Today in History for Jan. 8, 2018

Baseball Hall of Famer Christy Matthewson

Jan. 8, 1700 – Pierre le Moyne, Sieur d’Urberville arrived at Biloxi and proceeded to build Fort Mississipi about 40 miles upstream on the Mississippi River. He secured the allegiance of the several Indian tribes of the region and united them against the English threat from the Carolinas.


Jan. 8, 1790 - President George Washington delivered the first State of the Union address to the assembled Congress in New York City.

Jan. 8, 1811 – An unsuccessful slave revolt was led by Charles Deslondes in St. Charles and St. James in Louisiana.

Jan. 8, 1815 - U.S. forces under Andrew Jackson achieved the greatest American victory of the War of 1812 at the Battle of New Orleans, which was fought between Dec. 23, 1814 and Jan. 8, 1815. The War of 1812 had officially ended on Dec. 24, 1814 with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent (which wasn’t ratified by the U.S. government until February 1815). The news of the signing had not reached British troops in time to prevent their attack on New Orleans.

Jan. 8, 1815 – Two weeks after the War of 1812 officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, U.S. General Andrew Jackson achieved the greatest American victory of the war at the Battle of New Orleans. Jackson and French pirate Jean Lafitte led 4,000 backwoodsmen to victory, defending against 8,000 British veterans on the fields of Chalmette in the Battle of New Orleans, the closing engagement of the War of 1812. Several hundred Miccosukee and Seminole had sided with the British.

Jan. 8, 1815 – Traditionally, Choctaw become men when they engage in successful warfare. The United States recognized Choctaw recruits as soldiers and Choctaw men eagerly joined the war. Tradẻr Pierre Juzan lived in the Choctaw village of Coosha with his Choctaw wife, a niece of Pushmataha. When most of the Choctaw fighting men joined Major Uriah Blue's command that captured Pensacola in November 1814, Juzan led a smaller force of about 30 to 60 Choctaws to New Orleans with Andrew Jackson's command. On the morning of Dec. 23, a group of 18 Choctaw joined Jackson's counter attack. Over the next several days, the Choctaw deployed to the extreme left flank of the American lines and fired at the British from under cover of the cypress swamps. They killed upwards of 50 British soldiers in the days leading up to this day’s final battle.

Jan. 8, 1821 - The Treaty at Indian Springs ceded to Georgia additional Creek land between the Ocmulgee and Flint rivers, extending Georgia’s boundaries westward. J. McIntosh, David Adams, Daniel Newman, William McIntosh, Tustunnuggee Hopoie and Efau Emauthlau signed the treaty.

Jan. 8, 1821 – Confederate General James Longstreet was born near Edgefield, S.C. Longstreet became one of the most successful generals in the Confederate army, and fought with Robert E. Lee until the surrender at Appomattox in April 1865. After the war, he became a target of some of his comrades, who were searching for a scapegoat.

Jan. 8, 1823 – Welsh-English geographer, biologist and explorer Alfred Russel Wallace was born in Llanbadoc, Monmouthshire, Wales.

Jan. 8, 1836 – A party of 40 Caddo and Comanche attacked two wagons of colonists near the mouth of Brushy Creek on the San Gabriel River. Thomas Riley was killed and his brother James severely wounded. Four Indians were reported killed.

Jan. 8, 1844 – A ship stopped for repairs at Phillips Inlet (Bay County, Fla.) and the crew was befriended by Chief Old Joe and his band. Chief Joe later killed several of the crew when they were lured away from the ship onto the mainland.

Jan. 8, 1853 - A bronze statue of Andrew Jackson on a horse was unveiled in Lafayette Park in Washington, D.C.

Jan. 8, 1861 – Around midnight, Federal forces under the command of Lt. Adam J. Slemmer at Fort Barrancas in Pensacola, Fla. fired on a group of Florida State Troops who attempted to move on the fort. This action was unlike the peaceful forfeiture of Fort Marion in St. Augustine the previous day. Some historians suggest that these were the first shots fired by United States forces in the Civil War.

Jan. 8, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Fishing Creek, Ky.; at Roan's Tan Yard, also known as Silver Creek, also known as Sugar Creek, near Charleston, Mo.; and at Cheat River and at the mouth of the Blue Stone River in West Virginia.

Jan. 8, 1863 – During the Civil War, the Second Battle of Springfield was fought in Spring Field, Missouri. A three-day Federal operation between Elkhorn and Berryville in Arkansas also began. A skirmish was also fought at Knob Creek, near Ripley, Mill Creek, Harpeth Shoals, and Ashland in Tennessee. A three-day Federal operation between Suffolk and Blackwater in Virginia also began, and a three-day Federal operation between Catlett’s Station and Rappahannock Station in Virginia also began.

Jan. 8, 1864 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Moorefield Junction, West Va., and Federal artillery shelled the Confederate works at Caney Bayou, Texas.

Jan. 8, 1864 - Seventeen-year-old David Owen Dodd was hanged in Little Rock, Ark. He was captured as he tried to cross Federal lines near Little Rock with notes in Morse code hidden in his shoe. After a military court found him guilty, he confessed that he had been sent to gather information about Union troops. Dodd may have been the youngest person hanged as a spy in the Civil War.

Jan. 8, 1865 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought near Ivey's Ford, Ark. and with Kickapoo and Pottawatomie Indians at Dove Creek, Concho River, Texas.

Jan. 8, 1865 – During the Civil War, with General Ben Butler now replaced by the vastly more capable General Alfred H. Terry in command of the Army side of the project, the effort to capture Ft. Fisher was in full stride today. An immense fleet had been assembled by Admiral David D. Porter, half gun ships and the other half troop transports for the Army force. To allow for the fact that bad weather could blow in unexpectedly at any time, the fleet had scheduled a rendezvous point in case regrouping was needed. They arrived at this point, off Beaufort, N.C. on this day, and indeed had to wait for a few vessels to catch up, although the reasons were more mechanical than meteorological. The weather was holding, which did not bode well for the defenses of Wilmington, N.C.

Jan. 8, 1877 – Outnumbered, low on ammunition and forced to use outdated weapons to defend themselves, Crazy Horse and his warriors fought their final losing battle against the U.S. Cavalry in Montana.

Jan. 8, 1880 - The "ruler" Emperor Norton passed away in San Francisco. The eccentric Joshua Abraham Norton proclaimed himself "Emperor of these United States and Protector of Mexico." During his 20-year "reign," he was humored by the locals, and currency was even issued in his name.

Jan. 8, 1904 – German SS officer Karl Brandt was born in Mulhouse, Alsace-Lorraine.

Jan. 8, 1905 – During a wedding in northeastern Monroe County, Ala., a man named Smith shot and killed John McClammy. Smith was also seriously wounded during the “row.”

Jan. 8, 1906 - United States Marshal G.B. Dennis of the Southern District of Alabama was in Monroeville on this Monday on official business, according to The Monroe Journal.

Jan. 8, 1908 – The Evergreen Courant reported, under the headline “Can’t Kill Robins,” that all hunters’ licenses for the year 1907 expired on Dec. 31 and those who hunted after Jan. 1, 1908 had to provide for themselves with a license for the new calendar year. Whether issued now or the next December the price of hunters’ license was the same. “Sportsmen appreciating this fact have begun already to duly equip themselves for the pursuit of the willy members of the fur and feathered tribes during the present year. Robins are protected by the game law and cannot be killed at any time. These birds migrate to southern climes and temporarily sojourn here during the winter and spring; they then return to the north, where they build their nests in orchards and near the habitation of man, and raise their young. Up north they are valuable to the farmers and destroy tons of noxious weeds and injurious insects. They are esteemed most highly as songsters, and are loved on account of their friendliness to man.”

Jan. 8, 1908 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Lt. W.H. Pritchett of the U.S. Marine Corps, stationed in Atlanta, and his sister, Miss Ree Pritchett, were in Evergreen visiting the family of their uncle, F.A. Pritchett, on Magnolia Street.

Jan. 8, 1909 - Alabama journalist Buford Boone was born near Newnan, Ga.

Jan. 8, 1918 – In an address before a joint meeting of Congress, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson discussed the aims of the United States in World War I and outlined his famous “Fourteen Points” for achieving a lasting peace in Europe in the aftermath of World War I.

Jan. 8, 1918 - The remains of James Roberson were brought to Evergreen from Mobile on this day and were conveyed to the family burying ground in Mill beat for interment. He was a well-known citizen of that part of Conecuh County for many years but moved with his family to Mobile about two years before. Pneumonia was said to have been the cause of his death. He was about 60 years of age.

Jan. 8, 1918 - Laban Turk, a well-known citizen of Monroe County, died on this Saturday at the age of 87 years. The news was received in Evergreen by his brother-in-law, W.L. Stallworth.  Born on Sept. 30, 1830, he was buried in the Pineville Baptist Cemetery in Monroe County. Turk was said to have been a resident of Turkestan, where he served as Justice of the Peace and Postmaster. (Some sources indicate that he died on Jan. 26, 1918.)

Jan. 8, 1929 – Confederate veteran Madison “Matt” Lambert, a Monroe County, Ala. native, died at the age of 86 at his home in Tallassee in Elmore County, Ala. Born in Claiborne on March 4, 1842, he went on to serve as a private with Co. A of the 42^nd Alabama Infantry Regiment. He enlisted on March 5, 1861 and was discharged on May 15, 1864 after being wounded at Resaca, Ga. His wound was so severe that he had to have his leg amputated below the knee. Lambert moved to Elmore County from South Alabama around 1876. He was buried in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Tallassee in Elmore County, Ala.

Jan. 8, 1929 - William S. Paley appeared on CBS Radio for the first time to announce that CBS had become the largest regular chain of broadcasting chains in radio history.

Jan. 8, 1931 – The Monroe Journal reported that Mr. C.H. McCall had purchased the house formerly occupied by Mr. C.D. Putnam. This house was partially destroyed by fire in November 1930 and was being rebuilt.

Jan. 8, 1932 – Bay Minette’s boys basketball team beat Evergreen High School, 22-18, in Bay Minette, Ala.

Jan. 8, 1932 – Evergreen High School’s girls basketball team improved to 4-0 with a 33-9 win over Georgiana High School. Team captain Althea Kelly led Evergreen with 22 points.

Jan. 8, 1933 – Fate on this Sunday in Shanghai intervened and probably saved the lives of Ellis Shannon of Evergreen, who had become an airman, and his bride of three weeks. A plane crash which brought death to the bride of young Shannon’s “buddy,” who was wed in a double ceremony with Shannon on Dec. 22, and in which crash the husband of the victim was critically injured, was averted by Shannon and his wife by an unusual twist of the fate brought tragedy to their friends. The foursome had planned an airplane trip from Shanghai to Hangchow, but just before the departure, according to an Associated Press dispatch to The Mobile Register on this Sunday night, Shannon and his bride decided to go by train and meet their friends in Hangchow. On the outskirts of Shanghai, before the plane had risen 50 feet off the ground, for reasons unknown, the craft nose-dived and crashed into the bank of the Whangpoo River, overturning. The victim was Mrs. Christopher Mathewson Jr., whose husband is the son of the late renowned New York Giants baseball player. The bride, whose home was in Philadelphia before her wedding in Shanghai, was crushed and died half an hour later. On Dec. 22, Mathewson and Shannon celebrated their double wedding in Shanghai. The two youths had become fast friends in their aviation endeavors, and they were instructors in the national government aviation school at Hangchow. Ellis Shannon was the son of Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Shannon, the father being a prominent sawmill man of Evergreen. Interested in flying since his early youth, young Shannon had made rapid progress in aviation since he entered school of flying, after attending the public schools at Evergreen.

Jan. 8, 1934 – Major League Baseball third baseman Gene Freese was born in Wheeling, West Virginia. He would go on to play for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Chicago White Sox, the Cincinnati Reds and the Houston Astros.

Jan. 8, 1935 – Elvis Presley, the “King of Rock and Roll,” was born in Tupelo, Miss.

Jan. 8, 1940 – Great Britain began wartime food rationing, which continued for several years after the war, finally ending in 1954.

Jan. 8, 1942 – Physicist and author Stephen Hawking was born in Oxford, England on the 300^th anniversary of Galileo’s death. He is best known for his book, “A Brief History of Time.”

Jan. 8, 1948 – Former Mississippi State and NFL quarterback Joe Reed was born in Newport, Rhode Island. He would go on to play for the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions.

Jan. 8, 1949 – Major League Baseball outfielder Wilbur Howard was born in Lowell, N.C. He would go on to play for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Houston Astros.

Jan. 8, 1953 – National Baseball Hall of Fame relief pitcher Bruce Sutter was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He went on to play for the Chicago Cubs, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.

Jan. 8, 1953 – Coach Ray Owens’ Conecuh County High School boys basketball team improved to 6-2 on the season with a 39-37 win over Evergreen High School in Evergreen, Ala. Shirley Frazier led Evergreen with 17 points, and James Jernigan led CCHS with 11 points. CCHS forward Lamon Reeves scored the winning shot with five seconds left in the game. Evergreen, under Coach Wendell Hart, fell to 5-4 on the season.

Jan. 8, 1957 - Jackie Robinson announced his retirement from Major League Baseball in an article that appeared in "LOOK" magazine.

Jan. 8, 1958 - Bobby Fisher, at the age of 14, won the United States Chess Championship for the first time.

Jan. 8, 1960 - The NCAA met in New York and voted against reviving the unlimited substitution rule for college football.

Jan. 8, 1960 – Widely known educator and former Evergreen, Ala. resident Dr. Clarence M. Dannelly, 70, died on this Friday, a “victim of a lingering heart disease.” According to The Evergreen Courant, Dannelly “was nationally known in educational circles.” He served as superintendent of Montgomery city and county schools from 1936 until his retirement in 1958 and served as principal at Evergreen High School, Etowah County High School, as educational representative of Rand, McNally Co., as a staff member of the State Department of Education, as president of Kentucky Wesleyan College and he taught history and philosophy of education for two years at the University of Alabama. He also served one term as vice president of the National Education Association.

Jan. 8, 1960 – Union High School of Monroeville beat Conecuh County Training School’s boys basketball team, 73-64, in Evergreen, Ala. Douglas Evans led CCTS with 21 points, and Robert Martin followed with 14 points. Standout Union players included Richardson, a guard.

Jan. 8, 1962 – A U.S. Air Force KB-50 tanker leaving from Langley Air Force Base, Va., on its way to the Azores, disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle.

Jan. 8, 1967 - About 16,000 U.S. soldiers from the 1st and 25th Infantry Divisions, 173rd Airborne Brigade and 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment joined 14,000 South Vietnamese troops to mount Operation Cedar Falls, the largest offensive of the war to date.

Jan. 8, 1973 – Army SFC William Sherril Stinson of Georgiana, Ala. was declared missing in action in Vietnam.

Jan. 8, 1973 - The trial opened in Washington of seven men accused of bugging the Democratic Party headquarters in the Watergate apartment complex in Washington, D.C.

Jan. 8, 1973 - National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger and Hanoi’s Le Duc Tho resumed peace negotiations in Paris.

Jan. 8, 1976 – In connection with the “Amityville Horror” case, after deciding that something was wrong with their house they could not explain rationally, George and Kathy Lutz carried out a blessing of their own on. George held a silver crucifix while they both recited the Lord's Prayer and, while in the living room, George allegedly heard a chorus of voices asking them "Will you stop?!"

Jan. 8, 1976 – Major League Baseball pitcher Carl Pavono was born in New Britain, Conn. He went on to play for the Montreal Expos, the Florida Marlins, the New York Yankees, the Cleveland Indians and the Minnesota Twins.

  

Jan. 8, 1977 - The cover of TV Guide featured the "Super Bowl."

Jan. 8, 1977 – Weather reporter Earl Windham reported a low of 25 degrees in Evergreen, Ala.

Jan. 8, 1977 – Sparta Academy’s boys basketball team beat Evangel, 60-59, in Eight Mile near Mobile, Ala. Bobby Johnson led Sparta with 23 points.

Jan. 8, 1980 – Sparta Academy’s varsity boys and girls basketball teams recorded wins over Greenville Academy in Evergreen. Sparta’s boys won, 75-60, as Terry Shipp led with 31 points. Sparta’s girls won, 35-17, with Missi Thacker leading with 13 points.

Jan. 8, 1981 – A local farmer reported a UFO sighting in Trans-en-Provence, France, and it’s said to be "perhaps the most completely and carefully documented sighting of all time".

Jan. 8, 1983 - Greenville Academy brought three basketball teams to the Sparta Academy Gymnatorium on this Saturday night, and the Tornados carried home three losses. The Sparta girls romped 35-18 over the Greenville ladies. The Sparta JVs had little trouble in handing a 45-26 loss to the Tornado junior varsity, and in the feature game of the night, the Sparta Warriors waltzed to a 75-40 win. Cheri Johnson was the only Warrior woman to score in double figures as he hit 10 points, but the other Sparta girls contributed rather evenly: Leah Carrier and Raye Gall, six each; Jan Coker, five; Dudley Melton, three; Tammy Booker and Tracy Holmes, two each; and Lynn Williams, one. Chris Blatz scored 22 points to lead the Warrior varsity blitz of the Tornados. Russ Brown with 13 and Joe McInvale with 11 were also double-figure scorers for Sparta. Al Etheridge had eight points; Vince Watts, Joey Johnson and Britt McNeill, four each; Ed Carrier, three; Dewan Salter and Connery Salter, two each; and Wes Brown and Russ Raines, one each.

Jan. 8, 1984 - ABC purchased the remaining 85 percent of ESPN.

Jan. 8, 1985 - Alabama author Wyatt Blassingame died in Bradenton, Fla.

Jan. 8, 1996 – Red Thunder Cloud, whose death on this day was widely noted as also being the death of the Catawba language, was one of the most colorful figures in American Indian linguistics in the 20th Century. Said to be the last native speaker of the Catawba language, Red Thunder Cloud died in Worcester, Massachusetts at 76 years of age. The fact that he was Catawba and/or the last speaker of the Catawba language was disputed.

Jan. 8, 1998 – Little Eva crash survivor Grady Gaston of Frisco City, Ala. passed away at the age of 77. During World War II, Gaston, a ball turret gunner, was one of the few survivors of bomber crash that occurred in Australia. Gaston survived in terrible conditions for nearly five months before being rescued, and he was later featured by “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!”

Jan. 8, 1998 – In “V for Vendetta,” Evey asked V if he was her father. V responded, and Evey was kicked out of the Gallery. Derek Almond was laid to rest. Rosemary Almond was refused any sort of financial compensation for Norsefire. With no other means of support, she accepted Roger Dascombe’s invitation.

Jan. 8, 2000 - In an American Football Conference (AFC) wild card match-up at Adelphia Coliseum in Nashville, Tenn., the Tennessee Titans staged a last-second come-from-behind victory to beat the Buffalo Bills 22-16 on a kickoff return play later dubbed the "Music City Miracle."

Jan. 8, 2007 – The Franklin Cemetery in Butler County, Ala. was added to the Alabama Historic Cemetery Register.

Jan. 8, 2008 - Several personnel changes in the Heritage Museums’ staff were approved by the Monroe County Commission during a meeting on this Tuesday in Monroeville. Jane Ellen Clark, museums director, announced that Assistant Director Dawn Crook had resigned effective Mon., Jan. 7, and asked the commissioners to approve the appointment of Stephanie Rogers as assistant director, which they did.

Jan. 8, 2009 - In Egypt, archeologists entered a 4,300-year-old pyramid and discovered the mummy of Queen Sesheshet.

Jan. 8, 2011 - Evergreen’s Chris Hines grabbed 10 rebounds as the University of Alabama’s men’s basketball team opened SEC play on this Saturday with a 75-57 win over Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss. Hines hauled in 10 rebounds for the Tide, which was his third double figure rebounding performance in the past four games. Hines also had seven points and an assist in the nationally televised game.