The Evergreen Courant's Sports Flashback for Jan. 2, 2017

16 YEARS AGO

JAN. 4, 2001

Lady Warriors win Sparta tourney: Sparta Academy hosted their annual Tournament of Champions Basketball Tournament Dec. 29-30 in Evergreen. Ashley Hammonds, Jill Pate and Kyle Johnston were named to the All-Tournament team.

The Lady Warriors won the girls tournament with victories over Abbeville Christian Academy and Monroe Academy.

Lady Warriors 48, Abbeville 46: Katie Etheridge was the leading scorer for the Lady Warriors with 17 points. Also scoring in double digits was Ashley Hammonds with 13 points. Rounding out the scoring for the Lady Warriors were Callie Ezell with eight points, Jessica Bennett with four points, Jill Pate, Laura Wiggins and Jessica Armuelles with two points each.

Lady Warriors 47, Monroe 44: Katie Etheridge and Ashley Hammonds led the Lady Warriors in scoring with 15 points each. Also putting points on the board were Ashton Garner with six points, Jill Pate with five points, Jessica Bennett with four points and Laura Wiggins with two points.

Warriors 42, Abbeville 66: John McKenzie was the leading scorer for the Warriors with 12 points.

Warriors 41, Monroe 52: Chris Garner was the leading scorer for the Warriors with 10 points.

(Other players on Sparta’s boys team that year included John Anderson, Jimmy Hyde, Rusty Salter, Justin Tranum and Derrick Williams.)

41 YEARS AGO

JAN. 1, 1976

From “The Colyum” by Bob Bozeman: Well, I finally made contact with a quail hunter who can deliver. Ed Pate of Castleberry stopped by the office Saturday and told me he was going to bring me a mess of quail and soon. Friend Ed came in early Monday with a good mess, seven, and he had even dressed and cut them.

I have a confession to make… I don’t eat quail, in fact, don’t care much for any kind of game, but Maurice and my daughter, Roberta, just “love” quail. They enjoyed Ed’s at supper Tuesday night and it gave me pleasure just watching them enjoy the birds.

Ed left a note with the quail: “Bob, hope you enjoy these quail… and a Happy and Prosperous New Year to you and yours. P.S. I still think Roland has good intentions.”

Thanks, Ed, and best wishes to you and yours, too.

66 YEARS AGO

JAN. 4, 1951

Aggies Play Repton There Friday Night: The Evergreen High School Aggies will re-open their basketball season after a two-week Christmas layoff in Repton Friday night. The Aggies and Bulldogs will meet in a pair of contests. The “B” teams square off at seven o’clock with the varsities scheduled to swap baskets at eight.

Before Christmas the Evergreen basketeers ran up three straight victories to open the season, but ended up on a dismal not dropping their final two starts. Evergreen whipped Frisco City, W.S. Neal and Lyeffion then lost to both Neal and Frisco.

Next Tuesday night, Jan. 9, the Evergreens will go against Principal-Coach M.C. “Strawberry” Thomasson’s Castleberry Blue Devils in Memorial Gym at Evergreen High. Friday night, Jan. 12, they play the red-hot Tigers of T.R. Miller (Brewton) here.

Mrs. E.B. Horton spent the Christmas holidays with her mother, Mrs. J.E. Reeder, and other relatives in Miami. She attended the Orange Bowl game Monday.

(Clemson beat Miami, 15-14, in the 1951 Orange Bowl.)

J.R. Brown spent the weekend in Montgomery and attended the Blue and Gray football game.

BUCKET LIST UPDATE No. 312: Watch “Encounters at the End of the World”

I have always been fascinated by Antarctica, and I’ve read many books and watched many movies about that frozen continent. However, for several years, I’ve had on my “bucket list” a movie that’s arguably one of the best ever filmed about Antarctica, “Encounters at the End of the World.” It irked me that I’d never seen this film, but those feelings went away on Tuesday of last week when I finally took the time to watch it from start to finish.

If memory serves me correctly, the first time that I ever heard of “Encounters at the End of the World” was in September 2010 when Outside magazine included it in a “best of” list called the “Outside Documentary Canon,” a list of the 25 best adventure, investigative and nature documentary movies ever made. The list was compiled by the magazine’s editors and guest editor David Holbrooke, who is the director of the Mountainfilm festival in Telluride, Colo. I want to say that I placed “Encounters at the End of the World” on my bucket list immediately after I read about it in Outside.

For those of you who haven’t seen it, “Encounters at the End of the World” was released on Sept. 1, 2007 and was written, directed and narrated by acclaimed German director Werner Herzog. Much of the movie is about the workers at the McMurdo U.S. research station in Antarctica, and it provides a fascinating look at what led them to the bottom of the world. Of course, no movie about Antarctica would be complete without portions regarding the continent’s early explorers and penguins.

The footage in the movie was also breathtaking and informative. I had a preconceived idea of what McMurdo should look at in mind before I watched in the movie, based, I think, mostly on what’s shown in 1982’s “The Thing,” another of my favorite movies set in Antarctica. However, “Encounters” shows a very different McMurdo that’s mostly dirty and brown rather than stark white and frozen.

I also enjoyed hearing the back stories of the people Herzog interviewed in the film. It really showed that there are many roads that lead to work in Antarctica. Each person interviewed seemed to display their own unique, quirky spirit of adventure that was inspiring and sometimes funny.

A good portion of the movie also shows the filmmakers exploring various ice caves. The footage is eerily beautiful, and also puts off the idea that what they are doing is extremely dangerous. My feeling is that this portion of the movie has a lot do with why this movie is so highly regarded.

This movie is just 99 minutes long, so it’s a relatively quick watch. I rented the DVD through NetFlix and watched it all in one sitting late at night on Tuesday of last week. My daughter even watched portions of it and seemed to enjoy all of the penguin footage.

In the end, how many of you have watched “Encounters at the End of the World” What did you think about it? What similar movies would you recommend watching? Let us know in the comments section below.

Today in History for Jan. 2, 2017

Edwin Booker in 1974.

Jan. 2, 1776 - The Continental Congress published the “Tory Act” resolution, which described how colonies should handle those Americans who remained loyal to the British and King George.


Jan. 2, 1777 – During the American Revolutionary War, American forces under the command of George Washington repulsed a British attack at the Battle of the Assunpink Creek near Trenton, New Jersey.

Jan. 2, 1788 - Georgia became the fourth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

Jan. 2, 1805 – The Rev. Thomas Sydenham Witherspoon was born. He would go on to serve as one of the early pastors at Greensboro Presbyterian Church. He passed away on Oct. 19, 1845 and was also buried in Stokes Cemetery in Greensboro, Ala.

Jan. 2, 1832 - Benjamin Faneuil Porter was commissioned the Judge of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Ala. by Gov. John Gayle. A native of South Carolina and also a doctor, he lived in Claiborne for about six years, before becoming a state legislator, judge and Mayor of Greenville. In 1832, he was elected to the legislature from Monroe County, the first of three successive sessions.

Jan. 2, 1860 - The discovery of the planet Vulcan was announced at a meeting of the Academie des Sciences in Paris by mathematician Urbain Le Verrier.

Jan. 2, 1861 – During the Civil War, Fort Johnson, adjacent to Charleston Harbor, S.C., which had been previously evacuated by Federal forces, was occupied by South Carolina state troops.

Jan. 2, 1861 – During the Civil War, the first New Year’s holiday of the War had come and gone, and both sides were frustrated and in states of confusion. In the North, Gen. George McClellan had bullied and backstabbed his way to command of the Army of the Potomac, and indeed was turning it from an undisciplined, untrained mob into something more resembling an army. Unfortunately, he was unwilling to put them to use in anything resembling a battle, and had then come down with typhoid fever, rendering him incapacitated for weeks. In the South, some of the initial patriotic fervor was wearing a little thin. Newspapers such as the Memphis, Tenn., “Argus” were noting that the Confederate armies were taking huge numbers of men out of productive work, and they weren’t doing any fighting either. Plus, taxes were too high.

Jan. 2, 1863 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at White Springs, Boston Mountains, Ark.

Jan. 2, 1863 – During the Civil War, after an unsuccessful attack at Chickasaw Bluffs, Miss., Federal forces re-embarked upon naval vessels and proceeded to Milliken’ Bend, La.

Jan. 2, 1863 – During the Civil War, New Madrid, Mo. was once again occupied by Federal forces.

Jan. 2, 1863 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought between Fort Donelson and Fort Henry, Tenn.

Jan. 2, 1863 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Jonesville, Lee County, Va.

Jan. 2, 1863 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Bath Springs, West Va.

Jan. 2, 1863 – During the Civil War, a four-day Federal expedition between Moorefield and Petersburg, West Va. began.

Jan. 2, 1863 - In Murfeesboro, Tenn., the Battle of Stones River ended when Union troops under William Rosecrans defeated Confederates under Braxton Bragg. Confederate General Roger Weightman Hanson was wounded and died two days later. The battle was a crucial engagement in the contest for central Tennessee, and provided a Union victory during a bleak period for the North.

Jan. 2, 1864 – During the Civil War, the Federal occupation of Santa Catalina Island, off Los Angeles, Calif. began.

Jan. 2, 1864 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at La Grange, Tenn.

Jan. 2, 1865 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Franklin and Lexington, Miss.

Jan. 2, 1865 – During the Civil War, a six-day Federal operation in Shannon County, Mo. began.

Jan. 2, 1865 – During the Civil War, an eight-day Federal operation began against Indians between Fort Wingate and Sierra del Datil in the New Mexico Territory.

Jan. 2, 1865 – During the Civil War, a Federal operation between Benvard’s Mills to South Quay, Va., on the Blackwater River, began.

Jan. 2, 1886 – English explorer Apsley Cherry-Garrard was born in Lansdowne Road, Bedford, England. He was a member of the Terra Nova Expedition and is acclaimed for his historical account of this expedition, “The Worst Journey in the World.”

Jan. 2, 1892 - Ellis Island opened as America's first federal immigration center. Annie Moore, at age 15, became the first person to pass through.

Jan. 2, 1896 – In this day’s issue of The Monroe Journal, publisher Q. Salter reported that “With this issue, The Journal enters upon the 29^th year of its existence. The proprietor is profoundly grateful to the public for past liberal support and encouragement and hopes to merit a continuation of the same.”

Jan. 2, 1896 – The Monroe Journal reported that Jeff and Fate Salter, two young white men wanted in Conecuh County for various offenses, and under indictment for the murder and robbery of Silas Hobley, a black mail carrier, near Belleville some months before, had been captured in Cameron, Texas.

Jan. 2, 1896 – The Monroe Journal reported that the “little son” of Uriah Crawford, living near Burnt Corn, had recently killed eight quail on the wing, with a single shot.

Jan. 2, 1896 – The Monroe Journal reported that Julius Wiggins, who had lived in Texas for several years, had returned with his family to reside with his wife’s father, Capt. C.R. Broughton, to care for the “old gentleman in his declining years.”

Jan. 2, 1904 - Confederate General James Longstreet passed away at the age of 82 in Gaineville, Ga.

Jan. 2, 1905 – A dwelling belonging to J.M. Grimes on his plantation at Manistee, Ala. burned down and arson was suspected.

Jan. 2, 1905 - In a crucial turning point of the Russo-Japanese War, Japan captured Port Arthur, a major Russian naval base on the Liaodong Peninsula in China.

Jan. 2, 1913 – Norman A. Staples, owner of the ill-fated steamboat James T. Staples, committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest with a shotgun. He was buried in the (supposedly haunted) Bladon Springs Cemetery in Choctaw County.

Jan. 2, 1913 – Camp Capt. William Lee, United Confederate Veterans, met at the Conecuh County Courthouse in Evergreen, Ala., and the old officers were reelected for the ensuing year - G.R. Boulware, commander; J.T. Fincher, lieutenant commander; J.A. Jones, adjutant; M.B. Salter, sergeant major; and J.D. Wright, chaplain. Dr. Skinner was elected surgeon of the camp. Wm. J. Tomlinson, J.T. Fincher and J.W. Cook were elected as delegates to the national reunion at Chattanooga next June. The Conecuh Record reported that “there is said to be only about 100 Confederate veterans in this county at the present time, and the ranks are thinning rapidly.”

Jan. 2, 1916 – A “Sacred Harp” singing convention was scheduled to be held on this Sunday in Goodway, Ala. All “singing people of Monroe County” were cordially welcomed.

Jan. 2, 1918 – During World War I, Army Cpl. John D. Chapman of Grove Hill, Ala. “died from disease.”

Jan. 2, 1920 – Science fiction author Isaac Asimov was born in Petrovichi, Russian.

Jan. 2, 1929 – The Monroeville Methodist Church building, located on the southeast corner of the square where Lee Motor Company is now, burned down.

Jan. 2, 1929 - The United States and Canada reached an agreement on joint action to preserve Niagara Falls.

Jan. 2, 1930 – The Evergreen Courant reported that farmer J.H. Ryland of Rt. E, Repton, recorded 151 rainy days on his farm during 1929. It also snowed on one day and sleeted on two others. September led with 19 rainy days; October and December had the fewest with only eight each. The record by months was as follows: January, 13; February, 13; March, 10; April, 12; May, 15; June, 15; July, 10; August, 12; September, 19; October, eight; November, 16; December, eight rain, one snow. Ryland kept no record of the amount of rainfall in inches.

Jan. 2, 1931 - The Physical Education Club and Senior Home Economics Department at Excel High School hosted a banquet for the school’s football players at the school on this Friday night. “The guests were led to the auditorium where games and contests were held,” The Monroe Journal reported. “The dining room was beautifully decorated for the occasion. Each of the boys was asked to make and three best ‘side-liners,’ Aletta Knight, Mattie Dee Faircloth and Minnie L. Mann gave their ideas of football boys.”

Jan. 2, 1931 – Two prisoners – Reed and Hendrix of Pensacola, escaped from the Monroe County Jail early on this Friday morning. “They are alleged to have made a key which fitted all doors between their cells and the street,” The Monroe Journal reported. The prisoners remained at large at of Jan. 8, 1931.

Jan. 2, 1941 – Future Conecuh County (Ala.) Sheriff Edwin L. Booker was born at Booker’s Mill to James Miller Booker and Ruth Grandeeze McPherson Booker. He would go on to be elected Conecuh County Sheriff in 1975 and would serve as sheriff for 28 total years.

Jan. 2, 1944 - The State of Alabama granted Hunt Oil Company a permit to drill the “First Oil Well in Alabama,” the A.R. Jackson Well No. 1 near Gilbertown in Choctaw County. Drilling commenced on Jan. 10, 1944 and was completed approximately one month later. The discovery of this well led to the creation of the State Oil and Gas Board of Alabama in 1945, and to the development and growth of the petroleum industry in the state. Alabama's major oil- and gas-producing regions are located in the western part of the state, along with a coalbed methane region underlying substantial portions of Tuscaloosa and Jefferson counties.

Jan. 2, 1949 – Playwright Christopher Durang was born in Montclair, New Jersey.

Jan. 2, 1956 - Oklahoma University’s champion football team, the Sooners, defeated Maryland, 20-6, in the Orange Bowl in Miami, Fla., winning the national championship and recording their 30th straight victory in the middle of a winning streak that went on to stretch to 47 games.

Jan. 2, 1956 – James Richard Merritt, 23, of Cincinnati, Ohio and three companions allegedly robbed the London Store near Castleberry, Ala. In all, they got $200 and Merritt would eventually be arrested. He would escape from the Conecuh County Jail on May 22.

Jan. 2, 1963 – During the Vietnam War, the Viet Cong won its first major victory in the Battle of Ap Bac, a village in the Mekong Delta 50 miles southwest of Saigon, inflicting heavy casualties on a much larger South Vietnamese force.

Jan. 2, 1965 – The Southern Christian Leadership Conference held its first mass meeting in Selma, Ala. at Brown Chapel, the church that would become the headquarters for the Selma movement.

Jan. 2, 1965 - "Broadway" Joe Namath signed the richest rookie contract ($400,000) in the history of pro football.

Jan. 2, 1967 - In what is described as the biggest air battle of the war to date, U.S. Air Force F-4 Phantom jets downed seven communist MiG-21s over North Vietnam. During this operation, Col. Robin Olds shot down one of the MiGs, becoming the first and only U.S. Air Force ace with victories in both World War II and Vietnam (“ace” was a designation traditionally awarded for five enemy aircraft shot down)

Jan. 2, 1974 – U.S. President Richard Nixon signed a law setting the national speed limit at 55 miles per house as part of the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act, which was a response to an oil embargo put in place by the Arab members of OPEC - the Organization for Petroleum Exporting Countries - in protest of the United States' support of Israel.

Jan. 2, 1975 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Chris Booker of Belleville, a 220-pound offensive guard and defensive end at Monroe Academy, had signed a four-year football grant-in-aid to Troy State University. He was a three-year starter for the Vols who during that time won two state championships and were runners-up the other year. Chris Booker was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Booker of Belleville, and Booker was recruited for Troy by Jim Thompkins, offensive line coach, who indicated that Chris would be playing on the offensive line.

Jan. 2, 1976 – Legendary baseball owner and showman Bill Veeck passed away from lung cancer at the age of 71 at the Illinois Masonic Center in Chicago, Ill.

Jan. 2, 1981 – One of the largest investigations by a British police force ended when serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, the "Yorkshire Ripper," was arrested in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.

Jan. 2, 1983 - Ken Anderson of the Cincinnati Bengals completed 20 consecutive passes to set an NFL record for passing accuracy.

Jan. 2, 1995 - The most distant galaxy discovered to date was first spotted from the Keck Observatory, which perches atop Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii, above the clouds at an altitude of almost 14,000 feet.

Jan. 2, 2003 - It was announced that Bill Parcells would be the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

Jan. 2, 2011 – The January 2011 Baghdad shootings took place.

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Mon., Jan. 2, 2017

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 4.90 inches

Week to Date Rainfall: 4.90 inches

Month to Date Rainfall:  7.10 inches

Winter to Date Rainfall: 7.60 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 7.10 inches

Notes: Today is the second day of 2017 and the 13th day of Winter. There are 363 days left in the year.

Readings taken at 0700 hours Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line and south of U.S. Highway 84, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834N Lon 87.30131W. Elevation 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.

100-year-old news highlights from The Monroe Journal from Jan. 1917

The Monroe Journal newspaper in Monroeville, Ala., under the direction of editor and proprietor Q. Salter, published four editions 100 years ago during the month of January 1917. Those issues, which were dated Jan. 4, Jan. 11, Jan. 18 and Jan. 25, can be found on microfilm at the Monroe County Library in Monroeville, Ala. What follows are a few news highlights from those four editions. Enjoy.

JAN. 4, 1917

VOLUME FIFTY: The Monroe Journal enters today upon the fiftieth year of its existence as a county newspaper. With the exception of a few numbers issued at Claiborne during its first year, and the further exception of a brief period of suspension in the panicky Seventies, its publication has been continuous at Monroeville, and the prosperity of the paper has kept pace with the growth of the town and the development of the county.

Mr. Hugh Cameron is preparing to erect a commodious new dwelling on an eligible site in Monvil Park residence section.

The Monroe County High School resumed the usual routine Monday after a week’s vacation. All members of the faculty are occupying their respective chairs and practically all pupils in class with one or two additional matriculates.

With the beginning of the new year, several changes in the official roster of the local Methodist Sunday school became effective. Mr. J.B. Barnett, who has been the efficient superintendent for 12 or 15 years is succeeded by Mr. A.C. Lee.

The date of the annual reunion of United Confederate Veterans in the City of Washington has been changed from May 28 to June 4 and continue through June 8.

Rev. H. Wallace of Camden occupied the pulpit at the Presbyterian church last Sunday morning and evening.

The Christmas holidays passed uneventfully in Monroeville. Fireworks and incidental noise and confusion were conspicuous by their absence.

JAN. 11, 1917

The clearness of the atmosphere and mild temperatures Sunday night afforded most favorable conditions for observing the total eclipse of the moon. The lunar orb passed within range of the earth’s shadow at about 11:40, its disk first presenting successively a slightly flattened rim, full crescent and almost total obscuration, which latter condition continued for some minutes, finally emerging again in full brilliance in the same gradual manner.

On Mon., Jan. 15, the date fixed by statute, Judge I.B. Slaughter will formally transfer to his successor, Mr. M.M. Fountain, the responsibilities involved in the administration of the office of Judge of Probate of Monroe County. Judge Slaughter has held this office for the last 12 years and retires from the position with the consciousness of having made an honorable record of which both he and his hosts of friends throughout the county have reason to feel proud.

The Monroe County Law and Equity Court will pass out of existence on Jan. 15 after six years of usefulness, the act establishing the court being superseded on the date named by the general court consolidation act. The Law and Equity Court has subserved a useful purpose in largely relieving the congested dockets and affording more speedy trial of causes. Judge W.G. McCorvey, who has the distinction of having been the first and only judge of the court, has made an enviable record on the bench, there being fewer reversals of his rulings by higher courts than ordinarily falls to the lot of nisi prius judges during similar periods.

JAN. 18, 1917

Judge M.M. Fountain took the oath of office Monday morning and was formally installed as Probate Judge of Monroe County.

It was learned by friends here through a telephone message yesterday morning that the storehouse and stock goods of W.G. Hairston & Co. were destroyed by fire at Burnt Corn Tuesday night. No particulars were learned hence it is not known whether the fire was of accidental or incendiary origin, or whether or not there was any insurance on building or stock.

Mr. G.B. Sellers has purchased the city water plant and assumed charge of same a few days ago.

Judge W.G. McCorvey gracefully retired from the position of judge of the Monroe County Law and Equity Court upon the expiration of his term. Coincident with the retirement of the judge, the court became defunct. Judge McCorvey has reopened his law office upstairs in the old courthouse and will devote himself to the practice of his profession with all of his old time energy and with the ripened experience which his presidency of the court has given him.

Dr. Sibley Holmes presented the editor with specimens of the largest pecans ever exhibited here. The largest measured two and one-fourth inches from tip to tip and three and one-eighth inches in circumference. Dr. Holmes has a nice grove of pecans in bearing as well as an extensive orchard of citrus fruit in Baldwin where he removed a few weeks ago.

JAN. 25, 1917

REUNION TRIP TO WASHINGTON: Surely the powers that be never did the people of the south or west a greater kindness than when they selected Washington as the next place for the Confederate reunion, thereby giving a railroad rate of one cent a mile in each direction. It is the lowest rate of transportation given to our capital city, and perhaps such an opportunity will never be offered again.

The date has been postponed to June 4 and that will give opportunity for teachers and pupils to take advantage of the rate. Now it is very important that you engage your hotel at once, otherwise you may have to pay a very high price. We suggest you write Mrs. Ella Hixon, Hixon, Ala. or Radnor Tours, Nashville, Tenn., to get excellent plans for the trip.

Mr. H.A. Baggett of Roy, Monroe’s tax collector-elect, was a business visitor to the city Wednesday.

Dr. G.H. Harper was up from Uriah Sunday, accompanying his two sons who are in school here, after a brief visit home.

A number of high school students are laid up with severe colds, an epidemic of which prevails in consequence of weather conditions.

Dr. A.B. Coxwell was confined to his room several days last week with a severe attack of la grippe. His many friends are glad to see him out again.

Today in History for Jan. 1, 2017

Lee Roy Jordan of Excel, Ala.

Jan. 1, 404 AD - The last gladiator battle was fought in Rome.

Jan. 1, 1735 – American Revolutionary War Patriot Paul Revere was born in Boston, Mass.

Jan 1, 1739 – Bouvet Island was discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier.

Jan. 1, 1764 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a prominent Freemason, played for the Royal Family at Versailles in France.

Jan. 1, 1773 – The hymn “Amazing Grace,” written by John Newton, was first presented at a prayer meeting in Olney, Buckinghamshire, England.

Jan. 1, 1776 – During the American Revolutionary War, Norfolk, Va. was burned by combined Royal Navy and Continental Army action.

Jan. 1, 1781 – During the American Revolutionary War, 1,500 soldiers of the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment under General Anthony Wayne's command rebelled against the Continental Army's winter camp in Morristown, New Jersey in the Pennsylvania Line Mutiny of 1781.

Jan. 1, 1788 – The first edition of London’s oldest daily newspaper, The Times of London, previously named The Daily Universal Register, was published.

Jan. 1, 1800 – John Hill Dailey was born in Ohio. He came to Alabama as a young man and first settled at Belleville. A few years later, he moved to Tunnel Springs, where he became an extensive planter and owner of many slaves. He passed away at the age of 91.

Jan. 1, 1803 – Emperor Gia Long ordered all bronze wares of the Tây Sơn dynasty to be collected and melted into nine cannons for the Royal Citadel in Huế, Vietnam.

Jan. 1, 1808 - The U.S. banned the importation of slaves from Africa.

Jan. 1, 1825 – During his tour of the United States, the Marquis de Lafayette attended a banquet hosted by the U.S. Congress.

Jan. 1, 1836 – David People was given a license to sell whiskey and keep a tavern in Monroe County, Ala. for one year.

Jan. 1, 1846 – English soldier and explorer John Torrington, at around the age of 21, died during an expedition to find the Northwest Passage and was buried on Beechey Island.

Jan. 1, 1853 – Australian farmer and explorer Gregory Blaxland died at the age of 74 in New South Wales. He is noted especially for initiating and co-leading the first successful crossing of the Blue Mountains by European settlers.

Jan 1, 1862 – During the Civil War, the Federal shelling of Fort McRee and Fort Barranacas in Pensacola, Fla. began.

Jan. 1, 1862 – During the Civil War, the first of three days of Federal operations between Dayton and Rose Hill, Mo. began.

Jan. 1, 1862 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Port Royal, S.C.

Jan. 1, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Helena, Ark.; at Bath Springs, Miss.; and in the vicinity of Clifton, Stewart’s Creek, and La Vergne, Tenn.

Jan. 1, 1863 - U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signed the final Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that all slaves in the rebel states and Confederate territory were free. A preliminary proclamation was issued in September 1862, following the Union victory at the Battle of Antietam in Maryland. The act signaled an important shift in the Union’s Civil War aims, expanding the goal of the war from reunification to include the eradication of slavery.

Jan. 1, 1863 - Confederate troops under General John Bankhead Magruder captured Galveston, Texas.

Jan. 1, 1864 – During the Civil War, 30 days of sustained Federal operations in Northeastern Arkansas began. Skirmishes were also fought at Lunenburg and Sylamore in Arkansas; at Dandridge, Tenn.; in Charleston Harbor, S.C. and vicinity; and at Bunker Hill, West Va.

Jan. 1, 1864 – During the Civil War, Federal operations against Indians, mostly Hoopas, began in the Humboldt Military District of California.

Jan. 1, 1864 – During the Civil War, a four-day Confederate operation began in Middle Tennessee.

Jan 1, 1864 – During the Civil War, a four-day Federal expedition began between Beatlton to Front Royal, Va. A skirmish was also fought at Rectortown, Va.

Jan. 1, 1865 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Bentonville, Ark. and with Snake Indians on the Canyon City Road in Oregon.

Jan. 1, 1865 – During the Civil War, the Federal Campaign of the Carolinas began.

Jan. 1, 1879 – Novelist E.M. Forster was born Edward Morgan Forster in London.

Jan. 1, 1889 - Friedrich Nietzsche was said to have suffered a nervous breakdown after seeing a horse whipped by a cab driver.

Jan. 1, 1892 – The Ellis Island Immigrant Station formally opened in New York.

Jan. 1, 1895 - J. Edgar Hoover, the first director of the FBI, was born in Washington, D.C.

Jan. 1, 1896 – Abner Dees died at the age of 75, according to The Monroe Journal. He was born on Oct. 15, 1820.

Jan. 1, 1898 – The City of Pensacola, Fla. established a full-time, paid fire department.

Jan. 1, 1900 – The Louisville & Nashville rail line between Pine Apple and Repton, Ala. was completed.

Jan. 1, 1900 - Alabama ushered in 1900 with cold temperatures and little fanfare. Snow was recorded in Birmingham and Montgomery at the start of the holiday weekend and freezing temperatures continued to Mon., Jan. 1. Most citizens did not celebrate the start of the 20th century until 1901 and The Birmingham Age-Herald remarked “the first day of the last year of the nineteenth century dawned dull enough in Birmingham.”

Jan. 1, 1901 - Alabama newspapers welcomed a new year and a new century. Declaring Jan. 1, 1901, as the first day of the 20th Century (and not January 1, 1900), the Montgomery Journal predicted that “Montgomery can well afford to welcome the year and the century with enthusiasm.” Likewise, the Birmingham Age-Herald carried a prominent front-page cartoon with a depiction of Father Time greeting the twin babies of the new year and the new century.

Jan. 1, 1902 - The first Tournament of Roses (later the Rose Bowl) collegiate football game was played in Pasadena, Calif. This was the first college football bowl game, and Michigan beat Stanford, 49-0.

Jan. 1, 1906 – Medal of Honor recipient Richmond Pearson Hobson of Greensboro, the “Hero of the Merrimac,” was scheduled to deliver a lecture at the Conecuh County Courthouse in Evergreen, Ala.

Jan. 1, 1908 – For the first time, a ball was dropped in New York City's Times Square to signify the start of the New Year at midnight.

Jan. 1, 1911 – National Baseball Hall of Fame first baseman Hank Greenberg was born in New York. He would go on to play for the Detroit Tigers and the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1956.

Jan. 1, 1912 – The annual meeting of Camp Capt. William Lee, No. 338, of the United Confederate Veterans was held and G.R. Boulware was re-elected camp commander. Other officers elected included M.B. Salter, sergeant major; Rev. J.D. Wright, chaplain; Dr. W.B. Shaver, surgeon. Delegates to the next encampment were W.F. Tomlinson, J.T. Fincher and J.W. Cook.

Jan. 1, 1913 – The parcel post system was put into operation at every post office in the U.S. Under this system, parcels weighing up to 11 pounds were transported by mail.

Jan. 1, 1915 – A meeting of Camp William Lee, No. 338, was scheduled to be held. It was said to be the 24th Annual reunion of the United Confederate Veterans of Camp Wm. Lee, No. 338.

Jan. 1, 1915 – Alabama Gov. Emmit O’Neal appointed Ben. D. Turner, about 28 years old, of Washington County as the judge of the first judicial circuit to succeed Judge John T. Lackland of Grove Hill, who died on Dec. 25, 1914. Other candidates for the position included W.F. Herbert of Demopolis and J.B. Barnett of Monroeville.

Jan. 1, 1915 - Alabama author John Henrik Clarke was born in Union Springs, Ala.

Jan. 1, 1915 – During World War I, in the early-morning hours of New Year’s Day, 1915, the 15,000-ton British HMS class battleship Formidable was torpedoed by the German submarine U-24 and sank in the English Channel, killing 547 men.

Jan. 1, 1916 – The 26th Annual Reunion of the United Confederate Veterans Camp, Capt. Wm. Lee, No. 338, was scheduled to be held at the Conecuh County Courthouse in Evergreen, Ala. During the reunion, members were to elect officers for the ensuing year and the collection of dues. All veterans who were physically able were required to attend and participate in the meeting.

Jan. 1, 1919 - J.D. Salinger, the author of “The Catcher in the Rye,” was born Jerome David Salinger in New York City.

Jan. 1, 1925 – H.P. Lovecraft’s wife of just 10 months, Sonia Haft Greene, went to Cleveland, Ohio to take a job there, and Lovecraft moved into a single apartment near the seedy Brooklyn area called Red Hook. The couple divorced in 1929.

Jan. 1, 1925 – Monroe Journal editor Q. Salter editorialized that with this day’s issue of the newspaper, The Journal “enters upon its 59th year of publication, 37 of which have been under the present management. Assuming the duties and responsibilities of the position as a beardless youth with little experience, the publisher has endeavored to steer a consistent course, adhering steadfastly to those ideals which he believed to be for moral and social welfare and for the material development of town and county. He has doubtless made many mistakes and fallen into many errors of judgement during these years, but an indulgent public has generously overlooked them and accorded consistent patronage far beyond his merit, for which he is grateful.”

Jan. 1, 1925 – The Monroe Journal reported that Mr. Noble J. Sproule of Stenen, Saskatchewan was visiting his sister, Dr. Ida A. Fraser. Mrs. Sproule and children had been in Monroeville for several weeks, and when Mr. Sproule left his home the temperature was 30 below zero.

Jan. 1, 1926 – Coach Wallace Wade’s University of Alabama football team, the first southern team to be honored with an invitation to the Rose Bowl, beat the University of Washington, 20-19, in Pasadena, Calif. This was the first of six Rose Bowl appearances for Alabama and the first time a southern football team was invited to play in a national bowl game. That year’s Rose Bowl was also carried from coast to coast on network radio for the first time.

Jan. 1, 1927 – Pro Football Hall of Fame halfback, kicker and punter Doak Walker was born in Dallas, Texas. He went on to play for SMU and the Detroit Lions. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

Jan. 1, 1932 – The United States Post Office Department issued a set of 12 stamps commemorating the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth.

Jan. 1, 1933 - Miami defeated Manhattan, 7-0, in the first ever Orange Bowl, which was then called the Festival of Palms Bowl.

Jan. 1-2, 1934 – The Purcell Stage Circus, featuring monkeys, dogs, pony and clowns, which had played at the Grand Theatre in Montgomery, was scheduled to play at the Evergreen Theatre on this Monday and Tuesday in Evergreen, Ala.

Jan. 1, 1934 – Nazi Germany passed the "Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring."

Jan. 1, 1935 – Tulane beat Temple, 20-14, in the first ever Sugar Bowl. The game was played at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans.

Jan. 1, 1935 - The El Paso All-Stars beat the Rangers (Texas), 25-21, in the first ever Sun Bowl, which was played in the El Paso High School stadium.

Jan. 1, 1935 – Cartoonist B. Kliban was born in Connecticut.

Jan. 1, 1936 – In Lovecraftian fiction, despite the high quality of care given to the patients at Oakdeene Sanitarium, the Sanitarium is best remembered for the scandal caused by the death of some inmates on this night. This facility first appeared in 1977’s “The Horror at Oakdeene” by Brian Lumley.

Jan. 1, 1936 - The "New York Herald Tribune" began microfilming its current issues on this date.

Jan. 1, 1937 – TCU beat Marquette, 16-6, in the first ever Cotton Bowl in Dallas Texas.

Jan. 1, 1939 – The new Commercial Hotel, which had been under construction since mid-summer, was scheduled to open in Monroeville, Ala. The 30-room hotel was owned by Mrs. W.B. Strong.

Jan. 1, 1939 - Alabama author James Seay was born in Panola County, Miss.

Jan. 1, 1952 - As of this date, there were four Confederate Pensioners living in Monroe County, all widows of former Confederate soldiers. They were Mrs. Susan C. Easley of Beatrice, Mrs. B.A. Porter of Frisco City, Mrs. B. Sawyer of Frisco City and Mrs. Sadie O. Sellers of Peterman. Their names were published in the Jan. 17, 1952 edition of The Monroe Journal.

Jan. 1, 1953 - Legendary singer-songwriter Hank Williams died at the age of twenty-nine near Oak Hill, West Virginia. Over 20,000 people attended his funeral in Montgomery, Ala. Williams was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961 and received the Alabama Music Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement award for Performing Achievement in 1985.

Jan. 1, 1953 – Alabama, under head coach Harold Drew, beat Syracuse, 61-6, in the 1953 Orange Bowl in Miami, Fla. Offensive left guard Jeff Moorer of Evergreen, Ala. played all of the last quarter on offense and he is believed to be the first Evergreen athlete to play in a college football bowl game. Other players on Alabama’s team included Bart Starr, Tommy Lewis of Greenville and Hootie Ingram. Lewis scored two touchdowns in the game.

Jan. 1, 1954 - The Rose Bowl and the Cotton Bowl were shown in color for the first time.

Jan. 1, 1954 – Rice beat Alabama, 28-6, in the 1954 Cotton Bowl Classic at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. Rice won the game, but its victory was overshadowed by Greenville, Ala. native Tommy Lewis and his "12th man tackle" of Rice running back Dicky Moegle in the second quarter.

Jan. 1, 1959 - Fidel Castro’s forces overthrew the government of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, and seized power in Cuba during the Cuban Revolution.

Jan. 1, 1960 – The first traffic fatality in Alabama of 1960 occurred early on this Friday morning on State Highway 41 near Range when Ulysses Glenn, a 27-year-old convict was fatally wounded when he was thrown from a truck hauling prisoners to work.

Jan. 1, 1961 - Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Mich. was renamed Tigers Stadium.

Jan. 1, 1963 – Lee Roy Jordan of Excel was named the MVP of the Orange Bowl, a game in which Bear Bryant’s 9-1 Alabama Crimson Tide beat 8-2 Oklahoma, 17-0, in Miami, Fla. With President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in attendance, Jordan recorded an Alabama bowl record of 31 tackles in the victory. The game was broadcast nationally on ABC.

Jan. 1, 1966 – During the Vietnam War, advance elements of the 1st Regiment of the Marine 1st Division arrived in Vietnam, and the entire division followed by the end of March, establishing its headquarters at Chu Lai.

Jan. 1, 1967 - Sonny & Cher were banned from the Tournament of Roses for supporting Sunset Strip rioters.

Jan 1, 1967 – During the Vietnam War, Operation Sam Houston began as a continuation of border surveillance operations in Pleiku and Kontum Provinces in the Central Highlands by units from the U.S. 4th and 25th Infantry Divisions.

Jan. 1, 1967 – Pro Football Hall of Fame outside linebacker and defensive end Derrick Thomas was born in Miami, Fla. He went on to play at the University of Alabama and the Kansas City Chiefs. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.

Jan. 1-2, 1975 – The “Call of the Wild,” based on Jack London’s famous story and starring Charlton Heston, was to be shown at the Pix Theatre in Evergreen, Ala. on this Wednesday and Thursday. W.B. Epperson was the theatre’s manager.

Jan. 1, 1976 – In connection with the “Amityville Horror” incident, cloven hoofprints attributed to an enormous pig appeared in the snow outside the house. The claim of cloven hoofprints in the snow on Jan. 1, 1976 was later rejected by other researchers, because a check on the weather records showed that there had been no snow in Amityville on the day in question.

Jan. 1, 1976 - A radio version of author Ambrose Bierce's story "One of the Missing" was broadcast as part of the series The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre.

Jan. 1, 1976 – The first baby born in the Monroe County Hospital in 1976 was Albert Leon Rabon, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Wilber Rabon of Castleberry. Born Jan. 1 at 3:42 a.m., Albert weighed nine pounds, two ounces and was 21 inches long.

Jan. 1, 1978 – On this night, the Conecuh County (Ala.) Rescue Squad located and rescued lost hunter Dennis Monk, who was reported missing by his hunting companion about 6:15 p.m. in the Murder Creek Swamp area. Monk was found around 10:30 p.m. and was brought out of the swamp around 1 a.m. on Jan. 2. Alabama State Troopers, Conecuh County Sheriff’s Deputies and Evergreen police assisted in the search.

Jan. 1, 1978 – The Dickinson House, located on Dickinson Avenue in Grove Hill, was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Jan. 1, 1992 - The ESPN Radio Network was officially launched.

Jan. 1, 1994 - The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect.

Jan. 1, 2001 - The second phase of Alabama’s mandatory liability insurance requirements began as the Alabama Department of Revenue started mailing insurance verification survey forms to vehicle owners.

Jan. 1, 2002 - A movie version of Alabama author Walker Percy's book “The Moviegoer” was released.

Jan. 1, 2006 – Monroeville, Ala. was featured in National Geographic magazine in a story titled “To Catch a Mockingbird” by Cathy Newman with photos by Michael Nichols.

Jan. 1, 2007 - Darrent Williams of the Denver Broncos was killed in a drive-by shooting outside a nightclub in Denver, Colo.

Jan. 1, 2011 - The new Oak Island Treasure Act came into effect and allowed for treasure hunting to continue on the island under the terms of a license issued by the Minister of Natural Resources.

Jan. 1, 2016 – A UFO was reported seen around 7:15 p.m. on this Friday in Pinson, about 15 miles northeast of Birmingham, Ala. The witness in this case, along with his wife, mother and daughter, reported seeing three, unusual lights in the shape of an inverted triangle in the southern sky. The witness said these lights were larger and brighter than the visible stars, and the strange lights were orange or yellowish-orange in color. The witnesses watched as the lights moved “very slowly” to the east and appeared to rotate slightly. In all, the witnesses watched these strange lights for three to four minutes before the lights disappeared behind clouds to the southwest.

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Sun., Jan. 1, 2017

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 2.20 inches

Week to Date Rainfall: 2.70 inches

Month to Date Rainfall:  2.20 inches

Winter to Date Rainfall: 2.70 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 2.20 inches

Notes: Today is the first day of 2017 and the 12th day of Winter. There are 364 days left in the year.

Readings taken at 0700 hours Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line and south of U.S. Highway 84, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834N Lon 87.30131W. Elevation 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.