Today in History for Jan. 30, 2018

Winton M. Blount III

Jan. 30, 1661 – Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, was ritually executed more than two years after his death, on the 12th anniversary of the execution of the monarch he himself deposed.

Jan. 30, 1703 – The Forty-seven Ronin, under the command of Ōishi Kuranosuke, avenged the death of their master.

Jan. 30, 1776 - The Continental Congress directed that no apprentices be enlisted for military service without the written consent of their master or mistress.

Jan. 30, 1780 - Alabama's third governor, Israel Pickens, was born in North Carolina. The former U.S. Congressman moved to St. Stephens, in the Mississippi Territory, in the spring of 1817 to take a job as a register of the land office for Washington County. Wasting no time in establishing himself in his new home, Pickens purchased almost 3,500 acres in southwest Alabama in less than a year and became the first president of the Tombigbee Bank of St. Stephens. He served as Alabama's governor from 1821 to 1825.

Jan. 30, 1781 - Maryland became the 13th and final state to ratify the Articles of Confederation, almost three years after the official deadline given by Congress of March 10, 1778, and the Articles took effect on March 1, 1781, remaining the law of the land for only eight years before the Constitutional Convention rejected them in favor of a new, more centralized form of federal government. They crafted the current U.S. Constitution, which took effect in 1789, giving the federal government greater authority over the states and creating a bicameral legislature

Jan. 30, 1816 - Union General Nathaniel Banks was born in Waltham, Mass. Banks was a political general – he had few military skills, but as an anti-slave Republican from Massachusetts, he helped President Abraham Lincoln’s administration maintain support in that region.

Jan. 30, 1820 – Edward Bransfield sighted the Trinity Peninsula and claimed the discovery of Antarctica.

Jan. 30, 1835 – In the first assassination attempt against a President of the United States, Richard Lawrence attempted to shoot president Andrew Jackson, but failed and was subdued by a crowd, including several congressmen.

Jan. 30, 1847 – Edgar Allan Poe’s wife, Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe, passed away from tuberculosis at the age of 24 in Fordham, Bronx, N.Y.

Jan. 30, 1847 - Larvae and snow fell together in the Eifel Mountains in Germany.

Jan. 30, 1860 – Reuben F. Kolb of Kolb’s Battery married Callie Cargile (also referred to as Mary Caledonia Cargile), the daughter of Thomas and Louisa Ann Cargile also of Eufaula. The couple would have three children: Reuben F. Kolb Jr., William H. Kolb, and Emily F. Kolb.

Jan. 30, 1861 – During the Civil War, the Federal revenue schooner, Lewis Cass, was captured by Alabama State Troops in Mobile Bay, Ala.

Jan. 30, 1862 - The U.S. Navy's first ironclad warship, the "Monitor," designed by John Ericsson, was launched at Greenpoint, Long Island, N.Y., into New York's East River. The vessel was commissioned on Feb. 25.

Jan. 30, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Dyersburg, Tenn.; and at Deserted House, Kelly's Store, near Suffolk and at Turner's Mills, in Virginia. Confederates also captured the US Steamer, Issac Smith, in the Stono River, in the vicinity of Charleston, S.C.

Jan. 30, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought in the vicinity of Chickamauga Creek, Ga.; at Windsor, N.C.; and at Medley, West Virginia. A five-day Federal operation also began between Batesville and Searcy Landing in Arkansas, and a Federal reconnaissance began between Culpeper and Madison Courthouse in Virginia.

Jan. 30, 1865 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought near Chaplintown, Ky.; near Lake Verret and at Bayou Plantation in Louisiana; in La Fayette County, Mo.; and near Lawtonville, S.C. Federal reconnaissance was also conducted from Long Bridge to Bottom’s Bridge in Virginia.

Jan. 30, 1878 – The Pickens County Sheriff, discovering that citizens of the town were furious and wanted to lynch former slave Henry Wells for burning Carrollton’s courthouse in 1876, took Wells to the new Pickens County Courthouse and secured him in the garret room at the top of the building in an effort to protect him. In the midst of a thunderstorm on this night, Wells stood at the garret window, looking down at the mob that meant to kill him. Legend says that a flash of lightning etched Wells’ face onto the window pane.

Jan. 30, 1882 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born in Hyde Park, N.Y. He served as the thirty-second president of the United States from 1933-1945. He was the first president to serve more than two terms.

Jan. 30, 1885 – W.B. Green Sr. died at Burnt Corn, Ala. at the age of 89. A veteran of the Seminole War of 1836, he moved to Monroe County in 1838.

Jan. 30, 1896 – The Monroe Journal reported that Willie Louiselle had returned to his home in Michigan after a visit with his son, the Hon. W.H. Louiselle of Manistee, Ala. “The old gentleman has fallen very much in love with south Alabama,” The Monroe Journal reported.

Jan. 30, 1896 – The Monroe Journal reported that A.E. Peterman, who for several years had been “the clever and accommodating” L&N Agent at Repton, Ala., had been transferred to Scranton, Miss., and was to be succeeded by W.S. Teas.

Jan. 30, 1896 – The Monroe Journal reported that Postmaster Ricou and his family were occupying the dwelling vacated by J.T. Salter.

Jan. 30, 1908 – The Conecuh Record reported that the Baptist Church of Evergreen, Ala. planned to hold opening services in its “new building.” Construction of the building began 2-1/2 years before this event and had just reached completion.

Jan. 30, 1912 – Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Barbara Tuchman was born in New York City. She won her first Pulitzer Prizes for 1963’s “The Guns of August,” and she received her second for 1972’s “Stilwell and the American Experience in China.”

Jan. 30, 1915 – William H. Wright, 28, died of consumption on this Saturday night. His funeral was conducted the following afternoon and was conducted by the Rev. W.T. Ellisor. Wright was buried in the Evergreen, Ala. cemetery.

Jan. 30, 1915 – German SS officer Joachim Peiper was born Berlin, Prussia, Imperial Germany.

Jan. 30, 1917 - Mr. J.W. Lizenba, sometime a merchant at Roy, was in Monroeville on this Tuesday. Lizenba had recently sold his stock of goods to Mr. C.E. Eddins whose store had recently burned at Roy.

Jan. 30, 1917 - Prof. James A. York of Marion, the principal of the Perry County High School, visited Monroeville on this day. Prof. York was a brother-in-law of Prof. H.E. Jones and B.E. Jones, Esq., of Monroeville.

Jan. 30, 1918 – The Evergreen Courant published the following “Notice to Dog Owners” from Evergreen Town Clerk H.A. Shields – “Unless the town tax on dogs is paid by Feb. 15, 1918, the owners are liable to the penalties as provided. Tags may be secured at the Town Clerk’s office, the fee is $1.”

Jan. 30, 1928 - A movie version of Alabama author Octavus Roy Cohen's book, “Horns and Orange Blossoms,” was released.

Jan. 30, 1931 – National Book Award-winning novelist Shirley Hazzard was born in Sydney, Australia.

Jan. 30, 1933 - With the stirring notes of the “William Tell Overture” and a shout of “Hi-yo, Silver! Away!” “The Lone Ranger” debuted on Detroit’s WXYZ radio station.

Jan. 30, 1933 – President Paul von Hindenburg named Adolf Hitler, leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party (or Nazi Party), as chancellor of Germany.

Jan. 30, 1933 - Capt. Dave Lewis, Lt. Homer Kindig and Lt. Jessie Jackson attended a meeting of the officers of the National Guard in Montgomery, Ala. on this Saturday night, according to The Evergreen Courant.

Jan. 30, 1935 – Richard Brautigan was born in Tacoma, Washington. He is best known for his best-selling 1967 book, “Trout Fishing in America.”

Jan. 30, 1941 - Alabama author Gregory Benford was born in Mobile, Ala.

Jan. 30, 1942 - The P.N. Owen home, located one mile north of Frisco City, burned early on this Friday afternoon “with only a few of the household furnishings being saved.” The exact cause of the fire was unknown, but the fire started in the kitchen. Owen received a few severe and minor burns in an attempt to save a trunk.

Jan. 30, 1942 – Monroe County High School’s boys and girls basketball teams played J.U. Blacksher in Monroeville. MCHS’s boys beat Blacksher, 20-13, but Blacksher’s girls beat MCHS, 14-13.

Jan. 30, 1948 - Evergreen High School’s boys basketball team stopped a last quarter rally by J.U. Blacksher High School in Evergreen, Ala. on this Friday night to win, 44-40. Gulsby led Blacksher with 20 points. Benton Carpenter led Evergreen with 13 points, Mickey Logue scored nine, Gillis “Crip” Jones and Jack Cunningham had eight points.

Jan. 30, 1949 – Escaped Russian minister, the Rev. Robert Tarzier, Field Secretary of the Russian Bible Society in Washington, D.C. spoke at the Evergreen Baptist Church in Evergreen, Ala. “Tarzier escaped from the Soviet secret police a little over four years ago. At that time, he was pastor of one of the largest Baptist churches – the well known church in Riga, Latavia.”

Jan. 30, 1950 – Ollie Finklea retired at the age of 70 from his duties as Buena Vista, Alabama’s postmaster, a position he assumed after his father’s retirement on June 3, 1910.

Jan. 30, 1950 – Lola B. Harwell, a fifth and sixth-grade teacher at Georgiana (Ala.) Elementary School, died unexpectedly on this morning in her classroom, where she had just returned from a movie that was shown to her students. Harwell had been a teacher since September 1906 and had never once been absent or tardy since taking her first job at Ebeneza in Butler County. She also taught in Conecuh County and was principal at Avant in Butler County before going to Georgiana.

Jan. 30, 1950 – For the second straight year, the strawberry season in Castleberry, Ala. began several weeks ahead of schedule as several growers on this day brought in crates of strawberries. Lonnie Beasley of Hamden Ridge arrived in Castleberry with the first crate of the 1950 crop, and those berries were sold to local buyer, R.T. Holland. Normally, the strawberry season ran from March 15 to April 1.

Jan. 30, 1951 – Army Cpl. Oland H. Kirkland of Escambia County, Ala. was killed in action in Korea at the age of 25. According to the Korean War Veterans Honor Roll, Kirkland was a member of the 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. He was killed in action while fighting the enemy in South Korea. Kirkland was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Korean War Service Medal.

Jan. 30, 1956 - With the Montgomery Bus Boycott about to enter its third month, segregationists bombed the home of boycott spokesman Martin Luther King Jr. The home sustained moderate damage, but no one was injured. The young minister addressed the large crowd that gathered after the blast, declaring, "I want it to be known the length and breadth of this land that if I am stopped this movement will not stop."

Jan. 30, 1960 – Sharon Lynn Johnson was born to Bill and Phylis Cunningham Johnson at St. Margaret’s Hospital in Montgomery.

Jan. 30, 1964 – In a bloodless coup, General Nguyễn Khánh overthrew General Dương Văn Minh's military junta in South Vietnam.

Jan. 30, 1965 – Isaiah Mims, 31, of Owassa was killed instantly when his car was hit by an L&N train on this afternoon at the main railroad crossing at Owassa, Ala. State Trooper Pitchford investigated the accident and said that Mims “evidently heard the train approaching too late to bring his 1957 Ford to a stop and skidded to rest on the tracks in the path of the oncoming train.”

Jan. 30, 1965 – Some one million people attended former Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill's funeral, the biggest in the United Kingdom up to that point.

Jan. 30, 1966 - Alabama experienced its coldest ever recorded temperature of -27° F at New Market in Madison County. The average low temperature during January for nearby Huntsville was around 29°.

Jan. 30, 1968 – During the Vietnam War, what is now known as “The Tet Offensive,” began at dawn on the first day of the Tet holiday truce, as Viet Cong forces – supported by large numbers of North Vietnamese troops – launched the largest and best coordinated offensive of the war, driving into the center of South Vietnam’s seven largest cities and attacking 30 provincial capitals from the Delta to the DMZ.

Jan. 30, 1971 – A “Rattlesnake Rodeo,” sponsored by the Escambia-Conecuh Wildlife Association, was scheduled to get underway on this Saturday morning. There was to be a grand prize of $100 for the largest rattlesnake turned in during the rodeo which was scheduled to end on Feb. 6. Contestants were required to register in advance for a $1 fee at Flo Drilling & Pump Co. in Brewton, Ala. Area of the rodeo was limited to Escambia and Conecuh counties. Snakes had to be turned in by 3 p.m. on Feb. 6 at Flo Drilling & Pump Co.

Jan. 30, 1971 - Operation Dewey Canyon II began as the initial phase of Lam Son 719, the South Vietnamese invasion of Laos that would commence on Feb. 8.

Jan. 30, 1972 – British army parachutists shot 27 unarmed civil rights demonstrators in Derry, Northern Ireland – an event known as “Bloody Sunday.” The protestors had been marching to oppose the new British policy of imprisoning people without a hearing.

Jan. 30, 1974 - Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales. He would go on to portray Bruce Wayne and the Batman in the movies “Batman Begins” (2005), “The Dark Knight” (2008) and “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012).

Jan. 30, 1977 – Local weather reporter Earl Windham reported 1.01 inches of snow in Evergreen, Ala.

Jan. 30, 1978 - The defending state champion Wilcox Academy Wildcats had to go into overtime to defeat the Sparta Warriors, 47-40, in a game on this Monday night in Camden, Ala. Terry Peacock had 10 points; Gray Stevens, Steve Dubose and Tony Raines, eight each; John Hall, four; and Johnny Ralls, two. The loss dropped Sparta to 11-7 on the season, according to Sports Information Director Byron Warren Jr.

Jan. 30, 1978 - Dr. John Dan Hagood, 71, a native of Evergreen, Ala., died on this Monday in Santa Fe, Fla. Graveside services were to be held in Evergreen on Feb. 2 at 11 a.m. in Magnolia Cemetery with the Rev. Braxton McCurley officiating. Dr. Hagood was the son of the late Dr. and Mrs. J.W. Hagood of Evergreen and a member of a prominent, pioneer South Alabama family. He was one of Florida’s most eminent and respected surgeons and served with distinction in the U.S. Navy in World War II.

Jan. 30, 1986 - The Evergreen (Ala.) Chamber of Commerce was scheduled to hold its annual Promotion-Membership Banquet on this Thursday night at 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn. Sheldon Morgan, well-known Mobile bank executive, was to be the guest speaker, according to President Willene Whatley. Whatley was to preside and report on 1985 activities and give the response and conclusion after the program. The invocation was to be brought by Dr. Lamar Jackson. The report of the Nominating Committee was to be given by Chairman Gerald Salter. Judge of Probate Frank T. Salter was to introduce the speaker, Sheldon Morgan, who was head of the marketing division of First Alabama Bank of Mobile.

Jan. 30, 1992 – Winton M. Blount III of Montgomery, Ala. was the keynote speaker at the Evergreen-Conecuh County Chamber of Commerce’s annual membership banquet at the Quality Inn in Evergreen, Ala.

Jan. 30-31, 1993 – Weather observer Harry Ellis reported lows of 29 degrees on both of these days in Evergreen, Ala.

Jan. 30, 1994 - Natalie Cole sang the U.S. national anthem at Super Bowl XXVIII. The Dallas Cowboys won, 30-13, over the Buffalo Bills.

Jan. 30, 1994 - Alabama author Lucile Vernon Stevens died in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Jan. 30, 1996 - Comet Hyakutake was discovered and was dubbed “The Great Comet of 1996” due to its close passage.

Jan. 30, 2000 - The New York Mets announced that Garth Brooks would begin training with the team on Feb. 20.

Jan. 30, 2000 - John Rocker of the Atlanta Braves was suspended from Major League Baseball for disparaging foreigners, homosexuals and minorities in an interview published by Sports Illustrated.

Jan. 30, 2009 – Former Alabama governor Guy Hunt passed away from lung cancer at the age of 75 in Birmingham, Ala.

Jan. 30, 2010 - Evergreen’s Chris Hines started for the Alabama Crimson Tide men’s basketball team in a 58-57 loss to archrival Auburn on this Saturday at Beard-Eaves Memorial Stadium in Auburn. In the loss to Auburn, Hines played 23 minutes, scored two points and posted four rebounds, including two on defense and two on offense.