Today in History for Jan. 25, 2015

General Richard Montgomery Memorial.

Jan. 25, 1759 – Poet and prominent Freemason Robert Burns was born in Alloway, Scotland. He went on to write “Epistle to William Simson,” which was supposedly about Belleville, Ala. school trustee William Simson in May 1785.

Jan. 25, 1776 - The Continental Congress authorized the first national Revolutionary War memorial. It was in honor of Brigadier General Richard Montgomery who had been killed in an assault on Quebec on Dec. 31, 1775.

Jan. 25, 1863 - U.S. President Abraham Lincoln replaced General Ambrose E. Burnside with General Joseph “Fighting Joe” Hooker as Commander of the Army of the Potomac.

Jan. 25, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes occurred at Bainbridge Ferry and another near the Sweet Water in North Alabama. This day also marked the beginning of a 12-day Federal expedition from Scottsborough, Ala. toward Rome, Ga.

Jan. 25, 1864 – During the Civil War, a skirmish occurred at Bayou Grand, Florida, where Federals were preparing to move on Mobile, Ala.

Jan. 25, 1915 – For a short while on this Monday, a “light flurry of snow fell” in Evergreen, Ala.

Jan. 25, 1920 – Grady Gaston was born in Frisco City, Ala. He would go on to serve in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II and would become famous for surviving the “Little Eva” crash incident in Australia. Many people would learn of his ordeal because it was featured in “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!”

Jan. 25, 1940 – The home of the Faulk sisters (and Truman Capote), located nextdoor to Mel’s Dairy Dream in Monroeville, Ala., burned.

Jan. 25, 1944 – Evergreen High School’s boys basketball team, led by head coach E.L. McInnis, improved to 7-0 on the season by beating T.R. Miller, 21-17, in Brewton. Huey led Evergreen with 12 total points. Miller had won nine straight games prior to the Evergreen game.

Jan. 25, 1945 – Dorothy Forstein, who would mysteriously disappear 5-1/2 years later, was attacked in her Philadelphia home by an unknown attacker. Forstein was seriously injured, but the ensuing police investigation never identified her mysterious attacker.

Jan. 25, 1959 – Members of the Dyatlov expedition arrived by train at Ivdel, a city at the center of the northern province of Sverdlovsk Oblast. They then took a truck to Vizhai, the last inhabited settlement so far north.

Jan. 25, 1968 – Army Warrant Officer Johnson Marcus Milligan of East Brewton, Ala. was killed in action in Vietnam.

Jan. 25-26, 1968 – The Conecuh County Basketball Tournament was held at Evergreen High School’s gym. Coach Wayne Pope’s Conecuh County High School Blue Devils entered the tourney as the defending champions. On Thurs., Jan. 25, Lyeffion High School played Conecuh County High School at 6 p.m., and Repton High School played Evergreen High School at 8 p.m. The two winners met in the tournament championship game at 8 p.m. on Fri., Jan. 26.

Jan. 25, 1977 – The Milner-Speir-Moody Home in Greenville, Ala. was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Jan. 25, 1981 - The Oakland Raiders beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10, in Super Bowl XV. The Raiders won the Super Bowl after entering the playoffs as a wildcard team.

Jan. 25, 1987 - The New York Giants defeated the Denver Broncos, 39-20, in Super Bowl XXI on NBC. The game featured TV commercials cost $550,000 for 30 seconds. Neil Diamond sang the U.S. national anthem before the start of the game.

Jan. 25, 1998 - The Denver Broncos beat the Green Bay Packers, 31-24, in Super Bowl XXXII. The Broncos had lost three previous Super Bowl appearances with quarterback John Elway. The win also broke the 13-game winning streak of the NFC.

Jan. 25, 2001 – The Evergreen-Conecuh County Chamber of Commerce held its annual banquet at Hillcrest High School. Dr. David Himelrick was the guest speaker.

Jan. 25, 2002 – “The Mothman Prophecies,” starring Richard Gere, debuted in theaters.

Jan. 25, 2003 - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVIII in San Diego. Coach Jon Gruden, at age 39, was the youngest coach to ever win the title.