Today in History for June 13, 2018

June 13, 1415 - Henry the Navigator, the prince of Portugal, embarked on an expedition to Africa.

June 13, 1525 – Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther, a former monk, married Katharina von Bora, a former nun.

June 13, 1740 – Georgia provincial governor James Oglethorpe began an unsuccessful attempt to take Spanish Florida during the Siege of St. Augustine.

June 13, 1752 – English novelist and diarist Frances (Fanny) Burney was born in King’s Lynn, Norfolk.

June 13, 1774 – Rhode Island became the first of Britain's North American colonies to ban the importation of slaves.

June 13, 1777 – During the American Revolutionary War, 19-year-old French aristocrat, Marie-Joseph Paul Roch Yves Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, landed off the coast of Georgetown, near Charleston, S.C. with the intent to serve as General George Washington's second-in-command and to help the Continental Congress train its army. LaFayette, a prominent Freemason, would visit Claiborne in Monroe County, Ala. on April 6, 1825.

June 13, 1786 - Winfield Scott was born near Petersburg, Virginia. He was a hero in the Mexican-American War and was the commander of the U.S. Army at the outbreak of the Civil War.

June 13, 1789 - Ice cream was served to General George Washington by Mrs. Alexander Hamilton.

June 13, 1805 – During the Lewis and Clark Expedition, scouting ahead of the expedition, Meriwether Lewis and four companions sighted the Great Falls of the Missouri River.

June 13, 1807 - President Thomas Jefferson received a subpoena to testify in the treason trial of his former vice president, Aaron Burr. In the subpoena, Burr asked Jefferson to produce documents that might exonerate him.

June 13, 1862 – During the Civil War, an affair occurred at White House, South Carolina. Skirmishes were fought at Old Church, Haw's Shop, Garlick's Landing and New Market in Virginia.

June 13, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Howard's Mill and near Mud Lick Springs, Ky.; at Bunker Hill, West Virginia; and at White Post and Berryville in Virginia.

June 13, 1863 – During the Civil War, an engagement was fought at Winchester, Virginia. Ordered to withdraw because of the approach of the Army of Northern Virginia, Union Major General Robert Milroy tried to hold his position in Winchester. By afternoon on the 14th, he realized his mistake and decided to withdraw that evening. Confederate Dick Ewell ordered a division to camp north of the town to prevent such a move and Milroy found himself trapped. Confederates captured or killed the 6,000 men in the city.

June 13, 1863 – During the Civil War, the siege at Vicksburg, Miss. entered Day 26.

June 13, 1863 – During the Civil War, draft riots occurred in New York City.

June 13, 1864 – Confederate General Robert E. Lee sent Confederate General Jubal Early north from Petersburg, Va. to clear the Shenandoah of Union troops and relieve pressure on his own beleaguered force. Union General U.S. Grant's Army of the Potomac also began moving toward Petersburg, precipitating a siege that lasted more than nine months.

June 13, 1864 - 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought near Buchanan, Riddell's Shop and White Oak Swamp in Virginia and in the vicinity of Collierville, Tennessee.

June 13, 1865 – Nobel Prize-winning Irish poet William Butler Yeats, who was interested in mysticism, mythology, folklore and the occult, was born in the Dublin suburb of Sandymount.

June 13, 1866 - The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed by the U.S. Congress. It was ratified on July 9, 1868. The amendment was designed to grant citizenship to and protect the civil liberties of recently freed slaves. It did this by prohibiting states from denying or abridging the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States, depriving any person of his life, liberty, or property without due process of law, or denying to any person within their jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

June 13, 1881 – The USS Jeannette was crushed in an Arctic Ocean ice pack.

June 13, 1881 – First-generation American author and immigration rights activist Mary Antin was born in Russia.

June 13, 1893 – British mystery writer Dorothy L. Sayers was born in Oxford.

June 13, 1896 – Charles Weatherford Sr., the son of noted Indian chieftain William Weatherford (Red Eagle),” died at his home near Mount Pleasant in Monroe County. “Mr. Weatherford was perhaps at the time of his death, the oldest man in the county, having attained the advanced age of 96 years,” according to The Monroe Journal. “Mr. Weatherford passed all his long life in this county and the many stirring incidents and events connected with its early history with which he was familiar would have filled a large and interesting volume.” Born in the year 1800, Weatherford was buried in the Weatherford Cemetery at Mineola in Monroe County.

June 13, 1897 - The Masonic funeral of the late John W. Etheridge was to take place at Belleville on this Sunday. Wm. H. Hawkins was Secretary of Greening Lodge No. 53 at that time.

June 13, 1903 – Pro Football Hall of Fame halfback Harold Edward "Red" Grange, nicknamed “The Galloping Ghost,” was born in Forksville, Pa. He went on to play for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears and the New York Yankees. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1963.

June 13, 1905 - Pitcher Christy Matthewson of the New York Giants threw the second no-hitter of his career to lead his Giants to a 1-0 win over the powerful Chicago Cubs.

June 13, 1907 – The Monroe Journal reported, in news from the Buena Vista community, that Dr. W.M. Hestle and Joe Holloway were among those who attended a meeting of the Masonic Lodge at Bell’s Landing during the previous week.

June 13, 1907 – The Monroe Journal reported that the Hon. N.J. Stallworth had been appointed postmaster at Monroeville, in the place of S.A. McDuffie who died. Stallworth planned to retain a Mrs. Smith as his assistant.

June 13, 1909 – The baseball teams from Owassa and Brownville played a doubleheader at Owassa, and Owassa won both games.

June 13, 1912 - Christy Mathewson got his 300th career pitching win.

June 13, 1912 – Capt. Albert Berry made the first successful parachute jump from an airplane in Jefferson, Miss.

June 13, 1913 - Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany left Konopischt, Bohemia (today the Czech Republic), the hunting lodge and country estate of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary, after a weekend visit.

June 13-14, 1916 – The chancery court was in session in Evergreen, Ala. on this Tuesday and Wednesday and a “quite a large crowd was in attendance,” according to The Conecuh Record.

June 13, 1917 – A detached company of troops that had been stationed at Evergreen, Ala. “for some time” was ordered to Montgomery and left on this Wednesday morning “on a hike for that city.” From there, they were to move on to Charleston, S.C. During their time in Evergreen, the troops “made friends and were popular” and “their departure was regretted by many.”

June 13, 1917 – During a severe thunderstorm in Evergreen, Ala. on this Wednesday night, lightning killed two valuable milk cows belonging to the Hon. C.S. Rabb.

June 13, 1917 – During World War I, the deadliest German air raid on London of the war was carried out by Gotha G.IV bombers and resulted in 162 deaths, including 46 children, and 432 injuries.

June 13, 1919 – An ice cream supper at the Methodist Church at Roy (Frisco City) was scheduled to be held on this Friday night for the benefit of the church.

June 13, 1932 – The death sentence imposed against Clarence Crenshaw was commuted to life in prison by Alabama Gov. Benjamin M. Miller after members of the State Board of Pardons unanimously recommended commutation. Crenshaw was 17 years old when he was convicted of murdering John D. Barnes in May 1931 near Castleberry, Ala. Crenshaw claimed he fatally stabbed Barnes in self-defense and he was sentenced to be executed on July 29.

June 13, 1940 - The Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox became the first teams to play at Cooperstown's Doubleday Field.

June 13, 1941 – C.C. Hagood was installed as Worshipful Master of Greening Lodge No. 53 during a regular meeting held at the Masonic Hall in Evergreen. Other officers included A.B. Hansen, Senior Warden; Haywood Hanna, Junior Warden; W.S. Dreaden, Treasurer; W.G. Jones, Secretary; A.K. Williams Jr., Senior Deacon; W.W. Overby, Junior Deacon; J.H. Stamps, Tyler; T.J. Mills, Senior Steward; M.A. Hansen, Junior Steward; T.L. Jackson, Marshal; and J.T. Peak, Chaplain.

June 13-14, 1943 – At the Pix Theatre in Evergreen, Ala. on this Sunday and Monday, “The Pride of the Yankees: The Life Story of Lou Gehrig,” starring Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright and Walter Brennan.

June 13, 1944 – During World War II, German combat elements - reinforced by the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division - launched a counterattack on American forces near Carentan.

June 13, 1948 – A uniformed Babe Ruth appeared at Yankee Stadium one last time as the Yankees retired his No. 3. The Yankees sent his uniform to the Hall of Fame, and Ruth died from throat cancer a few weeks later on Aug. 16, 1948.

June 13, 1948 – The baseball standings for the teams in the Tri County Baseball League, with games played through this Sunday, were as follows: Evergreen, 8-1, .889; Booneville, 7-3, .700; Atmore, 6-4, .600; Frisco City, 6-5, .546; Jay, 5-5, .500; Brewton, 3-6, .333; Monroeville, 2-7, .222; Flomaton, 2-8, .200.

June 13, 1960 – Roy Riley, a farmer on Highway 31 South, brought the first cotton bloom of the season by The Courant office in Evergreen, Ala.

June 13, 1961 – In American League youth baseball action in Evergreen, Ala., the Giants beat the Yankees, 2-0. Harold Wright pitched for the Giants, and Jack White pitched for the Yankees.

June 13, 1966 – The United States Supreme Court ruled in Miranda v. Arizona that the police must inform suspects of their rights before questioning them.

June 13, 1967 – U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated Solicitor-General Thurgood Marshall to become the first black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

June 13, 1968 – The Evergreen Courant reported, under the headline “BROWN BREAKS RECORD,” that Airman First Class John Brown, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Brown and the local pro at Incirlik’s Golf Shop, shot a record-breaking 66, breaking his old course record of 67. His round was highlighted by two eagle 3s on the par five second and on the par five 11 holes. Brown, who was stationed in Adana, Turkey, was to go on to a tournament in Athens, Greece. A win there would take him to Germany where a win would bring him to England. A third win would bring him to Lackland, AFB, Texas.

June 13, 1968 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Chief Warrant Officer D.C. Mininger, wounded in action in Vietnam in April, was happy to be home with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Darwin Mininger. At that time, he was on 30 days convalescent leave from the hospital at Keesler AFB, Miss. CWO Mininger enlisted in the U.S. Army after graduation from Evergreen High School in 1961. He served in Germany in 1963-65 and graduated from Helicopter Pilot School at Fort Rucker. He went to Vietnam in May 1967 and had logged over 1,200 combat hours when he suffered bullet wounds in his right arm and right shoulder while landing troops. He said doctors told him that the arm and shoulder would be “all right” and that he planned to continue his service. He held the Army Commendation Medal, the Air Medal with two “V” for Valor devices and 30 Oak Leaf Clusters.

June 13, 1971 – During the Vietnam War, The New York Times began publication of the Pentagon Papers, a secret study of America's involvement in Vietnam.

June 13, 1973 - Representatives of the original signers of the January 27 cease-fire signed a new 14-point agreement calling for an end to all cease-fire violations in South Vietnam.

June 13, 1977 – Convicted Martin Luther King Jr. assassin James Earl Ray was recaptured after escaping from prison three days before.

June 13, 1980 - Pat Benatar opened a home game for the Philadelphia Phillies by playing a brief set.

June 13, 1986 – Magnolia Cemetery in Mobile, Ala. was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

June 13, 1996 - Cal Ripken of the Baltimore Orioles tied Sachio Kinugasa's record of 2,215 consecutive games played.

June 13, 1997 – A Denver jury sentenced Timothy McVeigh to death for his part in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

June 13, 1998 - Clint Casey exhibited the 1998 Grand Champion market hog at the 1998 Conecuh County Market Hog Show. The judge was Derek Bryan, County Agent, Crenshaw County.

June 13, 2002 - The National Archives briefly displayed artifacts from the Watergate burglary that led to U.S. President Nixon's resignation.

June 13, 2006 - U.S. President George W. Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq, where he met with the Iraqi Prime Minister and U.S. troops.

June 13, 2008 - Former Monroeville resident Phil Shirley signed copies of his recently published book, “O Don’t You Cry For Me,” at the Beehive Coffee and Books on this Friday evening. He also read selections of the book with references to Monroeville, as well as other selected samples.

June 13, 2011 – Hall of Fame Alabama high school football coach and former Livingston College coach Morris Higginbotham passed away at the age of 86 in McCalla, Ala.

June 13, 2012 – A series of bombings across Iraq, including Baghdad, Hillah and Kirkuk, killed at least 93 people and wounded over 300 others.

June 13, 2014 – Pro Football Hall of Fame guard and linebacker Chuck Noll died at the age of 82 in Sewickley, Pa. During his career, he played for Dayton and the Cleveland Browns, and he coached for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993.