitution was voted on by the U.S. Congress to be sent to the state legislatures for approval.

Sept. 28, 1789 - In the U.S., the first Federal Congress passed a resolution that asked President George Washington to recommend to the nation a day of thanksgiving. Several days later Washington issued a proclamation that named Thursday, Nov. 26, 1789 as a "Day of Publick Thanksgivin."

Sept. 28, 1824 – During his tour of the United States, the Marquis de Lafayette visited Philadelphia and gave a speech at the State House (Independence Hall) under Philadelphian architect William Strickland's Triumphal Arches.

Sept. 28, 1856 – Kate Douglas Wiggin was born in Philadelphia. She is best known for her 1903 novel, “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.”

Sept. 28, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought near Bailey’s Crossroad, Va.

Sept. 28, 1862 - Although it is widely believed that the first regiment of what would become known as the United States Colored Troops was the famed 54th Massachusetts (from the movie “Glory”), in fact the first regiment of free blacks was mustered in New Orleans, Louisiana on this date. Gen. Benjamin Butler, who had a rather direct way of dealing with things sometimes, had been the first to force the issue of what to do with black refugees and escaped slaves in the early days of the War. Then, he had persuaded Secretary of War Stanton to designate these displaced blacks as “contraband of war”, to prevent them from being returned to their owners. Now, he enlisted men in the Union Army as the First Regiment, Louisiana Native Guards. The men called themselves the “Chasseurs d’Afrique”, the African Hunters. Strangely enough, these black soldiers had offered their services to the Confederates only to be ignored in the evacuation of New Orleans. The sight of 731 black enlisted men led by 33 black officers participated in a parade down Canal Street on November 23, 1861.

Sept. 28, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought near Lebanon Junction, Ky.; near Friar’s Point, Miss.; and near Standing Stone, W.Va. An eight-day Federal operation from Covington, Ky. to Durhamville and Fort Randolph, Tenn. began.

Sept. 28, 1863 - Union Generals Alexander M. McCook and Thomas Crittenden lost their commands and were ordered to Indianapolis, Indiana to face court of inquiry charges following the Federal defeat at the Battle of Chickamauga. In February 1864, a military court cleared McCook and Crittenden, but their careers as field commanders were over. By quickly removing McCook and Crittenden, Rosecrans had been trying to save his own job, but within weeks after firing the generals, Rosecrans was himself replaced by Thomas.

Sept. 28, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Buell’s Ford and Jonesborough in Tennessee.

Sept. 28, 1864 - Confederate forces under General Sterling Price forced Union defenders away from Fort Davidson at Pilot Knob, Missouri.

Sept. 28, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Clarksville, Ark.; at Decatur, Ga.; at Brownsville, Miss.; at Caledonia, Waynesville, Centralia and in Polk County in Missouri; near Rheatown and Well’s Hill in Tennessee; at Port Republic and Rockfish Gap in Virginia; and at Caledonia and near Centralia in Missouri.

Sept. 28, 1868 - Confederate General Thomas Carmichael Hindman Jr. passed away at the age of 40 in Helena, Ark. after being shot multiple times by one or more unknown assailants.

Sept. 28, 1870 - Confederate General Robert E. Lee suffered a stroke and died on October 12, 1870.

Sept. 28, 1871 – Brazilian Parliament passed the Law of the Free Womb, granting freedom to all new children born to slaves, the first major step in the eradication of slavery in Brazil.

Sept. 28, 1886 – John W. Leslie was commissioned as Monroe County, Alabama’s Circuit Court Clerk.

Sept. 28, 1892 - The first nighttime football game in the United States took place under electric lights. The game was between the Mansfield State Normal School and the Wyoming Seminary.

Sept. 28, 1894 – Monroe County, Ala. tax collector W.J. Robinson died, and his son F.E. Robinson was appointed to fill his unexpired term.

Sept. 28, 1901 – Influential TV show host Ed Sullivan was born in Manhattan, N.Y.

Sept. 28, 1905 – The Monroe Journal reported that the new ginnery built by H.E. Hudson began operations a few days prior. “The gasoline engine which furnishes the motive power is quite a novelty and attracts many visitors,” the paper said. “The samples of cotton turned out are pronounced by experts to be superb.”

Sept. 28, 1908 - Alabama author J. Max McMurray was born.

Sept. 28, 1912 – Alabama native W.C. Handy published “Memphis Blues,” and it was the first written blues arrangement that Handy published. He sold the rights to a sheet music publisher for $50, to pay his debt to the printer. The publisher added lyrics, and it became one of the most popular songs of 1912; dance hall bandleaders bought the sheet music in record numbers.

Sept. 28, 1913 – British novelist and translator Edith Pargeter was born in Shropshire.

Sept. 28, 1914 – The second series of “The Adventures of Kathlyn” was shown at the Arcade Theatre in Evergreen, Ala.

Sept. 28, 1915 – Monroe County High School’s girls baseball team played their first game of the season on this Tuesday afternoon and beat the “town girls” 8-7.

Sept. 28, 1916 – The Monroe Journal reported that Henry Jones held the position of professor of mathematics and history and was also director of athletics at Monroe County High School.

Sept. 28, 1916 – The Monroe Journal reported that Monroe County Engineer C.E. Barker said that about 100 men were employed on the public roads in various sections of the county, under the arrangements recently made for extending relief to those rendered destitute by reason of storm and flood disaster. Crews of considerable size had been organized and put to work at and in the vicinity of Perdue Hill and Franklin, while smaller squads were working in other communities. Each person so employed was to be paid a reasonable daily wage in cash.

Sept. 28, 1918 – During World War I, the Fifth Battle of Ypres began.

Sept. 28, 1918 - The course of history was nearly averted when British soldier Henry Tandey allegedly spared the life of an injured Adolf Hitler, while fighting during World War I. Tandey would tell his compatriots that he aimed at the future German dictator, but did not pull the trigger because he could not shoot a wounded man. While the veracity of the encounter remains debated to this day, Hitler, himself, claimed the tale was true during a meeting with British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain in 1938.

Sept. 28, 1919 - The New York Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-1 in a day game that lasted 51 minutes. The time set a National League record.

Sept. 28, 1920 - Eight members of the Chicago White Sox were indicted in what was called the "Black Sox" scandal. They were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds.

Sept. 28, 1926 – Country comedian Jerry Clower was born in Liberty, Miss.

Sept. 28, 1928 – Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming peered into a petri dish at his basement laboratory in London and noticed a blue-green mold growing. The mold, he observed, was killing the staph bacteria he’d been cultivating in that petri dish. He called the mold “Penicillin,” which is now considered the world’s first “miracle drug,” and it sparked the modern era of antibiotic development.

Sept. 28, 1929 - A movie version of Alabama author Octavus Roy Cohen's book “The Lady Fare” was released.

Sept. 28, 1936 - Author Judith Hillman Paterson was born in Montgomery, Ala.

Sept. 28, 1939 – The Monroe Journal reported that W.M. Mullins of Wetumpka, Ala. had replaced Frank Sheffiled as manager of the Alabama Water Service Co. in Monroeville. Sheffield had been manager for about a year prior to resigning.

Sept. 28, 1939 – Prominent Monroeville, Ala. merchant Andrew Harrison “Andy” Johnson, 52, passed away at his home around 9 p.m. after a heart attack. Born and raised at Franklin, he worked on steamboats on the Alabama River, ran a mercantile business at Franklin and ran a dry goods store in Monroeville. Born on Jan. 21, 1887, he was buried in the River Ridge Cemetery at Franklin.

Sept. 28, 1939 – Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union agreed on a division of Poland after their invasion during World War II.

Sept. 28, 1939 – Warsaw surrendered to Nazi Germany during World War II.

Sept. 28, 1940 - Alabama author James P. White was born.

Sept. 28, 1941 - The Boston Red Sox's Ted Williams played a double-header against the Philadelphia Athletics on the last day of the regular season and got six hits in eight trips to the plate, to boost his batting average to .406 and became the first player since Bill Terry in 1930 to hit .400.

Sept. 28, 1942 - Author Sena Jeter Naslund was born in Birmingham, Ala.

Sept. 28, 1944 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Pvt. Luther McDonald of Castleberry, Ala., who was stationed at Chatham Field, Ga. as a B-24 bomber mechanic and gunner, was a member of the Chatham Field football team. This team was composed of former college and high school players from all over the United States, and had several all-Americans on this year’s squad. The team’s coach and “backfield ace” was Lt. William “Tarzan” White, a former All-American at the University of Alabama. McDonald, who played on the 1937, 1938 and 1939 teams at Conecuh County High School in Castleberry, was the team’s starting right tackle.

Sept. 28, 1944 – The Evergreen Courant reported that during the past week relatives of Curtis Ashley Carter, 42, had received from the U.S. Maritime Service the Mariner’s Medal, who had been posthumously awarded to the late C.A. Carter. Carter was reported missing April 8, 1942. He was in the Maritime Service and, at the time he was reported missing, was on duty on an oil tanker. All other members of the crew have been accounted for as prisoners of war of the Japanese government. Born on Nov. 21, 1899, a marker in Carter’s memory that reads “Lost at Sea” can be found in the Old Evergreen Cemetery in Evergreen, Ala.

Sept. 28, 1944 – The Evergreen Courant reported that a telegram from the Adjutant General’s office, dated Sept. 15, to Mrs. Bryant Covan informed her that her husband, Staff Sgt. Bryant Covan, who had previously been reported as missing in action, was a prisoner of war of the German Government at Stalag Luft 4, Germany. S-Sgt. Covan was reported missing over Austria June 26. He was an aerial gunner on a B-24.

Sept. 28, 1944 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Mr. and Mrs. E.H. Cowart had been informed by a telegram from the War Department that their son Pfc. Elly H. Cowart Jr., who was reported wounded sometime before, had recovered and had returned to active duty. Mr. and Mrs. Cowart also received that week the Purple Heart which was awarded their son, who was with combat engineers in France. They received letters from him regularly since he was wounded but none of these gave any details concerning the nature of his injuries. He was wounded July 25 and returned to active duty Aug. 22.

Sept. 28, 1944 – British author and journalist Simon Winchester was born in London.

Sept. 28, 1950 – The Monroe Journal reported that a Uriah soldier, Pvt. Orrie Hilburn, the son of Thomas B. Hilburn of Uriah, that week was listed as wounded in action in fighting in Korea. Pvt. Hilburn was included in a list of 23 casualties announced by the War Department on Sept. 25. The extent of his injuries was not known. The Uriah private was the third casualty reported from Monroe County in the Korean conflict. SFC Robert L. Booker, 24, of Evergreen Rt. 1 (near Skinnerton) was killed in action in Korea Sept. 1 and PFC Robert L. Norris of Goodway was wounded in the Korean fighting Sept. 4.

Sept. 28, 1950 - J.U. Blacksher and Beatrice, both out to get on the winning track after defeats the previous week, were scheduled to clash on this Thursday at Uriah, in the third tilt of the season for both squads. Players on Blacksher’s team that season included Eugene Akins, Coley Arrington, Charles Brantley, Loten Griggers, Curtis Harris, Jeffie Johnson, Eugene Madison, Evans McGhee, Glen Middleton, Liston Middleton, Billy Rabon, Oneil Smith and Lavon Ward. Players on the Beatrice team that season included Johnnie Mac Brantley, Dale Brown, Frank Driver, Andy Everette, Bruce Garrett, Aulton Johnson, Bob Johnson, James Luker, Earl Shannon, Marcus Simpkins and Claude Wright. Frank Killian was Blacksher’s head coach, and Hubert Finlayson was head coach at Beatrice.

Sept. 28, 1954 - Alabama author James H. Street died in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Sept. 28, 1954 – Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Steve Largent was born in Tulsa, Okla. He went on to play for Tulsa, the Houston Oilers and the Seattle Seahawks. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995.

Sept. 28, 1955 - The World Series was televised in color for the first time. The game was between the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Sept. 28, 1960 - At Boston’s Fenway Park, Red Sox star Ted Williams hit a home run in the last at-bat of his 21-year career. He finished his career with a total of 521 home runs.

Sept. 28, 1967 – Repton High School fullback Gary Boatwright scored five touchdowns and ran for 256 yards in a 49-0 win over Century, Fla.

Sept. 28, 1968 - A battle began for the Special Forces camp at Thuong Duc, situated between Da Nang and the Laotian border.

Sept. 28, 1972 - On this day, weekly casualty figures were released that contain no U.S. fatalities for the first time since March 1965.

Sept. 28, 1980 – Aubrey Brown Boykin, 71, of Evergreen, Ala. died on this Sunday evening in a local hospital after a long illness. He was a prominent local businessman and civic leader. He and his wife, Luella, operated Conecuh County’s leading jewelry store for over 30 years. Boykin also served as an artillery officer in the 31st (Dixie) Division of the U.S. Army in combat areas of the Pacific Theatre during World War II. He was also a Mason and a Shriner. Born in 1909, he was buried in the Magnolia Cemetery in Evergreen.

Sept. 28, 1987 - The first episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," a two-hour pilot called “Encounter at Farpoint,” aired to 27 million viewers.

Sept. 28, 1989 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the Evergreen (Ala.) City Council had voted unanimously to promote Darrell Davis to Wastewater Superintendent. Davis had been employed by the city for a number of years prior to his promotion and held the required Class I Certification in Wastewater Treatment and the Class II Certification in Water Treatment. Freddie Stallworth was the city personnel director at the time; Curtis Hamilton was city administrator and Lee F. Smith was mayor.

Sept. 28, 1995 - Randy Myers of the Chicago Cubs was charged by a 27-year-old man while standing in the outfield. Myers saw him coming, dropped his glove and knocked the man down with his forearm.

  

Sept. 28, 1995 – The Monroe Journal reported that a familiar name in country humor was expected to make his way to Monroeville when the annual Kiwanis Monroe County Fair returned in less than two weeks. Jerry Clower from Yazoo City, Miss. was to perform live inside the Monroe County Coliseum as part of that year’s fair entertainment. Advance tickets for were $10.

Sept. 28, 1998 – Despite bad weather caused by Hurricane George, pharmacists Ronnie Philen and Lynn Lowery Powell opened their new business, Village Pharmacy on this Monday. A ribbon-cutting for the new business was held on Oct. 26, 1998.

Sept. 28, 2001 - Courtney Love filed a claim against Geffen Records and two musicians from her late husband's band, Nirvana. The suit was aimed at invalidating a 1997 agreement over the group's body of work. Love claimed that she signed the deal while she was distressed.

Sept. 28, 2004 – The Stanford House at Pine Apple in Wilcox County, Ala. was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Sept. 28, 2004 - Nate Olive and Sarah Jones arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border to complete the first known continuous hike of the 1,800-mile trail down the U.S. Pacific Coast. They started the trek on June 8.

Sept. 28, 2012 – The “Solomon Kane” movie, directed by Michael J. Bassett and starring James Purefoy, was released in the U.S.