Today in History for Dec. 1, 2017

Dec. 1, 1589 – The first part of Edmund Spenser’s epic poem “The Faerie Queene” was registered for publication in London.

Dec. 1, 1768 – The former slave ship Fredensborg sank off Tromøy in Norway.

Dec. 1, 1777 – The woman known as “Madame Tussaud,” whose wax museum, featuring eerily lifelike molds of celebrities, politicians, and historical figures, is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Europe, was born Marie Tussaud.

Dec. 1, 1779 - General George Washington established winter quarters at Morristown, N.J. and his army settled into a second winter season at Morristown.

Dec. 1, 1834 – Slavery was abolished in the Cape Colony in accordance with the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833.

Dec. 1, 1851 – The organizational charter was issued to Coffeeville Lodge No. 122 in Coffeeville, Ala.

Dec. 1, 1860 – The first two chapters of Charles Dickens’ novel “Great Expectations” were published in “All the Year Round,” his weekly magazine.

Dec. 1, 1861 - The British government sent a message to the Lincoln administration insisting that the U.S. respond within a week concerning two British diplomatic envoys being held. The British also began preparing for war.

Dec. 1, 1861 – During the Civil War, the first of two days of skirmishing began in the vicinity of Camp Goggin, Ky. A skirmish was also fought at Whippoorwill Creek, Ky. A Federal gunboat demonstration was held on Fort Holt, Ky., and a 12-day series of Federal operations about Mill Springs and Somerset, Ky. began.

Dec. 1, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Shanghai, Mo.

Dec. 1, 1862 – In his State of the Union Address President Abraham Lincoln addressed the U.S. Congress and reaffirmed the necessity of ending slavery as ordered 10 weeks earlier in the Emancipation Proclamation.

Dec. 1, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Hudsonville, Oxford, and on the Yocknapatalfa River, near Mitchell’s Crossroads in Mississippi; near Nolensville, Tenn.; at Beaver Dam Church, Va.; and at Romney, W.Va. Federal reconnaissance to Grove Church, near Hartwood, Va., began. A four-day Federal expedition to Westmoreland County, Va. began. A 10-day Federal expedition in the vicinity of Logan Courthouse, West Virginia also began.

Dec. 1, 1862 – HILLIARD’S LEGION: Col. Henry W. Hilliard resigned, and Jack Thorington would be given full command of Hilliard’s Legion for a short time.

Dec. 1, 1863 – Butler County, Ala. native Thomas H. Watts began serving as Alabama’s Confederate governor. His term would end on May 1, 1865 at the end of the Civil War when he was arrested for treason by the Union in Union Springs.

Dec. 1, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought near Benton and Devall’s Bluff in Arkansas; in the vicinity of Mount Sterling, Jackson, and Salyersville in Kentucky; at Ripley, Miss., on the Memphis & Charleston Railroad; with Ponca Indians near Niobrara, the Nebraska Territory; at Cedar Point, N.C.; in the vicinity of Maynardville, Pulaski, Florence and Rawhide in Tennessee; and in the vicinity of Ely’s Ford, Jonesville, Va.

Dec. 1, 1863 – During the Civil War, the Army of the Potomac, under Union Major General George G. Meade, retired across the Rapidan River after the Federal repulse at Mine Run, Va., and went into winter quarters, effectively ending the Mine Run Campaign that began on Nov. 26.

Dec. 1, 1863 – During the Civil War, a 10-day Federal operation began out from Natchez, Miss., culminating in the attack on Confederate General Wirt Adams at Camp Cotton, forcing a Confederate withdrawal.

Dec. 1, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought near Cypress Creek, in Perry County, Ark.; at Shady Grove, Ga., as Union Major General William T. Sherman had completed more than half of his march to the sea toward Savannah, Ga.; along Plum Creek with Cheyenne Indians in the Nebraska Territory; at Owen’s Cross Roads, Tenn.; and in the vicinity of Stony Creek Station, Va.

Dec. 1, 1864 – During the Civil War, a month-long Federal operation in Central Arkansas began, and a Federal expedition down the Arkansas River to Pine Bluff, Ark. began.

Dec. 1, 1864 – During the Civil War, a four-day Federal operation from Helena, Ark. to Friar’s Point, Miss. began, and a three-day Federal operation in the vicinity of Waynesville, Mo. began.

Dec. 1, 1887 - Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson were first revealed to readers in the pages of “Beeton's Christmas Annual” in the novella “A Study in Scarlet” by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Dec. 1, 1903 – The organizational charter was issued to Opp Lodge No. 605 in Opp, Ala.

Dec. 1, 1907 - Damage to the extent of $15,000 and the complete upsetting of the railroad schedules on the Montgomery and Mobile division of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad followed a “peculiar wreck” at Bolling on this Sunday. “Tracks were torn up for nearly a mile, ties were splintered into kindling wood and a trestle went down into the bed of a small stream, carrying with it three coal cars.”

Dec. 1, 1908 – The organizational charter was issued to Garland Lodge No. 684 in Garland in Butler County, Ala.

Dec. 1, 1911 – National Baseball Hall of Fame first baseman and manager Walter Alston was born in Venice, Ohio. He went on to play for the St. Louis Cardinals and managed the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1983.

Dec. 1, 1912 - Alabama journalist and author Nell Brasher was born in Perry County, Ala.

Dec. 1, 1915 – The Evergreen Courant reported that three more local candidates had announced their intentions to run for political office. Those candidates included the Hon. J.F. Irwin for Conecuh County Probate Judge, John M. Thomas for Circuit Court Clerk, and W.S. Dreaden for Conecuh County Tax Collector.

Dec. 1, 1919 - Three weeks after the armistice, and on the same day that Allied troops crossed into Germany for the first time, a new state was proclaimed in Belgrade, Serbia, the new “Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes.”

Dec. 1, 1928 – The Jones Mill Post Office in Monroe County, Ala. officially changed its named to the Frisco City Post Office after the Town of Jones Mill officially changed its name to Frisco City after a 153-50 vote in favor of the change on Sept. 17, 1928.

Dec. 1, 1931 – In Lovecraftian fiction, two intruders died at the Cabot Museum of Archaeology in Boston while trying to steal a mummy, which had been found on a Pacific island.

Dec. 1, 1937 - Haiman Long, age 63, prominent Evergreen, Ala. merchant and citizen, died suddenly at his home on Belleville Street at 1:40 p.m. as result of a heart attack, an ailment from which he had suffered for several years. Long was born in 1873 on a farm in the province of Kovona, Latvia and spent his early youth there. He came to the United States in 1888 and for a time engaged in business in Philadelphia. He later moved to Chattanooga, Tenn., where he was in business for about two years. On July 8, 1890, he came to Evergreen and opened a business known as the “Red Front Store,” which later became known as “I. Long & Sons.” He was a member of the local Masonic lodge, of the Bethel Synagogue and the Kanasha Ierael Synagogue of Birmingham. His body was prepared for burial by Rutland’s Funeral Home and was to be carried to Birmingham on Train No. 4 on Dec. 2 where funeral services were to be held on Dec. 3. Long was buried in the Knesses Israel Cemtery in Birmingham.

Dec. 1, 1941 – During World War II, Fiorello La Guardia, Mayor of New York City and Director of the Office of Civilian Defense, signed Administrative Order 9, which created the Civil Air Patrol. In April 1943, the Civil Air Patrol was placed under the jurisdiction of the Army Air Forces.

Dec. 1, 1942 - There had been 6,087 bales of cotton, counting round as half bales, ginned in Conecuh County from the crop of 1942 prior to this date as compared with 4,972 bales ginned prior to Dec. 1, 1941.

Dec. 1, 1946 – Paula Jean Welden, a sophomore at Bennington College in Vermont, disappeared while walking on Vermont’s Long Trail, and her disappearance remains an unsolved mystery.

Dec. 1, 1947 – Cpl. Lawrence M. Durant was laid to rest on this Monday at 3 p.m. with full military honors at Mineola Cemetery near Uriah. Durant was the first war fatality from World War II to be returned to Monroe County for interment after the war, and he was laid to rest in the presence of his friends and a full honor guard as the Rev. Frank Morrison of Uriah, assisted by the Rev. Cleve Ellis, read a passage of scripture and followed it with prayer. Durant, age 31, was critically wounded in action in December 1944 while fighting in the European theater of operations and died soon afterwards in a hospital in France. He was born on Feb. 25, 1913.

Dec. 1, 1947 - J.O. Hendrix was named president of the Frisco City Chamber of Commerce at the regular meeting of the organization on this Monday night at Frisco City (Ala.) town hall. He succeeded George S. Williams.

Dec. 1, 1948 – In connection with the famous “Taman Shud Case,” the body of an unidentified man was found in Adelaide, Australia, involving an undetectable poison and a secret code in a very rare book. The case remains unsolved and is "one of Australia's most profound mysteries."

Dec. 1, 1948 – Major League Baseball outfielder George Arthur Foster was born in Tuscaloosa, Ala. He would go on to play for the San Francisco Giants, the Cinncinnati Reds, the New York Mets and the Chicago White Sox.

Dec. 1, 1948 - The cotton ginning report as of Dec. 1, 1948 indicated that there were 8,660 bales of cotton ginned in Conecuh County during the year of 1948. This compared with 4,868 bales ginned in this county during 1947.

Dec. 1, 1950 – Army SFC Fred Fuqua, 36, of Escambia County, Ala. was killed in action in North Korea while serving with Co. C, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. His remains were not recovered. Born on April 25, 1914, a memorial in his memory can be found at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. He was awardedthe Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman's Badge, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.

Dec. 1, 1950 – Army Cpl. Ruben Thurman Jr. of Escambia County, Ala. died while a prisoner of war in Korea.

Dec. 1, 1952 – Police officer John Andrews of Evergreen, Ala., who’d been hired by the Evergreen City Council, officially began working for the Evergreen Police Department. At that time, the city’s police force included Police Chief R.A. Emmons, officers John Andrews and W.H. Williamson, traffic consultant H.L. Riley and part-time officer R.Z. Wells.

Dec. 1, 1955 - Rosa Parks, a black seamstress, was arrested for refusing to give up her seat for a boarding white passenger as required by Montgomery city ordinance. Her action prompted the historic Montgomery Bus Boycott and earned her a place in history as “the mother of the modern day civil rights movement.” Ms. Parks was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor in August 2000.

Dec. 1, 1962 – The births of the first triplets ever recorded in Monroe County occurred at the Monroe County Hospital in Monroeville, Ala. Parents were Emma and Tom Rankin Jr. of Frisco City. Time of births was 2:11, 2:22 and 2:30 a.m. Members of the staff at Monroe County Hospital stated that all three babies were normal, taking their formula and doing fine. They were named Harry, Larry and Barry.

Dec. 1, 1962 - The first color photo of Earth was taken from the nose of a Thor missile launched from Cape Canaveral.

Dec. 1, 1964 – Major League Baseball’s Houston Colt .45s changed their name to the Astros.

Dec. 1, 1964 – During the Vietnam War, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and his top-ranking advisers met at the White House to discuss plans to bomb North Vietnam.

Dec. 1, 1967 - Seattle was awarded an American League Baseball franchise.

Dec. 1, 1969 – During the Vietnam War, the first draft lottery in the United States was held since World War II.

Dec. 1, 1971 - Muhammad Ali reported seeing a UFO while jogging in Central Park.

Dec. 1, 1971 – “All the Way Home,” a television version of Alabama author James Agee's book “A Death in the Family,” was broadcast.

Dec. 1, 1971 - In Cambodia, communist fighters renewed their assaults on government positions, forcing the retreat of Cambodian government forces from Kompong Thmar and nearby Ba Ray, six miles northeast of Phnom Penh.

Dec. 1, 1975 – National Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman Nellie Fox died at the age of 47 in Baltimore, Md. During his career, he played for the Philadelphia Athletics, the Chicago White Sox and the Houston Colt .45s/Astros. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997.

Dec. 1, 1976 – Journalist Laura Ling was born in Carmichael, Calif.

Dec. 1, 1977 – The Monroe Journal reported that construction continued on two Monroe County, Ala. wood products plants, one of which was nearly complete. The Scotch Plywood Co. plant near Beatrice was 98-percent finished and was expected to be operating by mid-December, job superintendent Joe Deville said on Nov. 30. At the Georgia Pacific Corp. construction site near Peterman, the plant was about 50-percent complete, plant manager Ray Ellen said.

Dec. 1, 1984 – Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie won the 50th Heisman Trophy.

  

Dec. 1, 1989 – Courtland beat Excel, 13-2, in the Class 1A title game in Courtland, Ala. Excel junior lineman Drexel Lambert tackled Courtland’s Warren Bailey in the end zone for a safety to give Excel a 2-0 lead with 7:15 left in the game’s first quarter.

Dec. 1, 1990 - Iraq accepted a U.S. offer to talk about resolving the Persian Gulf crisis.

Dec. 1, 1994 - Mike Frier of the Seattle Seahawks was paralyzed in a car accident.

Dec. 1, 2003 - Bidding began on the baseball that was deflected by a fan in the stands during a Chicago Cubs game. The ball was sold on Dec. 18, 2003, for $106,600 at auction. The foul ball appeared to be headed for the glove of left fielder Moises Alou in Game 6 of the National League Championship series. The Florida Marlins ended up winning the game, 8-3. The Cubs then lost Game 7.

Dec. 1, 2011 - Evergreen weather observer Betty Ellis reported a low temperature of 31 degrees in Evergreen, Ala.

Dec. 1, 2011 - Sparta Academy’s Dalton Baggett was named the Most Outstanding Defensive Lineman on this Thursday as he helped lead the West All-Stars to a 29-6 win over the East All-Stars during the Alabama Independent School Association’s 42nd All-Star Football Classic at Stanley-Jensen Stadium in Prattville. Baggett, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior defensive end, was selected to the West All-Star team on Nov. 14.