Today in History for Sept. 8, 2017

Sept. 8, 1504 – Michelangelo unveiled his sculpture “David.”

Sept. 8, 1565 - A Spanish expedition established the first permanent European settlement in North America at present-day St. Augustine, Fla. The expedition was led by Spanish admiral and Florida's first governor, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés.

Sept. 8, 1664 – The Dutch surrendered the city of New Amsterdam to the British, who renamed it New York.

Sept. 8, 1781 – During the American Revolutionary War, the Battle of Eutaw Springs in South Carolina, the war's last significant battle in the Southern theater, ended in a narrow British tactical victory.

Sept. 8, 1810 – The Tonquin set sail from New York Harbor with 33 employees of John Jacob Astor's newly created Pacific Fur Company on board. After a six-month journey around the tip of South America, the ship arrived at the mouth of the Columbia River and Astor's men established the fur-trading town of Astoria, Oregon.

Sept. 8, 1812 – Louisa Frances Garland, the wife of University of Alabama President Landon Garland, was born. Tradition states that Louisa Garland convinced Union soldiers not to burn the President’s Mansion when they attacked the University’s campus on April 4, 1865.

Sept. 8, 1822 – German geologist and explorer Karl von Ditmar was born in Vändra, Pärnu County, Livonia.

Sept. 8, 1840 – Confederate veteran Henry Smith Skinner was born in Carrol County, Mo. During the Civil War, he served in Co. E of the 15th Confederate Cavalry and served on the staff of Col. Henry “Harry” Maury. After the war, he practiced dentistry in Belleville, Ala. He passed away on Dec. 26, 1922 and is buried in the Methodist Cemetery at Belleville.

Sept. 8, 1861 – During the Civil War, an engagement was fought at Lucas Bend, Mo.

Sept. 8, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Lovetsville, Va.

Sept. 8, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought on the Franklin and Scott Roads in Kentucky; at Poolesville, Md.; at Cockrum Crossroad and at Rienzi in Mississippi; at Big Creek, Mo.; at Columbia, Tenn.; and at Williamsburg, Va.

Sept. 8, 1862 – During the Civil War, Robert E. Lee released a pronouncement to the people of Maryland on this day. “The people of the Confederate States have long watched with the deepest sympathy the wrongs and outrages that have been inflicted on the citizens,” he said. “We know no enemies among you, and will protect all, of every opinion.” The South had long believed that if the Union army weren’t there that Maryland would have long since seceded. “It is for you to decide your destiny freely and without constraint.” The immediate decision of the people of Maryland, pro-South as well as pro-North, was that they had no desire to “sell” their just-harvested crops for Confederate money. The anticipated enthusiasm for Robert E. Lee’s “army of liberation” was not materializing.

Sept. 8, 1863 - At the Second Battle of Sabine Pass, a small Confederate force thwarted a Federal invasion of Texas at the mouth of the Sabine River on the Texas-Louisiana border. While the Confederates did not lose a single man, 28 Yankees were killed, 75 were wounded, and 315 were captured. The loss was humiliating for the Union, Franklin was ridiculed and Dowling’s Rebels became heroes.

Sept. 8, 1863 - Union General William Rosecrans approached Chattanooga, Tenn. from the west and began crossing Lookout Mountain. The next day Union troops captured the city with only minor skirmishing.

Sept. 8, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Alpine and Lookout Mountain in Georgia; at Webber’s Fall in the Indian Territory;  at Friar’s Island, Tenn.; and at Brandy Station, Va.

Sept. 8, 1863 – During the Civil War, the 1st Confederate Army Corps under Lieutenant General James Longstreet was detached from the Army of Northern Virginia and ordered to Tennessee to assist General Braxton Bragg, arriving Sept. 18-19, 1863, having to travel by rail through North Carolina and to Atlanta, Ga. to reach Bragg’s army, revealing the South’s inferior railroad system.

Sept. 8, 1864 - Over 50 Confederate boats were destroyed at Salt House Point on Mobile Bay, Ala. A three-day Federal expedition began from Mobile Bay to Bon Secour and Fish River, Ala., and the immense salt works at Bon Secour and barracks at Camp Anderson were destroyed.

Sept. 8, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought near Glass Village and Clarendon in Arkansas; at Labiadieville, La.; near Warrensburg, Mo. and near Currituck Bridge, Va.

Sept. 8, 1864 – During the Civil War, a four-day Federal operation from Helena to Alligator Bayou in Arkansas began, and another four-day Federal operation began from Lewisburg to Norristown and Russellville in Arkansas.

Sept. 8, 1864 – A Federal expedition was conducted from Fort Pike, La., aboard the steamer, JD Swain, up the Peal River to Deer Island Landing.

Sept. 8, 1864 - It had been more than a week before that George McClellan had been nominated as the Democratic candidate for President in that year’s election, but he did not get around to formally accepting that nomination until this day. At that point, he made an announcement that did not sit well with many: He disavowed the “peace plank” in the party platform. This provision insisted that there should be an “immediate cessation of hostilities” and that the Union should be reunited, if possible, by negotiation. McClellan renounced this, saying “The Union is the one condition of peace” and that that was all that could bring the end of the war. This made McClellan look as though he was trying to have things both ways, which, as usual, endeared him to neither faction.

Sept. 8, 1865 – During the Civil War, a second day of skirmishing with Indians took place at Powder River in the Montana Territory.

Sept. 8, 1883 – The Northern Pacific Railway (reporting mark NP) was completed in a ceremony at Gold Creek, Montana. Former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in an event attended by rail and political luminaries.

Sept. 8, 1888 – “Jack the Ripper” claimed his second victim, Annie Chapman, in London.

Sept. 8, 1892 – An early version of the Pledge of Allegiance appeared in a magazine called “The Youth's Companion.” It read: "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands; one nation indivisible, with liberty and Justice for all."

Sept. 8, 1895 – On this Sunday, B.F. Dogget killed 14 rattlesnakes on his farm in the Glendale community (Monroe County?). Two of the snakes were 4-1/2 feet long and the others were about 15 inches long.

Sept. 8, 1897 – American singer-songwriter and guitarist Jimmie Rodgers, known as the “Father of Country Music,” was born in Meridian, Miss.

Sept. 8, 1900 - The powerful “Hurricane of 1900” hit the city of Galveston, Texas, causing an estimated 8,000 deaths. The storm kept up for 18 hours, with winds clocked at 120 mph. Most of Galveston was built at sea level, and huge waves swept through the streets and flattened businesses and homes.

Sept. 8, 1909 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Dr. and Mrs. J.V. Carsewell and Mrs. Costello had arrived in Evergreen, Ala. from McWilliams to take charge of the Evergreen Hotel on Sept. 9.

Sept. 8, 1909 – The Evergreen Courant reported that one case of pellagra had been reported in Conecuh County, Ala. About three weeks prior, a child died about 12 miles southeast of Evergreen from the disease. The child was from Mississippi, where it had contracted the disease before being sent to relatives in Conecuh County.

Sept. 8, 1912 – Steve Blackwell, his son, J.T. Blackwell, Gus Baggett, G.E. Bradley and Jas. Ryals were placed in the Conecuh County Jail on charges of murdering 32-year-old John H. Lowrey earlier that day near Repton, Ala. (Some sources say that “Lowery” was killed on Sept. 7 and that he was shot to death near Springhill Methodist Church.) Born in May 1880, Lowery was buried in the Springhill Methodist Church Cemetery in Conecuh County.

Sept. 8, 1914 – William A. Burnett, “a former well known citizen of Evergreen and Castleberry,” died at his home in Pollard, Ala. after a “lingering illness” at the age of 56. Born on May 14, 1858, he was buried in the Pollard Cemetery in Escambia County, Ala.

Sept. 8, 1914 – During World War I, Private Thomas Highgate became the first British soldier to be executed for desertion during the war.

Sept. 8, 1915 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Prof. L.H. Lewis, a member of the Agricultural school faculty, had arrived from his home in Blocton, in preparation for the opening of the school year.

Sept. 8, 1915 - A German Zeppelin commanded by Heinrich Mathy, one of the great airship commanders of World War I, hit Aldersgate in central London, killing 22 people and causing £500,000 worth of damage.

Sept. 8, 1916 - Col. Bibb Graves of the Alabama National Guard and Capt. Rogers of the U.S. Army, specially detailed for the purpose, were scheduled to visit Monroeville on this Friday to muster in the cavalry troop being organized in Monroe county. According to The Monroe Journal, there were “still a few vacancies to be filled in order to bring the troop up to the full complement of men and those desiring to enlist should advise Capt. John McDuffie without delay.” Both Roy and Monroeville were making efforts to secure the location of the troop headquarters and armory and it was probable that one or the other place would be designated.

Sept. 8, 1920 - The first transcontinental U.S. airmail service began, from New York to San Francisco. As part of the system, there were 15 airfields in all, beginning with New York and including Cleveland, Chicago, Omaha, Cheyenne, Salt Lake City, Reno, and finally San Francisco.

Sept. 8, 1924 – Novelist Grace Metalious was born in Manchester, New Hampshire. She is best known for her 1956 novel, “Peyton Place.”

Sept. 8, 1924 – Evergreen, Alabama’s Agricultural and Grammar schools opened with a joint program at the Grammar school auditorium on this Monday morning at 10 a.m. Prof. J.B. Hobdy, the state director of vocational education, was the keynote speaker. W.B. Sexton was principal of the Agricultural school, and R. Gaston Bozeman was the principal of the City School.

Sept. 8, 1927 - The State Secondary Agricultural School in Evergreen, Ala. was scheduled to open its 30th annual session on this Thursday at 9 a.m. in the auditorium of the Evergreen City School.

Sept. 8, 1930 - St. Paul, Minnesota, manufacturing company 3M began marketing Scotch tape.

Sept. 8, 1933 – Ghazi bin Faisal became King of Iraq.

Sept. 8, 1939 – Alabama State Highway Director Chris J. Sherlock announced that an agreement between the State Highway Department and Monroe County officials had been signed for the paving of 12-1/2 miles of State Highway 47 between Tunnel Springs and Midway, the last unpaved section of the highway between Greenville and Monroeville.

Sept. 8, 1941 – American politician Bernie Sanders was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., the son of paint salesman from Poland.

Sept. 8, 1945 – Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Lem Barney was born in Gulfport, Miss. He went on to play for Jackson State and the Detroit Lions. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1992.

Sept. 8, 1947 – Short story writer and novelist Ann Beattie was born in Washington, D.C.

Sept. 8, 1949 – The Monroe Journal reported that football practice was now in full swing at Excel High School, where approximately 22 candidates were being put through their paces by Coach Jack Smith, with fundamentals and conditioning exercises being stressed. Workouts began on Thurs., Sept. 1, and the group was set to begin rough work shortly in preparation for the Sept. 16 clash with Uriah High School. The team was to play its “home” games at Monroeville and Frisco City. Players on Excel’s team that season included Glen Brown, Billy Dawson, Curtis Jordan, Gerald Skipper and Alto Stacey.

Sept. 8, 1952 – “The Old Man and the Sea,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Ernest Hemingway, was first published.

Sept. 8, 1954 - Having been directed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to put together an alliance to contain any communist aggression in the free territories of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, or Southeast Asia in general, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles forged an agreement establishing a military alliance that becomes the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO).

Sept. 8, 1955 – Evergreen High School opened for the 1955-56 school year.

Sept. 8, 1955 – American environmentalist and author Terry Tempest Williams was born in Corona, Calif.

Sept. 8, 1960 - NASA's George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., which grew out of the Army's Redstone Arsenal, was dedicated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Among many contributions to the U.S. space program, center director Wernher von Braun and his team developed the Saturn rockets that launched American astronauts to the moon in 1969. Gov. John Patterson and Werner von Braun, director of the space flight center, were in attendance as was Mrs. Marshall who unveiled a bust in honor of her husband.

Sept. 8, 1961 – Evergreen opened the 1961 football season with a 21-0 loss to Escambia County High School at Byrne Field in Atmore, Ala. Evergreen’s head coach was John Law Robinson, and Lewis Ramsay coached the line. Players on Evergreen’s team included Ronnie Jones, Jimmy Kelley, Bobby Lynch, Louie Nall, H.W. Ward, Bill Hinson, Donnie Jones, Leon Stinson, Mike Ward, Sid Lambert, Bonner Ridgeway, Jimmy Weaver, Duncan Roberts, James Ward, Don Holcombe, Dwight Pate, Winston Pugh, Donnie Bolton, John Lowrey, John Pierce, Alvin Dees, Mike Mininger, Stan Coker, Jimmy Warren, William Sessions, Paul Deason, Robert Rigsby, H.W. Ward and Legraw Lynch.

Sept. 8, 1961 – Three Thomasville, Ala. women died from injuries in an afternoon accident at the intersection of Highway 31 and Highway 84 North. The accident occurred when a 1961 Dodge car driven by Mrs. Gene L. Doyle of Thomasville collided with a loaded dump truck. Passengers in the car included Mrs. Russell B. Smith and Mrs. Bessie M. Hayes. All three were transported to the Conecuh County Hospital, but none survived.

Sept. 8, 1964 – Monroe County, Ala. schools opened for their first full day of classes for the 1964-65 school year.

Sept. 8, 1965 - Bert Campaneris became the first Major League Baseball player to play all nine positions in one game.

Sept. 8, 1966 - NBC-TV aired the first episode of "Star Trek," entitled "The Man Trap." The show was canceled on September 2, 1969.

Sept. 8, 1968 - Troung Quang An became the first South Vietnamese general killed in action when his aircraft was shot down.

Sept. 8, 1969 – Belgian-French explorer and activist Alexandra David-Néel passed away at the age of 100 in Digne, France.

Sept. 8, 1969 – A Conecuh County, Ala. trial jury awarded Eloise Traweek $45,000, the largest judgement up to that point in Conecuh County history, in a lawsuit against Southern Bell Telephone Co. Circuit Judge Robert E.L. Key presided over the case, which arose when Traweek was injured in a fall after she tripped over a Southern Bell wire. She was represented by attorneys Frank Tipler Jr. and William D. Melton.

Sept. 8, 1971 - The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., was inaugurated.

Sept. 8, 1973 – Wilcox County native Hank Aaron hit his 709th home run.

Sept. 8, 1974 - Evel Knievel attempted (unsuccessfully) to vault across the mile-wide Snake River Canyon in a rocket-like contraption he called the "Sky Cycle."

Sept. 8, 1974 – In relation to the Watergate Scandal, U.S. President Gerald Ford pardoned former President Richard Nixon for any crimes Nixon may have committed while in office.

Sept. 8, 1985 – Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds tied Ty Cobb’s 57-year-old record for career hits (4,191) with two hits against the Chicago Cubs.

Sept. 8, 1986 - Herschel Walker made his start in the National Football League (NFL) after leaving the New Jersey Generals of the USFL.

  

Sept. 8, 1994 – The Monroe Journal reported that Monroe County High School senior quarterback Chaz Jordan and Monroe Academy sophomore quarterback Westley Welch were The Monroe Journal’s Offensive Players of the Week. Jordan rushed 16 times for 144 yards and completed two of two passes for another 58 yards in the Tigers’ 27-12 victory the previous Friday. Welch had 69 yards rushing on nine carries and he completed 10 of 18 passes for 114 yards in the Volunteers’ 41-35 win the previous Friday.

Sept. 8, 1997 - The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction of Timothy McVeigh for his role in the bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Sept. 8, 1998 - St. Louis Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire hits his 62nd home run of the year, breaking Roger Maris’ record for most home runs in a single season.

Sept. 8, 1998 – Major League Baseball second baseman Marlon Anderson made his major league debut for the Philadelphia Phillies. He entered that game as a pinch hitter, hitting a home run off Mel Rojas of the New York Mets.

Sept. 8, 1999 - U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno named former U.S. Senator John Danforth to head an independent investigation into the 1993 fire at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas.

Sept. 8, 2002 - The NFL's Houston Texans played their first regular season game. They beat the Dallas Cowboys, 19-10.

Sept. 8, 2006 – Auburn University athlete and coach Erk Russell, a native of Ensley, Ala., died at the age of 80 in Statesboro, Ga. During his career, he played football, basketball and baseball at Auburn and went on to serve as Auburn’s head baseball coach and Georgia Southern’s head football coach.

Sept. 8, 2008 – American explorer Ralph Plaisted passed away at the age of 80 in Wyoming, Minn.

Sept. 8, 2015 - British researchers announced that evidence of a larger version of Stonehenge had been located about 2 miles from the Stonehenge location. There were 90 buried stones that had been found by ground penetrating radar.