Today in History for Jan. 8, 2016

James Longstreet

Jan. 8, 1790 - President George Washington delivered the first State of the Union address to the assembled Congress in New York City.

Jan. 8, 1811 – An unsuccessful slave revolt was led by Charles Deslondes in St. Charles and St. James, Louisiana.

Jan. 8, 1815 - U.S. forces under Andrew Jackson achieved the greatest American victory of the War of 1812 at the Battle of New Orleans, which was fought between Dec. 23, 1814 and Jan. 8, 1815. The War of 1812 had officially ended on Dec. 24, 1814 with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent (which wasn’t ratified by the U.S. government until February 1815). The news of the signing had not reached British troops in time to prevent their attack on New Orleans.

Jan. 8, 1821 – Confederate General James Longstreet was born near Edgefield, S.C. Longstreet became one of the most successful generals in the Confederate army, and fought with Robert E. Lee until the surrender at Appomattox in April 1865. After the war he became a target of some of his comrades, who were searching for a scapegoat.

Jan. 8, 1823 – Welsh-English geographer, biologist and explorer Alfred Russel Wallace was born in Llanbadoc, Monmouthshire, Wales.

Jan. 8, 1853 - A bronze statue of Andrew Jackson on a horse was unveiled in Lafayette Park in Washington, D.C.

Jan. 8, 1861 – Around midnight, Federal forces under the command of Lt. Adam J. Slemmer at Fort Barrancas in Pensacola, Fla. fired on a group of Florida State Troops who attempted to move on the fort. This action was unlike the peaceful forfeiture of Fort Marion in St. Augustine the previous day. Some historians suggest that these were the first shots fired by United States forces in the Civil War.

Jan. 8, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Fishing Creek, Ky.; at Roan's Tan Yard, also known as Silver Creek, also known as Sugar Creek, near Charleston, Mo.; and at Cheat River and at the mouth of the Blue Stone River, West Virginia.

Jan. 8, 1863 – During the Civil War, the Second Battle of Springfield was fought in Spring Field, Missouri. A three-day Federal operation between Elkhorn and Berryville, Ark. also began. A skirmish was also fought at Knob Creek, near Ripley, Mill Creek, Harpeth Shoals, and Ashland Tenn. A three-day Federal operation between Suffolk and Blackwater, Va. also began, and a three-day Federal operation between Catlett’s Station and Rappahannock Station, Va. also began.

Jan. 8, 1864 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Moorefield Junction, West Va., and Federal artillery shelled the Confederate works at Caney Bayou, Texas.

Jan. 8, 1864 - Seventeen-year-old David Owen Dodd was hanged in Little Rock, Ark. He was captured as he tried to cross Federal lines near Little Rock with notes in Morse code hidden in his shoe. After a military court found him guilty, he confessed that he had been sent to gather information about Union troops. Dodd may have been the youngest person hanged as a spy in the Civil War.

Jan. 8, 1865 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought near Ivey's Ford, Ark. and with Kickapoo and Pottawatomie Indians at Dove Creek, Concho River, Texas.

Jan. 8, 1865 – During the Civil War, with General Ben Butler now replaced by the vastly more capable General Alfred H. Terry in command of the Army side of the project, the effort to capture Ft. Fisher was in full stride today. An immense fleet had been assembled by Admiral David D. Porter, half gun ships and the other half troop transports for the Army force. To allow for the fact that bad weather could blow in unexpectedly at any time, the fleet had scheduled a rendezvous point in case regrouping was needed. They arrived at this point, off Beaufort, N.C. on this day, and indeed had to wait for a few vessels to catch up, although the reasons were more mechanical than meteorological. The weather was holding, which did not bode well for the defenses of Wilmington, N.C.

Jan. 8, 1880 - The "ruler" Emperor Norton passed away in San Francisco. The eccentric Joshua Abraham Norton proclaimed himself "Emperor of these United States and Protector of Mexico." During his 20-year "reign," he was humored by the locals, and currency was even issued in his name.

Jan. 8, 1904 – German SS officer Karl Brandt was born in Mulhouse, Alsace-Lorraine.

Jan. 8, 1905 – During a wedding in northeastern Monroe County, Ala., a man named Smith shot and killed John McClammy. Smith was also seriously wounded during the “row.”

Jan. 8, 1909 - Alabama journalist Buford Boone was born near Newnan, Ga.

Jan. 8, 1929 - William S. Paley appeared on CBS Radio for the first time to announce that CBS had become the largest regular chain of broadcasting chains in radio history.

Jan. 8, 1932 – Bay Minette’s boys basketball team beat Evergreen High School, 22-18, in Bay Minette, Ala.

Jan. 8, 1932 – Evergreen High School’s girls basketball team improved to 4-0 with a 33-9 win over Georgiana High School. Team captain Althea Kelly led Evergreen with 22 points.

Jan. 8, 1934 – Major League Baseball third baseman Gene Freese was born in Wheeling, West Virgnia. He would go on to play for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Chicago White Sox, the Cincinnati Reds and the Houston Astros.

Jan. 8, 1935 – Elvis Presley, the “King of Rock and Roll,” was born in Tupelo, Miss.

Jan. 8, 1942 – Physicist and author Stephen Hawking was born in Oxford, England on the 300^th anniversary of Galileo’s death. He is best known for his book, “A Brief History of Time.”

Jan. 8, 1948 – Former Mississippi State and NFL quarterback Joe Reed was born in Newport, Rhode Island. He would go on to play for the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions.

Jan. 8, 1949 – Major League Baseball outfielder Wilbur Howard was born in Lowell, N.C. He would go on to play for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Houston Astros.

Jan. 8, 1953 – National Baseball Hall of Fame relief pitcher Bruce Sutter was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He went on to play for the Chicago Cubs, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.

Jan. 8, 1953 – Coach Ray Owens’ Conecuh County High School boys basketball team improved to 6-2 on the season with a 39-37 win over Evergreen High School in Evergreen, Ala. Shirley Frazier led Evergreen with 17 points, and James Jernigan led CCHS with 11 points. CCHS forward Lamon Reeves scored the winning shot with five seconds left in the game. Evergreen, under Coach Wendell Hart, fell to 5-4 on the season.

Jan. 8, 1957 - Jackie Robinson announced his retirement from Major League Baseball in an article that appeared in "LOOK" magazine.

Jan. 8, 1958 - Bobby Fisher, at the age of 14, won the United States Chess Championship for the first time.

Jan. 8, 1960 - The NCAA met in New York and voted against reviving the unlimited substitution rule for college football.

Jan. 8, 1960 – Widely known educator and former Evergreen, Ala. resident Dr. Clarence M. Dannelly, 70, died on this Friday, a “victim of a lingering heart disease.” According to The Evergreen Courant, Dannelly “was nationally known in educational circles.” He served as superintendent of Montgomery city and county schools from 1936 until his retirement in 1958 and served as principal at Evergreen High School, Etowah County High School, as educational representative of Rand, McNally Co., as a staff member of the State Department of Education, as president of Kentucky Wesleyan College and he taught history and philosophy of education for two years at the University of Alabama. He also served one term as vice president of the National Education Association.

Jan. 8, 1960 – Union High School of Monroeville beat Conecuh County Training School’s boys basketball team, 73-64, in Evergreen, Ala. Douglas Evans led CCTS with 21 points, and Robert Martin followe with 14 points. Standout Union players included Richardson, a guard.

Jan. 8, 1962 – A U.S. Air Force KB-50 tanker leaving from Langley Air Force Base, Va., on its way to the Azores, disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle.

Jan. 8, 1967 - About 16,000 U.S. soldiers from the 1st and 25th Infantry Divisions, 173rd Airborne Brigade and 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment joined 14,000 South Vietnamese troops to mount Operation Cedar Falls. This offensive, the largest of the war to date, was designed to disrupt insurgent operations near Saigon, and had as its primary targets the Thanh Dien Forest Preserve and the Iron Triangle, a 60-square-mile area of jungle believed to contain communist base camps and supply dumps. During the course of the operations, U.S. infantrymen discovered and destroyed a massive tunnel complex in the Iron Triangle, apparently a headquarters for guerrilla raids and terrorist attacks on Saigon. The operation ended with 711 of the enemy reported killed and 488 captured. Allied losses were 83 killed and 345 wounded. The operation lasted for 18 days.

Jan. 8, 1973 – Army SFC William Sherril Stinson of Georgiana, Ala. was declared missing in action in Vietnam.

Jan. 8, 1973 - The trial opened in Washington of seven men accused of bugging the Democratic Party headquarters in the Watergate apartment complex in Washington, D.C.

Jan. 8, 1973 - National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger and Hanoi’s Le Duc Tho resumed peace negotiations in Paris. After the South Vietnamese had blunted the massive North Vietnamese invasion launched in the spring of 1972, Kissinger and the North Vietnamese had finally made some progress on reaching a negotiated end to the war. However, a recalcitrant South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu had inserted several demands into the negotiations that caused the North Vietnamese negotiators to walk out of the talks on Dec. 13. President Richard Nixon issued an ultimatum to Hanoi to send its representatives back to the conference table within 72 hours “or else.” The North Vietnamese rejected Nixon’s demand and the president ordered Operation Linebacker II, a full-scale air campaign against the Hanoi area. On Dec. 28, after 11 days of round-the-clock bombing (with the exception of a 36-hour break for Christmas), North Vietnamese officials agreed to return to the peace negotiations in Paris. When the negotiators returned on Jan. 8, the peace talks moved along quickly. On Jan. 23, 1973, the United States, North Vietnam, the Republic of Vietnam, and the Viet Cong signed a cease-fire agreement that took effect five days later.

Jan. 8, 1976 – In connection with the “Amityville Horror” case, after deciding that something was wrong with their house they could not explain rationally, George and Kathy Lutz carried out a blessing of their own on. George held a silver crucifix while they both recited the Lord's Prayer and, while in the living room, George allegedly heard a chorus of voices asking them "Will you stop?!"

Jan. 8, 1976 – Major League Baseball pitcher Carl Pavono was born in New Britain, Conn. He went on to play for the Montreal Expos, the Florida Marlins, the New York Yankees, the Cleveland Indians and the Minnesota Twins.

Jan. 8, 1977 - The cover of TV Guide featured the "Super Bowl."

Jan. 8, 1977 – Weather reporter Earl Windham reported a low of 25 degrees in Evergreen, Ala.

Jan. 8, 1977 – Sparta Academy’s boys basketball team beat Evangel, 60-59, in Eight Mile near Mobile, Ala. Bobby Johnson led Sparta with 23 points.

Jan. 8, 1981 – A local farmer reported a UFO sighting in Trans-en-Provence, France, and it’s said to be "perhaps the most completely and carefully documented sighting of all time".

Jan. 8, 1984 - ABC purchased the remaining 85 percent of ESPN.

Jan. 8, 1985 - Alabama author Wyatt Blassingame died in Bradenton, Fla.

Jan. 8, 1998 – Little Eva crash survivor Grady Gaston of Frisco City, Ala. passed away at the age of 77. During World War II, Gaston, a ball turret gunner, was one of the few survivors of bomber crash that occurred in Australia. Gaston survived in terrible conditions for nearly five months before being rescued, and he was later featured by “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!”

Jan. 8, 1998 – In “V for Vendetta,” Evey asked V if he was her father. V responds and Evey is kicked out of the Gallery. Derek Almond is laid to rest. Rosemary Almond is refused any sort of financial compensation for Norsefire. With no other means of support, she accepts Roger Dascombe’s invitation.

Jan. 8, 2000 - In an American Football Conference (AFC) wild card match-up at Adelphia Coliseum in Nashville, Tenn., the Tennessee Titans stage a last-second come-from-behind victory to beat the Buffalo Bills 22-16 on a kickoff return play later dubbed the "Music City Miracle."

Jan. 8, 2007 – The Franklin Cemetery in Butler County, Ala. was added to the Alabama Historic Cemetery Register.

Jan. 8, 2009 - In Egypt, archeaologists entered a 4,300-year-old pyramid and discovered the mummy of Queen Sesheshet.