Today in History for March 22, 2018

Richard Hickock and Perry Smith.

March 22, 1457 – The “Gutenberg Bible” became the first printed book.

March 22, 1508 – Ferdinand II of Aragon commissioned Amerigo Vespucci as the chief navigator of the Spanish Empire.

March 22, 1621 – Wampanoag chief Massasoit signed a treaty with Plymouth colonists, the first treaty between white European colonists and a Native American people.

March 22, 1622 – In an incident commonly referred to as the “Jamestown Massacre,” Algonquian Indians killed 347 English settlers around Jamestown, Virginia, a third of the colony's population, during the Second Anglo-Powhatan War.

March 22, 1713 – The Tuscarora War came to an end with the fall of Fort Neoheroka, which effectively opened up the interior of North Carolina to European colonization.

March 22, 1739 – Nader Shah occupied Delhi in India and sacked the city, stealing the jewels of the Peacock Throne.

March 22, 1765 – The British Parliament passed the Stamp Act that introduced a tax to be levied directly on its American colonies. It was the first direct British tax on the American colonists and sought to raise funds for a standing British army in America. The legislation levied a direct tax on all materials printed for commercial and legal use in the colonies, from newspapers and pamphlets to playing cards and dice. It was repealed on March 17, 1766.

March 22, 1790 - Thomas Jefferson became the first U.S. Secretary of State.

March 22, 1794 - The U.S. Congress banned U.S. vessels from supplying slaves to other countries.

March 22, 1814 – General Andrew Jackson joined Col. Williams of the 39th Regiment at the mouth of Cedar Creek in present-day Talladega County, Ala. and built a fort, which Jackson named after Williams.

March 22, 1815 – U.S. Army General Ferdinand Leigh Claiborne died in Natchez, Miss. at the age of 45. Born in Sussex County, Va. on March 9, 1772, he entered the Army as an Ensign in 1793, and was promoted to Lieutenant in 1794 and Captain in 1799. He resigned his commission in 1802, and moved to Mississippi Territory, where he owned a plantation and operated a store. Claiborne also served as Brigadier General of the Mississippi militia and saw action against the Creek Indians in Alabama. In addition, he served in the territorial legislature, often as Speaker of the House. During the War of 1812, he returned to the Army as commander of a regiment with the rank of Colonel. In 1813, he was promoted to Brigadier General, and he commanded a brigade. After the war he returned to his Mississippi plantation with his health impaired by his wartime service, and he died just days after his 43rd birthday. He is buried in the Trinity Cemetery in Natchez, Miss.

March 22, 1817 - Confederate General Braxton Bragg was born in Warrenton, North Carolina. Bragg commanded the Army of Tennessee for 17 months, leading them to several defeats and losing most of the state of Tennessee to the Yankees.

March 22, 1818 – English-Australian explorer John Ainsworth Horrocks was born at Penwortham Lodge, near Preston, Lancashire.

March 22, 1820 - U.S. Navy officer Stephen Decatur, hero of the Barbary Wars, was mortally wounded in a duel with disgraced Navy Commodore James Barron at Bladensburg, Maryland.

March 22, 1862 - Confederate Cavalry Commander Turner Ashby attacked Union troops that were moving out of Shenandoah Valley. The Confederates lost the Battle of Kernstown, Va. the next day.

Marc 22, 1862 – During the Civil War, an 11-day Federal operation began against Indians in the Humboldt Military Division of California. Skirmishes were fought at Independence and Post Oak in Missouri and at Kearnstown, Va. The British vessel, the Oreto, embarked from Liverpool, England for Nassau, in the Bahamas islands, where she was sold to the Confederacy and renamed the CSS Florida.

March 22, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought near the head of the White River in Arkansas; at Mount Sterling, Ky.; along the Big Black River in Mississippi; at Blue Springs, close to Independence, in Missouri; near Murfreesborough Tenn.; and out from Occoquan, Va. at Selecman’s Ford.

March 22, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought with Indians along the Eel River in California; south of Mayfield, Ky. at Fancy Farms; at Langley’s Plantation in Issaquena County, Miss.; at Corpus Christi, Texas; and in the vicinity of Winchester, Va.

March 22, 1864 – During the Civil War, the notion of coming up behind Vicksburg, Miss. by working guns ships and troops through Mississippi Delta waterways was officially abandoned on this day. The twisting jungle-like waters simply would not accommodate the boats.

March 22, 1865 – During the Civil War, a 33-day Federal cavalry operation began under the command of Union Brigadier General James Harrison Wilson. This raid included the Battle of Selma, Ala.

March 22, 1865 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Stephenson’s Mill, near Salem, Mo.; at Black Creek, Hannah’s Creek, and Mill Creek, in North Carolina; in the vicinity of Celina, Tenn.; in the vicinity of Patterson Creek Station, West Virginia.

March 22, 1869 - The Dale County Courthouse in Newton, Ala. burned, and the county seat was moved to Ozark in 1870.

March 22, 1873 - Slavery was abolished in Puerto Rico.

March 22, 1886 - Capt. W.B. Kemp of Kempville was in Monroeville on this Monday.

March 22, 1895 - The first private screening of a motion picture took place in Paris at a conference of the Society for the Development of the National Industry. About 200 people attended, including Léon Gaumont, director of a prestigious photographic supply company who would go on to become a movie pioneer in his own right.

March 22, 1899 - Author Lella Warren was born in Clayton, Ala.

March 22, 1902 - The meeting of the Geo. W. Foster Camp of Confederate Veterans was postponed until this Saturday at 3 p.m. Every member was urged to attend as they planned to conduct business of the utmost importance, the Monroe Journal reported.

March 22, 1903 - Niagara Falls ran out of water due to a drought.

March 22, 1903 – The Rev. C.S. Talley filled his regular appointment at the Monroeville Methodist Church on this Sunday morning. The evening service was interfered with by rain.

March 22, 1904 - The first color photograph was published in The London Daily Illustrated Mirror.

March 22, 1904 - A patent was issued for a "baseball catcher."

March 22, 1906 – The Monroe Journal reported that another rural free delivery mail route had been established in Monroe County, Ala., designated as R.F.D. No. 2. It ran from Snider on the Manistee & Repton Railroad and served an extensive territory around Jones Mill. Several post offices in the neighborhood were discontinued.

March 22, 1906 – The Monroe Journal, in news from the Activity community, it was reported that Dr. A.G. Stacey’s new drug store was nearly complete.

March 22, 1906 – The Monroe Journal, in news from the Pineville community, reported that Lee Andrews had nearly finished two terms at the Medical college in Mobile, Ala. His examinations there were scheduled to end around April 5.

March 22, 1908 – Western writer Louis L'Amour was born in Jamestown, North Dakota. His first novel, “Westward the Tide,” was published in 1951. Over the next three decades, L’Amour wrote more than 100 novels, selling 320 million books worldwide, and is considered the finest writer in the Western genre.

March 22, 1915 - After six months of battle, the Austrian garrison at Przemysl (now in Poland), the citadel guarding the northeastern-most point of the Austro-Hungarian empire, fell to the Russians.

March 22, 1916 - The Monroe County Medical Society met on this Wednesday “with an unusually large attendance of physicians of the county. A number of able papers were read and discussions had on subjects of special interest to the profession.” Later that night, “an eloquent banquet was served at the Crook Hotel, covers being laid for some 15 or 18 including a few invited guests among whom ye editor had the honor to be numbered,” according to The Monroe Journal.

March 22, 1924 – USA Today founder Allen H. Neuharth was born in rural South Dakota.

March 22, 1925 – In H.P. Lovecraft’s fictional work, “The Call of Cthulhu,” the Emma encountered a heavily armed yacht, the Alert, crewed by "a queer and evil-looking crew of Kanakas and half-castes" from Dunedin, New Zealand. Despite being attacked by the Alert without provocation, the crew of the Emma were able to kill the opposing crew, but lost their own ship in the battle. Commandeering the Alert, the surviving crew sailed on and made an unexpected discovery the following day.

March 22, 1928 - Miss Ethel Raye, principal of the Burnt Corn School, left for her home in Garland on this Thursday afternoon. She planned to return in a few weeks when the measles epidemic was over, to finish out the school term.

March 22, 1930 – Composer and songwriter Stephen Sondheim was born in New York City.

March 22, 1931 – H.P. Lovecraft completed his novel, “At the Mountains of Madness,” which was originally published in the February, March and April 1936 issues of Astounding Stories.

March 22, 1931 - William Shatner was born in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T. Kirk, Captain of the USS Enterprise, in the science fiction television series Star Trek (1966–69).

March 22, 1938 - Bobby Jones, 13-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. R.H. Jones, sustained fractures of both arms just above the wrists at noon on this Tuesday when the bicycle which he was riding collided sidewise with a truck driven by Richard Brassell. The accident occurred on Perryman Street where Shipp Street intersects in Evergreen, Ala. Jones and a number of other boys were riding toward the business section of Perryman while the truck was going north on Shipp Street. Neither saw the other in time to avoid the collision. Jones, when he saw that a collision was inevitable, threw out his hands to catch the weight of the impact which caused fractures of both arms. Both bones of the right arm were broken while only one was broken in the left. The ligaments of the left were badly injured it is said. He also received a number of other minor bruises and sprains.

March 22, 1939 - Author G. C. Skipper was born in Ozark, Ala.

March 22, 1939 - John J. Putnam, 34, sports editor of The Birmingham Post for 12 years, died at a hospital following an operation. He had been ill for several weeks. Before coming to Birmingham, Ala., Putnam was a reporter with The Muskogee (Okla.) Phoenix and on the sports staff of The Tampa (Fla.) Tribune.

March 22, 1941 – Evergreen, Ala. native Robert James McCreary died at his home on Lexington Road in Montgomery. He was engaged in the wholesale lumber business for many years, moved to Montgomery in 1972 and operated the R.J. McCreary Lumber Co.

March 22, 1941 – Former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins was born in New York City.

March 22, 1947 – Best-selling author James Patterson was born in Newburgh, N.Y.

March 22, 1948 - "The Voice of Firestone" became the first commercial radio program to be carried simultaneously on both AM and FM radio stations.

March 22, 1952 – Sportscaster Bob Costas was born in New York City.

March 22, 1952 - Second Lt. William E. Dantzler, the son of Samuel A. Dantzler of McKenzie, Rt. 2, received his gold bars at commissioning exercises for Army Officer Candidate Class 42 at Fort Riley, Kansas. Lt. Dantzler graduated from Evergreen High School in 1948 and entered the Army in October of that year.

March 22, 1954 – The Western Auto Store on West Front Street in Evergreen, Ala. caught fire and “threatened the West Front Street business district momentarily and did considerable damage to the Western Auto Building.” The store was owned by M.B. English, and the building was owned by the W.K. Horton Sr. Estate.

March 22, 1956 – Around midnight, James Richard Merritt, 23, of Cincinnati, Ohio escaped from the Conecuh County Jail in Evergreen, Ala. by using a magnet from a small radio to get a file that he used to saw the bars out of his cell’s window.

March 22, 1957 – In an incident attributed to the “Dragon’s Triangle,” a U.S. military transport plane vanished southeast of Japan.

March 22, 1958 - Hank Williams Jr. made his stage debut in Swainsboro, Ga. at the age of eight.

March 22-29, 1960 - The trial of Richard Hickock and Perry Smith, the subjects of Truman Capote’s book “In Cold Blood,” took place at the county courthouse in Garden City, Kansas. They were both convicted of the mass murder after the jury deliberated for only 45 minutes. Their conviction carried a mandatory death sentence during that time.

March 22, 1962 – The Monroe Journal reported that Jesse Crutchfield, Chief of Police for the City of Monroeville, was on a leave of absence due to ill health, according to an announcement made that week. Crutchfield said that his doctor had advised him to take a leave of absence until April 15.

March 22, 1962 – Tallassee Tribune publisher Herve Charest Jr., a widely-known Alabama weekly newspaper publisher, civic worker and humorist, was scheduled to be the featured speaker at the annual meeting of the Evergreen Chamber of Commerce on this Thursday night at the Evergreen Recreation Center. W.T. (Jack) Wild was Chamber president.

March 22, 1962 - Frisco City High School’s senior football players were scheduled to play next year’s team on this Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. Coach Lefty Anderson said about 31 boys participated in the spring training and that this night’s game would wrap up the Whippets’ spring drills.

March 22, 1962 – The Monroe Journal reported that Frisco Sportswear had announced plans to build a 42,000 square foot addition, of which 6,400 square feet was to be used to enlarge the pressing and packing facilities, at its plant in Frisco City. The 35,600 foot addition was to be used to enlarge the sewing and shipping capacity. L.B. Weingarten, plant manager, said the initial phase of the new structure was to be completed and in use within 60 days.

March 22, 1962 – The Monroe Journal reported that Monroe County High School Coach James R. Allen had been named one of five high school coaches to coach the South Team in the annual North-South all-star high school football classic at the University of Alabama on Aug. 9.

March 22, 1965 - Bob Dylan's first electric album, "Bring it All Back Home," was released.

March 22, 1965 - The State Department acknowledged that the United States had supplied the South Vietnamese armed forces with a “non-lethal gas which disables temporarily” for use “in tactical situations in which the Viet Cong intermingle with or take refuge among non-combatants, rather than use artillery or aerial bombardment.”

March 22, 1966 - Lee Roy Jordan, former All-American at the University of Alabama and a graduate of Excel High School, was scheduled to be the guest speaker at the Monroe County High School Tiger Booster Club on this Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at the Monroe County Courthouse. Jordan was playing professional football with the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League. R.C. Otterberg was president of the Tiger Booster Club.

March 22, 1968 - President Lyndon B. Johnson announced the appointment of Gen. William Westmoreland as Army Chief of Staff; Gen. Creighton Abrams replaced him as commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam.

March 22, 1968 - Monroeville Police Chief O.D. Godwin turned in his badge during a three-hour special called meeting of the Monroeville City Council on this Friday night, with the question as to whether he resigned or was dismissed hinging on a technicality in procedure. The council minutes stated that he resigned while Godwin said he was fired. Regardless of whether he resigned or was dismissed, Godwin qualified the following day as a candidate for City Council, Post No. 1, opposing incumbent B.C. Hornady.

March 22, 1972 - The second movie version of Alabama author James H. Street's story "The Biscuit Eater" was released.

March 22, 1975 – A fire at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant in Decatur, Alabama caused a dangerous reduction in cooling water levels.

March 22, 1976 – Actress and producer Reese Witherspoon was born in New Orleans, La.

March 22, 1976 - Wayne E. Johnston, Conecuh County Treasurer and clerk to the County Commission, was appointed absentee voting officer for Conecuh County in the primary elections that year by Circuit Judge Robert E.L. Key. The appointment was made on this Monday, being necessary because Circuit Clerk Leon A. Salter, who would normally serve in that capacity, was a candidate for re-election.

  

March 22, 1982 - Twenty-six senior citizens were injured and their church bus destroyed when it flipped and landed in a 12-foot-deep median south of Evergreen, Ala. The group from the First Baptist Church of Boaz was en route to Bellingrath Gardens south of Mobile about 2 p.m. when the driver lost control of the 1972 Chevrolet bus about 10 miles south of Evergreen on rain-slick Interstate 65. All passengers of the bus were injured. Six passengers were admitted to D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital in Brewton, and five others were admitted to Evergreen Hospital. One woman was transferred from Evergreen to St. Margaret’s Hospital in Montgomery.

March 22, 1984 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Pvt. Tracy L. Hawsey, the son of Jimmy A. and Glenda Hawsey of 113 Desplous St. in Evergreen, Ala., had completed an ammunition storage course at the U.S. Army Missile and Munitions Center and School at Redstone Arsenal. Hawsey, a 1983 graduate of Evergreen High School, would eventually be elected Conecuh County Sheriff.

March 22, 1986 – John Shepard Salter, 89, of Evergreen, Ala. died in a VA hospital in Montgomery after a long illness. He was a World War I veteran and a retired employee of the City of Evergreen. Born on May 3, 1896, he is buried in the Jones Chapel Cemetery at Flat Rock.

March 22, 1987 – Major League Baseball first baseman Ike Davis was born in Edina, Minnesota.

March 22, 1991 – The Creagh-Glover Family Cemetery near Catherine in Wilcox County, Ala. was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

March 22, 1993 - Cleveland Indians pitchers Steve Olin and Tim Crews were killed in a boating accident in Florida. Bob Ojeda was also seriously injured in the accident.

March 22, 1994 - The NFL announced the addition of the two-point conversion. It was the league's first scoring change in 75 seasons.

March 22, 1994 - Sammy Pettis and Aaron Pettis killed a large turkey while hunting near Castleberry on this day. The turkey had a 10-/14 inch beard, one-inch spurs and weighed 17-1/4 pounds.

March 22, 1997 – The Comet Hale-Bopp had its closest approach to Earth.

March 22, 2002 - Excel High School opened area play on this Friday in Excel with 6-1 and 13-3 wins over McIntosh High School in a doubleheader at Murphy Park. Junior right-hander Neal Jordan picked up the win in the Panthers’ 6-1 decision over the McIntosh Demons. In the 13-3 win, Ryan Smith picked up the win on the mound, scattering three hits in four scoreless innings of work. Other standout Excel players in those games included Josh Black, Kyle Holder, Chase Reeves, Michael Whatley, Blake White, Josh Wiggins and Derek Wiggins.

March 22, 2006 – Three Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) hostages are freed by British forces in Baghdad after 118 days of captivity and the murder of their colleague from the U.S., Tom Fox.

March 22, 2012 – Buddy Raines discovered the “Mystery Track of Loree” in a field adjacent to his home in Conecuh County, Ala.