April 6, 648 B.C. - The first known record of a total solar
eclipse was made by the Greeks.
April 6, 1320 – The Scots reaffirmed their independence by
signing the Declaration of Arbroath.
April 6, 1327 – On a Good Friday at St. Clare Church in
Avignon, the Italian poet Petrarch, 22, saw the ethereal woman “Laura,” who was
maybe 17, for the first time, fell instantly in love and used her as his muse
for more than 300 sonnets. Her identity has never been confirmed, but she was
probably Laure de Noves, a noblewoman living in Avignon with her husband Hugues
de Sade.
April 6, 1483 – Italian painter and architect Raphael was
born Raffaello Sanzio in Urbino, Italy.
April 6, 1652 – At the Cape of Good Hope, Dutch sailor Jan
van Riebeeck established a resupply camp that eventually becomes Cape Town.
April 6, 1712 – The New York Slave Revolt of 1712 began near
Broadway.
April 6, 1748 – Excavations began to unearth the doomed city
of Pompeii, where nearly 11,000 people were killed in place and buried under 80
feet of ash by the sudden eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79.
April 6, 1776 – During the Revolutionary War, ships of the
Continental Navy failed in their attempt to capture a Royal Navy dispatch boat.
April 6, 1776 - The Continental Congress opened all American
ports to international trade with any part of the world that was not under
British rule.
April 6, 1789 - The first U.S. Congress began regular
sessions at the Federal Hall in New York City.
April 6, 1804 – President Thomas Jefferson appointed Ephraim
Kirby of Connecticut as the first superior court judge of the Mississippi
territory. Kirby would pass away about six months later at the age of 47 from a
fever at Fort Stoddert near Mount Vernon, Ala. A marker in his memory can be
found today at the intersection of Old US Highway 43 and Military Road in Mount
Vernon.
April 6, 1825 – During his tour of the United States,
American Revolutionary War hero Marquis de LaFayette visited Claiborne, Ala.
April 6, 1826 – Young Madison Rabb was born at Old Town in
Conecuh County, Ala. He would go on to write “The Early History of What is
Known as the Evergreen Beat.” (Some sources say he was born on April 4, 1826.)
April 6, 1830 – The Church of Christ, the original church of
the Latter Day Saint movement, was organized by Joseph Smith and five others at
Fayette or Manchester, New York.
April 6, 1832 - Determined to resist the growing presence of Anglo settlers on traditional tribal lands, the Sauk warrior Black Hawk was drawn into war with the United States.
April 6, 1841 – U.S. President John Tyler was sworn in, two
days after having become President upon William Henry Harrison's death.
April 6, 1860 – The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints, later renamed Community of Christ, was organized by Joseph
Smith III and others at Amboy, Illinois.
April 6, 1861 - U.S. President Abraham Lincoln sent word to
the Confederate Congress that he intended to send food to Fort Sumter.
April 6, 1862 – During the Civil War, the Battle of Shiloh
began near Pittsburgh Landing in Tennessee as forces under Union General
Ulysses S. Grant met Confederate troops led by General Albert Sidney Johnston.
The Confederates conducted a surprise attack on Grant's troops at Shiloh on the
Tennessee River, and Johnston was killed in the battle, which was one of the
bloodiest engagements of the war. The battle included the Hornets' Nest, the
Peach Orchard and Bloody Pond.
April 6, 1862 – During the Civil
War, a skirmish was fought in the vicinity of Fort Anderson, Calif., and a
six-day Confederate operation originating at Greenville Tenn. into Laurel
Valley, N.C. began.
April 6, 1863 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought
at Town Creek, Ala.
April 6, 1863 – During the Civil
War, skirmishes were fought near New Carthage, La. at the James Plantation; at
Nixonton, N.C.; at Davis Mill, and Green Hill in Tennessee; and in the vicinity
of Burlington, Purgitsville and Going’s Ford in West Virginia.
April 6, 1863 - President Abraham
Lincoln had a hard time getting his generals to understand how he wanted them
to fight the war. They were obsessed with capturing the enemy capital while
Lincoln wanted them to fight the Confederate armies. He wrote on this day to
Hooker, the current commander of the Army of the Potomac: “Our prime object is
the enemy’s army in front of us, and is not with, or about, Richmond.”
April 6, 1864 – During the Civil
War, skirmishes were fought along the Arkansas River, Prairie Grove, along the
Little Missouri River, and at Piney Mountain, in Arkansas; and at Prairie Du
Rocher, Ill. with Confederate sympathizers.
April 6, 1865 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought
at King’s Store, Lanier’s Mill and Sipsey Creek in Alabama.
April 6, 1865 – During the Civil War, the Battle of Sailor's
(Sayler’s) Creek began as Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern
Virginia fought and lost its last major battle while in retreat from Richmond,
Va. during the Appomattox Campaign. A third of Lee’s army was cut off by Union
troops pursuing him to Appomattox. Lee's army tried to hold off the pursuing
Yankees of General Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Potomac. In fierce hand-to-hand
fighting around Sayler's Creek, the Yankees captured 1,700 Confederate troops
and 300 supply wagons. As Lee watched his men staggering away from the
battlefield, he cried, "My God, has the army been dissolved?" Lee
surrendered three days later.
April 6, 1865 – 59TH ALABAMA: The brigade crossed
Saylers Creek while Gen. Pickett’s troops formed up across the road to Rice’s
Station – on high ground where they could dig in and erect breastworks. Sharp
skirmishing occurred to their left and continued for two hours. The 59th
Alabama and the rest of the Alabama brigade fired heavy volleys at the Yankees
when they appeared on the road in front of them. The Confederates later marched
on toward the town of Farmville to gather the stragglers on the north side of
the Appomattox River.
April 6, 1865 – During the Civil
War, skirmishes were fought near Natural Bridge, Fla.; near Amelia Springs,
Rice’s Station, Wytheville and near High Bridge in Virginia; at Charlestown,
West Virginia.
April 6, 1866 – The Grand Army of the Republic, an American
patriotic organization composed of Union veterans of the American Civil War,
was founded. It lasted until 1956.
April 6, 1886 - J.H. Moore Jr. of Claiborne, the proprietor
of the Lower Warehouse, was in Monroeville on this Tuesday and reported that
the river was several feet higher than it had ever been before and still
rising.
April 6, 1891 - Circuit Court convened on this Monday in
Evergreen. Judge Hubbard was on the bench, and J.F. Stallings, Esq., was
solicitor.
April 6, 1893 – The Salt Lake Temple of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints was dedicated by Wilford Woodruff.
April 6, 1893 – The Monroe Journal reported that C.A.
Seymour had returned from Urbana, Ill., having in custody Tom English, who was
charged with murder committed at Mt. Pleasant in Monroe County several years before.
After the commission of the crime, English absconded and remained at large for more
than a year but was finally arrested and confined in jail from which he soon
afterwards made his escape. Ex-Sheriff Harrengton located English several times
before retiring from office, but Tom always managed to give him the slip.
Recently Tom was arrested for house breaking in Champaign, Ill. of which charge
he was acquitted, but held on a warrant from the Sheriff of Monroe County.
April 6, 1893 – The Monroe Journal reported that Monroeville’s
prospects for securing the Experiment Farm and School were bright. The
subscription list was gradually growing. Every dollar subscribed increased the
town’s chance of obtaining it and was expected to add that much to the
efficiency of the school if established there.
April 6, 1895 – A posse of about 20 men tracked outlaw “Railroad
Bill” to Bay Minette, Ala., where a gun fight resulted in the death of Baldwin
County deputy sheriff James Stewart and Bill’s escape.
April 6, 1895 – On this Saturday night a fire broke out when
a large hanging lamp in the dining hall of the Watson House in Monroeville,
Ala. fell to the floor and the escaping oil ignited. A large crowd gathered and
the “vigorous application” of water and removal of inflammatory material helped
extinguish the fire.
April 6, 1895 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture Weather
Bureau’s station at Claiborne, Ala. reported 1.20 inches of rain on this day.
Total rainfall for the month of April 1895 was 2.00 inches.
April 6, 1896 - Some excitement was created in Monroeville,
Ala. on this Monday afternoon “by the announcement that a mad dog was at large.
Gilderoy, the little son of Rev. J.W. Killough, was bitten by a dog that
behaved queerly. The injuries inflicted were very slight, however, and it is to
be sincerely hoped that nothing serious will result. The dog was killed.”
April 6, 1897 – Critic, novelist and short-story writer
Robert Coates was born in New Haven, Conn.
April 6, 1903 – National Baseball Hall of Fame catcher
Mickey Cochrane was born in Bridgewater, Mass. He went on to play for the
Philadelphia Athletics and the Detroit Tigers, and he later managed the Tigers.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1947.
April 6, 1906 – The Monroe Journal reported that A.L.
Harrison, “the clever depot agent at Sniders,” visited The Monroe Journal
office earlier in the week.
April 6, 1906 – The Monroe Journal reported, in news from
the Activity community that Miss Maude Andrews was teaching “a nice school”
near Skinnerton.
April 6, 1906 – The Monroe Journal reported that Dr. D.C.
Burson, a Monroe County native and the editor of The Atmore Spectrum, had
announced his candidacy for representative in the legislature for Escambia
County, Ala.
April 6, 1909 – Robert Peary and Matthew Henson reached the
North Pole.
April 6, 1916 – The Monroe Journal reported that road crews
and contractors had been busy for the previous 10 days repairing the damage to
roads caused by the heavy rains.
April 6, 1916 – The Monroe Journal reported that candidates
for county offices were “becoming increasingly active as the date for the
primary election draws near.”
April 6, 1916 – The Conecuh Record reported that reduced
railroad rates had been granted by practically all railroads in Alabama for
delegates to the State Sunday School Convention in Gadsden, April 25-27. The
special rate amounted to little more than half the regular rates for the round
trip. The exact rate from each station could be secured from the local ticket
agent or by writing Leon C. Palmer, General Secretary, Montgomery, Ala.
April 6, 1916 – This day’s edition of The Conecuh Record
included a special proclamation by Evergreen Mayor W.B. Ivey that read “To All
Owners or Custodians of Dogs Within the Town of Evergreen: This is to notify
you that the ordinance adopted March 22, 1909, levying a license tax of $1 and
the cost of the tag on each dog is in full force and effect. You will therefore
procure a license tax for each dog from the town clerk for the current year.
The Marshal is instructed to impound all dogs found without the license tags
after April 20, 1916.”
April 6, 1917 – The United States officially entered World
War I when the U.S. Congress approved a declaration of war on Germany, entering
the war on the Allied side.
April 6, 1918 – A “Patriotic Rally,” the “biggest patriotic
demonstration ever held in this part of the country” was scheduled to be held
at Selma on this Saturday morning. Two big military bands and soldiers from
Camp Sheridan were to “lend inspiration” to the occasion. A parade of military
and civic bodies, Red Cross units, Fraternal Orders, school children, veterans
of other wars, etc. were to be a big feature of the day, together with open air
concerts by the military bands. Selma invited and urged all patriotic citizens
in nearby towns to come in and help “whoop it up” for “Old Glory” on this
Saturday. Hugh Mallory was the rally’s Chairman.
April 6, 1920 - The store building and stock of Messrs.
Mosley and Lowrey was destroyed by fire at Burnt Corn on this Tuesday night,
involving a loss of possibly $10,000. The fire was discovered at a late hour
when the flames were too far advanced to save any of the goods. Its origin was
unknown, but was probably accidental. The mercantile business had recently been
purchased by Messrs. R.L. Mosley and J.F.B. Lowrey from Mr. J.K. Kyser, and
“these young men were in a fair way to achieve a degree of success similar in
proportion to that of their veteran predecessor,” according to The Evergreen
Courant.
April 6, 1920 - Homer Mathis, a 14-year-old white boy, was
arraigned before Judge Fountain on this Tuesday, charged with burglary and
larceny, having broken into the store of the Blacksher Store Co. at Uriah,
pilfering some small articles of value from the post office. The boy confessed
his guilt, and Judge Fountain sentenced him to a term in the Reform School at
Birmingham.
April 6, 1922 – The Monroe Journal reported that Beatrice
High School’s baseball team had been practicing every day for the past week.
All of the players were on the field at noon, but not after school. The whole
team would get in about one hour’s practice every day. Balls and bats, which
was all that was needed to play match games, had been ordered and were expected
to be there the following Wednesday or Thursday. Manager McPherson had written
for a game with McWilliams for Friday, April 7.
April 6, 1922 – The Monroe Journal reported, under the
headline “SUDDEN HALT IN TRIAL,” that after devoting three days to the trial of
the case of the State vs. G.C. Dean, former clerk of the office of the Probate
Judge of Monroe County, on the charge of embezzlement, the trial was brought to
a sudden halt when the Circuit Court reconvened on Mon., April 3, on account of
five of the jurors having been stricken with influenza. An order of mistrial
was entered by Judge Leigh. The case was one of wide interest and an able array
of counsel was employed on both sides, the state being represented by Solicitor
Dickey, Hon. John McDuffie, Judge Lloyd Tate and Barnett, Bugg & Lee of the
local bar. Defendant was represented by C.E. Hamilton of Greenville, W.W. Hill
of Montgomery and Hybart and Hare of Monroeville.
April 6, 1928 – Molecular biologist James Dewey Watson was
born in Chicago, Ill.
April 6, 1937 – Country music singer Merle Haggard was born
near Bakersfield, Calif.
April 6, 1940 - Alabama author and Poet Laureate Sue Brannan
Walker was born.
April 6, 1941
– During World War II, Nazi Germany launched Operation 25 (the invasion of
Kingdom of Yugoslavia) and Operation Marita (the invasion of Greece).
April 6, 1941 - Frank M. Snowden, prominent Evergreen
merchant, was fatally injured at about 2 p.m. on this Sunday afternoon when the
loaded truck which he was driving overturned about five miles north of
Evergreen on the Evergreen-Skinnerton highway. Highway Patrolmen Lee and
Sawyer, who investigated the accident, said it was apparent that Snowden lost
control of the heavily loaded truck while it was coming down an incline. Luman
Powell, who was in the truck with Snowden at the time of the accident, received
severe cuts about the head and shoulders.
April 6, 1943 – Major League Baseball pitcher Marty Pattin
was born in Charleston, Ill. He would go on to play for the California Angels,
the Seattle Pilots, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Boston Red Sox and the Kansas
City Royals.
April 6, 1944 – NFL quarterback John Huarte was born in
Anaheim, Calif. He would go on to play for Notre Dame, the New York Jets, the
Boston Patriots, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Kansas City Chiefs and the
Chicago Bears.
April 6, 1944 – The Monroe Journal reported that Aviation
Cadet Charles E. McNeil, son of Mr. and Mrs. O. McNeil of Frisco City, Ala.,
had completed his AAF basic flying course at Malden Army Air Field in Malden,
Mo. that week and had left for advanced flying school where he was to receive
further specialized training.
April 6, 1944 – The Monroe Journal reported that Mr. and
Mrs. W.K. Bodiford of Frisco City, Ala. had received the Purple Heart from
their son, Pvt. Thomas Bodiford, who was wounded in action on Dec. 15, 1943.
They also received a message from the War Department saying that he had
recovered and was able to report for duty on Feb. 2.
April 6, 1944 – The Monroe Journal reported that farmers in
Monroe County could obtain help from the Federal Bureau of Investigation in
learning the cause of fires which destroy timber by writing or wiring the “FBI
in Birmingham.” The Journal said this information was stated in a bulletin
received in Monroeville from the SOS Commission, Inc., who was interested in
forest fire education programs in the schools of Monroe County. Penalties of a
maximum of 30 years in the penitentiary and up to a $10,000 fine under federal sabotage
violations were in force due to fact that growing timber was an essential war
material. Arrangements for this help by a secret agency was expected to result
in much relief from carelessness from fires in the Spring when the sap was up,
and when fires completely destroy all vegetation in its path.
April 6, 1945 – A World War II prisoner of war camp opened
in Jackson, Ala. Many of the prisoners were members of Germany’s Afrika Korps.
The camp closed March 12, 1946.
April 6, 1951 – National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Bert
Blyleven was born in Zeist, Netherlands. He went on to play for the Minnesota
Twins, the Texas Rangers, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cleveland Indians, the
Minnesota Twins and the California Angels. He was inducted into the Hall of
Fame in 2011.
April 6, 1965 - National Security
Advisor McGeorge Bundy drafted and signed National Security Action Memorandum
328 on behalf of President Lyndon B. Johnson, authorizing U.S. personnel to
take the offensive in South Vietnam to secure “enclaves” and to support South
Vietnamese operations.
April 6, 1965 - Alabama author Edward Kimbrough died in New
Orleans, La.
April 6, 1965 – The first commercial communications
satellite, Intelsat I, was placed in orbit. Nicknamed "Early Bird,"
the satellite was built by Hughes Aircraft Company for COMSAT, the
Communications Satellite Corporation, which had been incorporated in 1963.
COMSAT's objective was to provide a public telecommunications service via
satellites in orbit around the Earth.
April 6, 1967 – Army Cpl. James Floyd Madden, 20, of
Brewton, Ala. was killed in action in Vietnam. Born on July 26, 1946, he is
buried in the Weaver Cemetery at Appleton. (Some sources say he died on April
9, 1967.)
April 6, 1968 – During the Vietnam War, the Siege of Khe
Sanh ended.
April 6, 1969 – Army Sgt. David Roger Wiggins, 20, of
Monroeville, Ala. was killed in action in Vietnam while serving with Co. C of
the 47th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division. Born on May 23,
1948, he is buried in the Mexia Cemetery. He received the Bronze Star with Oak
Leaf Cluster, the Purple Heart, the Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal,
National Defense Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal.
April 6, 1972 - Clear weather for
the first time in three days allowed U.S. planes and Navy warships to begin the
sustained air strikes and naval bombardments ordered by President Nixon in
response to the massive North Vietnamese offensive launched on March 30.
April 6, 1972 – The Monroe Journal reported that Monroe
County Forest Ranger Skip Turner and County Commission President Otha Lee Biggs
planted one of 12 “Super” or Superior trees, which were produced from the best
seed stock for exceptional height and straightness. The slash pines were
planted along the sidewalk on the south side of the Courthouse Square.
April 6, 1972 – The Monroe Journal reported that J.F.
Shields High School had announced plans for a banquet honoring their 2A state
championship basketball team. The affair was to be held in the school gym.
Featured speaker was to be Buck Buchanan of the Kansas City Chiefs. Proceeds
from the dinner were to be applied toward construction of the school’s new
football stadium. Coach W.R. Averett and Principal W.F. Andrews invited all
fans and friends to attend the event.
April 6, 1972 – The Monroe Journal reported that Mr. and
Mrs. A.S. Bentley Jr. of Monroeville visited their son, David A. Bentley, a
plebe (freshman) at the United States Military Academy during the annual
“Plebe-Parent Weekend” activities held there March 30 through April 3.
April 6, 1973 – The American League of Major League Baseball
began using the designated hitter.
April 6, 1973 - U.S. President Richard Nixon threw out the
first pitch of the season at a California Angels game. It was the first time
that a U.S. President had performed the ceremonial activity in a city other
than Washington, D.C.
April 6, 1976 – Actress, producer and author Candace Cameron
Bure was born in Panorama City, Los Angeles, Calif.
April 6, 1976 – NFL defensive tackle Chris Hoke was born in
Long Beach, Calif. He went on to play for Brigham Young and the Pittsburgh
Steelers.
April 6, 1977 – Major League Baseball first baseman Andy
Phillips was born in Tuscaloosa, Ala. He went on to play for the New York
Yankees, the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Mets.
April 6, 1986 - The television program, “The Jar,” teleplay by Alabama author
Robert McDowell, was broadcast as part of the Alfred
Hitchcock Presents series.
April 6, 1988 - Mathew Henson, who discovered the North Pole
with Robert Peary, was awarded honors in Arlington National Cemetery.
April 6, 1991 - Cody Ward, two-year-old son of James and
Janie Ward and grandson of William and Betty Ward, had his first haircut on
this Saturday morning, given by Dave Snowden. This made the third generation of
the Ward family that had used Snowden for haircuts. James had his first haircut
from Mr. Snowden in 1945 on his first birthday and William had his hair cut by
Snowden for many years. Snowden, who began cutting hair at age 14, was still
cutting hair at age 88.
April 6, 1991 - Katrina Keefer was named Monroe County’s
Young Woman of the Year for 1992 on this Saturday night during a competition
sponsored by the Monroeville Hub City-Ettes. Keefer, a junior at Monroe County
High School and the daughter of Larry and Meda Keefer of Monroeville, also won
the physical fitness division and the spirit award.
April 6, 2005
– Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani became Iraqi president. Shiite Arab Ibrahim
al-Jaafari was named premier the next day.
April 6, 2010 - The Southern Literary Trail, the only
tri-state literary trail in the United States, officially passed and adopted
its by-laws on this day. The three partner states are Alabama, Georgia and
Mississippi. The Trail's principal theme is the influence of "place"
on the work of southern writers. Accordingly, each city or town on the Trail
must be home to a discernible place that influenced a writer of a well-known
work of fiction. The Alabama towns on the trail are: Demopolis, Hartselle,
Mobile, Monroeville, Montgomery and Tuskegee.
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