May 21, 1502 – The island of Saint Helena was discovered by
the Portuguese explorer João da Nova.
May 21, 1542 – While searching for gold, Spanish explorer
Hernando de Soto died of fever at the age of 45 on the bank of the Mississippi
River. Some say he died near present-day McArthur, Ark. while other sources say
he died near Ferriday, La.
May 21, 1602 - Martha's Vineyard was first sighted by
Captain Bartholomew Gosnold.
May 21, 1688 – Poet Alexander Pope was born in London.
May 21, 1758 - 10-year-old Mary
Campbell was abducted from her home in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, by
Lenape Indians; she became an icon of the French and Indian War and backcountry
experience. After her abduction, Campbell lived among the family of Chief
Netawatwees in the Ohio Valley. Mary Campbell was returned to a European
settlement at age 16 in the famous release of captives orchestrated by Colonel
Henry Bouquet at the conclusion of Pontiac’s War in November 1764.
May 21, 1766 - A Liberty Pole was erected in New York City
commons in celebration of the repeal of the Stamp Act.
May 21, 1825 – During his tour of the United States, the
Marquis de Lafayette arrived in Maysville, Ky.
May 21, 1832 - The Democratic Party held its first national
convention in Baltimore.
May 21, 1839 - Alabama editor and author Thomas Cooper De
Leon was born in Columbia, S.C.
May 21, 1844 – French painter Henri Rousseau was born in
Laval, France.
May 21, 1851 – Slavery was abolished in Colombia, South
America.
May 21, 1856 - Proslavery men raided, captured and burned
the abolitionist town of Lawrence, Kansas. John Brown personally sought revenge
for the act. On May 25, Brown and his sons attacked three cabins along
Pottawatomie Creek. They killed five men and triggered a summer of guerilla
warfare in the territory.
May 21, 1861 - The Confederate Congress met for the last
time in Montgomery, Ala. Montgomery served as capital for just three months,
from February to May 1861. After Virginia joined the Confederacy in April 1861,
leaders urged the move to the larger city of Richmond, which was closer to the
military action.
May 21, 1861 - Missouri declared
its neutrality in the Civil War, and Sterling Price signed an agreement with
William Harney, essentially handing Missouri over to Federal forces.
May 21, 1862 – During the Civil
War, a skirmish was fought at Paraje, New Mexico.
May 21, 1863 - The Siege of Port Hudson, La. began when
Nathaniel Banks of the Union Department of the Gulf surrounded the Confederate
stronghold and attacked. Franklin Gardner refused to surrender after being
ordered to abandon fort by Joseph Johnston. This was a fatal mistake, and Banks
soon had Gardner surrounded. For the next three weeks, Banks attempted to
capture Port Hudson but failed each time. It was not until Vicksburg
surrendered on July 4 that Gardner also surrendered.
May 21, 1863 – During the Civil
War, the Union demonstration against Kinston, North Carolina, continued.
May 21, 1863 – During the Civil
War, the siege of Vicksburg, Miss. entered its third day. A Federal Navy
flotilla was sent up the Yazoo River on this day, its destination Yazoo City.
There was a Confederate navy yard there, and its occupants did not even wait
for the flotilla to arrive. As soon as its mission became known, the yard was
abandoned, its shops destroyed, and three ships - two steamships and an
uncompleted gunboat--were burned.
May 21, 1864 – During the Civil War, the Battle of
Spotsylvania Court House ended.
May 21, 1864 – During the Civil
War, skirmishes were fought on the Blue River in Missouri; and at Fort
Powhatan, Hanover Court House, and Newton in Virginia. A combat also occurred
at Stanard's Mill, Virginia.
May 21, 1864 - One of the worst
curses of both the Union and Confederate Army were the “political generals.” On
the Union side, one of these was Gen. Franz Siegel, a native of Germany. He was
immensely popular among the large number of troops who were immigrants from
that country. Siegel was not a good general. On this day, he was replaced by
Gen. David Hunter on the grounds that Siegel had been unsuccessful in the
Shenandoah Valley.
May 21, 1865 - Author Jeremiah Clemens died in Huntsville,
Ala.
May 21, 1881 – Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross.
May 21, 1886 – No edition of The Monroe Journal was published
on this date, and the following week’s paper included the following apology
from publisher Q. Salter: “We owe an apology to our readers for non-appearance
of The Journal last week, which was due to our absence, having been called away
on business.”
May 21, 1889 - Alabama author Frances Gaither was born in
Somerville, Tenn.
May 21, 1895 – J.H. Moore Jr. of Perdue Hill was in
Monroeville, Ala. and informed The Monroe Journal newspaper that he had already
begun the construction of a new and larger warehouse on the site of the Lower
Claiborne Warehouse that burned on May 9. Also that day, George Agee, who had
been arrested for “complicity” in the building’s burning had a preliminary
hearing before Judge Stallworth and was discharged because there was no evidence
to implicate him in the crime.
May 21, 1895 – Richard Henry Rumbley, who was believed to be
the oldest man in Monroe County, passed away at his home six miles east of
Monroeville, Ala. He was 96 years and four months old. Born in 1799, he was buried
in the Rumbley Cemetery.
May 21, 1895 – Virginia Shomo, sister of Dr. J.W. Shomo of
Mount Pleasant, passed away at 11 p.m. at the Providence Infirmary in Mobile,
Ala. Her remains were returned to Mount Pleasant, where she was buried in the
family cemetery.
May 21, 1896 - Monroe Masonic Chapter No. 4 held a regular
convocation in the Masonic Hall at Perdue Hill, Ala. at 2 p.m. The following
officers were elected for the ensuing Masonic year, May 21, 1896 – J.A. Savage,
H.P.; H.J. Savage, K; J. DeLoach, S.; R.F. Lowrey, Treas.; W.J. McCants,
Sect’y; W.A. Locke, Chaplain; I.D. Roqerts, C of H; S.F. Gaillard, P.S.; J.B.
Williams, R.H.C.; E.T. King, M. 3rd V; J.L. Ballard, M. 2nd
V.; C.R. McNeil, M. 1st V.; Wm. Tomlinson, Sentinel.
May 21, 1896 - At a regular communication of Monroe (River
Ridge) Lodge No. 485, the following officers were elected for the ensuing
Masonic year: R.W. McCants, Worshipful Master; D.M. Stabler, Senior Warden;
A.H. Johnson, Junior Warden; J.G. Johnson, Treasurer; T.G. Reynolds, Secretary;
J.F. Rowell, Senior Deacon; A.H. Hays, Junior Deacon; W.A. Locke, Chaplain;
T.M. Piggott, J. Hetherington, Masters of Ceremony; A.J. McKinley, C.G.
Reynolds, Stewards; J.A. McKinley, Tyler.
May 21, 1896 – This day’s Monroe Journal carried the following
notice – “The steamer Tinsie Moore announces the following summer schedule: On
and after May 1st, until further notice, the following schedule will
be run, water, etc., permitting: Leave Mobile Saturdays 6 p.m., leave Selma
Mondays 7 p.m., arrive Montgomery Tuesdays 9 a.m., leave Montgomery Tuesdays 12
p.m., leave Selma Tuesdays 10 p.m., leave Burford’s Wednesdays 8 a.m., leave
Lower Peach Tree Wednesdays 11 a.m., leave Bells Landing Wednesdays 12 p.m.,
leave Claiborne Wednesdays 4 p.m., arrive Mobile Thursdays 6 a.m.”
May 21, 1896 – The Monroe Journal reported that Prof. Powers
was making preparations for the closing exercises of his school.
May 21, 1896 – The Monroe Journal reported that physicians
were reporting “considerable sickness in the vicinity of Monroeville, not of a
very aggravated type however.”
May 21, 1901 - The Constitutional Convention of 1901
assembled in Montgomery to write Alabama's sixth constitution. Convention
president John B. Knox of Anniston, pointing to ongoing "race conflict"
in state politics, explained that the foremost objective of the convention was
"to establish white supremacy in this State." The delegates
accomplished that by producing a document that effectively disfranchised
blacks, along with poor whites. Voters ratified the Constitution of 1901 in
November of that year.
May 21, 1902 – National Baseball Hall of Fame center
fielder Earl Averill was born in Snohomish, Washington. He went on to play for
the Cleveland Indians, the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Braves. He was
inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975.
May 21, 1908 – Miss Jessie Bertah Staples, the daughter of
steamboat owner Capt. Norman A. Staples of Mobile, christened the “James T.
Staples,” which was named after Norman’s father. John Davis Gerald Sr. of
Bell’s Landing eventually became co-owner of the boat.
May 21, 1911 - Six years after the
First Moroccan Crisis, during which Kaiser Wilhelm’s sensational appearance in
Morocco provoked international outrage and led to a strengthening of the bonds
between Britain and France against Germany, French troops occuppied the Moroccan
city of Fez, sparking German wrath and a second Moroccan Crisis.
May 21, 1912 – W.A. Floyd, “one of Evergreen’s most
prominent and valued citizens,” was found dead by his wife, seated in a chair
on the front porch of his home. He was about 61 years old.
May 21-25, 1916 - The second annual commencement exercises
at the Conecuh County High School at Castleberry, Ala. were to be held during
this time. An “interesting program” had been arranged for Sunday morning, May
21, and church services were to be held on Sun., May 21, at 7 p.m. The
exercises were to begin on May 21 and continue through May 25.
May 21-25, 1916 – Commencement exercises were held at Monroe
County High School. On May 21 at 11 a.m., a sermon was delivered in the
auditorium by the Rev. C.A. Williams of the Monroeville Methodist Church. On
May 22 at 8:30 p.m. the annual concert was given by the Department of Music.
Admission to the concert was 25 cents for adults and 10 cents for children with
proceeds to go toward the purchase of a school piano. On May 23 at 8:30 p.m.,
the annual declamation contest was scheduled to be held. On May 24 at 3 p.m.,
diplomas were scheduled to be presented to seventh-grade students by Prof. J.B.
Hobdy. On May 24 at 8:30 p.m., graduation exercises were scheduled to be held
with the address to be delivered by Dr. Jas. S. Thomas of the University of
Alabama. The 1915-1916 school year “was one of the most successful in the
history of the school, the enrollment having reached 121.” The following pupils
passed approved examinations on the prescribed high school course and were
given diplomas: Lula Agee, Emma McWilliams, Gilmore Massey, Harry Lazenby,
Walter Hines, Clyde Posey, Nick Sawyer, Arthreene Carter, Willie Mae Vann,
Lamar Griffin, Willie Johnson and Erastus Talbert.
May 21, 1926 - Earl Sheely of the Chicago White Sox hit his
sixth consecutive double.
May 21, 1927 – Charles Lindbergh touched down at Le Bourget
Field in Paris, completing the world's first solo nonstop flight across the
Atlantic Ocean. The trip began May 20.
May 21, 1928 – Closing exercises were scheduled to be held
at the Evergreen City School at 10 a.m. in the auditorium.
May 21, 1930 – Baseball player Max Bishop was walked eight
times during a doubleheader.
May 21, 1930 - Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees hit three
consecutive home runs.
May 21, 1932 – Bad weather forced Amelia Earhart to land in
a pasture in Derry, Northern Ireland, and she thereby became the first woman to
fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
May 21, 1933 - On Sunday this afternoon Monroeville’s
baseball team played Chapman in Chapman and lost, 8-7, in 11 innings.
May 21, 1941 – National Baseball Hall of Fame third baseman
and manager Bobby Cox was born in Tulsa, Okla. He went on to play for the New
York Yankees and also manage the Atlanta Braves and the Toronto Blue Jays. He
was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014.
May 21, 1943 - The White Sox and the Senators played the
fastest nine-inning night game in American League history. The game was
finished in 89 minutes.
May 21, 1946 - Twenty-six graduates of the Monroe County
High School were to receive diplomas at exercises to be held on this Tuesday
night. Following is the list of graduates: Emma Lou Agee, Evelyn Fay Andress,
William Sam Bowden, Ouida Inez Byrd, Betty Hixon Chambers, Mabrey Thomas
Easley, A.D. Dickson, Jean Farish, Thelma Louise Hall, Edith Grey Hightower,
Saranne Hundley, Sue Millsap Jones, Patsy Estelle Lazenby, William Sadler McGraw,
Ethel McKinley, Jacqueline Jean Pickett, Thomas Edward Riley, Julia Frances
Ryland, Nancy Elizabeth Sheffield, Spurgeon D. Terry Jr., Owen Locke Lear
Thompson, Margaret Katherine Thompson, Margaret Elizabeth Watson, Alice
Jeannette Wiggins, Lonnie J. Wiggins Jr. and Debe Catherine Williams.
May 21, 1947 - Joe DiMaggio and five of his New York Yankee
teammates were fined $100 because they had not fulfilled contract requirements
to do promotional duties for the team.
May 21, 1948 - Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees hit a
single, double, triple and home run in the same game.
May 21, 1948 - Funeral services for Leonard Howard Jordan,
25, of Monroeville were conducted on this Friday afternoon from the Assembly of
God Church in Excel with the Rev. A.L. Shell officiating. Jordan died on
Thurs., May 20, about 1:15 a.m. as the result of knife wounds suffered the
previous night in an altercation at a Little River fishing camp near Chrysler.
Four youths, all residents of McCullough and vicinity, had been jailed at Bay
Minette in connection with the slaying. Jordan died approximately 40 minutes
after being stabbed five times about midnight on Wed., May 19. His death
occurred at Repton Hospital.
May 21, 1948 – On this Friday at 10:30 p.m. at the Pix
Theatre in Evergreen, on stage in five big scenes, one show only, “Dr.
Silkini’s ASYLUM OF HORRORS,” and “Direct From Hollywood,” the “FRANKENSTEIN
MONSTER IN PERSON.” Described as “Ghastly! Horrifying! Chilling!” people were
warned that “If You Have A Weak Heart Don’t See It!” Also to be shown that
night was the comedy “Scooper Dooper.” Tickets were to go on sale Fri., May 14.
All seats were 60 cents each, including tax.
May 21, 1950 – The Dixie Amateur League baseball game
between the Evergreen Greenies and Jay, Fla. was rained out. The game was
scheduled to be played in Evergreen, Ala.
May 21, 1950 – The Shreve Eagles beat the Paul Aces, 6-2, on
this Sunday behind the steady pitching of Ferrell Smith. Harold Godwin pitched
for Paul.
May 21, 1950 – A game between the undefeated, league-leading
Centerville Rookies and the Flat Rock Rockets ended in a 1-1 tie after nine
innings.
May 21, 1952 - The Brooklyn Dodgers scored 15 runs in the
first inning against the Cincinnati Reds. The final score was, 19-1.
May 21, 1955 - The late Major Dave Lewis was to be
honored on this Saturday morning at 10 a.m. when the new armory in Evergreen
was to be officially designated as Ft. Dave Lewis and presented to the local
unit, Battery C, 117th Field Artillery Battalion, 31st
Infantry (Dixie) Division, in conjunction with the Armed Forces Day celebration
there. The new armory was completed several months before at a cost of
approximately $100,000.
May 21, 1956 - The United States exploded the first airborne
hydrogen bomb. It was dropped from a B-52 bomber over the tiny island of Namu
in the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
May 21, 1956
– English businessman and adventurer Harry Bensley died in Brighton, England.
May 21, 1961 – Alabama Governor John Malcolm Patterson
declared martial law in an attempt to restore order after race riots broke out.
May 21, 1963 - Glenn Calvin Cook, well-known local insurance
man, died late on this Tuesday afternoon in Evergreen, a victim of a heart
seizure. He was 52 years old. Cook was stricken while driving in his automobile
on Spring Street just off Bruner Avenue around 6 p.m. His car crashed into one
parked on the street after the attack caused him to lose control. An ambulance
was called and he was rushed to the hospital, but was dead on arrival. A native
and lifelong resident of this county, Cook, for a number of years, operated his
own general insurance agency. At one time, he was employed at the local post
office. Cook was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War. He served in the
U.S. Navy during World War II, and was called back to duty during the Korean
conflict. Born on April 6, 1911, he was buried in Magnolia Cemetery in
Evergreen.
May 21, 1968 - The nuclear-powered U.S. submarine Scorpion, with 99 men aboard, was
last heard from. The remains of the sub were later found on the ocean floor 400
miles southwest of the Azores.
May 21, 1969 - U.S. military
command spokesman in Saigon defended the battle for Ap Bia Mountain as having
been necessary to stop enemy infiltration and protect the city of Hue.
May 21, 1971 – Army Spc. J.C. Summerlin, 20, of Brewton,
Ala. was killed in action at Fire Support Base C-2 in Quang Tri, Vietnam.
Summerlin died from injuries suffered in a 122-mm rocket attack that collapsed
a bunker that contained between 65 and 70 personnel. During the incident, 29
were killed and 33 were wounded, including Summerlin, who survived the initial
explosion, but died after being flown out on a medivac helicopter. He was
buried in the Canaan Freewill Baptist Church Cemetery at Barnett Crossroads in
Escambia County.
May 21, 1972 - Michelangelo's statue Pieta in St. Peter's
Basilica in Rome was vandalized by a mentally deranged Hungarian geologist
named Laszlo Toth.
May 21, 1980 - The movie "The Empire Strikes Back"
was released.
May 21, 1987 - Alabama author Archie Carr died in
Gainesville, Fla.
May 21, 1993 – The William King Beck
House (also known as River Bluff Plantation) on the Alabama River near Camden,
Ala. was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
May 21, 1996 - Ken Griffey Jr. became the eighth youngest
player to hit 200 home runs.
May 21, 1997 - Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox got his
200th win.
May 21, 1997 – The “New” Repton Post Office in Repton, Ala.
on U.S. Highway 84 first opened for business with Napoleon Lee as postmaster.
May 21, 2003 - The NFL decided to not vote on expanding the
playoffs in 2004.
May 21, 2005 - Child actor Mary Badham, who portrayed
“Scout” in the movie version of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” was scheduled to
return to Monroeville on this Saturday at the Old Monroe County Courthouse.
Badham planned to reminisce about her work on the film with Oscar-winning actor
Gregory Peck during the “Scout Returns to Maycomb” event from 2 to 3 p.m. A
question-and-answer period was also to be held.
May 21, 2006 – Harper Lee of Monroeville, Ala. accepted an
honorary degree from the University of Notre Dame.
May 21, 2008 – Asa Johnston Farmhouse at Johnsonville, Ala.
was added to National Register of Historic Places.
May 21, 2011 – Radio broadcaster Harold Camping predicted
that the world would end on this date.
May 21, 2014 – The National September 11 Museum opened to
the public.
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