Today in History for Jan. 3, 2015

British General John Campbell

Jan. 3, 1749 – The first issue of Berlingske, Denmark's oldest continually operating newspaper, was published.

Jan. 3, 1781 – British General John Campbell ordered Capt. Von Hanxleden to attack Spanish Fort, which was located in present-day Alabama.

Jan. 3, 1819 – Alabama governor, state legislator and attorney Thomas Hill Watts was born in Butler County, Ala.

Jan. 3, 1841 – Herman Melville, age 21, set sail aboard the whaling vessel Acushnet on this date in 1841 from the port of New Bedford, Mass. bound for the Pacific Ocean.

Jan. 3, 1861 - The state of Delaware rejected secession when its legislature voted overwhelmingly to remain with the United States.

Jan. 3, 1892 – J.R.R. (John Ronald Reuel) Tolkien was born to English parents in Blomfontein, South Africa, where his father worked in a bank. Raised primarily in England, he would one day write “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.”

Jan. 3, 1908 – In Monroe County, H.C. Walston and Edward English kill one another in a shootout in a dispute over a black worker named Jesse Thompson. English killed John S. McDuffie in a shooting in 1904.

Jan. 3, 1924 - English explorer and Egyptologist Howard Carter discovered the stone sarcophagus of King Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor, Egypt. Inside the sarcophagus was a solid gold coffin containing the mummy of the boy-king, preserved for over 3,000 years.

Jan. 3, 1941 - The National Collegiate Football Rules Committee announced a new rule that permitted the free substitution of football players.

Jan. 3, 1945 – Former Selma resident Edgar Cayce died in Virginia Beach, Va. Known as the "sleeping prophet," he was considered the most documented psychic of the 20th century, giving readings to thousands of seekers while in a trance state. He lived in Selma, Ala. from 1912 to 1925.

Jan. 3, 1947 - Al Herrin passed away at age 92 in Trenton, New Jersey. He claimed that he had not slept at all during his life.

Jan. 3, 1951 – Army Cpl. Robert E. Godwin of Escambia County, Ala. "died while missing" in Korea.

Jan. 3, 1953 – “The Lawless Breed,” a film based on the life of outlaw John Wesley Hardin, was released in theaters. Portions of the film were shot in Pollard, and Rock Hudson starred in the role of Hardin, who once lived in Pollard for about 18 months.

Jan. 3, 1959 – Alaska became the 49th state to enter the U.S.

Jan. 3, 1962 - Work began on the construction of the Houston Astrodome in Houston, Texas.

Jan. 3, 1963 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Bill Sawyer, a senior at Frisco City High School, had been chosen as an end on the Class B All-State Football Team, which was selected by the Alabama Sports Writers Association. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Parvin Sawyer of Frisco City, Ala., and he was the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. W.C. Hart of Evergreen, Ala.

Jan. 3, 1963 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Evergreen, Ala. would get dial phones for the first time in late 1964. Evergreen was one of the last cities of its size in the Alabama to go to dial phones and was one of the last exchanges of its size in the country to still be operated manually.

Jan. 3, 1967 - Jack Ruby, the Dallas nightclub owner who killed the alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy, died of cancer in a Dallas hospital. The Texas Court of Appeals had recently overturned his death sentence for the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald and was scheduled to grant him a new trial.

Jan. 3, 1969 – Army SPC5 Ted Arnold White of Dickinson (in Clarke County, Ala.) was killed in action in Vietnam.

Jan. 3, 1972 - Alabama's legislative districts were reapportioned by federal court order to bring them in line with the principle of "one man/one vote."  Neither the first nor the last such federal court action, this plan established single-member districts, which no longer necessarily followed county boundaries.

Jan. 3, 1973 - The Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) sold the New York Yankees to a 12-man syndicate headed by George Steinbrenner for $10 million.

Jan. 3, 1977 - The Kansas City Royals releases pitcher Lindy McDaniel, ending his twenty-one year career.

Jan. 3, 1978 - Louphenia Thomas became the first black woman elected to the Alabama Legislature, filling the unexpired term of John T. Porter.

Jan. 3, 1979 – Ann Bedsole began serving in the Alabama State House as the Representative for District 101 (Mobile) after being the first Republican woman to have been elected to the Alabama House of Representatives. She would serve in the State House until Jan. 3, 1983.

Jan. 3, 1983 – Ann Bedsole began serving in the Alabama Senate as the Senator for District 34 (Mobile) after being the first Republican woman to have been elected to the Alabama State Senate. She would serve in the State Senate until Jan. 3, 1995.

Jan. 3, 1983 - Tony Dorsett of the Dallas Cowboys made the longest run from scrimmage in NFL history. Dorsett ran 99 yards in a game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Jan. 3, 1993 - Backup quarterback Frank Reich led the Buffalo Bills to a 41-38 overtime victory over the Houston Oilers in an American Football Conference (AFC) wild card playoff game that will forever be known to football fans as "The Comeback."

Jan. 3, 2005 - Former Pittsburgh Steeler Lynn Swann declared his candidacy for Pennsylvania governor.

Jan. 3, 2010 - Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans set the NFL single-season record for yards from scrimmage. He finished the season with 2,509 yards.

Jan. 3, 2010 - Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys set a team record when he took every snap for the entire regular season.