Today in History for Dec. 28, 2017

Dec. 28, 1065 – London’s Westminster Abbey was consecrated.

Dec. 28, 1732 - "The Pennsylvania Gazette," owned by Benjamin Franklin, ran an ad for the first issue of "Poor Richard’s Almanack."

Dec. 28, 1781 - British troops commanded by Major James Henry Craig were posted at John’s Island, just outside of Charleston, South Carolina.

Dec. 28, 1793 - Thomas Paine was arrested in France for treason.

Dec. 28, 1793 – Dr. Thomas Miles Bragg was born in Spartanburg District, SC., the son of Daniel Bragg and Sally Elizabeth Miles. He settled in the northwestern part of Butler County, Ala. in the 1820s, where his first wife, Catherine, and several children are buried. He was licensed to practice medicine and surgery in the Cahawba Distrct on Dec. 13, 1827. He later moved to Greenville and died on Nov. 28, 1882 in Greenville. He is buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Greenville. He was a prominent Freemason for 67 years and was a member of Eureka Lodge No. 64 in Greenville, Ala.

Dec. 28, 1814 - Alabama author Jeremiah Clemens was born in Huntsville, Ala.

Dec. 28, 1817 – Glorvina Johnston Rush was born. In 1860, she and her husband donated the land where Andrews Chapel was built in McIntosh, Ala.

Dec. 28, 1822 – In response to a petition submitted to the Alabama state legislature from the residents of Butler County’s county seat, Buttsville, the town’s name was officially changed to Greenville.

Dec. 28, 1822 - Confederate General William Booth Taliaferro was born in Gloucester County, Va. Taliaferro would go on to serve under General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson during the first part of the Civil War, and he spent the second half preparing coastal defenses in the lower South.

Dec. 28, 1835 – Osceola led his Seminole warriors in Florida into the Second Seminole War against the United States Army.

Dec. 28, 1835 - Chiefs Micanopy, Jumper and Alligator, with a force of around 250 Seminoles hidden by the cover of palmettos and pines, were waiting to ambush Major Francis Langhorne Dade’s troops on the military road between Fort Brooke and Fort King. Micanopy decided to attack at Little Withlacoochee River, near present-day Bushnell. The battle lasted from early morning until around 2 p.m. Dade's men had their guard down, with their weapons inside their coats or on the wagons to keep them from the moisture. Once the attack started, the Seminoles killed or injured nearly half of the command right away. It is believed that Micanopy's shot killed Dade, making Dade the first casualty. Of a total of 112 soldiers, only three would survive the attack. Edwin De Courcey was hunted down the next day and killed by a Seminole warrior. The two survivors Ransome Clarke and Joseph Sprague returned to Fort Brooke. Only Clarke, who died of his wounds a few years later, left any account of the battle from the Army’s perspective. Joseph Sprague was unharmed but was not able to give an account of the battle because he had hidden in a nearby pond. The Seminole lost just three men, with five wounded. This was the Seminole’s most significant victory in the war.

Dec. 28, 1835 - Seminole warriors under Osceola attacked a dinner party attended by General Wiley Thompson, Seminole Agent, Lt.Constantine Smyth, and Erastus Rogers. The party was being held at a home just outside of Fort King near present-day Ocala. Troops at Fort King had just left to get more supplies from a nearby plantation. Osceola and his men broke open the front door and attacked those attending. It is said this event was retribution for Thompson having Osceola arrested.

Dec. 28, 1840 - 2nd Lt. Walter Sherwood of the 7th Infantry, Lt. N. Hopson, Sgt. Major Francis Carroll and 10 privates from the 7th Infantry were escorting the wife of Lt. Montgomery from Fort Watkahoota to Micanopy, a distance of eight miles. Near Martin's Point, they were confronted by 30 Seminole warriors, led by Halleck Tustenuggee and Coosa Tustenuggee. Lt. Sherwood and his men attempted to fight back. Mrs. Montgomery was shot in the chest and died from her wound. The Seminole warriors overran the remaining men. Lt. Hopson was able to escape on horseback. The death of Mrs. Montgomery caused outrage over the war in newspapers across the country, and Secretary of War Joel Poinsett demanded an investigation.

Dec. 28, 1843 - Alabama author Prentiss Ingraham was born in Adams County, Miss.

Dec. 28, 1846 - Iowa became the 29th state to be admitted into the Union.

Dec. 28, 1849 - Dry-cleaning was accidentally discovered when M. Jolly-Bellin, a tailor, knocked over a lamp containing turpentine and oil. Some spilled on his clothes and he noticed it had a cleaning effect.

Dec. 28, 1856 – Thomas Woodrow Wilson, the 28th U.S. President, was born in Stauton, Va.

Dec. 28, 1861 – During the Civil War, day one of a four-day Federal operation between Camp Beauregard and Viola in Kentucky began.

Dec. 28, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Sacramento, Ky.

Dec. 28, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Mount Zion, Mo.

Dec. 28, 1861 – During the Civil War, Raleigh Courthouse, N.C. was occupied by Federal forces.

Dec. 28, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Dripping Springs, Ark.; at Muldraugh’s Hill, Ky. (near present day Fort Knox); and in the vicinity of Suffolk and Providence Church in Virginia. A second day of skirmishing also occurred north of Vicksburg, Miss. as Union Major General William T. Sherman got in position to attack at Chickasaw Bluff. Ban Buren, Ark. was also captured by Federal forces.

Dec. 28, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Mount Pleasant, Miss.; on John’s Island, S.C.; and at Moorefield, West Va. An eight-day Federal operation between Nashville, Tenn. and Creelsborough, Ky. began, and a four-day Federal operation began between Vienna and White Plains in Virginia.

Dec. 28, 1864 – During the Civil War, a skirmish occurred in the vicinity of Decatur, Ala. and at Egypt, Miss.

Dec. 28, 1865 – Just a few months after the end of the Civil War, Confederate veteran Joseph R. Bass left his hometown of Evergreen, Ala. for Texas and arrived in Jefferson, Texas in January 1866. He lived near there for about 18 years before moving to Caddo Mills, Texas, where he is buried.

Dec. 28, 1889 - Alabama author Kittrell J. Warren died in Atlanta, Ga.

Dec. 28, 1890 - Chief Spotted Elk was deathly sick with pneumonia. His band of Lakota set off in the snow from the Cheyenne River to seek shelter with Red Cloud at Pine Ridge reservation. Big Foot’s band was intercepted by Major Samuel Whitside and a battalion of the Seventh Cavalry and escorted five miles to Wounded Knee Creek. This evening Colonel James Forsyth arrived to take command and ordered his guards to place four rapid-fire Hotchkiss guns in position around the camp. The soldiers numbered around 500. “The Indians numbered 350, with only 120 men and the other 230 women and children.” They requested “to receive the protection of the Government of the United States of America,” surrendering their arms and submitting to a search of their tents and teepees.

Dec. 28, 1893 – Desperadoes John Hipp and Charles Kelley, murderers of Butler County, Ala. Tax Collector C.J. Armstrong, were taken by a mob of 100 armed, masked men and lynched on the Butler County Courthouse lawn.

Dec. 28-29, 1895 – The fifth Sunday meeting was held at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church at Manistee on this Saturday and Sunday. The Rev. Mr. Riffe preached two excellent sermons, according to The Monroe Journal.

Dec. 28, 1895 – Auguste and Louis Lumiere had the first commercial movie screening at the Grand Café in Paris.

Dec. 28, 1900 – Portuguese soldier and explorer Alexandre de Serpa Pinto died at the age of 54 in Lisbon.

Dec. 28, 1902 – The Syracuse Athletic Club defeated the New York Philadelphians, 5–0, in the first indoor professional football game, which was held at Madison Square Garden.

Dec. 28, 1911 – Humorist Sam Levenson was born in New York City.

Dec. 28, 1912 – The first municipally owned streetcars took to the streets in San Francisco.

Dec. 28, 1917 - The New York Evening Mail published a facetious essay by H.L. Mencken on the history of bathtubs in America.

Dec. 28, 1920 – Pro Football Hall of Fame halfback Steve Van Buren was born in La Ceiba, Honduras. He went on to play for LSU and the Philadelphia Eagles. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1965.

Dec. 28, 1922 – Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee was born Stanley Martin Lieber in New York City. He would go on to help create Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, Daredevil, Dr. Strange and the X-Men.

Dec. 28, 1927 – Novelist Simon Raven was born in London.

Dec. 28, 1928 - Alabama author Jesse Hill Ford was born in Troy, Ala.

Dec. 28, 1933 – Novelist Charles Portis was born in El Dorado, Ark.

Dec. 28, 1937 - Alabama author Milford W. Howard died in California.

Dec. 28, 1939 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Naomi Rabb Winston, a native of Evergreen, Ala. who was at that time living in Washington, D.C., was “being acclaimed now as one of the leading artists of the country, according to reports which have recently reached her friends here.” Winston had recently completed a portrait of Senator Lister Hill, which friends and admirers of Hill desired to place in the “Hall of Fame” at the State Capitol in Montgomery. She had also been engaged by the wife Hugo Black to paint a portrait of Justice Hugo Black in his judicial robes, the work to begin as soon as she has completed the painting of Mrs. (T.D.) Samford (of Opelika). Winston and her family had been living in Washington for the previous eight years where she had studied constantly at the Corcoran Art Gallery, giving special attention to portrait work. It is said that Winston designed the Great Seal of Alabama. Winston was, before her marriage, Naomi Rabb, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C.S. Rabb of Evergreen.

Dec. 28, 1939 – The Evergreen Courant reported that “about 250 Christmas boxes containing fruit, candy, toys, clothing and food items were distributed last week to needy families in this county, according to a report made this week by Mrs. J.C. Hamilton, general chairman in charge of the work.”

Dec. 28, 1941 – During World War II’s Operation Anthropoid, the plot to assassinate high-ranking Nazi officer Reinhard Heydrich, commenced.

Dec. 28, 1947 – Major League Baseball third baseman Aurelio Rodriguez was born in Cananea, Sonora, Mexico. He would go on to play for the California Angels, the Washington Senators, the Detroit Tigers, the San Diego Padres, the New York Yankees, the Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles.

Dec. 28, 1948 – In an incident attributed to the Bermuda Triangle, a chartered DC-3 airliner NC16002, en route from San Juan to Miami, disappeared 50 miles south of Miami with 36 passengers and crew. No probable cause for the loss was determined by the official investigation and it remains unsolved.

Dec. 28, 1949 - Alabama author Harry Middleton was born in Frankfort, Germany.

Dec. 28, 1958 – In what’s known as the "Greatest Game Ever Played,” the Baltimore Colts in the NFL Champiosnhip Game defeated the New York Giants, 23-17, in the first ever National Football League sudden death overtime game at New York's Yankee Stadium.

Dec. 28, 1961 – Evergreen High School and Auburn University football star Wayne Frazier was drafted in the 16th round (216th overall) in the NFL draft by the Chicago Bears.

Dec. 28, 1964 - South Vietnamese troops retook the village Binh Gia, 40 miles southeast of Saigon, in a costly eight-hour battle.

Dec. 28, 1965 - Pfc. Calvin S. Johnson, whose wife, Shirley, lived at Rt. 2, Box 79, Evergreen, Ala., was awarded the Army’s Combat Infantryman’s Badge for serving in combat with the 1^st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) in Vietnam. Johnson, a machine gunner with the division’s 12^th Cavalry, had been with the division since its arrival in South Vietnam’s central highlands in September 1965. The 19-year-old soldier completed basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C. Johnson, the son of Mr. and Mrs. James E. Johnson of Range, was a 1964 graduate of Repton High School.

Dec. 28, 1972 - After 11 days of round-the-clock bombing (with the exception of a 36-hour break for Christmas), North Vietnamese officials agreed to return to the peace negotiations in Paris.

Dec. 28, 1973 – In Lovecraftian fiction, Dr. Ambrose Dexter, a renowned physician of Providence, R.I. who maintained an interest in the occult, was killed by British Intelligence agents somewhere in the South Pacific. He first appeared in “The Haunter of the Dark” by H.P. Lovecraft.

Dec. 28, 1973 – Alexander Solzhenitsyn published “The Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956,” a searing account of the Soviet Union's notorious "gulags," or forced labor camps.

Dec. 28, 1975 - The Dallas Cowboys won the NFC divisional playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings with a Hail Mary pass with only 24 seconds left.

Dec. 28, 1976 – American actor, stuntman, and producer Joe Manganiello was born in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Dec. 28, 1978 – The Evergreen Courant reported that a new Crispy Chick restaurant was under construction in Evergreen. Based in Mobile, Crispy Chick had 22 restaurants open at that time in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida, including in Mobile, Fairhope, Grand Bay, Monroeville, Butler, Livingston, Linden and Stevenson; Gulfport, Miss.; and Cantonment and Pensacola in Florida.

Dec. 28, 1978 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Ronald Fantroy, former Evergreen High School and Alabama Christian College basketball star, was more than “carrying his weight” in his first year with the University of Montevallo Falcons, according to Coach Bill Elder. Fantroy, a six-foot-five forward, had 14 rebounds in a recent game against Talladega College and was averaging 3.1 rebounds per game, fifth best for the team although he was only playing about 10 minutes of the Falcons’ 40-minute games.

Dec. 28, 1978 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Sparta Academy’s girls basketball team improved to 3-3 on the season by splitting a pair of games in the Greenville Academy Christmas Tournament. In the opening round of the tourney, Sparta beat Escambia Academy, 31-25, but in the second round, Sparta lost to Wilcox Academy, 32-15. Sparta’s Cathy Cope was named to the all-tournament team, and other players on Sparta’s team included Angie Driver, Mary Claire Robinson, Missy Thacker and Cathy Johnson.

Dec. 28, 1981 - Elizabeth Jordan Carr, America's first test tube baby, was born.

Dec. 28, 1984 - Sparta Academy’s varsity basketball teams, boys and girls, defeated Hooper Academy of Montgomery in games played on this Wednesday night at the Sparta Gymnasium. The teams had a combined record of 17 wins and five losses, according to Sparta Sports Information Director Byron Warren Jr. Jan Coker burned the baskets with 20 points to pace the Sparta girls to a 43-36 win over their Hooper counterparts. Leah Carrier and Raye Ann Gall had eight points each; Tina Bybee, five; and Tammy Booker, two. Russ Brown fired 29 points to lead the Warriors boys to a close, 71-69 win over Hooper. Vince Watts had 16 points; Conner Salter, 13; Britt McNeill, six; Danny Reed, four; and Jim Wagstaff, one.

Dec. 28, 1985 - The Quarter Blood Amendment Act was passed by Congress. Its purpose was to "define eligible Indian students for Indian education programs and tuition-free attendance at [Bureau of Indian Affairs] or contract schools."

Dec. 28, 1991 – Alabama (10-1) beat Colorado (8-2-1), 30-25, in the 1991 Blockbuster Bowl at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. Alabama wide receiver David Palmer was named the game’s MVP.

Dec. 28, 2000 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Conecuh County school board member Willene Whatley had been appointed to the Board of Trustees of Alabama Risk Management for Schools.

Dec. 28, 2000 - U.S. District Court Judge Matsch held a hearing to ensure that confessed Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh understood that he was dropping his appeals. McVeigh said that he wanted an execution date, set but wanted to reserve the right to seek presidential clemency.

Dec. 28, 2000 – Weather observer Harry Ellis reported 1.10 inches of rain in Evergreen, Ala.

Dec. 28, 2000 - The Shawnee Tribe became a separately federally recognized tribe when Congress enacted the legislation known as the Shawnee Tribe Status Act of 2000. President Clinton signed the legislation as one of his final acts in office.

Dec. 28, 2002 - Alabama author Hilary H. Milton died in Birmingham, Ala.

Dec. 28, 2003 - New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was released from the hospital. The previous day he had fainted at a memorial service.

Dec. 28, 2003 - Jamal Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens became the fifth NFL player to run for 2,000 yards in a season. He ended the season with 2,029 yards.

Dec. 28, 2003 - Mike Vanderjagt of the Indianapolis Colts set a new NFL record when he kicked his 41st consecutive field goal.

Dec. 28, 2003 - James Holmes of the Kansas City Chiefs set an NFL record with his 27th touchdown of the season.

Dec. 28, 2004 – Vredenburgh native Mike Stewart’s fourth novel, “A Perfect Life,” was released.

Dec. 28, 2007 - The movie “Honeydripper,” which starred Danny Glover, was released in the United States. Significant portions of this film were shot in Greenville, Georgiana and Forest Home in Butler County.