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| John Quincy Adams |
April 2, 1412
– Spanish explorer and author Ruy González de Clavijo died.
April 2, 1513 – Said to be in search for the Fountain of
Youth, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León first sighted land in what is now
Florida.
April 2, 1565 – Dutch explorer Cornelis de Houtman was born
in Gouda, Holland, Seventeen Provinces.
April 2, 1725 – Italian explorer and author (and the
world’s most famous womanizer) Giacomo Casanova was born in Venice, Republic of
Venice.
April 2, 1777 - The Continental Congress promoted Colonel
Ebenezer Learned to the rank of brigadier general of the Continental Army.
April 2, 1780 - The British began a siege of Charleston,
S.C. On May 12, the Patriots suffered their worst defeat of the revolution with
the unconditional surrender of Major General Benjamin Lincoln.
April 2, 1805 – Danish author and poet Hans Christian
Anderson was born in 1805 in the town of Odense.
April 2, 1814 – After the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, General
Andrew Jackson arrived back at Fort Williams in Talladega County (in
present-day Alabama) with his wounded, many of which died there and were buried
near the fort.
April 2, 1834 - John Quincy Adams recorded in his diary on
this day that Congressman James Blair (of South Carolina) "shot himself
last evening at his lodgings ... after reading part of an affectionate letter
from his wife, to Governor (John) Murphy, of (Monroe County) Alabama, who was
alone in the chamber with him, and a fellow-lodger at the same house."
Blair, who was around 44 years old, was the first U.S. congressman to commit
suicide while in office.
April 2, 1840 – Writer Emile Zola was born in Paris.
April 2, 1862 – During the Civil
War, General Albert Sidney Johnston was the general to end all generals in the
estimation of the Confederate high command. He had been put in charge of the
defenses of the West. His command was an agglomeration of units formerly
scattered over this immense area. They were on this day gathering in Corinth,
Miss. The Federal forces, under the command of a failed Illinois businessman
with a reputation for drunkenness, were coming up the Tennessee River to camp
at a place called Pittsburg Landing, Tenn. That was just 22 miles up the road.
The idea was Johnston and his men would march there, fight them, and throw
Ulysses S. Grant and his Yankees back into the Tennessee River.
April 2, 1862 – During the Civil
War, a three-day Federal operation began, encompassing Cape Girardeau, Jackson,
Whitewater and Dallas in Missouri. Skirmishes were also fought near Doniphan,
at Putnam’s Ferry and another at Walkersville, in Missouri; and near Edenburg,
Va. at Stony Creek.
April 2, 1863 – In what is now known as the “Richmond Bread
Riot,” food shortages incited hundreds of angry women to riot in Richmond,
Virginia, and demanded that the Confederate government release emergency
supplies. For several hours, the mob moved through the city, breaking windows
and looting stores, before Confederate President Jefferson Davis threw his
pocket change at them from the top of a wagon. Davis ordered the crowd to
disperse or he would order the militia to fire upon them. The riot ended
peacefully, although 44 women and 29 men were arrested.
April 2, 1863 – During the Civil
War, skirmishes were fought on the Little Rock Road, Ark.; in Jackson County,
Mo.; between Confederate artillery and Federal naval gunboats on the Pamlico
River, at Hills’ Point, in North Carolina; and on the Carter Creek Pike in
Tennessee. A 12-day Federal operation through the Mississippi Delta also began,
with skirmishes at Greenville, Miss. and along Black Bayou and Deer Creek.
April 2, 1863 – During the Civil
War, a five-day Federal operation to Beaver Creek Swamp, Tenn. began. Another
five-day Federal operation that included Murfreesborough, Auburn, Liberty, Snow
Hill, Cherry Valley, Statesville, Gainesville and Lebanon in Tennessee began. A
third Federal operation that originated at Readyville and went to Woodbury in Tennessee
began. A five-day Federal operation between Camp Douglas and Spanish Fork in
the Utah Territory also began.
April 2, 1864 – During the Civil
War, skirmishes were fought at Antoine (or Terre Noir Creek,) Wolf Creek and
Okolona in Arkansas; at Crump’s Hill (Piney Woods,) La., and another at
Grossetete Bayou, La.; at Cape Lookout, N.C.; and at Cleveland, Tenn. A
three-day Federal operation that included Powder Springs Gap, Rogersville and
Bull’s Gap in Tennessee began.
April 2, 1865 – During the Civil War, the siege of Fort
Blakeley, Ala. began. Skirmishes were also fought near Centerville, Summerfield
and Scottsville, Ala. The Battle of Selma, Ala. also took place.
April 2, 1865 – During the Civil War at the Third Battle of
Petersburg, Va., the Siege of Petersburg was broken after a 10-month siege by
Union Army troops capturing trenches and breaking Confederate States Army
lines, forcing the Confederates under General Robert E. Lee to retreat in the
Appomattox Campaign.
April 2, 1865 - General U.S. Grant's forces began a general
advance all along the Petersburg, Va. line, and Confederate General Ambrose P.
Hill was killed. Confederate General Lee evacuated Petersburg after writing to
Confederate President Jefferson Davis, "I think it absolutely necessary
that we should abandon our position tonight..."
April 2, 1865 – During the Civil War, after a 10-month
siege, Confederate President Jefferson Davis and most of his Cabinet fled the
Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.
April 2, 1865 – Pinckney D. Bowles was promoted to brigadier
general for “gallant and meritorious conduct in the field.”
April 2, 1865 – During the Civil
War, skirmishes were fought at Van Buren, Ark. and near Goldsboro, N.C. An
eight-day Federal operation that included Thibodeaux, Bayou Boeuf, Brashear
City, Lake Verret and Grand Bayou in Louisiana began.
April 2, 1865 – 59TH ALABAMA: The 59th
Alabama fought in an engagement at Sutherland Station, South Side Railroad.
April 2, 1865 – 59TH ALABAMA: About 2 a.m., the
brigade arrived at Church Crossing. Johnson halted his troops to rest alongside
the road, and they rested here for several hours. Later, in ankle-deep mud,
Johnson’s men moved from the crossing on Ford’s Road toward Namozine Bridge,
which they reached sometime after noon. Yankee cavalry skirmishers had shot at
them from the rear for three hours. Around 5:30 p.m., a battle line was formed
and barricades of rails were stacked for protection one mile and a half south
of Namozine Creek. The Union cavalry galloped toward them about 6:30 p.m. The
Yankees charged three different times. At about 11 p.m., the brigade crossed
Namozine Creek leaving Gen. Hunton’s men to protect the bridge.
April 2, 1869 – National Baseball Hall of Fame infielder and
manager Hughie Jennings was born in Pittston, Pa. He went on to play for the
Louisville Colonels, the Baltimore Orioles, the Brooklyn Superbas, the
Philadelphia Phillies and the Detroit Tigers. He also managed the Tigers and
the New York Giants. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1945.
April 2, 1886 – The Monroe Journal reported that it began
raining on Sat., March 27, and rained almost incessantly until Tuesday evening,
March 30.
April 2, 1886 – The Monroe Journal reported that the work of
repairing the Methodist parsonage was going rapidly on and it would be ready to
be occupied in a short time.
April 2, 1886 – The Monroe Journal reported that Col. D.L.
Neville went to Mobile, Ala. on business during the previous week.
April 2, 1886 – The Monroe Journal reported that C.T.
Simmons was making “some needed repairs on the Clausell place.”
April 2, 1886 – The Monroe Journal reported that Judge Wm.
E. Clarke of Marengo County, who, for the previous five years, had “presided
with so much ability and dignity as judge of this circuit,” was a candidate for
the position before the nominating committee. For many years, Judge Clarke had
“been a prominent citizen of this state and is a democrat of the old school.”
April 2, 1891 - Franklin Hetherington died at his home on
the Ridge of tuberculosis, aged 45. Hetherington was a native of Monroe County
and was one of its best citizens and most successful farmers and his death was
universally regretted.
April 2, 1896 – The Monroe Journal reported that Dr. D.C.
Burson, who had been attending lectures at the Atlanta Dental College for
several months, had “returned with his sheepskin.”
April 2, 1896 – The Monroe Journal reported that Capt. W.S.
Wiggins was “erecting an extensive addition to his residence, adding greatly to
its attractiveness as well as utility.”
April 2, 1896 – The Monroe Journal, in news from the
Manistee community, reported that the Bear Creek Mill was “running regular now
under the supervision of their skillful sawyer, Mr. Lupkin.”
April 2, 1902
– The "Electric Theatre," the first full-time movie theater in the
United States, opened in Los Angeles.
April 2, 1902 – Esther Morris, the first woman judge in
American history, died in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
April 2, 1905 – Col. Bertrand Leslie Hibbard, a prominent
Monroeville, Ala. attorney, passed away at his home around 10 a.m. He was 63
years old. Born on June 11, 1842 in London County, Va. He came to Monroeville
in the 1870s and married Miss Sallie Leslie. To them was born an only son who
died on the eve of his graduation from the State University. In his honor, Col.
and Mrs. Hibbard created the John Hibbard Memorial Library consisting of a
thousand or more volumes and presented them to the University. Col. Hibbard
represented Monroe County in the 1896-1897 legislative session. He was buried in
the Baptist Cemetery in Monroeville.
April 2, 1905 – The five-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Evan
Manning went missing for several hours in the vicinity of Tekoa in Monroe
County, Ala. He’d been in the woods with several older boys who left him behind
when they began chasing a rabbit. Search parties eventually found him “several
miles from home.”
April 2, 1906 - The spring term of the Monroe County (Ala.)
Circuit Court convened on this Monday with Judge J.T. Lackland presiding and
Solicitor Gray representing the state. The civil docket was not unusually heavy
and the attendance was small.
April 2, 1907 – National Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop
Luke Appling was born in High Point, N.C. He went on to play for the Chicago
White Sox and manage the Kansas City Athletics. He was inducted into the Hall
of Fame in 1964.
April 2, 1912
– The ill-fated RMS Titanic
began sea trials.
April 2, 1914 – The Monroe Journal reported that Monroeville
attorney F.W. Hare had informed The Journal that appeals had been taken by the
government in the peonage cases upon which Judge Toulmin had recently rendered
decision upholding the state law. A number of Monroe County citizens were
“directly concerned in the ultimate decision of these cases,” The Journal
reported.
April 2, 1915 – The first episode of “Zudora” was shown at
the Arcade Theater in Evergreen, Ala. on this Friday night.
April 2, 1915 – On this Friday, an Easter egg hunt was held
at 4 p.m. at Evergreen (Ala.) Baptist Church. Admission was 10 cents.
April 2, 1916 - Solicitor John McDuffie left on this Sunday
for Grove Hill where Clarke County Circuit Court was to convene on Mon., April
3.
April 2, 1917
– In the lead-up to World War I, United States President Woodrow Wilson called Congress into
special session at 8:35 p.m. and asked them to declare war on Germany. Appearing before a joint session of
the Senate and House, he said, "The world must be made safe for
democracy." When the war ended, a year and a half later (November 11,
1918), 9½ million soldiers had died, in addition to 13 million civilians, who
perished from massacres, starvation, and disease.
April 2, 1920, Author Hilary H. Milton was born in Jasper,
Ala.
April 2, 1920 - Dr. W.A. Stallworth, a well-known citizen
and prominent physician, died at his home in Beatrice on this Friday night, at
the age of about 58 years. Funeral services were held Sun., April 4, in
Beatrice. Dr. Stallworth had been in ill health for several months,
necessitating his retirement from professional engagements.
April 2, 1922 - Hermann Rorschach, the Swiss psychiatrist
who created the ink blot test, passed away at the age of 37 in Herisau,
Switzerland.
April 2, 1924 – Major League Baseball second baseman Bobby
Avila was born in Veracruz, Mexico. He would go on to play for the Cleveland
Indians, the Baltimore Orioles, the Boston Red Sox and the Milwaukee Braves.
April 2, 1925 – In Lovecraftian fiction, the island of
R’lyeh sank once more, and Cthulhu and his star spawn were again imprisoned
beneath the waves. Many consider this event the beginning of a modern era of
increasing Mythos activity.
April 2, 1925 – The Saenger Theatre at 118 South Palafox St.
in Pensacola, Fla. officially opened for business.
April 2, 1932 – Col. Thomas Chalmers McCorvey, a native of
Monroe County, Ala. passed away in Tuscaloosa at the age of 80. A teacher, poet
and historian, he was an active officer and professor at the University of
Alabama for 50 years. Born on Aug. 18, 1851 in Monroe County, he is buried in
the Evergreen Cemetery in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
April 2, 1945 – National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Don
Sutton was born in Clio, Ala. He would go on to play for the Los Angeles
Dodgers, the Houston Astros, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Oakland Athletics and
the California Angels. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998.
April 2, 1945 – Major League Baseball right fielder and
centerfielder Reggie Smith was born in Shreveport, La. He would go on to play
the Boston Red Sox, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the San
Francisco Giants and the Yomiuri Giants.
April 2, 1953 - The Repton PTA was scheduled to sponsor a
barbecue on this Thursday night on the high school football field. The T.R.
Miller High School Band was scheduled to play and parade on the field. T.R.
Miller had one of the better bands in the State of Alabama at that time.
Bewley’s Chuck Wagon Gang, a string band from Texas, was scheduled to play when
the high school band was not playing. The Orange Bowl football game was to be
shown in the high school auditorium.
April 2, 1955 - George Denny, who served as president of the
University of Alabama for 25 years, died. When Denny took office in 1919, the
university had only nine major buildings, 400 students, and no paved streets or
sidewalks on campus. By the time of his retirement in 1936, there were 23 major
buildings, nearly 5,000 students, and a greatly expanded football program.
April 2, 1959 – The Monroe Journal reported that a bill to
extend the city limits of Monroeville, Ala. a quarter of a mile would be
introduced into the state legislature, Mayor L.D. Morris stated in a legal
notice published in this edition of the newspaper. Notice of the extension of
the boundary lines of the town were to be published for four successive weeks
before the measure could be introduced by State Rep. Ralph L. Jones of
Monroeville. Local bills were generally passed by the legislature as a
courtesy, according to the newspaper.
April 2, 1963 – The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King began the
first non-violent campaign in Birmingham, Ala.
April 2, 1965 – Conecuh County Circuit Clerk and Register
Ralph Holland Crysell, 43, died unexpectedly on this Friday. Crysell became ill
while at his office shortly before noon. A doctor was summoned and treatment
given and County Solicitor Henry J. Kinzer was driving Crysell home when he
suffered an attack, apparently a stroke. In 1958, Crysell ran for the office of
Circuit Clerk and Register in his first political bid and was elected. He was
elected without opposition to a second term in 1964.
April 2, 1966 – NFL linebacker Bill Romanowski was born in
Rockville, Conn. He would go on to play for Boston College, the San Francisco
49ers, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Denver Broncos and the Oakland Raiders.
April 2, 1966 - Mike Windham killed a 19-pound gobbler on this
day. Mike was the son of Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Windham and was one of the more
youthful hunters to enjoy success that year.
April 2, 1967 - The Beatles finished recording the album
"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."
April 2, 1972 - Soldiers of Hanoi’s
304th Division, supported by Soviet-made tanks and heavy artillery, took the
northern half of the Quang Tri province.
April 2, 1975 - As North Vietnamese
tanks and infantry continued to push the remnants of South Vietnam’s 22nd
Division and waves of civilian refugees from the Quang Ngai Province, the South
Vietnamese Navy began to evacuate soldiers and civilians by sea from Qui Nhon.
April 2, 1976 – After winning three World Series titles, two
home run crowns and an AL MVP Award, Reggie Jackson joined the Baltimore
Orioles. He fit in nicely with manager Earl Weaver’s winning formula of
“pitching, defense and the three-run homer.” Jackson belted 27 big flys and
drove in 91 runs, helping Baltimore to a second-place finish in the AL East
Division. It was Jackson’s sole season with the team.
April 2-3, 1976 - Three Conecuh County young women were
among the 13 contestants in a preliminary Miss America pageant scheduled to be
held on these two days at Patrick Henry Junior College in Monroeville.
Contestants from the Conecuh County area were Ernestine Garrett, 23, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph E. Garrett of Evergreen; Patsy Watson, 18, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Watson of Repton; and Tammy Barlow, 18, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. James H. Barlow, Rt. 1, McKenzie.
April 2-3, 1976 - Three Monroe County area young women were
among the 13 contestants in a preliminary Miss America pageant scheduled for
this Friday and Saturday at Patrick Henry Junior College. Contestants from the
Monroe County area were Rita Croley, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Haywood Croley of
Excel; Toni Luker, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Willie J. Luker of Monroeville; and
Patsy Watson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Watson of Repton. The second annual
Miss South Alabama pageant was scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. both nights in the
gymnasium at PHJC.
April 2, 1980 - A couple in Tokyo set the record for the longest
underwater kiss - two minutes and 18 seconds.
April 2, 1981 – The Evergreen Courant reported that
Evergreen, Ala. native Clint Jackson, an internationally ranked welterweight
boxer who was living in Nashville, Tenn., had contracted for his 11th fight,
which was scheduled to take place on April 2 in Tampa against Bruce Johnson,
the top-ranked welterweight in Florida. Jackson was ranked No. 8 in the world
and was 10-0 with eight wins by knock out.
April 2, 1982 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Fred
Burt killed his first-ever wild turkey over the previous weekend. The Tom was a
fine one, weighing 19 pounds and carrying a 10-1/4 inch beard.
April 2, 1984 - President Ronald Reagan threw out the first
ball in the season opener between the Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago White
Sox in Baltimore.
April 2, 1986 – Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace announced at
a press conference in Montgomery that he would not run for a fifth term as
Governor of Alabama and would retire from public life after leaving the
governor's mansion in January 1987. Wallace achieved four gubernatorial terms
across three decades, totaling 16 years in office.
April 2, 1994 – Max McAliley, a professional photographer in
Monroe County, Ala. for many years and an assistant editor for The Monroe
Journal, passed away.
April 2, 1995 - The costliest strike in professional sports
history ended when Major League Baseball owners agreed to let players play
without a contract.
April 2, 1996 – New York Yankee Derek Jeter hit his first
Major League home run by going deep on opening day in Cleveland. Batting ninth
in the order – a position that would be upgraded as the season wore on – Jeter
lined a leadoff home run to left in the fifth inning. He would go on to win the
1996 AL Rookie of the Year Award.
April 2, 1998 – The Evergreen Courant reported that
Hillcrest High School honored its top 1997-98 football team with a banquet in
the school’s cafetorium. Best Lineman Award was given to Sedrick Johnson, and
Jermaine Watkins was awarded for the Best Wide Receiver. Cleonte Moore was
recognized for being the Most Improved Player. Will Lanier for Best Hustler,
Wayman Tullis was given the Scholastic Award and Sam Fountain was recognized
for being the best B-team player. Outstanding captains for the season were
Bennie Nevlous, Ashley Coleman and Sedrick Johnson.
April 2, 2003 - Alex Rodriguez of the Texas Rangers became
the youngest player to hit 300 homeruns, beating Jimmie Foxx's record by 79
days.
April 2, 2004 - The first Eugene Walter Writers Festival
opened in Mobile, Ala.
April 2, 2004 – The “Hellboy” movie was first released in
theaters.
April 2, 2008 – Ed Stafford began his expedition to walk the
entire length of the Amazon River with Luke Collyer on the southern coast of
Peru. Collyer left after three months, and Stafford completed the journey with
Gadiel “Cho” Sánchez Rivera.
April 2, 2012 – Australian explorer, author and engineer Warren
Bonython passed away at the age of 95. He is best known for his role, spanning
many years, of working towards the promotion, planning and eventual creation of
the Heysen Trail.
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