Today in History for Feb. 2, 2018

Rev. Lorenzo Dow

Feb. 2, 1046 - Monks recorded the onset of a severe cold snap, which may have been the start of the Little Ice Age.

Feb. 2, 1494 - A cargo of slaves departed from Isabela, the new Spanish colony on Espanola (Haiti) eight months after the Spanish had forbidden any kind of coercion of the natives. The natives were in 12 ships under the command of Antonio de Torres, and were being sent by Columbus to be sold in the slave market of Seville.

Feb. 2, 1536 - The Argentine city of Buenos Aires was founded by Pedro de Mendoza of Spain.

Feb. 2, 1571 - The Ajacán Mission was ạ Spanish attempt in 1570 to establish a Jesuit mission in the vicinity of the Virginia Peninsula to bring Christianity to the Virginia natives. All at the mission were killed on this day by local natives except for a youth, Alonso. Next year a Spanish party from Florida would go to the area for revenge and they rescued de Olmos. The Spanish killed an estimated 20 natives.

Feb. 2, 1653 - New Amsterdam, now known as New York City, was incorporated.

Feb. 2, 1709 – Alexander Selkirk was rescued after being shipwrecked on a desert island, inspiring the book “Robinson Crusoe” by Daniel Defoe.

Feb. 2, 1781 - American General Nathanael Greene received two bags of coins from Elizabeth Maxwell Steele at her tavern in Salisbury, N.C., an event was later memorialized in a painting by Alonzo Chappel. She gave him the money to supply him and his army after learning he was penniless.

Feb. 2, 1803 - Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston was born in Washington, Ky. Johnston was considered one of the best Confederate commanders until he was killed at the Battle of Shiloh, Tenn., the first major engagement in the West.

Feb. 2, 1812 - Staking a tenuous claim to the riches of the Far West, Russians established Fort Ross on the coast north of San Francisco.

Feb. 2, 1831 - In the Feb. 2, 1831 issue of the Geneva Courier, the paper gave an account of “how Jackson sacrificed the ‘poor Indians,’ and how these acts will bring great shame to the country.” The anti-removal campaigns and the issue of Indian removal did not sway as many voters as Henry Clay had hoped for. In 1832, the Seminoles were forced out of Georgia. The issue of Indian removal played only a small role in the presidential election. Clay lost 219-49 in the electoral college. Jackson’s opposition to Indian removal was unable to sway enough voters. But these accounts indicated that some white Americans had sympathy for the Indians.

Feb. 2, 1833 - Lewis Sewall became postmaster at Burnt Corn, Ala.

Feb. 2, 1834 - Itinerant Methodist minister and author Lorenzo Dow passed away in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. at the age of 56. Passing down the Old Federal Road through Conecuh and Monroe Counties, he is believed to have delivered the first Methodist sermon in what is now Alabama in 1803.

Feb. 2, 1836 – At the ill-fated Alamo, Col. Jim Bowie and Col. James C. Neill vowed “…we will rather die in these ditches than give it up to the enemy.” Lt. Col. William B. Travis arrived at the Alamo on this day with 30 men. (The Alamo)

Feb. 2, 1838 - A small skirmish between Seminole warriors and the Army took place in the Everglades.

Feb. 2, 1839 - Situwakee’s contingent of Cherokee, managed largely by the Reverend Evan Jones, arrived at Fort Gibson in the Cherokee Nation with 1,250 of their original number. They had left Sept. 7, 1838, spending 149 days on the trail.

Feb. 2, 1839 - Eighteen Seminole warriors were captured near Fort Mellon.

Feb. 2, 1839 - Two army soldiers were wounded by Seminole warriors in the area of Micanopy.

Feb. 2, 1839 – Linden, Ala. was officially incorporated as a municipality.

Feb. 2, 1848 - The Mexican War was ended with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The treaty turned over portions of land to the U.S., including Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, California and parts of Colorado and Wyoming. The U.S. gave Mexico $15,000,000 and assumed responsibility of all claims against Mexico by American citizens. Texas had already entered the U.S. on Dec. 29, 1845.

Feb. 2, 1862 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought in Morgan County, Tenn.

Feb. 2, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Vine Prairie and at the mouth of the Mulberry River, in Arkansas; and near Mingo Swamp, Mo. The Vicksburg and Warrenton, Miss. batteries were also passed by the Federal vessel, Queen of the West. A Federal operation began, aimed at the destruction of the Confederate salt works at Wale’s Head, Currituck Beach, in North Carolina. A four-day Federal reconnaissance of the area in the vicinity of Saulsbury, Tenn. began.

Feb. 2, 1863 - Samuel Langhorne Clemens used the pseudonym “Mark Twain” for the first time.

Feb. 2, 1863 – Pvt. James T. Peacock, who was Lewis Lavon Peacock’s older brother, passed away from pneumonia around the age of 21 at General Hospital No. 2 in Richmond, Va. A member of Co. A of the Third Alabama Infantry, he took part in the defense of Richmond and the Battles of Fair Oaks and Malvern Hill. He was buried in the Old City Cemetery in Lynchburg, Va. (According to his headstone, he died on Feb. 3, 1863.)

Feb. 2, 1864 – During the Civil War, Federal operations began in the vicinity of Whitesburg, Ala., and the Federal steamer, Mill Boy, was wrecked nine miles above Jacksonport, Ark. Skirmishes were also fought on Halcolm Island, Mo.; at Bogue Sound Blockhouse and Gale's Creek in North Carolina; at La Grange, Tenn.; near Aldie and Strasburg in Virginia; and at Patterson's Creek, West Va.

Feb. 2, 1865 – During the Civil War, Indians attacked the Overland Stage Station at Julesburg, Colorado Territory. Federal operations began against Indians on the North Platte River in the Colorado and Nebraska Territories. Federal operations began along the St John’s River in Fla., with the intention of destroying the Confederate salt works. Skirmishes were fought at Barker’s Mill, near Whippy Swamp, at Duck Brank (near Loper’s Crossroads, along the Salkehatchie River), and Lawtonville in South Carolina.

Feb. 2, 1870 - The "Cardiff Giant" was revealed in court to be nothing more than carved gypsum. The discovery in Cardiff, N.Y., was alleged to be the petrified remains of a human.

Feb. 2, 1876 - The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs (now known as the National League) was formed in New York. The teams included were the Chicago White Stockings, Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Stockings, Hartford Dark Blues, Mutual of New York, St. Louis Brown Stockings, Cincinnati Red Stockings and the Louisville Grays.

Feb. 2, 1882 – Novelist and short-story writer James Joyce was born in Dublin, Ireland.

Feb. 2, 1886 - F.A. Seymour “was stricken very suddenly and severely with apoplexy” on this Tuesday about 11 a.m., while sitting near the fire in the post office. Sheriff Burns chanced to be near and ran to his assistance. Dr. Russell was called in and immediately began treatment. As of the night of Feb. 4, Seymour was “doing as well as could be reasonably expected,” according to The Monroe Journal.

Feb. 2, 1887 - Groundhog Day was first observed in Punxsutawney, Pa.

Feb. 2, 1887 - The 1887 report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs quoted orders to reservation agents with respect to the policy with the following date: Feb. 2, 1887 ("[T]he [English-only] rule applies to all schools on Indian reservations .... [N]o school will be permitted ... in which the English language is not exclusively taught.")

Feb. 2, 1895 – Pro Football Hall of Fame end, coach and owner George Halas was born in Chicago, Ill. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1963.

Feb. 2, 1901 – Andalusia, Ala. was officially incorporated as a municipality.

Feb. 2, 1901 – The funeral of Queen Victoria was held.

Feb. 2, 1905 - Judge J.M. Hobson, father of Capt. R.P. Hobson, was buried in Greensboro on this Thursday.

Feb. 2, 1908 – The sanctuary at Evergreen Baptist Church in Evergreen, Ala. was dedicated.

Feb. 2, 1910 – The Evergreen Courant reported, under the headline “Genuine Small Pox in Monroe,” the following news story from The Monroe Journal – “Dr. W.H. Sanders, State Health Officer, came down from Montgomery Saturday to investigate the contagious disease, which has been prevailing in this and other communities of the county. Dr. Sanders unhesitatingly pronounced the disease small pox and directed that stringent regulations be enforced for the suppression of the disease.”

Feb. 2, 1910 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Evergreen was soon to have a soda water bottling plant. It was to be conducted by Messrs. Dunn and Dees of Greenville. They had leased the corner store of the Sewell Hotel building and were expected to be ready for business in a few days.

Feb. 2, 1910 – The Evergreen Courant reported that work on the First National Bank building was progressing satisfactorily. The brick work was to be completed that week. The plumbing and steam heating apparatus was also being put in. The finishing work was expected to be necessarily slow and tedious. It was hoped that it would be ready to move into early in March. The building was expected to “be a very handsome one and is already the object of admiration of everybody.” Work had been suspended on the Peoples Bank on account of the failure of material to arrive.

Feb. 2, 1910 – The Evergreen Courant reported that W.W. Pridgen was in St. Louis that week buying more mules and horses. The firm had sold more stock that season than ever before.

Feb. 2, 1910 - John McDuffie, Esq., returned on this Wednesday from a business trip through the northern section of Monroe County.

Feb. 2, 1913 – In Lovecraftian fiction, Wilbur Whateley of Dunwich was born to Lavinia Whateley and an unknown father. He first appeared in “The Dunwich Horror” by H.P. Lovecraft.

Feb. 2, 1915 – W.M. Robinson, who lived near Paul, Ala., shot and killed John Holmes. Sheriff A.A. Williams arrested Robinson and transported him to Evergreen, Ala.

Feb. 2, 1916 – A “second breath of winter” struck Monroeville, Ala.  on this Wednesday and was “more severe than that of January. The ground was frozen to a greater depth than on the former occasion and the freeze will doubtless be effective in destroying a greater number of hibernating boll weevils.”

Feb. 2, 1916 – A “cold wave struck” Evergreen, Ala. on this Wednesday morning, and thermometers registered 18 degrees on the following Thursday morning, according to The Conecuh Record.

Feb. 2, 1916 – The “negro school building, located opposite the cemetery… burned to the ground” on this Wednesday night in Evergreen, Ala. The cause of the fire was unknown.

Feb. 2, 1916 – Vietnamese poet and author Xuân Diệu was born in Bình Định, Vietnam.

Feb. 2, 1916 - Two days after nine German zeppelins dropped close to 400 bombs throughout the English Midlands, the crew of the British fishing trawler King Stephen came across the crashed remains of one of the giant airships floating in the North Sea.

Feb. 2, 1917 – Đỗ Mười, the fifth Prime Minister of Vietnam, was born in Dong Phu, Thanh Trì, Hanoi.

Feb. 2, 1917 - Mr. W.C. Dillard of Pensacola, division freight agent of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad company, was a business visitor to Monroeville on this Friday.

Feb. 2, 1920 – According to The Evergreen Courant, on this day the “groundhog surely failed to see his shadow,” and “we shall now see if this portends an early spring or the end of winter, whichever it means, if it means anything.”

Feb. 2, 1922 – “Ulysses” by James Joyce was first published.

Feb. 2, 1923 – National Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman Red Schoendienst was born in Germantown, Ill. During his career, he played for the St. Louis Cardinals, the New York Giants and the Milwaukee Braves and he went on to manage the Cardinals three different times. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989.

Feb. 2, 1925 –  During what is now known as the “Serum Run to Nome,” Dog sleds reached Nome, Alaska with diphtheria serum, inspiring the Iditarod race.

Feb. 2, 1933 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Mr. and Mrs. F.M. Yarbrough and family had returned to Evergreen, Ala. to live and planned to occupy the old Feagin home on Belleville Street.

Feb. 2, 1933 - The local post of the American Legion was scheduled to meet at the Conecuh County (Ala.) Courthouse to discuss veteran affairs. Similar meetings were being held all over the state at this time. All members and eligible veterans were urged to attend.

Feb. 2, 1933 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Esko Dunn of the Wilcox community was in St. Margaret’s Hospital due to “serious injuries” caused by the train.

Feb. 2, 1933 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the Bank of Evergreen was showing “substantial and steady growth” as evidenced by a comparison of a statement of the bank’s condition at the close of business on Jan. 30 compared with earlier statements. The bank opened for business on Sept. 1, 1932, “just a little over a month after Evergreen’s old bank was closed for liquidation. In opening so quickly after the other institution closed it is believed that the city has made a record. So far as has been observed, no other city in this section of the country has been able to open a new bank as quickly as this. In fact, so far as has been observed few have been able to get one opened at all.”

Feb. 2, 1934 - Alabama author Wade H. Hall was born in Union Springs, in Bullock County, Ala.

Feb. 2, 1936 – Babe Ruth was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Feb. 2, 1939 – Red Level High School’s varsity boys basketball team beat Evergreen High School, 39-24, on this Thursday night in Red Level.

Feb. 2, 1940 – Evergreen High School’s varsity boys basketball team beat Georgiana, 11-9.

Feb. 2, 1940 – E.B. Aycock of Evergreen, Ala. was seriously injured when he became pinned beneath the trunk of a falling tree while working near Brewton. He was operating a skidder when the accident occurred, and it was reported that the tree to which the machine was anchored broke in two and caught him in falling. He suffered severe internal injuries, including fractures of the pelvis bones, and was carried to the hospital in Atmore.

Feb. 2, 1942 – The Osvald Group was responsible for the first, active event of anti-Nazi resistance in Norway, to protest the inauguration of Vidkun Quisling.

Feb. 2, 1943 – The Battle of Stalingrad ended with the surrender of German forces, leaving as many as two million people wounded, killed or captured before the battle reached its end, making it one of the largest and bloodiest battles in history.

Feb. 2, 1952 – A British York transport, carrying 33 passengers and crew, vanished on the northern edge of the Bermuda Triangle while on its way to Jamaica.

Feb. 2, 1954 – McKenzie High School’s varsity boys basketball team beat Conecuh County High School, 46-38, in McKenzie. Bobby Daw led CCHS with 12 points, and Wilbur Heaton followed with 11 points. Other top CCHS players in that game included Charles Hart, Lamon Reaves, Lewis Heaton and Leon Raines.

Feb. 2, 1955 – Evergreen High School’s varsity boys basketball beat Lyeffion, 86-24, at Memorial Gym in Evergreen, Ala. Center Randy White led Evergreen with 35 total points.

Feb. 2, 1959 – The Dyatlov Pass incident occurred in the northern Ural mountains.

Feb. 2, 1960 – Conecuh County Training School’s basketball team was scheduled to play Atmore on this Tuesday in Evergreen.

Feb. 2, 1962 - The first U.S. Air Force plane was lost in South Vietnam, a C-123 aircraft that crashed while spraying defoliant on a Viet Cong ambush site, as part of Operation Ranch Hand, a technological area-denial technique designed to expose the roads and trails used by the Viet Cong.

Feb. 2, 1963 – In an incident attributed to the Bermuda Triangle, the Marine Sulphur Queen, a 425-foot freighter, vanished without message, clues or debris while en route to Norfolk, Va. from Beaumont, Texas with all hands. The ship was last heard from near the Dry Tortugas.

Feb. 2, 1968 – Marine PFC Allen Twiggs Merritt IV, age 18, of Atmore, Ala. was killed in action in Thua Thien-Hue, Vietnam. Born on March 7, 1949, he is buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Atmore.

Feb. 2, 1968 - Army Warrant Officer Horace Gilbert Giddens Jr., age 22, of Andalusia, Ala. was killed in action at Hai Phong Municipality in Vietnam. Born on Nov. 13, 1945 in Andalusia, he was a member of Unit C/1/9 CAV 1 and was killed when a round came up through his Huey helicopter, deflected off his kevlar chest protector, entered his neck and severed his jugular vein. He was dead on arrival at base Dong Ha, Quang Tri Province. He was buried in Andalusia Memorial Cemetery in Andalusia.

Feb. 2, 1970 - Antiwar protestors took legal action in an attempt to prove that the Dow Chemical Company was still making napalm.

Feb. 2, 1978 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Lyeffion High School’s Yellow Jackets basketball team was “knocking off opponents right and left and working toward competing for the state championship in Class A.” Players on the team included Charles Watts, Ricky Hall, Kenny Nevlous, Ricky Johnson, Joe Salter, James Riley, Willie Hunter, Adrian Woods, Harold Kyser and Erick Finklea. Ronnie Williams was head coach, Jim McKinnon was assistant coach and Steve Searcy was manager.

Feb. 2, 1980 - The Murder Creek Historical Society was scheduled to hold a “flea market” at the historic L&N Depot in Evergreen, Ala. on this Saturday. The Murder Creek Historical Society was making final plans to “really fix up the old depot.”

Feb. 2, 1982 - Alabama author Annie Vaughan Weaver died in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Feb. 2, 1988 - Alabama author Richard Chase died in Claremont, Calif.

Feb. 2, 1993 – During a meeting on this Tuesday night at Evergreen City Hall, the Evergreen City Council recognized the accomplishments and the dedication of a former city council member who died recently. A special resolution was signed and presented to the widow of former councilman, businessman and civic leader, T.L. Sims. After a moment of silence in memory of the late councilman, who had perished in a recent automobile accident, Councilman Jerry Caylor praised Mr. Sims’ work for the city, and the business community and the people of Evergreen and Conecuh County.

Feb. 2, 2000 – Jason Watkins, a senior at Hillcrest High School in Evergreen, Ala., signed a full football scholarship with the University of West Alabama in Livingston. Watkins was recruited to play fullback at UWA. Watkins was the son of James and Hazel Watkins.

Feb. 2, 2003 - Alabama author Mildred Lee died in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Feb. 2, 2010 - Evergreen city officials presented Scott and Joan Davis of Evergreen with a resolution on this Tuesday night in honor of their son Drew Davis, who was the starting right tackle on the University of Alabama’s national championship football team that season. Evergreen Mayor’s mayor at that time was Larry Fluker, and city council members were Vivian Fountain, Maxine Harris, Luther Upton and John Skinner.

Feb. 2, 2014 – Philip Seymour Hoffman passed away at the age of 46 in Manhattan, N.Y. He portrayed Truman Capote in 2005’s “Capote” and won the Academy Award for Best Actor for role.