Today in History for Oct. 8, 2017

Alabama's Hugo Black

Oct. 8, 1492 - Italian explorer Christopher Columbus reached the New World as one of the sailors on the Pinta sighted land, an island in the Bahamas, after 10 weeks of sailing from Palos, Spain, with the Santa María, the Pinta, and the Niña.

Oct. 8, 1540 – The DeSoto Expedition visited the ancient Indian town of Uxapita at the mouth of Pursley Creek, at its junction with the Alabama River, eight miles southwest of Camden, in present-day Wilcox County, Ala.

Oct. 8, 1604 - Astronomer Johannes Kepler and others were startled by the sudden appearance of a "new star" in the western sky. It later became known as Kepler's Supernova.

Oct. 8, 1778 – A group of Continental Army soldiers under the command of Colonel William Butler launched an evening attack on Mohawk Chief Joseph Brant’s home village of Unadilla on the Susquehanna River in what is now Otsego County, New York.

Oct. 8, 1860 – Telegraph line between Los Angeles and San Francisco opened.

Oct. 8, 1861 – During the Civil War, an action occurred at Hillsborough, Ky.

Oct. 8, 1862 – Confederate soldier Noah Dallas Peacock (Lewis Lavon Peacock’s older brother) was released from the hospital on this day and went on to fight at the Battle of Fredericksburg on Dec. 13.

Oct. 8, 1862 – During the Civil War, at the Battle of Perryville in Kentucky, Confederate General Braxton Bragg's army was defeated by Union General Don Carlos Buell, thereby halting the Confederate invasion of Kentucky. Buell was replaced on Oct. 24 because of his ineffective pursuit of the Confederates after the battle. Of the 23,000 Yankees engaged in the battle, 4,200 were killed, wounded, or missing and of the 15,000 Confederates involved, 3,400 were lost.

Oct. 8, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Salem, Miss.; near Chattanooga, Tenn.; and near James City and along Robertson River, Va.

Oct. 8, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought near Jefferson City and in Barry County, Mo.; at Rogersville, Tenn.; and in Luray Valley and Tom’s Brook, Va.

Oct. 6, 1869 - Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States, who had been a heavy drinker for much of his life, died of severe cirrhosis of the liver at the age of 64 in Concord, New Hampshire.

Oct. 8, 1871 - The Great Chicago Fire began that left four square miles of the city in ruins. Legend has it that the fire started when a cow kicked over a lantern in Mrs. O'Leary's barn, though other theories suggest arson, or even a comet was responsible. The fire broke destroyed about 17,450 buildings, about 250 people were killed and 90,000 were left homeless.

Oct. 8, 1872 - British novelist, essayist, poet, philosopher and orator John Cowper Powys was born in Derbyshire, England.

Oct. 8, 1884 - Future Alabama governor George Chauncey Sparks was born in Barbour County, Ala. Sparks served as governor during the height of World War II, from 1943-1947.

Oct. 8, 1890 – Famous outlaw Rube Burrow, age 35, was killed after escaping from jail in Linden, Ala. A native of Lamar County, Burrow robbed his first train in 1886 and by 1890 was the most wanted outlaw in the South.

Oct. 8, 1896 - George Washington Carver arrived in Macon County, Ala. to direct Tuskegee Institute's agricultural school. Born a slave in Missouri during the Civil War, Carver was studying in Iowa when school president Booker T. Washington invited him to Alabama. He remained at Tuskegee until his death in 1943, and although he dedicated much of his work to helping black farmers in the South, Carver's international fame came from his innovative uses of peanuts, sweet potatoes and other southern products.

Oct. 8, 1906 - A meeting of Camp Capt. William Lee, United Confederate Veterans, was held in the grand jury room in Evergreen, Ala. on this Monday morning and was largely attended. G.R. Boulware of Brooklyn was elected commander to succeed the lamented Dr. Bruner. B.M. Johnson was adjutant pro tem. The following were elected delegates and alternates to the State reunion: Wm. Morris, J.W. Darby, J.L. Bowden, W.L. Stallworth; alternates – M.B. Salter, J.R. Myers, J.W. McInnis, H.J. Beasley. A resolution was also adopted requesting the county tax assessor and collector to procure a complete list of all veterans in Conecuh County and furnish same to the Camp historian. The following veterans were in attendance: W.L. Stallworth, J.W. McInnis, G.W. Riley, R.H. Riggs, M.A. Gantt, P.D. Bowles, G.R. Boulware, T.A. Jones, C.G. Russell, J.A. Golson, J.H. Northcutt, H.J. Beasley, W.K. Burt, J.C. Travis, A.A. McKittrick, Jas. W. Darby, A.H. Stokes, J.M. Shell, J.L. Bowden, W.R. Watson and B.M. Johnson.

Oct. 8, 1906 - Miss Mabel McWilliams of Camden, Ala. began her duties as teacher of the Buena Vista school on this Monday.

Oct. 8, 1917 – Historian and nonfiction author Walter Lord was born in Baltimore, Md.

Oct. 8, 1918 – During World War I, in action near Pittem, Belgium, USMC 2nd Lieutenant aviator Ralph Talbot of Weymouth, Massachusetts became the first-ever USMC aviator to earn the Medal of Honor.

Oct. 8, 1918 – During World War I, in the Argonne Forest in France, United States Corporal Alvin C. York killed 28 German soldiers and captured 132, for which he is awarded the Medal of Honor.

Oct. 8, 1918 – During World War I, Army Pvt. Benjamin F. Arant, 23, of Belleville, Ala. died from wounds in France while serving with Co. A, 3^rd M.P. Corps. Born at Mt. Willing in Lowndes County on June 28, 1895, he was buried in the Belleville Baptist Church Cemetery.

Oct. 8, 1918 – During World War I, Army Cpl. Burkley H. Cook of Georgiana, Ala. was killed in action. Born in 1900, he was buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in Montgomery. (Some sources spell his first name as “Berkley.”)

Oct. 8, 1918 – During World War I, Army Pvt. Grover Miles Strickland of Opp, Ala. “died from disease.”

Oct. 8, 1920 – Science fiction author Frank Herbert was born in Tacoma, Wash. He's best known for his science fiction masterpiece “Dune,” which was published in 1965.

Oct. 8, 1921 - KDKA in Pittsburgh's Forbes Field conducted the first live broadcast of a football game.

Oct. 8, 1925 – Poet Philip Booth was born in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Oct. 8, 1926 – Greenville High School beat Evergreen High School, 25-7, in Greenville, Ala. Evergreen’s team included quarterback Dreaden, wing backs Northcutt and Salter and half back Gaston. Evergreen’s only touchdown came when Salter scooped up a Greenville fumble and returned it for 50 yards with Greenville’s “Speedy Lewis” on his heels.

Oct. 8, 1930 – U.S. Senator Hugo L. Black, age 44, spoke in Monroeville, Ala. He went on to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court from Aug. 18, 1937 to Sept. 17, 1971.

Oct. 8, 1936 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the Castleberry high school football team played a scoreless tie with Brooklyn the week before in a game played in midfield. Brooklyn came no nearer the Castleberry goal than the 40-yard line while Castleberry seriously threatened only once. In the third quarter, a pass from Weaver to James was good for 20 yards and Weaver cut through left tackle for 15 more to place the ball on the Brooklyn 15-yard line but a mix-up in signals caused the pass from center to go wild and a 20-yard loss was sustained. The line-ups were as follows: Castleberry – Carr, left end; Sullivan, right end; Oliver, left tackle; Holland, right tackle; McGaha, left guard; McDonald, right guard; Riggs, center; Weaver, quarterback; Green, right half; James, left half; Warren, fullback. Brooklyn – S. Walter, left end; Mancil, right end; King, left tackle; Blair, right tackle; E. Nalls, left guard; Cary, right guard; Matthews, center; A. Findley, quarterback; M. Nalls, right half; Thames, left half; R. Findley, quarterback. Sub, Griggers for E. Nalls.

Oct. 8, 1936 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the Evergreen High School Bulldogs had dropped their second game of the football season to the Andalusia Bulldogs by the score of 12 to 0. “Evergreen outplayed the boys with the pretty uniforms for three quarters and then lost in the last quarter on two long passes which were good for touchdowns.” L.A. Clements was coach at Evergreen.

Oct. 8, 1935 – The Evergreen Courant reported that work on the Evergreen-Skinnerton highway would begin within the next few days. Orders had been issued for the transfer of convicts to the state’s newly constructed camp two miles north of Evergreen and they were expected to arrive no later than Mon., Oct. 12. Work was to begin immediately after their arrival. The camp was constructed to care for approximately 100 convicts but it was not expected to be filled to capacity at that time. Construction of the 24-mile stretch was expected to get underway first in the vicinity of the camp, which was located on county property formerly used as a site for the county alms house, recently abolished with the advent of the old age pension system in this state.

Oct. 8, 1937 - The Frisco City High School football team won its fifteenth consecutive victory on this Friday night when it romped Wallace High with a score of 14-0. Those who received mention for their playing in the game were Nub Stacey, backfield; John Merrill Sawyer, line; and Hartwell Sawyer, line.

Oct. 8, 1938 - The cover of "The Saturday Evening Post" portrayed Norman Rockwell.

Oct. 8-9, 1939 The motion picture, “Inside the Maginot Line,” which was part of “The March of Time” series, was shown at the Monroe Theatre in Monroeville, Ala. Bill Hendrix was the theatre’s manager.

Oct. 8, 1939 – Comic book writer and essayist Harvey Pekar was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He is the creator of “American Splendor,” one of the first-ever autobiographical comic book series, which was eventually made into a movie starring Paul Giamatti.

Oct. 8, 1942 - The first cattle sale of the season, which was held at the pens of the Conecuh Cooperative Stockyard, on this Thursday was declared, by all who attended and participated, to be a complete success. The bidding on all offerings was keen and spirited and prices paid compared quite favorably with other markets in this section. A total of 109 head of cattle and 18 head of hogs were sold, bringing approximately $4,600. Roy Moorer, auctioneer from Atmore, conducted the sale.

Oct. 8, 1943 – Horror writer R.L. Stine was born Robert Lawrence Stine in Columbus, Ohio.

Oct. 8, 1948 – Before a crowd of 1,100, Evergreen High School remained undefeated by beating Frisco City, 33-6, at Brooks Stadium in Evergreen, Ala. Frisco halfback John McGinity scored Frisco’s only touchdown, becoming first player to score a touchdown against Evergreen that season. Touchdowns for Evergreen were scored by Billy Mudge Lee, John Greel Ralls (2) and John Law Robinson (2).

Oct. 8, 1956 – In front of 61,519 people at Yankee Stadium, New York Yankees right-hander Don Larsen pitched the first no-hitter and perfect game in the history of the World Series, and it came against his team’s cross-town rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Oct. 8, 1957 - The Brooklyn Baseball Club announced that it had accepted a deal to move the Dodgers to Los Angeles.

Oct. 8, 1968 - Operation Sealords was launched in the Mekong Delta by U.S. and South Vietnamese forces.

Oct. 8, 1969 – The Marcus O’Gwynn Memorial Library was officially dedicated at the Evergreen City School in Evergreen, Ala. O’Gwynn, a former principal at the school, started the library prior to his death. Retired fifth-grade teacher Lisbeth McMillan and Alabama Library Services Director Elizabeth Beamgard conducted the dedication.

Oct. 8, 1970 - Soviet author Alexander Solzhenitsyn won the Nobel Prize for literature.

Oct. 8, 1970 – During the Vietnam War, in Paris, a Communist delegation rejected US President Richard Nixon's October 7 peace proposal as "a manoeuvre to deceive world opinion".

Oct. 8, 1971 – Wilcox Academy beat Sparta Academy, 32-12, at Stuart-McGehee Field in Evergreen, Ala. Don Owens scored on a 68-yard pass from Dwight Watson, and Larry Tranum scored on a 38-yard pass from Watson. Other standout Sparta players in that game included Tubby McInvale.

Oct. 8, 1971 – W.S. Neal High School beat Evergreen High School, 49-6, in East Brewton, Ala. Willie Paige kept the Aggies from being shut out when he darted 31 yards for the only Aggie score, following a punt by the Eagles. The conversion attempt failed on a Paige pass to wide receiver Julius Booker.

Oct. 8, 1971 – John Lennon released his second solo album, “Imagine.”

Oct .8, 1972 - Rumors arose that there was a breakthrough in the secret talks that had been going on in a villa outside Paris since August 1969. Henry Kissinger, President Richard Nixon’s national security advisor, and North Vietnamese negotiators conducted the peace talks.

Oct. 8, 1982 - Monroe Academy capped off a 72-yard drive on this Friday night on a 26-yard Keith Langham to Don Smith pass to overcome a 9-6 deficit, defeating Glenwood Academy, 13-9, in Monroeville. Smith’s touchdown reception on the last play of the drive represented the only completed pass play of the last drive. Other top Monroe Academy players in that game included Tim Carter, Scotty Croft, Pat Downs, Shannon Eskridge, Donald Foster, Eugene Garrett, Mark Steadman, Scottie Stuckey and Chuck Owens. Rob Kelly was MA’s head coach.

Oct. 8, 1982 - Repton High School held its annual homecoming on this Friday. Donna Boatwright was crowned homecoming queen on this Friday morning when she and her court were presented to the school during an activity period.

Oct. 8, 1984 – Conecuh County, Alabama’s annual Junior Miss competition was scheduled to be held at the Evergreen City School at 7 p.m. The event was sponsored by the Pilot Club of Evergreen with franchise fees paid by the First Alabama Bank of Conecuh County.

Oct. 8, 1987 - The Evergreen Aggies were defeated by the Luverne Tigers on this Friday night, 42-16. The Aggies points all came in the third period. James Gross scored on a 54-yard run with 7:25 left in the period. Evergreen converted on a two-point conversion on a pass from Young to Marvin Cunningham to make it 42-8. Evergreen then kicked off and Russell Meeks miss hit it, I think, but it turned out okay when the Aggies recovered the kick at the Luverne 40-yard line. With 4:57 left in the third quarter, Tony Simpson threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Cunningham. The two-point conversion was good on the same combination as before when Young threw to Marvin Cunningham.

Oct. 8, 1987 - Crenshaw Christian Academy blanked the Sparta Academy Warriors, 21-0, in Luverne on this Friday night. Jamie Deason had 66 yards on 10 carries; Jeff Carrier, 30 on 15; Lee Wild, six on one; Kenny Bledsoe lost two yards on three tries. Bledsoe completed four of 10 passes for 40 yards and had one interception. Brad Watts threw incomplete twice, and Wild’s only pass was also incomplete.

Oct. 8, 1991 - A slave burial site was found by construction workers in lower Manhattan. The "Negro Burial Ground" had been closed in 1790. Over a dozen skeletons were found.

  

Oct. 8, 1993 – The fifth episode of “The X-Files” – entitled “The Jersey Devil” – aired for the first time.

Oct. 8, 1993 - The U.S. government issued a report absolving the FBI of any wrongdoing in its final assault in Waco, Texas on the Branch Davidian compound. The fire that ended the siege killed as many as 85 people.

Oct. 8, 1996 – The resident of a house on the Old Stage Road near Excel, Ala. shot and killed a rabid fox that had attacked his dogs that night and the night before. The fox was sent to the Public Health Laboratory in Mobile, where its brain tissue tested positive for the rabies virus.

Oct. 8, 2001 - U.S. President George W. Bush announced that the United States had launched an attack against Taliban forces and military targets in Afghanistan.

Oct. 8, 2001 – U.S. President George W. Bush announced the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security.

Oct. 8, 2002 - CIA Director George Tenet said that Saddam Hussein, if provoked, might help extremists launch terror attacks.

Oct. 8, 2011 – Pro Football Hall of Fame coach and executive Al Davis died at the age of 82 in Oakland, Calif.

  

Oct. 8, 2015 – The Nobel Prize in literature was awarded to Belarusian journalist and author Svetlana Alexievich.