Today in History for Aug. 17, 2018

Aug. 17, 1560 – The Roman Catholic Church was overthrown and Protestantism was established as the national religion in Scotland.

Aug. 17, 1585 – A first group of colonists sent by Sir Walter Raleigh under the charge of Ralph Lane landed in the New World to create Roanoke Colony on Roanoke Island, off the coast of present-day North Carolina.

Aug. 17, 1597 – Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, and Sir Walter Raleigh set sail on an expedition to the Azores.

Aug. 17, 1771 – Edinburgh botanist James Robertson made the first recorded ascent of Ben Nevis in Scotland

Aug. 17, 1785 - Jonathan Trumbull, governor of both the colony and state of Connecticut, died in Lebanon, Connecticut, where he was buried.

Aug. 17, 1786 – American soldier, politician and folk hero David “Davy” Crockett was born in Greene County, Tenn. He would be killed at the Alamo in 1836. Crockett was a participant in the Battle of Tallushatchee, which took place on November 3, 1813, in present-day Calhoun County, Ala. It was America's first military victory in the Creek War of 1813-14. Crockett was a member the Second Regiment of Tennessee Volunteer Mounted Riflemen under Brigadier General John Coffee.

Aug. 17, 1790 - The capital city of the United States moved to Philadelphia from New York City.

Aug. 17, 1798 – The Vietnamese Roman Catholics reported a Marian apparition in Quảng Trị, an event which is called Our Lady of La Vang.

Aug. 17, 1807 – Robert Fulton's North River Steamboat left New York City for Albany, New York, on the Hudson River, inaugurating the first commercial steamboat service in the world.

Aug. 17, 1814 – A Choctaw company of 53 warriors, commanded by Pushmataha, with Moshulitubbee as second in command, was mustered into the service of the United States. This company of Indian warriors formed part of the detachment under the command of Major Uriah Blue, and assisted in bringing the Creek War to a close. They were mustered out of service at Fort Stoddart on Jan. 27, 1815.

Aug. 17, 1829 - The conjoined twins, Chang & Eng, arrived in America from Siam to embark on their exhibition tour. Their condition was the source of the phrase "Siamese twins."

Aug. 17, 1833 – Charles D. McCall named postmaster at Burnt Corn, Ala., but he refused to accept the job, and J. Walker served as acting postmaster in his place.

Aug. 17, 1836 – David Moniac of Alabama, the first Native American graduate of West Point, was commissioned as a captain in the Second Seminole War.

Aug. 17, 1853 – Daniel McCool was commissioned for his third and final term as Monroe County, Alabama’s Circuit Court Clerk.

Aug. 17, 1861 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Palmyra, Hunnewell and at Brunswick, Mo.

Aug. 17, 1861 - George Thomas was appointed brigadier general of volunteers, Army of the Cumberland.

Aug. 17, 1862 – During the Civil War, Major General J.E.B. Stuart was assigned command of all the cavalry of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.

Aug. 17, 1862 – During the Civil War, Minnesota erupted in violence as desperate Dakota Indians attacked white settlements along the Minnesota River. Over 500 white settlers lost their lives along with about 150 Dakota warriors. The Dakota were eventually overwhelmed by the U.S. military six weeks later, and over 300 warriors were sentenced to death.

Aug. 17, 1862 - J. E. B. Stuart assumed command of the cavalry of the Army of Northern Virginia.

Aug. 17, 1862 - Corpus Christi, Texas was bombarded by Union forces.

Aug. 17, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at London, at Flat Lick and near Mammoth, Ky.

Aug. 17, 1862 – HILLIARD’S LEGION: During their 47-mile march from Knoxville to the Cumberland Gap, Hilliard’s Legion pulled out of camp at Mayardville, Tenn. early and marched to a point one mile north of Tazwell, Tenn. The legion remained in camp at this point until Aug. 22, awaiting orders.

Aug. 17, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Grand Prairie, Ark.; and at Grenada and near Panola, Miss.

Aug. 17, 1863 – During the Civil War, in an impressive display of firepower, Federal batteries began heavy shelling of Confederate positions ringing Charleston Harbor including Fort Sumter. Using Parrott rifled cannon including the 200-pound Swamp Angel, the artillery was deadly accurate and easily breached Sumter, but no assault was forthcoming. Although the initial attack was the heaviest, Federal artillery assaults continued off and on until September, 1864.

Aug. 17, 1864 – During the Civil War, at the Battle of Gainesville, Confederate forces defeated Union troops near Gainesville, Fla.

Aug. 17, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Gainesville, Fla.; at South Newport, Ga.; at White Oak Springs, Ky.; and at Winchester and at Gravel Hill in Virginia.

Aug. 17, 1864 – During the Civil War, General John Bankhead Magruder appointed commander of Confederate forces in Arkansas.

Aug. 17, 1870 - Spanish-American War hero Richmond Pearson Hobson was born in Greensboro, Ala. Hobson later represented Alabama in the U.S. Congress and was active in the prohibition movement. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1933 for heroism during the Spanish-American War and became a Rear Admiral in 1934. Hobson died in 1937.

Aug. 17, 1877 - Though only a teenager at the time, William Bonney, aka “Billy the Kid,” wounded an Arizona blacksmith named Frank “Windy” Cahill, who died the next day. He was the famous outlaw’s first victim.

Aug. 17, 1878 – Irish writer and wit Oliver St. John Gogarty was born in Dublin.

Aug. 17, 1886 - A “very refreshing shower of rain fell” on this Tuesday in Monroeville, “which was gladly welcomed by all,” according to The Monroe Journal.

Aug. 17, 1886 - A special term of the Commissioners court convened on this Tuesday in Monroeville.

Aug. 17, 1887 - Rev. Mr. Cowan closed a very successful revival meeting at Puryearville on this Wednesday night with 18 accessions to the church, according to The Monroe Journal.

Aug. 17, 1893 – Actress and playwright Mae West was born in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Aug. 17, 1894 - John Wadsworth of Louisville set a Major League Baseball record when he gave up 28 base hits in a single game.

Aug. 17, 1896 - Mrs. Margaret Hixon, the widow of the late Richard Hixon, died at her home near Steadham, Ala. on this Tuesday, aged about 63 years. Four sons and one daughter survived her.

Aug. 17, 1903 - Joseph Pulitzer donated a million dollars to Columbia University, which started the Pulitzer Prizes in his name.

Aug. 17, 1907 – Pike Place Market, a popular tourist destination and registered historic district in Seattle, Wash., opened.

Aug. 17, 1909 - With a unanimous vote by the legislature, Alabama became the first state to ratify the 16th amendment to the U.S. Constitution. When the amendment went into effect on Feb. 25, 1913, it gave Congress the power to collect income taxes.

Aug. 17, 1913 – Major League Baseball first baseman Rudy York was born in Ragland, Ala. He would go on to play for the Detroit Tigers, the Boston Red Sox, the Chicago White Sox and the Philadelphia Athletics.

Aug. 17, 1914 – Boll weevils arrived in Montgomery County, Ala. as the State Department of Agriculture received a specimen from the plantation of W.V. Bell of Ada in the western part of the county.

Aug. 17, 1914 – During World War I, at the Battle of Stallupönen, the German army of General Hermann von François defeated the Russian force commanded by Paul von Rennenkampf near modern-day Nesterov, Russia.

Aug. 17, 1914 - The Russian 1st and 2nd Armies began their advance into East Prussia, fulfilling Russia’s promise to its ally, France, to attack Germany from the east as soon as possible so as to divert German resources and relieve pressure on France during the opening weeks of the First World War.

Aug. 17, 1916 – The Conecuh Record reported that a cavalry company was to be organized in Evergreen within the next 10 days. E.C. Barnes and J.A. Rumbley were the recruiting officers. At the time, there were only three states in the Union that had cavalry troops - Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania – and Alabama was to be the fourth. Elsewhere in that day’s paper it was reported that Capt. Duke Guice of Greenville was in Evergreen looking for recruits for a cavalry company that week.

Aug. 17, 1916 – The Monroe Journal reported that Mr. and Mrs. Walter Lee and a party of young folks from Evergreen were guests of Mr. and Mrs. L.W. Locklin on the occasion of the dance at the courthouse on this Thursday night.

Aug. 17, 1920 - Mr. and Mrs. Robert G. Scott announced in this day’s edition of The Monroe Journal the engagement of their daughter, Miss Annie, to Mr. Ulmer E. Bradley of Blacksher, Ala., the wedding to take place at Eliska on Sept. 7.

Aug. 17, 1924 - Alabama author A. Cleveland Harrison was born in McRae, Ark.

Aug. 17, 1924 – Novelist, poet and short-story writer Evan S. Connell was born in Kansas City, Mo.

Aug. 17, 1930 – Poet Ted Hughes was born in West Riding, Yorkshire.

Aug. 17, 1933 - New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig played in his 1,308th consecutive game, breaking former Yankee Everett Scott’s record for consecutive games played. Gehrig would go on to play in 2,130 games in a row, setting a record that would stand for over half a century.

Aug. 17, 1935 - Drs. A.B. Coxwell and W.A. Stallworth were to leave Monroeville on this Saturday for Century, where they were to attend the Southeastern Surgical Congress to be held at the J.H. Turberville Hospital at that place.

Aug. 17, 1939 - The movie "Wizard of Oz" premiered in New York, two days after it premiered in Hollywood on August 15.

Aug. 17, 1941 - After a lingering illness of several months, 64-year-old F. Temp Thames, well known and beloved citizen of Burnt Corn, died at his home at 1 p.m. on this Sunday. Thames was born on Sept. 27, 1876 and had lived his entire life in the community where he died. He had served as member of the Conecuh County Jury Commission and was affiliated with the Masonic lodge at Burnt Corn. He was buried in the Ramah Baptist Church Cemetery in Pine Orchard.

Aug. 17, 1950 – The Monroe Journal reported that the coaching position at J.U. Blacksher High School in Uriah remained unfilled that week following a call to active duty for John Alexander Roney of Hartford, who originally was employed for the post. Roney had been employed earlier in the summer to replace Coach John Sawyer in the coaching spot. Sawyer had been elevated to principal of the school, succeeding W.M. Johnson, who resigned.

Aug. 17, 1959 – “Kind of Blue” by Miles Davis, the much acclaimed and highly influential best-selling jazz recording of all time, was released.

Aug. 17, 1965 – In an election in Mobile, Lambert C. Mims, a native of Monroe County, was one of the two top vote getters in a seven-man race for Place 3, Mobile City Commission. He was to face Henry R. Luscher Jr. in the runoff Sept. 7. A food broker, Mims was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jeff C. Mims of Uriah. He was a graduate of the J.U. Blacksher High School and lived in Uriah until he moved to Mobile several years before 1965.

Aug. 17, 1967 - Army Pvt. Curtis E. Harris, 25, son of Mr. and Mrs. William G. Harris of Uriah, completed eight weeks of training in air defense artillery at the Army Air Defense School, Ft. Bliss, Texas. He was trained in firing and maintaining air defense missiles. Instruction included tactics of air defense weapons systems, function of nuclear warheads, electronics and missile repair. Harris graduated from Troy State College in 1965 with a B.A. degree.

Aug. 17, 1968 – Mystery writer Steve Hockensmith was born in Louisville, Ky.

Aug. 17, 1968 - Defense Department figures put the number of combat missions flown over North Vietnam since February 1965 to 117,000, dropping over 2.5 million tons of bombs and rockets.

Aug. 17, 1969 – Category 5 Hurricane Camille hit the U.S. Gulf Coast, killing 256 and causing $1.42 billion in damage.

Aug. 17, 1971 - The Evergreen City Council heard a proposition on Cable Television for the city area, but took no action at its meeting on this Tuesday night. Calvin Sutliff of Arizona was present to discuss a Cable TV system with the council. If granted a franchise, he would move to Evergreen, Sutliff said. The council postponed any action until a later meeting.

Aug. 17, 1973 - The United States and Thailand agreed to begin negotiations on the reduction of the 49,000-man American presence in Thailand.

Aug. 17, 1980 – Azaria Chamberlain disappeared at Ayers Rock, Northern Territory, probably taken by a dingo, leading to what was then the most publicized trial in Australian history.

Aug. 17, 1982 – The first compact discs for commercial release were manufactured in Germany.

Aug. 17, 1986 - Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds was struck out for his last at bat by San Diego Padres relief pitcher Rich "Goose" Gossage.

Aug. 17, 1987 – Evergreen, Ala. weather reporter Earl Windham reported 2.5 inches of rain on this day in Evergreen.

Aug. 17, 2004 - Kathleen “Kathy” Theresa Lutz of “Amityville Horror” fame passed away from emphysema at the age of 57.

Aug. 17, 2006 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Sparta Academy head coach Clint Floyd was preparing the Warriors for their first-ever Saturday night season-opener. Sparta was scheduled to play East Memorial Christian Academy Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. in Prattville. Floyd said the game would be played at Prattville High School’s stadium on artificial turf. Sparta’s April 10 scrimmage with Dixie Academy in Evergreen left Floyd feeling good about the defense and concerned about the offensive line play. Players on Sparta’s team that year included Gaston Bozeman, Chase Brown, Taylor Brown, D.J. Buckhault, Kyle Cinereski, Peyton Thompson, Myles Wiggins and J.R. Williams.

Aug. 17, 2006 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Conecuh County Sheriff Tracy Hawsey had found himself in the midst of a controversy over a television show he and WAKA CBS 8 reporter Mike Smith created called “Alabama 9-1-1.” Articles that appeared in the Mobile Press-Register that week allege that Hawsey had a conflict and could be in violation of ethics laws in the state. Sheriff Hawsey claimed that he had already discussed the matter with the Secretary of State’s office and they had no problems.

Aug. 17, 2006 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Bobby Balogun, President of W&B Trading, had appeared before the Conecuh County Commission to voice his displeasure with the progress in acquiring the land and other incentives promised him by the county and City of Evergreen to bring his biodiesel plant to Conecuh County. Balogun began by saying his company was happy to be in Conecuh County and felt like the county had welcomed him. He told the county there were several issues they were not happy with on the project. He stated that since the contract for the project was signed on June 8 too much time had passed without activity on items like the temporary industrial access road to the site.