Today in History for Jan. 24, 2015

Jan. 24, 1781 - Patriot commanders Lieutenant Colonel “Light Horse” Henry Lee and Brigadier General Francis “Swamp Fox” Marion raided Georgetown, S.C. and captured three British officers.

Jan. 24, 1814 – The Battle of Enitachopco occurred only two days after General Andrew Jackson’s victory over the Red Sticks in the Battle of Emuckfau. Jackson and his Tennessee militia were ambushed by Red Sticks in a ravine near the village of Anatitchapko in present-day Clay County, Ala.

Jan. 24, 1848 – In the incident that sparked the “California Gold Rush,” James W. Marshall found gold at Sutter's Mill near Sacramento, Calif.

Jan. 24, 1861 - Federal reinforcements headed to Fort Pickens, Fla. set sail from Fortress Monroe, Va.

Jan. 24, 1865 - The Confederate Congress agreed to continue prisoner exchanges, a process had only operated sporadically for three years.

Jan. 24, 1895 – In this edition of The Monroe Journal, the correspondent from the Nero community reported that “we had a snowfall here last night of about half an inch in depth and have had one of the hardest freezes we have experienced in several years.”

Jan. 24, 1895 – The Monroe Journal reported that work on the Monroe County Courthouse in Monroeville, Ala. was progressing rapidly. “A few days more and Monroe will have the largest, neatest and most conveniently arranged courthouse of any interior county in Alabama. The large oak trees surrounding the courthouse have been topped and trimmed adding greatly to the appearance of court square.”

Jan. 24, 1908 – The first Boy Scout troop was organized in England by Robert Baden-Powell.

Jan. 24, 1913 – Confederate veteran T.C. Cargill, “an old and respected citizen of Evergreen,” passed away after a lingering illness.

Jan. 24, 1914 – On this Saturday afternoon, eight women met at the home of Mrs. E.C. Page in Evergreen, Ala. for the purpose of formally organizing a United Daughters of the Confederacy Chapter in Conecuh County. Mrs. Page was elected President; Mrs. Mathews, Vice-President; Miss Mary McCreary, Recording Secretary and Treasurer; Mrs. G.G. Newton, Corresponding Secretary; Mrs. Crumpton, Director; and Mrs. A. Cunningham, Historian.

Jan. 24, 1914 – Congressional candidate Woodford Mabry delivered a speech at the Conecuh County Courthouse in Evergreen, Ala., but the audience wasn’t large “owing to the fact that on Saturday afternoons businessmen are engaged with customers and shoppers are anxious to get off home.”

Jan. 24, 1929 – The Evergreen Courant reported that there were only 21 living Confederate veterans left in Conecuh County, Ala. Six passed away during 1928 and another died in early 1929.

Jan. 24, 1932 – The county-wide interdenominational revival meeting, part of a statewide series, was held at the Conecuh County Courthouse in Evergreen, starting at 2:30 p.m. Dr. D.L. Coale, “noted evangelist of California,” was the guest preacher.

Jan. 24, 1935 - Canned beer made its debut. In partnership with the American Can Company, the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company delivered 2,000 cans of Krueger's Finest Beer and Krueger's Cream Ale to faithful Krueger drinkers in Richmond, Va. Ninety-one percent of the drinkers approved of the canned beer, driving Krueger to give the green light to further production.

Jan. 24, 1947 - NFL owners voted to allow a sudden-death overtime in playoff games, but the rule wasn't used until 1958.

Jan. 24, 1949 – Retired merchant Fred Fountain passed away a few months into his term as Monroeville, Alabama’s mayor after his election to that office. Prior to his retirement, he operated Fountain’s Fancy Grocery.

Jan. 24, 1953 – The Alabama Historical Association erected six historical markers in Butler County. The markers were erected in memory of the Creek Indian Confederacy, Fort Bibb, the Butler Massacre, the Ogly Massacre, Gary’s Stockade and Fort Dale.

Jan. 24, 1955 - The rules committee of major league baseball announced a plan to strictly enforce the rule that required a pitcher to release the ball within 20 seconds after taking his position on the mound.

Jan. 24, 1961 – In what’s now called the “Goldsboro B-52 Crash,” a bomber carrying two H-bombs breaks up in mid-air over North Carolina. The uranium core of one weapon remains lost.

Jan. 24, 1964 - CBS-TV acquired the rights to televise the National Football League’s 1964-1965 regular season. The move cost CBS $14.1 million a year. The NFL stayed on CBS for 30 years.

Jan. 24, 1966 – The Royal Air Force issued its analysis of the Tim Dinsdale film, stating that the movement in the water of the “hump” of the creature in Loch Ness indicated that the 12 to 16-foot-long object was moving at the speed of about 10 miles per hour. After much technical discussion about the relative size and perspective of the “solid black, approximately triangular shape” (the hump) and a comparison of the unidentified creature with a motorboat moving in the same area, the RAF conceded that the object was not a surface vessel.” And: “One can presumably rule out the idea that it is any sort of submarine vessel for various reasons, which leaves the conclusion that it probably is an animate object.”

Feb. 24, 1968 - A television version of “Laura,” teleplay by author Truman Capote, was broadcast.

Feb. 24, 1972 – Japanese Sgt. Shoichi Yokoi was found hiding in a Guam jungle, where he had been since the end of World War II.

Jan. 24, 1974 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Repton High School linebacker Gerry Watson had been named to the Who’s Who National High School Athletics All-American Football Team. He was one of only 26 players from Alabama named to the team, which was selected by the vote of more than 1,500 coaches and sportswriters on a nationwide panel. Watson was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Watson of Bermuda.

Jan. 24, 1982 - The San Francisco 49ers won their first Super Bowl, and Joe Montana won the first of his three MVP awards.

Jan. 24, 1987 - Walter Payton and Joe Montana were guests on "Saturday Night Live."

Jan. 24, 1989 - Ted Bundy, the confessed serial killer, was put to death in Florida's electric chair for the 1978 kidnap-murder of 12-year-old Kimberly Leach.

Jan. 24, 2002 - John Walker Lindh appeared in court for the first time concerning the charges that he conspired to kill Americans abroad and aided terrorist groups. Lindh had been taken into custody by U.S. Marines in Afghanistan.