Today in History for Feb. 5, 2018

Wilcox County, Alabama native Hank Aaron.

Feb. 5, 1777 - Georgia formally adopted a new state constitution and became the first U.S. state to abolish the inheritance practices of primogeniture and entail. Primogeniture ensured that the eldest son in a family inherited the largest portion of his father’s property upon the father’s death. The practice of entail, guaranteeing that a landed estate remain in the hands of only one male heir, was frequently practiced in conjunction with primogeniture.

Feb. 5, 1778 - South Carolina became the second state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.

Feb. 5, 1783 - Sweden recognized the independence of the United States.

Feb. 5, 1799 – Under the terms of the Treaty of San Lorenzo, Americans took possession of St. Stephens, which is in present-day Washington County, Ala.

Feb. 5, 1838 - Alabama author Father Abram J. Ryan was born in Hagerstown, Md.

Feb. 5, 1840 – The Evergreen Male and Female Academy was incorporated by Alabama legislature.

Feb. 5, 1842 – William Harrison Snowden of the Conecuh Guards was born at Brooklyn, Ala. He first entered Confederate service at Sparta as a private in the spring of 1861 with Co. E of the 4th Alabama Infantry. He was later wounded at Richmond, Va. and sent home.

Feb. 5, 1846 - "The Oregon Spectator," based in Oregon City, became the first newspaper published on the Pacific coast.

Feb. 5, 1862 – During the Civil War, Federal forces captured Fort Heiman, on the heights about Fort Henry, Tenn.

Feb. 5, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Threlkeld’s Ferry and in the vicinity of Fan Buren in Arkansas; in Pope County, Ark.; in Johnson County, Mo. on Bear Creek; and in the vicinity of Williamsburg, Va., near Olive Branch Church.

Feb. 5, 1863 – During the Civil War, an eight-day Federal operation began between Fayetteville to the Arkansas River, and a three-day Federal operation began between Rappahannock Bride and Grove Church in Virginia. A four-day reconnaissance began from Camp Piatt to the vicinity of Boone Courthouse, West Va.

Feb. 5, 1864 – During the Civil War, a 12-day Federal operation began from Houston, Mo. into Arkansas.

Feb. 5, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought on Crooked Creek, in northwestern Ark.; in the vicinity of Cape Girardeau, Mo.; at Clinton, Jackson and Baker's Creek in Mississippi, as Union Major General William T. Sherman occupied Jackson, Miss., en route to Meridian, Miss.; and at Aldie and Winchester in Virginia.

Feb. 5, 1865 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Braddock's Farm, Fla.; with Indians at Mud Springs, Nebraska; at Combahee Ferry and Duncanville in South Carolina; out from McMinnville, Tenn.; and at Charlestown, West Va.

Feb. 5, 1865 – The Battle of Hatcher's Run (Dabney’s Mill) began during the Siege of Petersburg, Va. The 59th Alabama Infantry Regiment, of which Lewis Lavon Peacock was a member, lost a number of men during this battle. The battle lasted for three days, and neither sided ended with a significant advantage after producing about 3,000 casualties. (Records reflect that Lewis Lavon was with his regiment when this took place.)

Feb. 5, 1883 - The Southern Pacific Railroad completed its transcontinental “Sunset Route” from New Orleans to California, consolidating its dominance over rail traffic to the Pacific.

Feb. 5, 1886 – Richard Francis Burton was awarded a knighthood (KCMG) by Queen Victoria.

Feb. 5, 1886 – The Monroe Journal reported that Mr. Lindsey Downs said “that a large numbers of frogs were frozen in his field on Limestone during the late cold spell.”

Feb. 5, 1886 – The Monroe Journal reported that John I. Watson and Ernest Ricou planned to open a new family grocery store in Monroeville, Ala. in a few weeks.

Feb. 5, 1886 – The Monroe Journal reprinted a Brewton Times story that said that one day during the previous week, “three young ladies, while walking the Perdido trestle near Wilson, Ala., heard a train approaching and they became very much excited and while endeavoring to make it across, one of the party, Miss Minnie Harrington, missed her footing and fell a distance of 20 feet. We learn she is slowly recovering.”

Feb. 5, 1886 – The Monroe Journal reported that J.B. Coleman, the brother of Mrs. Anna Fore, had returned from Texas during the previous week and had taken charge of his sister’s store.

Feb. 5, 1886 – The Monroe Journal reported that Col. Bertrand Hibbard, late consul general to Caracas, had returned to Alabama, and paid a visit to his old home at Monroeville, Ala. during the previous week. “The Colonel is a genial and companionable gentleman, with whom you naturally love to be thrown in contact because he is entertaining and instructive as well as agreeable,” The Monroe Journal reported. “Col. Hibbard gave up his position because his continued stay at Caracas would have necessitated the removal of his family there which was not desirable on account of the unhealthy climate of that country. He will locate in Alabama.”

Feb. 5, 1892 – Jasper J. Frye, 45, died at his home near Monroeville on this Friday. “At the early age of 16 years, he bore arms in defense of the ‘Lost Cause’ during the last years of the late war, and at its close returned home to assume the duties and responsibilities of the comfort and support of his mother and sisters, which by reason of the death of his father devolved upon his youthful shoulders, to whom he was ever devoted and faithful. His mortal remains were attended to the place of interment at the Methodist churchyard by a large concourse of sorrowing friends and relatives.”

Feb. 5, 1914 – American novelist, poet and painter William S. Burroughs was born in St. Louis, Mo.

Feb. 5, 1915 – Nobel Prize-winning physicist Robert Hofstadter was born in New York City.

Feb. 5, 1916 – The Rev. Matthew Caleb Kirkland, “one of Conecuh’s most highly respected citizens,” died at his home near Castleberry, Ala. on this Saturday at the age of 87. Kirkland, a pastor and shoemaker, was born on Sept. 20, 1828 and grew up in Columbia in Henry County. He was elected captain of Henry County’s 77^th Regiment of the Alabama Militia on Dec. 3, 1853. He went on to serve in the 38^th Alabama Inf. Reg. in the Civil War, was wounded at the Battle of Chickamauga and was discharged in 1863. The father of at least 10 children, Kirkland is buried in the Cedar Creek Baptist Cemetery in Castleberry.

Feb. 5, 1917 - Judge Fountain presided over Monroe County Court on this Monday, “appearing as much at ease as if he had been bred to the bench,” according to The Monroe Journal.

Feb. 5, 1917 - Dr. W.G. Hairston of Burnt Corn visited Monroeville on this Monday. Hairston told The Journal that he would not immediately rebuild his store that was destroyed by fire a few weeks before. He decided to wait until business conditions became more settled.

Feb. 5, 1918 – During World War I, Army Sgt. Willie May Holladay, 20, of Brewton, Ala. “died from disease.” Born on June 27, 1897, he is buried in the Fort Crawford Cemetery in East Brewton.

Feb. 5, 1918 – During World War I, the Anchor line steamship Tuscania, traveling as part of a British convoy and transporting over 2,000 American soldiers bound for Europe, was torpedoed and sank off the coast of Ireland by the German submarine U-77. This was the first ship carrying American troops to Europe to be torpedoed and sunk during World War I.

Feb. 5, 1928 – Confederate veteran Lawrence Washington Carter Sr. of Evergreen, Ala. passed away at the age of 83. Born on Aug. 9, 1844, Carter served as a private in Co. B, 3^rd Alabama Cavalry. He is buried in the Arkadelphia Cemetery at Loree.

Feb. 5, 1929 – Major League pitcher Al Worthington was born in Birmingham, Ala. He would go on to play for the New York-San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds and Minnesota Twins.

Feb. 5, 1934 – National Baseball Hall of Fame right fielder Hank Aaron was born at Possum Bend near Camden, Ala. He would go on to play for the Milwaukee-Atlanta Braves and the Milwaukee Brewers. He is best known for breaking Babe Ruth's legendary record of 714 homers. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982.

Feb. 5, 1936 – Charlie Chaplin’s film, “Modern Times,” opened in New York City, and it was the last film in which his beloved and iconic character, “The Little Tramp,” appeared.

Feb. 5, 1938 – Playwright John Guare, who is best known for his play “Six Degrees of Separation” (1991), was born in New York City.

Feb. 5, 1939 - Alexander A. Autrey, “one of the pioneer citizens of Conecuh County,” died at the home of his nephew, George M. Jones on Bellview Avenue in Evergreen, Ala. on this Sunday afternoon, at the advanced age of 83 years. Autrey was the son of the late Enoch George Autrey and Elizabeth Amanda (Johnston) Autrey, and was born at Old Sparta on May 19, 1855. When quite young, he moved to the Johnstonville community, where he resided until his death. He was a lifelong member of the Brooklyn Baptist Church, from which funeral services were held Monday afternoon, conducted by Dr. J.G. Dickinson and Rev. Raines, his pastor.

Feb. 5, 1942 – The Monroe Journal reported that Hugh Dickson had opened the new Standard Service Station just south of the square in Monroeville, Ala., on the Frisco City highway, during the previous week and planned to handle Standard gas, oil and greases. The new station was equipped with the latest machinery for the proper lubrication and care for all make of cars and trucks. Bernard Petty was in charge of the service department.

Feb. 5, 1942 – Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He went on to play for Navy, where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1963, and the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 to 1979. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985.

Feb. 5, 1943 - Alabama author Howell Raines was born in Birmingham, Ala.

Feb. 5, 1948 – The Evergreen Courant reported that, in their first encounter of the season with county opposition, Evergreen High School’s varsity boys basketball team beat Lyeffion, 50-20. Gillis “Crip” Jones led Evergreen with 16 points while Georgie Brown and Mickey Logue scored 10 points each. V. Dees led Lyeffion with 10 points.

Feb. 5, 1948 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Evergreen Troop 40 of the Boy Scouts of America planned to join in a nationwide celebration of Boy Scout Week, Feb. 9-12. The troop was organized 21 years before, in February 1927, by Prof. W.P. (Mr. Mac) McMillan, who was at that time and was still the principal of the Evergreen Grammar School. McMillan was still Scoutmaster of the local troop in February 1948 and was just as active in scouting. Up to that point, the local troop had 11 members to reach the rank of Eagle Scout. Local Eagle Scouts were W.N. “Bill” McGehee, Cyrus Wells, Robert Key, John Deming, Deming Jones, L.W. “Sonny” Price Jr., George Huey, George Kelly, L.D. “Bud” King Jr., Vernon Millsap and Knud Nielsen Jr.

Feb. 5, 1948 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the Castleberry Panthers had lost the first game of the season on their home court to a fast-passing W.S. Neal team by a 23-16 score. “Phil” Dees, Castleberry forward, was held to seven points by the East Brewton team. Clark with four, Beasley with three and Pate with two rounded out the Panther scoring.

Feb. 5, 1948 – Writer and director Christopher Guest was born in New York City.

Feb. 5, 1954 – Repton High School’s varsity boys basketball team, under head coach Albert Arnold, improved to 12-1 on the season by beating Beatrice, 51-46. Harry Giles led Repton with 17 points, and Paul Brantley followed with 16 points. Other top Repton players in that game included Ray Blackwell, Roger Kearley and Eddie Kelly.

Feb. 5, 1954 – Monroe County High School’s varsity boys basketball team beat Evergreen, 48-46, on this Friday night in Monroeville, Ala. Bobby White led MCHS with 11 points, and Johnny Finklea and Paul Fowler followed with 10 points each. Randy White led Evergreen with 16 points. Other top Evergreen players in that game included Ward Alexander Jr., Wayne Douglas, Hosea King and Jimmy Frazier.

Feb. 5, 1955 - Two residents of the Mexia community, William Lee and Clifton Thompson, were reported critically injured on this Saturday, while blowing up stumps on their property with dynamite. It was reported the two men were attempting to re-light a charge of the explosive which they apparently thought had not been ignited when the accident occurred. The dynamite exploded near both of them, causing injuries on the face and upper portions of their bodies. They were brought to Monroeville for immediate aid, but both were later transferred to a Mobile hospital.

Feb. 5, 1958 – A hydrogen bomb known as the Tybee Bomb was lost by the US Air Force off the coast of Savannah, Ga., never to be recovered.

Feb. 5, 1960 - The South Vietnamese government requested that Washington double U.S. Military Assistance and Advisory Group (MAAG-Vietnam) strength from 342 to 685.

Feb. 5, 1960 – Conecuh County Training School’s basketball team was scheduled to play Southern Normal on this Friday in Evergreen.

Feb. 5, 1961 - The first issue of the "Sunday Telegraph" was published.

Feb. 5, 1963 - Conecuh County High School’s Blue Devils beat the Beatrice Tigers, 79-51, in Castleberry on this Tuesday night for their 20^th straight win of the season, keeping their undefeated record perfect. Donnie Kast scored 25 points to lead CCHS. Henry Foster added 20 and Larry Janes, 10. Garreth Raines led Beatrice with 19 points, and Rojene Booker added 17. Coach Wayne Pope’s Blue Devils seemed headed for the No. 1 seed in the First District Class A Tournament to be held in Evergreen, Ala. two weeks later. Most of CCHS’s wins had come over district teams which was the basis for the seeding of teams. Other players on CCHS’s team that season included James Glass, Dudley Jones, Thomas Shipp, Wayne Sims, Tommy Johnson, Bobby Ellis and Pete Findley.

Feb. 5, 1965 – Jerry Bryan, assistant sports editor of The Birmingham News, presented the Repton High School football team with its Class A Football Championship Trophy during an 8 a.m. assembly program. “The Bulldogs won the trophy with their best season last year. It was the first year for their new coach, Gene Madison.” Walter Hudson was the principal at Repton.

Feb. 5, 1968 – National Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman Roberto Alomar was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. He would go on to play for the San Diego Padres, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Baltimore Orioles, the Cleveland Indians, the New York Mets, the Chicago White Sox and the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011.

Feb. 5, 1974 - Mariner 10 took the first close-up images of Venus.

Feb. 5, 1975 - A television version of Alabama author Mildred Lee's book “The Skating Rink” was broadcast as an “ABC Afterschool Special.”

Feb. 5, 1975 - North Vietnamese General Van Tien Dung departed for South Vietnam to take command of communist forces in preparation for a new offensive.

Feb. 5, 1980 – Evergreen High School’s varsity boys basketball team, 22-1 overall, traveled to Brewton on this Tuesday night and beat Southern Normal, 80-64. Scoring for Evergreen were Rankins, 21; Moye, 17; John Allen, 16; Rodgers, eight; Mitchell, eight; Anthony Williams, four; David Floyd, three; Michael Lampley, three.

Feb. 5, 1981 - In Brisbane, Australia, two men created the world's largest Jell-O, filling a tank with 7,700 gallons of pink gelatin.

Feb. 5, 1983 - Evergreen High School’s annual football banquet was scheduled to be held on this Saturday night at 7 p.m. in the school cafeteria. Tickets were $5 per person and could be purchased by Jan. 28 from any member of the EHS Quarterback Club or Coach Willie Farish at the school. The guest speaker was to be Coach Johnny Mac Hollinger, assistant head football coach at Woodham High School in Pensacola. Woodham won the Florida state 4A championship in 1982.

Feb. 5, 1985 – Weather reporter Earl Windham reported 2.25 inches of rain in Evergreen, Ala.

Feb. 5, 1985 - Monroe County High School’s girls basketball team won the 5A Sub-State 1 championship in Monroeville on this Tuesday with a 46-42 victory over Opp. Top players on MCHS’s girls team that season included Rosa Ball, Becky Hairelson, Barbara Lane, Samantha Malone, Carla McKenzie, Alicia Morrissette, Carolyn Richardson, Patricia Richardson, Brenda Stallworth and Jennifer Stallworth. Diana Harris Lyons was MCHS’s girls coach.

Feb. 5, 1990 - NBC-TV obtained the television rights to all of Notre Dame's home football games for the next five years. Notre Dame was the first school to sell its games to a major TV network.

  

Feb. 5-6, 2000 – Weather reporter Harry Ellis reported low temperatures of 24 degrees on both of these days in Evergreen, Ala.

Feb. 5, 2003 - U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell presented evidence to the United Nations concerning Iraq's material breach of U.N. Resolution 1441.

Feb. 5, 2006 - The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 21-10, in Super Bowl XL. It was the fifth Super Bowl victory for the Steelers. Jerome Bettis announced his retirement after the game.

Feb. 5, 2008 - Alabama voters got the opportunity to vote in the 2008 presidential preference primary elections for the Republican and Democratic parties. In the past, presidential primary elections in Alabama were held on the first Tuesday in June, but they were moved to the first Tuesday in February by the legislature in March 2007.