Today in History for Oct. 3, 2018

Oct. 3, 1264 - The great comet that was said to predict the death of Pope Urban IV was last seen.

Oct. 3, 1692 – In connection with the Salem witchcraft trials, the Reverend Increase Mather, President of Harvard College and father of Cotton Mather, denounced the use of spectral evidence.

Oct. 3, 1704 – “Cassette Girls” arrived in Mobile, Ala. King Louis XIV paid passage and dowries for 25 young women to travel from France on board the “Pelican” to the colony of Louisiana to become wives of colonists. Other cassette girls arrived in 1728.

Oct. 3, 1778 – Captain James Cook anchored in Alaska.

Oct. 3, 1781 - British Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Dundas of the 80th Foot, leading 1,000 British troops, encountered French Brigadier General Marquis de Choisy, leading French troops and a battalion of the Virginia militia totaling 800 men.

Oct. 3, 1789 – George Washington made the first Thanksgiving Day designated by the national government of the United States of America.

Oct. 3, 1795 – Slave rebel leader Tula was executed in Curaçao.

Oct. 3, 1800 – Historian George Bancroft, known as the “Father of American History,” was born in Worcester, Mass.

Oct. 3, 1849 – American author Edgar Allan Poe was found delirious in a gutter in Baltimore, Md. under mysterious circumstances. It was the last time he was seen in public before his death.

Oct. 3, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Jollification, Mo.

Oct. 3, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Springfield Station, near Franklin, and at Pohick Church, Va.

Oct. 3, 1861 – During the Civil War, during the West Virginia campaign, an engagement was fought at Greenbrier River, West Virginia (also known as Camp Bartow) in Pocahontas County, WV. During the night of Oct. 2-3, Union Brig. Gen. Joseph Reynolds led two brigades forward from Cheat Mountain to reconnoiter the Confederate position at Camp Bartow on the Greenbrier River. After sporadic fighting and an abortive attempt to turn his enemy’s right flank, Reynolds withdrew to Cheat Mountain with each side losing about 40 men.

Oct. 3, 1861 – During the Civil War, at the “Capture of St. John's Bluff” in Duval County, Fla., a federal flotilla of gunboats arrived at St. John’s Bluff near Jacksonville to find that Confederate Lt. Col. Charles F. Hopkins had abandoned the artillery position after dark the day before. Confederate Brig. Gen. John Finegan had established a battery on St. John' s Bluff to stop the movement of Federal ships up the St. Johns River.

Oct. 3, 1862 – Lt. Col. Pinckney D. Bowles of the Conecuh Guards was promoted to colonel when Col. E.M. Law was promoted to brigade commander.

Oct. 3, 1862 - Confederates under General Earl Van Dorn attempted to recapture Corinth, a vital rail center in Mississippi. However, the following day, the Second Battle of Corinth ended in defeat for the Rebels. The Union losses included 315 dead, 1,812 wounded, and 232 taken as prisoners, while the Confederate losses included 1,423 dead, 5,692 wounded, and 2,268 prisoners.

Oct. 3, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Cedar Church, near Shepherdsville, in Kentucky; near Jollification, Mo.; and near La Fayette Landing, Tenn. Two skirmishes were also fought along the Blackwater River. One was near Franklin and the other near Zuni, in Virginia.

Oct. 3, 1862 – 59^TH ALABAMA: The 59^th Alabama was attached to Fourth Brigade, Second Division, Army of Kentucky, Department East Tennessee.

Oct. 3, 1863 – Archaeologist and explorer Pyotr Kozlov was born in Dukhovshchina, Russia.

Oct. 3, 1863 – The last Thursday in November was declared as Thanksgiving Day by United States President Abraham Lincoln.

Oct. 3, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought on Bayou Teche in Louisiana; along Deer Creek in Mississippi; at Bear Creek, Hill’s Gap (near Beersheba,) and McMinnville in Tennessee; and at Lewisville, Va.

Oct. 3, 1863 – During the Civil War, two months of sustained Federal operations began in the Bayou Teche Country of Louisiana, and five days of Federal operations began in Bates and Vernon Counties in Missouri.

Oct. 3, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes at Mount Elba, Ark.; at Big Shanty and at the Kenesaw Water Tank in Georgia; at Hermann and Miller’s Station in Missouri; and at Mount Jackson and North River in Virginia. A six-day Federal expedition from Morganza to Bayou Sara in Louisiana also began.

Oct. 3, 1873 - The United States military hung four Indians found guilty of murdering the Civil War hero, General Edward Canby, on April 11, 1873, during the Modoc War in Oregon. Canby was the highest ranking military official - and the only general - ever killed by Indians.

Oct. 3, 1873 – Manners maven Emily Post was born Emily Price in Baltimore, Md.

Oct. 3, 1890 – Around 10 a.m., 37-year-old John S. McDuffie of River Ridge in Monroe County received word that wanted train robber Rube Burrow was eating breakfast at a cabin two miles from McDuffie’s farm and six miles from Bell’s Landing. Four days later, Jesse Hildreth, George Ford and Frank Marshall helped McDuffie and Jefferson Davis “Dixie” Carter of Myrtlewood capture Burrow at Ford’s cabin at Boneyville, about two miles east of Myrtlewood in Marengo County. From there, McDuffie and Carter took Burrow to Linden, where Burrow would be shot to death during an escape attempt two days later, on Oct. 9.

Oct. 3, 1895 – The Civil War novel, “The Red Badge of Courage” by Stephen Crane, was published in book form for the first time.

Oct. 3, 1895 – The Monroe Masonic Chapter No. 4 was scheduled to hold a regular convocation at Perdue Hill, Ala. beginning at 8 p.m. W.J McCants was the chapter’s secretary.

Oct. 3, 1895 – The Monroe Journal reported that “October was ushered in with some very cold weather, which rendered fires quite comfortable.”

Oct. 3, 1900 – American novelist Thomas Wolfe was born in Asheville, N.C. He is best known for his novels “Look Howard, Angel,” “Of Time and the River,” “The Web and the Rock” and “You Can’t Go Home Again.”

Oct. 3, 1901 - The Victor Talking Machine Company was incorporated. After a merger with Radio Corporation of America the company became RCA-Victor.

Oct. 3, 1913 - A one-percent Federal Income Tax was signed into law.

Oct. 3, 1914 – Confederate veteran Dr. Ely Bradley, 81, of Conecuh County, Ala. passed away at the Mobile Infirmary. Born in Belleville on Feb. 20, 1833, he went on to serve in Co. H of the 2^nd Alabama Cavalry Regiment. He was buried with Masonic honors at Belleville United Methodist Church Cemetery on Oct. 4.

Oct. 3, 1915 – The Rev. W.H. Hasty of Excel, Ala. was scheduled to preach a sermon in memory of Mrs. Amanda Hobbs Filmore at the Johnson graveyard, three miles west of Deer Range, Ala., on this Sunday at 10 a.m.

Oct. 3, 1915 – A small boy was severely injured on this Sunday afternoon by either trying to get on or off a moving freight train in Evergreen.

Oct. 3, 1917 - Six months after the United States declared war on Germany and began its participation in the First World War, the U.S. Congress passed the War Revenue Act, increasing income taxes to unprecedented levels in order to raise more money for the war effort.

Oct. 3, 1919 – Cincinnati Reds pitcher Adolfo Luque became the first Latin player to appear in a World Series.

  

Oct. 3, 1921 – The wife of L.J. Etheridge died at the age of 73 years old, leaving behind her husband and six children. Etheridge was laid to rest in Owassa cemetery, the funeral conducted by Rev. J.T. Peak.

Oct. 3, 1924 – Cartoonist Harvey Kurtzman, the founding editor of Mad magazine, was born in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Oct. 3, 1925 – Novelist, essayist and screenwriter Gore Vidal was born Eugene Luther Gore Vidal Jr. at West Point Academy in New York, where his father was a flying instructor and assistant football coach.

Oct. 3, 1932 - Iraq gained its independence from the United Kingdom and was admitted into the League of Nations, leading Britain to terminate their mandate over the nation. Britain had ruled Iraq since taking it from Turkey during World War I.

Oct. 3, 1933 – Former Conecuh County, Ala. Sheriff’s deputy A.F. Etheridge passed away at the age of 81 at his home in Canoe in Escambia County and was buried in the Sardis Cemetery at Canoe.

Oct. 3, 1936 – Former Auburn University head football coach John Heisman died at the age of 66 in New York. He served as Auburn’s head coach from 1895 to 1899. The Heisman Trophy, awarded annually to the season's most outstanding college football player, is named after him.

Oct. 3, 1945 - Elvis Presley made his first public appearance at age 10, singing "Old Sheep" in the Alabama Dairy Talent Show, winning $5 for second prize.

Oct. 3, 1946 – The Evergreen Courant reported that for the first time since Evergreen High revived football, the three Senior high classes and the football team elected sponsors for the first game of the year, which “added much to the spirit of the game.” The sponsors for the football team were Kathryn Snowden, who chose as her escort, Bill Johnson, for the Senior III class; Betty Bettiss, whose escort was Clarence Carrier. The Senior II class elected Mary Tom Johnson, who was elected by Rex Carpenter, and the Senior I sponsor was Joyce Barfield, her escort being Nick Stallworth. All four of the sponsors carried large arm bouquets of chrysanthemums given them by the “E” club. Mrs. Annie D. Dean presented the teacher sponsors with lovely corsages of gladioli, who were Mrs. E.L. McInnis, Mrs. Charles Parnell and Mrs. Clifford Harper. There was also a huge and lovely basket of flowers placed behind the sponsors seats.

Oct. 3-4, 1951 – In an incident attributed to the Bermuda Triangle, Brazilian warship “Sao Paulo” suddenly vanished on this night with a crew of eight while being towed by two oceangoing tugs southwest of the Azores.

Oct. 3, 1951 – With his team trailing, 4-2, New York Giants third baseman Bobby Thomson hit a one-out, three-run home run off Ralph Branca in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the National League pennant for the Giants over the Brooklyn Dodgers at the Polo Grounds in Washington Heights, N.Y. The Giants went on to lose the World Series to the Yankees, but Thomson’s miraculous homer remains one of the most memorable moments in sports history.

Oct. 3, 1951 – National Baseball Hall of Fame right fielder Dave Winfield was born in St. Paul, Minn. He went on to play for the San Diego Padres, the New York Yankees, the California Angels, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Minnesota Twins and the Cleveland Indians. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001.

Oct. 3, 1952 - Monroe County High School’s football team racked up its fourth straight win of the season and second victory against out-of-county opponents by out-scoring the Evergreen Aggies, 13-0, in Monroeville on this Friday night. Tiger TD trotters were left half Rip Regan and fullback Jake Smith, while QB Jackie Pickett was responsible for the single conversion. Other top MCHS players in that game included Ronald Biggs and Howard Nichols.

Oct. 3, 1952 - Officers for 1953 for the Monroeville Kiwanis Club were elected at the regular luncheon meeting of the group held at the Hi-Ho Restaurant on this Friday. Selected as president was Charles Ray Skinner, veneer mill executive, who replaced M.L. Bergman, local realtor. Other new officers included J.F. Nettles, first vice-president; R.A. Wible, second vice-president; and Johnson Lathram, treasurer.

Oct. 3, 1954 – National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley was born in Oakland, Calif. He went on to play for the Cleveland Indians, the Boston Red Sox, the Chicago Cubs, the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004.

Oct. 3, 1957 – R.G. “Bob” Bozeman Jr. assumed the duties of editor and publisher of the Evergreen Courant newspaper, replacing his father R.G. Bozeman Sr., who was named publisher emeritus.

Oct. 3, 1957 – The California State Superior Court ruled that Allen Ginsberg's “Howl and Other Poems” was not obscene.

Oct. 3, 1961 – Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers and Fred Rose became the first members to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Oct. 3, 1967 - Elements of the 1st Cavalry Division launched Operation Wallowa in South Vietnam’s northernmost provinces.

Oct. 3, 1968 - At Camp Evans, 11 miles north of Hue, 24 U.S. military personnel died when a U.S. Army CH-47 helicopter collided with an American C-7 Caribou transport aircraft.

Oct. 3, 1974 - Frank Robinson took over the management position of the Cleveland Indians baseball team. He was the first black manager in Major League Baseball.

Oct. 3, 1976 – Actor and producer Seann William Scott was born in Cottage Grove, Minn.

Oct. 3, 1986 – Repton High School, under head coach H.L. Watson and ranked No. 2 in Class 1A, improved to 6-0 on the season with a 60-0 win over Southern Normal in Brewton, Ala. John Thompson led Repton’s offense with 197 yards rushing and three touchdowns, and Carl Stanton led the defense with three solo tackles and four assists. Other standout Repton players in that game included Keith Baggett, Spencer Day, Robert Douglas, Chris Dukes, Greg Mayo, Walter Millender, James Montgomery, Brian Nelms, Allen Nettles, Russell Royster, Tyrone Rudolph, Eddie Waters and Tyrone Zigler.

Oct. 3, 1986 – Thomasville Academy beat Sparta Academy, 21-8, in Thomasville on this Friday night. Sparta scored on an 18-yard pass from Jeff Walker to Tim Wilson, and Walker threw a pass to Lee Wild for the two-point conversion. Other standout Sparta players in that game included Lee Adams, Scott Adams, Kenny Bledsoe, Johnny Brock, Chris Davis, Ebb Hagen, Glynn Ralls, Lynn Ralls and Chris Turner.

Oct. 3, 1986 – W.S. Neal High School beat Evergreen High School, 21-14, in East Brewton.  With 5:06 left in the third period the Aggies got their first points of the night on a one-yard run by Sam Lymon. With 8:13 left in the game, Steve Cunningham scored on a one-yard run and after the two-point conversion run by Sam Lymon, the score was tied 14-14.

Oct. 3, 1986 – The fall term of Conecuh County Circuit Court came to a close after a light docket.

Oct. 3, 1987 – Tunnel Springs, Ala. native and former Monroe County High School standout Steve Ramer intercepted a pass for the University of Alabama during a 38-10 win over Southeastern Louisiana in Birmingham, Ala. Ramer played linebacker at UA and wore jersey No. 49.

Oct. 3, 1989 - Art Shell became the first African-American head coach in the modern National Football League when he took over the Los Angeles Raiders.

Oct. 3, 1990 – East and West Germany reunified after the German Democratic Republic ceased to exist and its territory became part of the Federal Republic of Germany. The two countries had been divided since the end of World War II. The most visible sign of this division was the Berlin Wall that divided the former capital for 28 years.

Oct. 3, 1990 - Iraqi President Saddam Hussein made a visit to Kuwait since his country had seized control of the oil-rich nation.

Oct. 3, 1993 – During the Battle of Mogadishu, a firefight occurred during a failed attempt to capture key officials of warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid's organization in Mogadish, Somalia, costing the lives of 18 American soldiers and over 350 Somalis.

Oct. 3, 1995 – O. J. Simpson was acquitted of the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Simpson was later found liable in a civil trial.

Oct. 3, 1997 – J.U. Blacker High School’s Anthony Tucker made his way into the Alabama High School Athletic Association football record books by rushing 43 times in a 12-6 loss at Fruitdale High School. He is currently tied for the No. 14 spot for Most Rushing Attempts in a single game with two other players. The state record is 72 carries.

Oct. 3, 1997 - Frisco City High School principal Jane Bradley crowned Kim Maye as its 1997 homecoming queen on this Friday night. Maye was escorted by Ralph Gibbs.

Oct. 3, 2000 - Mark David Chapman was denied parole by the New York State Board of Parole. Chapman had been sentenced to life for the murder of John Lennon on Dec. 8, 1980.

Oct. 3, 2001 - Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants broke Babe Ruth's Major League Baseball single-season record for walks at 171.

Oct. 3, 2002 - The Texas Rangers put John Rocker on waivers for the purpose of his unconditional release.

Oct. 3, 2012 - Miguel Cabrera achieved baseball's first Triple Crown since 1967. He led the league with a .330 average, 44 home runs and 139 RBIs in the regular season.