Today in History for Jan. 16, 2018

USS Shangri-La

Jan. 16, 1362 - A great storm tide in the North Sea destroyed the German city of Rungholt on the island of Strand.

Jan. 16, 1605 – Book One of “Don Quixote” by Miguel de Cervantes was published and is now considered to be the first modern novel.

Jan. 16, 1780 – During the American Revolutionary War’s Battle of Cape St. Vincent, British Admiral Sir George Rodney, with 18 ships-of-the-line, engaged an inferior Spanish squadron of 11 battleships commanded by Don Juan de Langara off the southwestern coast of Portugal at Cape St. Vincent, in what comes to be known as “The Moonlight Battle.”

Jan. 16, 1792 – William Augustus Bowles, with a large band of Creek warriors, took over and looted the Panton, Leslie & Co. store in San Marcos (St. Marks).

Jan. 16, 1830 - A charter was granted by the Alabama state legislature to the Tuscumbia Railroad Company. Tracks were built approximately two miles to Sheffield, Ala. and were completed in 1832. Though the rail cars were horse drawn and never powered by steam locomotives, it is still considered the first railroad in Alabama.

Jan. 16, 1831 – Mushulatubbe decided to step down as chief as soon as the removal of the Choctaw to Indian Territory began. He recommended Peter P. Pitchlynn as his successor. Pitchlynn was confirmed on this day in council by Mushulatubbe’s followers. Pitchlynn's position after the treaty signing had been accepted by the Choctaw, but the Christian party members refused to recognize the election and "continued to look to David Folsom as captain and chief.”

Jan. 16, 1833 – Dr. A.J. Robinson of Brooklyn, Ala. was born in Fayette County, Ga. He went on to become a teacher, farmer, physician and state representative.

Jan. 16, 1847 – A leader in the successful fight to wrest California away from Mexico, the explorer and mapmaker John C. Fremont briefly became governor of the newly won American territory.

Jan. 16, 1855 – Camden newspaperman Solomon Daniel Bloch was born in Camden, Ala.

Jan. 16, 1861 – During the Civil War, the Crittenden Compromise, the last chance to keep North and South together, was killed in the Senate. Proposed by Senator John J. Crittenden of Kentucky, the compromise was a series of constitutional amendments that sought to alleviate all concerns of the southern states, four of which had already left the Union. The vote was 25 against the compromise and 23 in favor of it. All 25 votes against it were cast by Republicans, and six senators from states that were in the process of seceding abstained.

Jan. 16, 1862 – During the Civil War, the Federal Navy descended on Cedar Keys, Fla., with the subsequent destruction of seven small blockade runners by the USS Hatteras. In Kentucky, Confederate General Felix Zollicoffer had taken his mostly flintlock-armed troops from Mill Springs north across the Cumberland River. Once in place he was then ordered back to his previous position. Zollicoffer stayed where he was, unaware that Federal forces under Gen. Thomas were a good deal closer than he realized. Close enough that by Jan. 19 there would be battle.

Jan. 16, 1863 - The CSS Florida, a Confederate privateer raider, had been in Mobile, Ala. for four months undergoing repairs which were completed on this day. Her commander, Lt. John N. Maffitt, fired up her boilers and evaded the USS R.R. Cuyler, which they passed within 300 yards off the mouth of Mobile Bay. CSS Florida went on to capture a ship, taking the confiscated cargo to sell in Havana.

Jan. 16, 1863 – During the Civil War, the USS Baron DeKalb, under command of Lt. Commander J.G. Walker, went up the White River as far as Devall’s Bluff, Ark. Lt. Commander Walker sent ashore a landing party and took possession of all “public property” he could find, specifically guns and munitions. When Gen. Willis Gorman arrived with infantry, Walker turned the spoils over to him and sailed off on his next project, the capture of the Confederate steamer Blue Wing.

Jan. 16, 1863 – During the Civil War, a Federal expedition from Fort Henry to Waverly, Tenn. began.

Jan. 16, 1864 – During the Civil War, a 13-day Federal operation began in Northwestern Arkansas. Skirmishes were also fought at Oak Ridge, Miss. and Turkey Creek, Va.

Jan. 16, 1864 – During the Civil War, Dandridge, Tenn., and its environs (Kimbrough’s Cross Roads and on the Bend of Chucky Road) was the scene of a sizeable cavalry battle on this day and the next. The Federal forces were somewhat undermanned because Gen. William Sooy Smith had led a cavalry expedition from Memphis, Tenn. towards Meridian, Miss., where he would eventually run into trouble of his own in the form of Nathan Bedford Forrest. Back and forth the action went on this day, extending nearly to Clark’s Ferry, and inflicting large numbers of casualties on both sides. At the end of the engagement the Federals withdrew to the area of Strawberry Plains, Tenn. Additional skirmishing took place in White County, Tenn.

Jan. 16, 1865 – During the Civil War, a three-day Federal operation from Brashear City to Whiskey Bayou, La. began. A seven-day Federal operation began about Waynesville Mo., with skirmishes at McCourtney Mills on the Big Piney, Mo. Over a two-day period, Fort Caswell, N.C. was blown up and the works in the vicinity of Reeves’ Point and Smithville were abandoned by Confederate forces. A skirmish out from Franklin, Tenn. was also fought.

Jan. 16, 1865 – During the Civil War, one of the war’s tragedies occurred after Fort Fisher, N.C., had been captured, when its powder magazine accidentally exploded. In excess of 100 Federal casualties resulted from this accident. No one was ever charged but suspicions were the explosion was caused by drunken Federal soldiers and/sailors.

Jan. 16, 1874 - English-born Canadian poet Robert Service was born in Preston, England.

Jan. 16, 1896 – The Monroe Journal reported that “Postmaster Ricou is now comfortably located in the Yarbrough building on Southside. The patrons of the post office are generally pleased with the change of location.”

Jan. 16, 1906 – Braxton Bragg “B.B.” Comer, who was then the president of the Alabama Railroad Commission, delivered a two-hour campaign speech to a crowd at the Monroe County Courthouse, starting at 1 p.m. “in behalf of his candidacy for Governor of Alabama.” According to The Monroe Journal, “the adjourned term of court being in session there was naturally a good-sized crowd present, and the number was doubtless increased to some extent by those who came especially to see and hear Mr. Comer. Mr. Comer spoke for nearly two hours and was given respectful and patient attention throughout.” In November 1906, he was elected Alabama’s 33rd governor.

Jan. 16, 1908 – The Conecuh Record reported that L.D. Gardner, the new chancellor of the southeastern court division, held his first term of the Chancery Court in Conecuh County, Ala. Gardner was the youngest chancellor in the state at that time.

Jan. 16, 1908 – The Monroe Journal reported, in news from the Skinnerton community, that the Woodmen of the World had a camp at Skinnerton and recently gave a public dinner for the benefit of the order. There was plenty of dinner and fresh fish. About $20 was raised from the dinner for the charity fund.

Jan. 16, 1908 – The Monroe Journal reported, in news from Monroeville R.F.D. No. 2 that “hunting is the foremost employment among the young men in our vicinity while the older ones are preparing for another crop, such as plowing in oats, log rolling, clearing, removing fences, etc.”

Jan. 16-23, 1909 - Newspapers of the time published hundreds of claimed encounters with the “Jersey Devil” from all over the state of New Jersey. Among alleged encounters publicized that week were claims the creature "attacked" a trolley car in Haddon Heights and a social club in Camden. Police in Camden and Bristol, Pennsylvania supposedly fired on the creature to no effect. Other reports initially concerned unidentified footprints in the snow, but soon sightings of creatures resembling the Jersey Devil were being reported throughout South Jersey and as far away as Delaware and Western Maryland. The widespread newspaper coverage led to a panic throughout the Delaware Valley prompting a number of schools to close and workers to stay home.

Jan. 16, 1909 – Ernest Shackleton's expedition found the magnetic South Pole.

Jan. 16, 1910 – National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean was born in Lucas, Arkansas. He went on to play for the St. Louis Cardinals, the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Browns. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1953.

Jan. 16, 1914 - The total number of bales of cotton ginned in Conecuh County, Ala. was 16,228, compared with 14,646 to the same date in 1913.

Jan. 16, 1916 – During World War I, after an eight-day offensive that marked the beginning of a new, aggressive strategy in the region, Austro-Hungarian troops under commander in chief Franz Conrad von Hotzendorf took control of the Balkan state of Montenegro.

Jan. 16, 1919 – The United States ratified the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, authorizing Prohibition in the United States one year after ratification.

Jan. 16, 1920 - Prohibition went into effect in the U.S. and lasted until 1933.

Jan. 16, 1929 – Evergreen High School’s boys basketball team beat East Brewton, 41-17, and the Night Hawks of Evergreen, 24-17.

Jan. 16, 1933 – Novelist and essayist Susan Sontag was born Susan Rosenblatt in New York City.

Jan. 16, 1938 – Dr. Walter Bozeman Moorer, age 63, who practiced medicine in Repton, Ala. passed away at his home around 9 p.m. from a “heart ailment.” A native of Lowndes County, he attended medical school at Birmingham Medical College. He practiced medicine in McKenzie for a number of years and moved to Repton about 20 years prior to his death. Born on Oct. 1, 1874 in Evergreen, he was buried in Evergreen Cemetery.

Jan. 16, 1945 – Adolf Hitler moved into his underground bunker, the so-called Führerbunker.

Jan. 16, 1948 – Film director John Carpenter was born in Carthage, N.Y. His most famous movies included “Halloween” (1978), “The Fog” (1980), “Escape From New York” (1981) and “The Thing” (1982).

Jan. 16, 1949 - The first television version of Alabama author William March's story "The Little Wife" was broadcast.

Jan. 16, 1950 – T.R. Miller High School’s varsity boys basketball team beat Evergreen High School, 35-33, in Evergreen on this Monday night. Junior Miller led Evergreen with 12 points while Gene Prestwood and Bobby Long scored seven points each. Guerry Moorer led the scoring for Evergreen with 11 points. Dickey Bozeman, starting at guard instead of forward, sank eight, and Gwyn Daniels dropped six for the Aggies. Other standout Evergreen players in that game included Jack Cunningham, Gillis Morgan, Jeff Moorer and “Pistol Pete” Wells.

Jan. 16, 1951 – Evergreen’s National Guard unit, Battery C of the 177th Field Artillery Battalion, under command of Capt. John C. Holman, was called to active, Federal service at Fort Jackson, S.C. The local unit, which was composed of about 80 officers and men, was part of the 31st Infantry Division, which earned fame as the Dixie Division in the South Pacific in World War II. The Dixie Division was made up of guardsmen from Alabama and Mississippi. The January 1951 mobilization marked the second federal mobilization of Evergreen’s guard unit in only a little over 10 years. “C” went on active duty in November of 1940 and was moved shortly thereafter to Camp Blanding, Fla. Holman was executive officer under Capt. (later Major) Dave Lewis when the battery mobilized for World War II.

Jan. 16, 1955 – Poet and memoirist Mary Karr was born in Groves, Texas.

Jan. 16, 1958 – Russian mountaineer and explorer Anatoli Boukreev was born in Korkino, Russian SFSR.

Jan. 16, 1959 – Vietnamese journalist and author Phan Khôi died at the age of 71 in Hanoi, North Vietnam.

Jan. 16, 1961 - Mickey Mantle signed a contract that made him the highest paid baseball player in the American League at $75,000 for the 1961 season.

Jan. 16, 1964 – Bill Griffin of Evergreen, Ala. visited Palma de Mallorca in the Mediterranean aboard the attack aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La. Griffin was a Navy ship serviceman third class.

Jan. 16, 1964 - President Lyndon Johnson approved Oplan 34A, operations to be conducted by South Vietnamese forces supported by the United States to gather intelligence and conduct sabotage to destabilize the North Vietnamese regime.

Jan. 16, 1967 – Mabel Amos of Brooklyn, Ala. took the oath of office as Alabama Secretary of State becoming the first Conecuh County citizen to be elected to a statewide office.

Jan. 16, 1967 – George C. Wallace began his time as the First Gentleman of Alabama while his wife served as Alabama’s governor. His time as First Gentleman would end on May 7, 1968.

Jan. 16, 1967 – Lurleen Wallace was inaugurated as Alabama’s first female governor – and only the third nationwide – as an estimated 150,000 looked on. On May 7, 1968, she died in office of cancer at the age of 41, amid her husband George C. Wallace's ongoing second presidential campaign. On her death, she was succeeded by Lieutenant Governor Albert Brewer, who had run without Republican opposition in the Wallace-Martin race.

Jan. 16, 1968 – The Evergreen City Council accepted a low bid of $162,922 submitted by Clark Hardware Co. of Red Level for the construction of a new city hall in downtown Evergreen, Ala. The project was scheduled to take 240 days and construction was scheduled to get underway 45 to 60 days after the bid opening.

Jan. 16, 1969 – During the Vietnam War, an agreement was reached in Paris for the opening of expanded peace talks.

Jan. 16, 1970 - Seven-time Golden Glove-winning center fielder Curt Flood of the St. Louis Cardinals filed suit in a New York federal court against Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, the presidents of the American and National Leagues and all 24 teams in Major League Baseball, protesting the league’s player reserve clause, which prevented players from moving to another team unless they were traded.

Jan. 16, 1972 – Lee Roy Jordan of Excel, Ala. started at middle linebacker in Super Bowl VI for the Dallas Cowboys. The NFC Champion Cowboys, under Tom Landry, beat the AFC Champion Miami Dolphins, led by Don Shula, 24-3, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. Other famous starters in that game included Mike Ditka (Dallas TE), Bob Griese (Miami QB), Roger Staubach (Dallas QB), Larry Csonka (Miami RB).

Jan. 16, 1979 – German SS officer August Heissmeyer died at the age of 81 at Schwäbisch Hall, a district (Kreis) in the north-east of Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Jan. 16, 1980 – Broadway composer, actor and playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda was born in New York City.

Jan. 16, 1986 – Sparta Academy’s varsity boys beat Greenville Academy, 69-63, in Evergreen, and Sparta’s varsity girls won, 82-29. Scott Salter led Sparta’s boys with 22 points, and Kim Searcy led Sparta’s girls with 22 points. Other outstanding Sparta boys in their game included Brandon Salter, Brian Bybee, Danny Reed, Mark Rigsby, Brad Watts, Jason West, Lynn Ralls and Thad Ellis. Outstanding Sparta girls in their game included Tracy Holmes, Susan Ward, Carol Kendrick, Leah Carrier, Julie Johnson, Jeannie Vondereau, Baby Girl Floyd, Stacey Holmes and Shawn Hammonds.

Jan. 16, 1991 - The White House announced the start of Operation Desert Storm, as Coalition Forces went to war with Iraq, beginning the Gulf War. The operation was designed to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.

Jan. 16, 1998 - The Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah cancelled the premiere of Nick Broomfield's documentary "Kurt and Courtney" due to unresolved legal issues.

Jan. 16, 2001 – U.S. President Bill Clinton awarded former President Theodore Roosevelt a posthumous Medal of Honor for his service in the Spanish–American War.

Jan. 16, 2001 – Sparta Academy’s varsity boys beat Escambia Academy, 68-59, at Canoe. John McKenzie led Sparta with 15 points. Other top Sparta players in that game included Kyle Johnston, Jimmy Hyde, Chris Garner, Rusty Salter, Justin Tranum, Derrick Williams and Wiley Cobb. Sparta’s varsity girls lost, 52-41. Katie Etheridge led Sparta with 17 points.

Jan. 16, 2002 - U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced that John Walker Lindh would be brought to the United States to face trial. He was charged in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, VA, with conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens, providing support to terrorist organizations, and engaging in prohibited transactions with the Taliban of Afghanistan.

Jan. 16, 2002 – The UN Security Council unanimously established an arms embargo and the freezing of assets of Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda, and the remaining members of the Taliban.

Jan. 16, 2010 – Weather observer Harry Ellis reported 1.16 inches of rain in Evergreen, Ala.

Jan. 16, 2010 - Ernestine Raines turned 101 years old, and she was honored by Belleville Baptist Church, her home church, with a birthday party. The party was held at the Evergreen Nursing Home, where she had lived for several years.

  

Jan. 16, 2015 – Around 2 a.m. in Monrovia, which is in Madison County, Ala., a UFO witness was getting into her boyfriend’s car when she looked up and saw what looked like a strobe light in the sky. They began driving towards the light and as they got closer, they realized it was a slow-moving, triangular-shaped “flying object.” In all, they watched the object for about four minutes.