Monday, December 28, 2015

Today in History for Dec. 28, 2015

Jeremiah Clemens
Dec. 28, 1065 – London’s Westminster Abbey was consecrated.

Dec. 28, 1732 - "The Pennsylvania Gazette," owned by Benjamin Franklin, ran an ad for the first issue of "Poor Richard’s Almanack."

Dec. 28, 1781 - British troops commanded by Major James Henry Craig were posted at John’s Island, just outside of Charleston, South Carolina. Craig had evacuated his troops from Wilmington, North Carolina, a little over a month earlier on November 14. The Patriots planned to remove Craig and his men from the island with troops led by Lieutenant Colonel Henry Light Horse Harry Lee and his famed cavalry from Fort Ninety-Six in the South Carolina backcountry, but Lee aborted the attack when a column led by Major James Hamilton arrived too late and was unable to cross the Wapoo River, which was only fordable once or twice a month.

Dec. 28, 1793 - Thomas Paine was arrested in France for treason. Though the charges against him were never detailed, he had been tried in absentia on December 26 and convicted. Before moving to France, Paine was an instrumental figure in the American Revolution as the author of Common Sense, writings used by George Washington to inspire the American troops.

Dec. 28, 1814 - Alabama author Jeremiah Clemens was born in Huntsville, Ala.

Dec. 28, 1817 – Glorvina Johnston Rush was born. In 1860, she and her husband donated the land where Andrews Chapel was built in McIntosh, Ala.

Dec. 28, 1822 – In response to a petition submitted to the Alabama state legislature from the residents of Butler County’s county seat, Buttsville, the town’s name was officially changed to Greenville.

Dec. 28, 1822 - Confederate General William Booth Taliaferro was born in Gloucester County, Va. Taliaferro would go on to serve under General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson during the first part of the Civil War, and he spent the second half preparing coastal defenses in the lower South.

Dec. 28, 1835 – Osceola led his Seminole warriors in Florida into the Second Seminole War against the United States Army.

Dec. 28, 1843 - Alabama author Prentiss Ingraham was born in Adams County, Miss.

Dec. 28, 1846 - Iowa became the 29th state to be admitted into the Union.

Dec. 28, 1856 - Woodrow Wilson, the 28th U.S. President, was born in Stauton, Va.

Dec. 28, 1861 – During the Civil War, day one of a four-day Federal operation between Camp Beauregard and Viola, Ky. began.

Dec. 28, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Sacramento, Ky.

Dec. 28, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Mount Zion, Mo.

Dec. 28, 1861 – During the Civil War, Raleigh Courthouse, N.C. was occupied by Federal forces.

Dec. 28, 1864 – During the Civil War, a skirmish occurred in the vicinity of Decatur, Ala.

Dec. 28, 1865 – Just a few months after the end of the Civil War, Confederate veteran Joseph R. Bass left his hometown of Evergreen, Ala. for Texas and arrived in Jefferson, Texas in January 1866. He lived near there for about 18 years before moving to Caddo Mills, Texas, where he is buried.

Dec. 28, 1889 - Alabama author Kittrell J. Warren died in Atlanta, Ga.

Dec. 28, 1893 – Desperadoes John Hipp and Charles Kelley, murderers of Butler County, Ala. Tax Collector C.J. Armstrong, were taken by a mob of 100 armed, masked men and lynched on the Butler County Courthouse lawn.

Dec. 28, 1900 – Portuguese soldier and explorer Alexandre de Serpa Pinto died at the age of 54 in Lisbon. He is best known for exploring southern Africa and for his services as a colonial administrator.

Dec. 28, 1902 – The Syracuse Athletic Club defeated the New York Philadelphians, 5–0, in the first indoor professional football game, which was held at Madison Square Garden.

Dec. 28, 1911 – Humorist Sam Levenson was born in New York City.

Dec. 28, 1912 – The first municipally owned streetcars took to the streets in San Francisco.

Dec. 28, 1917 - The New York Evening Mail published a facetious essay by H.L. Mencken on the history of bathtubs in America.

Dec. 28, 1922 – Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee was born Stanley Martin Lieber in New York City. He would go on to help create Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, Daredevil, Dr. Strange and the X-Men.

Dec. 28, 1927 – Novelist Simon Raven was born in London.

Dec. 28, 1928 - Alabama author Jesse Hill Ford was born in Troy, Ala.

Dec. 28, 1937 - Alabama author Milford W. Howard died in California.

Dec. 28, 1939 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Naomi Rabb Winston, a native of Evergreen, Ala. who was at that time living in Washington, D.C., was “being acclaimed now as one of the leading artists of the country, according to reports which have recently reached her friends here.” Winston had recently completed a portrait of Senator Lister Hill, which friends and admirers of Hill desired to place in the “Hall of Fame” at the State Capitol in Montgomery. She had also been engaged by the wife Hugo Black to paint a portrait of Justice Hugo Black in his judicial robes, the work to begin as soon as she has completed the painting of Mrs. (T.D.) Samford (of Opelika). Winston and her family had been living in Washington for the previous eight years where she had studied constantly at the Corcoran Art Gallery, giving special attention to portrait work. It is said that Winston designed the Great Seal of Alabama. Winston was, before her marriage, Naomi Rabb, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C.S. Rabb of Evergreen.

Dec. 28, 1939 – The Evergreen Courant reported that “about 250 Christmas boxes containing fruit, candy, toys, clothing and food items were distributed last week to needy families in this county, according to a report made this week by Mrs. J.C. Hamilton, general chairman in charge of the work.”

Dec. 28, 1941 – During World War II’s Operation Anthropoid, the plot to assassinate high-ranking Nazi officer Reinhard Heydrich, commenced.

Dec. 28, 1947 – Major League Baseball third baseman Aurelio Rodriguez was born in Cananea, Sonora, Mexico. He would go on to play for the California Angels, the Washington Senators, the Detroit Tigers, the San Diego Padres, the New York Yankees, the Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles.

Dec. 28, 1948 – In an incident attributed to the Bermuda Triangle, a chartered DC-3 airliner NC16002, en route from San Juan to Miami, disappeared 50 miles south of Miami with 36 passengers and crew. No probable cause for the loss was determined by the official investigation and it remains unsolved.

Dec. 28, 1949 - Alabama author Harry Middleton was born in Frankfort, Germany.

Dec. 28, 1958 – In what’s known as the "Greatest Game Ever Played,” the Baltimore Colts in the NFL Champiosnhip Game defeated the New York Giants, 23-17, in the first ever National Football League sudden death overtime game at New York's Yankee Stadium.

Dec. 28, 1961 – Evergreen High School and Auburn University football star Wayne Frazier was drafted in the 16th round (216th overall) in the NFL draft by the Chicago Bears.

Dec. 28, 1973 – In Lovecraftian fiction, Dr. Ambrose Dexter, a renowned physician of Providence, R.I. who maintained an interest in the occult, was killed by British Intelligence agents somewhere in the South Pacific. He first appeared in “The Haunter of the Dark” by H.P. Lovecraft.

Dec. 28, 1975 - The Dallas Cowboys won the NFC divisional playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings with a Hail Mary pass with only 24 seconds left.

Dec. 28, 1976 – American actor, stuntman, and producer Joe Manganiello was born in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Dec. 28, 1978 – The Evergreen Courant reported that a new Crispy Chick restaurant was under construction in Evergreen. Based in Mobile, Crispy Chick had 22 restaurants open at that time in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida, including in Mobile, Fairhope, Grand Bay, Monroeville, Butler, Livingston, Linden and Stevenson; Gulfport, Miss.; and Cantonment and Pensacola in Florida.

Dec. 28, 1978 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Ronald Fantroy, former Evergreen High School and Alabama Christian College basketball star, was more than “carrying his weight” in his first year with the University of Montevallo Falcons, according to Coach Bill Elder. Fantroy, a six-foot-five forward, had 14 rebounds in a recent game against Talladega College and was averaging 3.1 rebounds per game, fifth best for the team although he was only playing about 10 minutes of the Falcons’ 40-minute games.

Dec. 28, 1978 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Sparta Academy’s girls basketball team improved to 3-3 on the season by splitting a pair of games in the Greenville Academy Christmas Tournament. In the opening round of the tourney, Sparta beat Escambia Academy, 31-25, but in the second round, Sparta lost to Wilcox Academy, 32-15. Sparta’s Cathy Cope was named to the all-tournament team, and other players on Sparta’s team included Angie Driver, Mary Claire Robinson, Missy Thacker and Cathy Johnson

Dec. 28, 1991 – Alabama (10-1) beat Colorado (8-2-1), 30-25, in the 1991 Blockbuster Bowl at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. Alabama wide receiver David Palmer was named the game’s MVP.

Dec. 28, 2000 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Conecuh County school board member Willene Whatley had been appointed to the Board of Trustees of Alabama Risk Management for Schools.

Dec. 28, 2000 - U.S. District Court Judge Matsch held a hearing to ensure that confessed Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh understood that he was dropping his appeals. McVeigh said that he wanted an execution date, set but wanted to reserve the right to seek presidential clemency.

Dec. 28, 2002 - Alabama author Hilary H. Milton died in Birmingham, Ala.

Dec. 28, 2003 - New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was released from the hospital. The previous day he had fainted at a memorial service.

Dec. 28, 2003 - Jamal Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens became the fifth NFL player to run for 2,000 yards in a season. He ended the season with 2,029 yards.

Dec. 28, 2003 - Mike Vanderjagt of the Indianapolis Colts set a new NFL record when he kicked his 41st consecutive field goal.

Dec. 28, 2003 - James Holmes of the Kansas City Chiefs set an NFL record with his 27th touchdown of the season.

Dec. 28, 2004 – Vredenburgh native Mike Stewart’s fourth novel, “A Perfect Life,” was released.

Dec. 28, 2007 - The movie “Honeydripper,” which starred Danny Glover, was released in the United States. Significant portions of this film were shot in Greenville, Georgiana and Forest Home in Butler County.

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