The FReeper Foxhole Profiles Davy Crockett

David Crockett ran for the Legislature, in 1823, and his keen and quick wit earned him the respect of the frontiersmen in the area. He used his backwoodsman persona to entertain his audiences wherever he spoke. His opponent was Dr. W. E. Butler, who was married to the niece of Mrs. Andrew Jackson. However, the new settlers liked the man that they called their own and elected him. It was David Crockett who introduced the bill to form Gibson County, in 1823.

During a trip to Philadelphia, in 1823, David Crockett was presented his famous long rifle "Betsy" which contained the following inscription; "Presented to the Honorable David Crockett of Tennessee by the young men of Philadelphia." This inscription is on the barrel in gold, and near the sight is the motto, "Go Ahead" in letters in silver.

In 1826, David Crockett ran against Colonel Adam Rankin Alexander and Major General William Arnold, both of Jackson. His opponents ran a joint campaign and chose not to mention David Crockett in their speeches. The people did not ignore him, but reelected him by a majority of 2,748. He was their advocate for their "squatters rights" in the district. Davy preferred to call them settlers.

In 1829, the popularity of David Crockett was at such a peak, that his opposition looked for a man that they thought could beat him. Captain Joel Estes, of Haywood County and Colonel Adam Alexender were his opponents. The heated races received wide publicity over a wide region. The results at the polls were,Crockett, 8525; Alexander, 5000; and Estes, 132. David Crockett now felt that he was in a position the promote some his preferences. He broke with the administration on the Bank question, and the Cherokee relocation. His dislike of Andrew Jackson probably dated back to the Creek War and Jackson’s rigorous treatment of his Tennessee troops. However, the break was not received well back in his frontier country. The people of the area had a strong liking for Andrew Jackson, as well. When David Crockett returned home, he found that some strong feelings had developed against him for his stands.

When election day arrived, Davy Crockett found that he had lost the election, by a narrow majority, to his opponent, William Fitzgerald, of Dresden. The election had been called, by David Crockett, a campaign of "trickery". His opponents had announced that he was to speak at several places, and the candidate, not knowing of the arrangement, did not appear. This left the settlers displeased and, it is believed, was the reason for his defeat.

When the 1833 elections came, supporters of Andrew Jackson, passed legislation that reconstructed the district in such a way as to give advantage to his opponent, William Fitzgerald. This gerrymandering was called by David Crockett, "the most unreasonable every laid off in the nation, or even to-total creation." The battle was hard fought, but David Crockett won the election. Once more in Congress, he boasted, "Look at my neck, and you will not find any collar with a label, ‘My Dog, Andrew Jackson."

When the tallied results of the, 1836, election were announced, David Crockett had lost by a narrow majority. He retired to his frontier home to contemplate his future. The "people’s friend" decided to answer the call from Texans for volunteers to help their fight for independence.

By 1830 more than 20,000 Americans had migrated to Texas seeking a place to settle and David Crockett, ever looking for new frontiers to conquer, was a prime candidate to assist in the settlement. "As the country no longer requires my services, I have made up my mind to go to Texas. I start anew upon my own hook, and God grant that it may be strong enough to support the weight that may be hung upon it." He left behind wife, children, mother and siblings to take his place in American history.

In 1718, at a native American village in a pleasant wooded area of spring fed streams at the southern edge of Texas Hill country, Spain established the Mission San Antonio de Verlero (later called "The Alamo"). A barracks called San Antonio de Bexar was built to protect this mission. This was more than half a century before the founding of the United States.

Equestrian portrait of Santa Anna from the Center for American History, on display for the Davy Crockett exhibit.

In December, 1835, San Antonio de Bexar was under the control of Mexican General Perfecto de Cos with about 1200 soldiers from Mexico. At daybreak, on the fifth, Texans who had been camped outside the fort, begin a siege of the fort. Against heavy odds both men and artillery skirmished for the next two days. On the seventh, the Texan leader, Ben Milam, was killed, and the Texans, inspired to avenge his death, engaged in house to house combat that continued for two more days. At daybreak, on the ninth, General Cos signaled a Mexican truce. The Texans gained all the public property, guns and ammunition.

Mexican General Santa Anna determined to retake San Antonio, and impress upon the settlers the futility of further resistance to Mexican rule. The vanguard of his army arrived in San Antonio, February 23, 1836. The 145 Texans in the area took refuge in the fortified grounds of the old mission known as "The Alamo." Their leaders were William B. Travis, for the regulars; and Jim Bowie, for the volunteers.

General Santa Anna’s army continued to grow over the following two week to about 2,000 troops. William Travis made an appeal for aid from the other Texans in the area. A few reinforcements arrived, making the final total of 189 men. David Crockett was probably among these last recruits.

The Crockett exhibit includes the famous page in the José Enrique de la Peña narrative describing the popular frontier hero's execution at the Alamo.

After bombarding the mission, the Mexican stormed it's walls. At 6:30 a.m., March 6, 1836, The Alamo was taken. Losses in the battle have been placed at 189 Texans and 1600 Mexicans.

Several conflicting stories recount the final hours of the storming of The Alamo, but it is generally agreed that the remains, of the defenders, were piled in a pier and burned in the square. In November, 1836, Colonel Juan Sequin, of the army of the Republic of Texas, reoccupied San Antonio and, in February, 1837, he held a funeral for the defenders. He reported finding two small heaps and one large heap of ashes. Ashes from the small heaps were put in a coffin and used in a funeral procession to the church and back, Salutes were fired over each heap and a service was read at the large heap. A specific burial place has not been determined. Some cremated remains unearthed on the grounds of San Fernando Cathedral are entombed near the front entrance of the church.

Forty six days after the Siege of The Alamo, April 21, 1836, at the Battle of San Jacinto, 783 men led by General Sam Houston defeated General Santa Anna’s 1,500 Mexican troops. The battle lasted only eighteen minutes. Nine Texans lost their lives. The loss for the Mexicans were 630 dead, and 730 prisoners. General Santa Anna, disguised as a peasant, was captured the following day.

The Capture of Santa Anna

The Battle of San Jacinto won the independence for the Texans and the settlement of the new republic began. All who had fought for independence were granted 640 acres by the new government. In 1853, Elizabeth Patton Crockett arrived in Texas to claim her grant. She was accompanied by her children: Robert Patton Crockett, and his family; George Patton, and his family; and Rebecca Halford, and her family. After the cost of the survey, the land grant had shrunk to 320 acres. Their grant was located about four miles north of a trading post, now called Acton, in what now Hood County. Elizabeth Crockett was sixty five years old, but continued to do her share of the frontier work. She died at the age of seventy two, and her remains, with several members of her family, are in Acton State Park and Monument, the smallest state park in Texas. The monument shows her looking to the west, eyes shaded.

Children of David Crockett and Polly Finley Crockett are: John Wesley Crockett, b. 1808; William Finley Crockett, b. 1809; and Margaret Finley (Polly) Crockett, b. 1812. Children of David Crockett and Elizabeth Patton Crockett are: Rebecca Elvira Crockett, b. 1815; Robert Patton Crockett, b. 1816; and Matilda Crockett, b. 1821.

After David Crockett left for Texas, John Wesley Crockett, won two terms in Congress, the seat his father had held.

Myth, Blood, and Ink
DAVID GARZA

José Enrique de la Peña has been telling stories, and not everyone wants to hear them. A lieutenant colonel in the Mexican army who fought at the Alamo in 1836, both his voice and his controversial narratives survive in the form of a massive, 680-page diary that details his eyewitness account of the short and brutal war that led to the independence of Texas. But thanks to one very brief passage in the text, the encyclopedic diary itself has been at the center of a heated ideological war about how Texas should view its heroes and myths since its first English translation was published 25 years ago. Offering compelling challenges to the traditional story of how Texas came to be, de la Peña, it seems, is still fighting his tough revolution.

The notorious passage, which claims that the mythic Davy Crockett was captured by Mexican soldiers and executed by order of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna instead of dying in the glory of patriotic battle, has severely angered those loyal to Crockett's reputation and has brought rise to countless historical questions. These questions and mostly unsearchable answers were the subject of a daylong conference on April 29 organized by UT's Center for American History and titled "Eyewitness to the Texas Revolution: Jose Enrique de la Peña and His Narrative."

Bringing together historians and experts on the Texas campaign for independence, the panels mixed high drama and deep thought to grapple with the authenticity and accuracy of the manuscipt itself, as well as to discuss larger trends in the formulation of cultural histories. Most importantly, conference organizers promised to reveal the results of scientific tests on the diary that would prove once and for all whether the voice of the colonel was authentic.

The problem, of course, is that authenticity does not guarantee accuracy. Even if it could be proven that the de la Peña diary is not a forgery, there could be no way to resolve the question of how Davy Crockett died. The Mexican observer could have lied about what he saw, after all, or he could merely be retelling false or distorted secondhand tales. Still, there was a curious mood in the LBJ Library auditorium as the results of the tests were about to be revealed. One group of college-aged kids started placing bets on the fate of the diary: "I'll give you a dollar if this is really a fake."

There were those, too, in the audience who had spent years trying to discredit the manuscript for whom the moment seemed overwhelmingly fateful. Chief among them was Bill Groneman, the New York-based author of Defense of a Legend, which claims that the diary is a forgery that has irresponsibly tarnished the reputation of an impeccable hero. The Crockett that Groneman and his fellow defenders continue to cherish is not a man who was captured and beaten, but the standard and iconic Fess Parker figure, complete with the intriguing hat and surrounded by piles of Mexican soldiers at his feet.

For those who fell somewhere in between the two sides of the fight over how Crockett died, there were a number of fascinating issues to consider. During his lunchtime address, novelist Stephen Harrigan (The Gates of the Alamo) noted that he would not be surprised if the document turned out to be fake. "There is something hauntingly not quite right about it," he said, commenting on the diary's shifting tone and points of view. "Something kept me from falling in love [with it]." Others simply marveled at the stubbornness and fanaticism of those caught up in the fight. "This was like a two-headed snake that struck twice with one lunge," said Dora Guerra, who curated the diary during its previous stay at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park.

So when David Gracy, a professor of archival enterprise in the graduate school of library and information science at UT, took to the podium to announce the results of his tests, a great many people straightened up and sat at the edge of their seats. There was utter silence as he vigorously and exhaustively recounted the extent of the tests on the ink and the paper, the comparisons of handwriting samples, and the logical arguments to support what he found. "Unavoidable is the conclusion that the journal is authentic," he declared in his almost inappropriate fashion, heatedly addressing many of his points directly to Groneman. And for an unspeakable moment, the hero Davy Crockett seemed deader than ever, marred not by blood but by ink.

The second most important question of the day, and the one that is even harder to answer, has to do with the fascination and genuine need that cultures have to create unreal myths based on historical events: Why does it matter how Davy Crockett died? The facts are that he fought at the Alamo, he did die, and he has been honored for it. To many, it seems nothing but a technicality if he was captured and killed instead of having gone down fighting. But James Crisp, a professor at North Carolina State University, argued at the conference that the instant legend of Crockett and his colleagues had a profound effect not only on the self-image of the state that they created, but on the actual immediate effects of the war.

"Santa Anna lost two battles on April 21, 1836," Crisp said, refering to the defeat of the Mexican army at San Jacinto. On the one hand, he claimed, they lost an actual and present conflict on the muddy fields in one afternoon. But there was also the subtext of the unfinished Alamo fight, made all the more present by the cries of "Remember the Alamo." It was the gravity of the myth that had already been formed that changed what could have been a small assault into a decisive victory that wrenched a gargantuan chunk of land from the Mexican government. If the ghost of Crockett had not been there, in other words, the war might have continued much longer.

But Crisp admits, too, that the issue at stake with the de la Peña diary is not just the simple question of how one man died, but the issue of how history is made and how voices are silenced. He's right. One undeniably crucial concern which was never explicitly addressed at the conference was the fact that the diary's Mexican origin casts complex shadows on how it has been received in an American audience. For those who have had trouble accepting the fact that Crockett was captured, for instance, one must wonder how much of their outrage is intensified by the fact that the capture came at the hands of a Mexican army. Is the actual history made all the more unacceptable due to idea that not only was the adventurous and physically superior Crockett executed, but that he was executed by a Mexican force?

When a figure like Crockett becomes the symbol of the entire state and its history, that question becomes a bit dangerous. The factors involved in such a discussion deal with the hopelessly complex relationship between two cultures and two histories. It is a delicate conversation to have, for sure, but the argument over whether one man's diary is real, and the argument over how one soldier was killed, becomes important only in this light. In her speech, Guerra joked that the fascination people have with the diary is akin to tales of Elvis Presley sightings. What people have invested in this debate is not some mere fandom or kitsch, but a genuine passion for how the story of Texas is written and how it affects real life. It may no longer matter how Crockett was killed, but it does matter how we now allow him to live.

__________________________________________________________________

One of the secrets of the Alamo is how its most famous defender, Col. David Crockett, met his end.

Mrs. Andrea Castanon de Villanueva ("Madame Candeleria"), an Alamo survivor, claims that Crockett was among the first to fall. He was walking, unarmed, on some unknown errand, from the chapel towards the wall or rampart which ran from the end of the stockade, when a sudden volley fired by the Mexican soldiers caused him to fall forward on his face, dead.

Yet, there are others who say he was among the last to die. Sergeant Felix Nunez of the Mexican Army recalled a tall American in a coonskin cap whom he believed to be Crockett. Throughout the battle, this man killed and wounded many Mexican soldiers. None of his shots ever missed. Finally, a Mexican lieutenant dealt him a blow with a sword, just above the right eye, after which he was pierced by some twenty bayonets.

Another Alamo survivor, Susanna Dickenson, said that as she was evacuated by Mexican soldiers, she saw Crockett's body lying dead and mutilated in front of the chapel, his "peculiar" cap by his side.

Capt. Juan Almonte's black servant Ben, who had been a steward on steamships back east and remembered seeing Crockett when he was a U.S. Congressman, is reported to have identified Crockett's body to Santa Ana.

A Mexican officer named Saldigua stated that Santa Ana looked at the famous frontiersman for a few moments, then thrust his sword into the body, and turned away in contempt.

There are also stories that Crockett survived the battle, only to be executed. This was first reported in The New Orleans Post-Uniononly a few weeks after the battle. It was also described in Col. Crockett's Exploits and Adventures in Texas, a mostly fictional book published in the summer of 1836.

In fact, this was the most widely accepted version of events for years, until it was displaced in the popular imagination by various film versions--chiefly Walt Disney's Davy Crockett and John Wayne's The Alamo--in which Crockett goes down fighting.

In 1975 the story of Crockett's surrender and execution resurfaced in the public eye, to much controversy, when the diary of Lt. Jose Enrique de la Pena, an officer under Santa Ana, was published.

Pena writes that, despite Santa Ana's order that no prisoners be taken, Crockett and six others were captured when Mexican troops took the Alamo around six o'clock that morning:

"Some seven men survived the general carnage and, under the protection of General Castrillon, they were brought before Santa Ana. Among them was one of great stature, well proportioned, with regular features, in whose face there was the imprint of adversity, but in whom one also noticed a degree of resignation and nobility that did him honor. He was the naturalist David Crockett, well known in North America for his unusual adventures."

According to this account, Crockett tried to talk his way out of the predicament. He explained he was merely a tourist who had been exploring the area and sought refuge in the Alamo when hostilities began.

Santa Ana, angered that Castrillon had disobeyed his orders to take no prisoners, immediately ordered the execution of Crockett and the others.

Pena stated that several officers, eager to ingratiate themselves with their commander, then fell upon the men with swords in hand. "Though tortured before they were killed," Pena writes, "these unfortunates died without complaining and without humiliating themselves before their torturers."

Many historians believe this account to be true. Others, however, dismiss the diary as a forgery. Some believe the diary may be authentic, but surmise there may have been a case of mistaken identity. Anyone could have claimed to be Crockett, perhaps hoping Crockett's notoriety as a Congressman and possible U.S. repercussions might offer protection, and the Mexican soldiers would most likely not know the difference.

An account by another Alamo survivor conflicts with the story of Crockett's surrender. Joe, William Travis' slave, stated that only one man, named Warner, was captured and executed after the battle. Joe also said that Crockett's body was found in an angle made by two houses, lying on his back, his knife in hand, with a dead Mexican soldier lying across his body.

The answer to the controversy of Crockett's death is only one of the secrets kept by the Alamo.

Additional Sources:

www.cah.utexas.edu
www.austinchronicle.com
www.ar.utexas.edu
www.milartgl.com
www.utexas.edu
www.tsl.state.tx.us
www.state.tn.us
www.philiplamb.com
www.infoporium.com
www.sandiego.edu
www.rose-hulman.edu
www.milartgl.com
www.easttnvisit.com

Today's classic warship, USS Hammann (DD-412)

Sims class destroyer
Displacement. 1120 t.
Lenght. 348'4"
Beam. 36'1"
Draft. 11'5"
Speed. 35 k.
Complement. 192
Armament. 4 5", 8 21" tt.

The USS Hammann (DD-412) was launched by the Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Kearny, N.J., 4 February 1939; sponsored by Miss Lillian Hammann; and commissioned 11 August 1939, Comdr. A. E. True in command.

Hammann conducted shakedown off the East Coast and for the next 2 years participated in training and readiness operations off both coasts. At Iceland 7 December 1941 when war began, she quickly returned to Norfolk, Va., for fuel and supplies. and departed 6 January 1942 for the Pacific. She arrived San Francisco 22 January via the Panama Canal and sailed 25 February with Vice Admiral Fletcher's Task Force 17 for action in the South Pacific.

The destroyer took part in training maneuvers in the New Caledonia area during early March, and on the 27th the Task Force departed for the Coral Sea. Hammann acted as screening ship and plane guard for Lexington. Returning to Tongatabu 20 April, the Task Force sortied again into the Coral Sea 27 April for a surprise air raid on Japanese invasion forces on Tulagi.

While screening the carriers during the air raids on 4 May, Hammann was directed to rescue two fighter pilots downed on Guadalcanal, some 40 miles to the north. Steaming at full speed, the destroyer arrived at dusk and sighted a marker on the beach, which proved to be a parachute. The motor whaleboat was put over the side but dangerous surf prevented it from landing. Consequently, the pilots were recovered with the use oil lines from the boat. This accomplished, an attempt was made to destroy the wreckage of the aircraft, but the rough water made this impossible; Hammann returned to Lexington screen from this successful operation that night.

Four days later, 8 May, came the main action of the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first naval engagement fought entirely on both sides between aircraft and ships. During the exchange of air attacks, Hammann screened the carriers, firing furiously at Japanese torpedo planes as they attacked. Just as the torpedo planes retired, dive bombers appeared, one exploding a bomb a scant 200 yards off Hammann's starboard bow. Lexington, which had taken two devastating torpedo hits to port, was first thought to be under control, but a large internal explosion shortly before 1300, followed later by others, sealed her fate. As the order was given to abandon ship, Hammann, Morris and Anderson stood by to receive survivors. The destroyer picked up nearly 500 men from the water before the gallant "Lady Lex" went down the night of 8 May, torpedoed by destroyer Phelps.

The Battle of the Coral Sea, that checked the Japanese advance to the southeast was over, but new demands called far to the north. Under urgent orders from Admiral Nimitz to meet a new threat, Hammann steamed with the Task Force at high speed to Pearl Harbor, arriving 27 May. Working feverishly to repair and replenish the force got underway 30 May to take part in one Or the decisive battles of history, Midway. Steaming to meet the overwhelming Japanese fleet, the carriers with their protecting destroyers and cruisers, sped to the northeast Just in time. No better example exists in the war of the flexibility and mobility of naval power and the great results that can follow.

During the great air battle of 4 June, Hammann screened Yorktown, helping to shoot down many of the attacking aircraft. But the carrier took two torpedo hits and, listing heavily, was abandoned that afternoon. Hammann again picked up survivors in the water, including Yorktowns skipper, Captain Buckmaster, and transferred them to the larger ships. Next morning, however, efforts were mounted to save the stricken carrier, a skeleton crew returned on board, and attempts were made to tow her to safety. Hammann came alongside 6 June to transfer a damage control party. The destroyer then lay alongside, providing hose and water for fire fighting, power, and other services while tied up next to Yorktown.

The salvage party was making excellent progress when the protective screen was penetrated by a Japanese submarine after noon on 6 June. Four torpedoes were loosed two missed, one passed under Hammann and hit Yorktown, and the fourth hit the destroyer amidships, breaking her back.

As the debris from the explosion rained down and the ships lurched apart, it was apparent that the valiant Hammann was doomed. As she settled with sickening quickness life rafts were lowered and rescue efforts began by ships in company. The ship sank in just 4 minutes and following the sinking a violent underwater explosion caused many deaths in the water, bringing the toll in dead to over 80. Survivors were taken on board Benham and Balch.

Hammann thus was lost after taking a distinguished part in two of the most important Pacific battles, turning points in the war and history. The action at Midway Was a victory of intelligence bravely applied by Admiral Nimitz and his Fleet, the first really smashing defeat inflicted on the Japanese.

Hammann received two battle stars for service in World War II.

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on June 07:
570 Birth of Muhammed.
1502 Pope Gregory XIII introduced Gregorian calendar in 1582
1770 Earl of Liverpool (C) British PM (1812-27)
1778 George Bryan "Beau" Brummel London England, English dandy
1811 Sir James Young Simpson Scotland, obsterician (used chloroform)
1825 R.D. Blackmore author (Norie)
1843 Susan Elizabeth Blow US, pioneered kindergarten education
1848 Paul Gaugin [Eugene Henri], French post-impressionist painter
1896 Robert Mulliken US, chemist/physicist (Nobel 1966)
1896 Vivien Kellems TV hostess (The Power of Women)
1897 George Szell Budapest Hungary, conductor (Metropolitan 1942-45)
1899 Elizabeth Bowen Dublin, novelist (The Death of the Heart)
19-- Deanna Robbins actress (Young & Restless)
1909 Congressman Peter Rodino (D-NJ); chaired Watergate hearings
1909 Jessica Tandy London, actress (Birds, Cocoon, Batteries Not Included)
1909 Peter Rodino (Rep-D-NJ) chaired Watergate congressional council
1917 Dean Martin singer/comedian (partner for Jerry Lewis)
1917 Gwendolyn Brooks US poet (The Bean Eaters)
1922 Rocky Graziano boxer/entertainer (Pantomime Quiz, Martha Raye Show)
1924 Dolores Gray Chic Ill, singer/actress (Designing Woman, Kismet)
1926 Dick Williams Wall Lake Iowa, choral director (Andy Williams Show)
1929 John Turner Richmond England, (L) 17th Canadian PM (1984)
1931 Lang Jeffries Ontario Canada, actor (Skip-Rescue 8)
1937 Neeme J„rvi Tallinn Estonia, conductor (Estonia Opera 1971)
1940 Tom Jones Pontypridd Wales, singer (What's New Pussycat)
1941 Jaime Laredo Bolivia, violinist (Qn Elisabeth of Belgium prize 1959)
1943 Ken Osmond actor (Eddie Haskel-Leave it To Beaver)
1943 Nikki Giovanni poet (LHJ Woman of the Year 1973)
1944 Bill Rafferty Queens NY, comedian (Laugh-In, Real People)
1944 Clarence White guitarist (The Byrds-Turn! Turn! turn!)
1946 Bill Kreutzman drummer (Grateful Dead-Uncle John's Band)
1947 Thurman Munson NY Yankee (captain/catcher)
1954 Lui Passaglia Vancouver BC, CFL place kicker (B.C. Lions)
1955 Joey Scarbury Ontario Calif, singer (Greatest American Hero)
1958 Christopher Marcantel Smithtown NY, actor (Chip-Nurse, Loving)
1958 Prince [Rodgers Nelson], rocker/actor (1999, Purple Rain)
1962 Paddy McAloon rocker (Prefab Sprout-2 Wheels Good)
1971 Mark Wahlberg Mass, rapper

Deaths which occurred on June 07:
1329 Robert Bruce leader of the Scots, dies at 53
1631 Mumtax Mahal wife of Shah Jahan of India, her tomb (Taj Mahal)
1862 William Mumford 1st US citizen hanged for treason, tore down a flag flying over the US Mint.
1957 Mrs Elizabeth S Kingsley double-Crostic puzzle creator, dies
1961 Robert Griffith producer of Pajama Game, dies
1963 Zasu Pitts actress (Wedding March, Life With Father), dies at 65
1965 Judy Holiday actress, dies at 42
1968 Dan Duryea actor (Pride of the Yankees), dies at 60
1984 George Givot actor (Versatile Vaudeville), dies at 81
1990 Barbara Baxley actress (Norma Rae), dies at 63 of a heart attack

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1964 GREER ROBERT L. PLEASANT HILL CA.
[MOTORBIKE RECOVERED REMAINS IDENTIFIED 1991]
1964 SCHRECKENGOST FRED T. EAST PALESTINE OH.
[MOTORBIKE FOUND REMAINS IDENTIFIED 27 MAR 91]
1966 FRANCO CHARLES STEPHEN NEW YORK NY.
[01/15/67 REMAINS RECOVERED]
1966 JACOBS JOHN CHARLES MILHOUSEN IN.
[01/15/67 REMAINS RECOVERED]
1966 SANDNER ROBERT LOUIS CLEARWATER FL.
[REMAINS RECOVERED APRIL 1995 ID MARCH 1996]
1967 OWENS JOY L. SEATTLE WA.
[RADIO CONTACT LOST]
1967 SALE HAROLD R. LEXINGTON SC
[RADIO CONTACT LOST]
1968 SPENCER DEAN C. III MORGANTOWN WV.
1970 ALLOWAY CLYDE DOUGLAS PORTSMOUTH NH.
1970 WILBRECHT KURT MICHAEL ST PAUL MN.

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

On this day...
555 Vigilius ends his reign as Catholic Pope
1099 First Crusade reaches the walls of Jerusalem.
1494 Treaty of Tordesillas: the Pope divides the New World between Spain & Portugal.
1614 2nd parliment of King James I, disolves passing no legislation
1654 Louis XIV crowned king of France
1692 Porte Royale Jamaica slides into harbor after earthquake
1769 Daniel Boone begins exploring the Bluegrass State of Kentucky
1775 United Colonies change name to United States
1776 Richard Lee (VA) moves Decl of Independence in Continental Congress
1839 Hawaiian Declaration of Rights is signed
1860 Workmen start laying track for Market Street Railroad, SF
1860 1st US "dime novel" published: "Malaseka, The Indian Wife of the White Hunter," by Mrs Ann Stevens
1863 Mexico City captured by French troops
1864 Abe Lincoln renominated for Pres by Republican Party
1866 Irish Fenians raid Pigeon Hill, Qu‚bec
1887 Monotype type-casting machine patented by Tolbert Lanston, Wash DC
1892 John J Doyle of Clev Spiders is 1st to pinch hit in a baseball game
1896 G Harpo & F Samuelson leave NY to row the Atlantic (takes 54 days)
1898 Social Democracy of America party holds 1st national convention, Chic
1901 M Wolf discovers asteroid #471 Papagena
1905 Norway dissolves union with Sweden (in effect since 1814)
1909 Cleveland Industrial Exposition opens
1912 St Pius X encyclical "On the Indians of South America"
1912 US army tests 1st machine gun mounted on a plane
1924 George Leigh-Mallory disappears 775' from Everest's summit
1929 Vatican City becomes a soverign state
1930 NY Times agrees to capitalize the n in "Negro"
1936 Yanks beat Indians 5-4 in 16; longest game without a strikeout
1938 1st play telecast with original Broadway cast, "Susan & God"
1938 Boeing 314 Clipper flying boat 1st flown (Eddie Allen)
1939 1st king & queen of England to visit US, George VI & Elizabeth
1939 Cleve Indians sets AL record of 16 inning game without
striking out, however lose the game 5-4 to NY Yankees
1941 Whirlaway wins the Belmont Stakes & the triple crown
1942 USS Yorktown sinks near Midway Island
1953 1st color network telecast in compatible color, Boston, Mass
1954 1st microbiology laboratory dedicated (New Brunswick NJ)
1955 "The $64,000 Question" premiers on CBS TV
1955 1st President to appear on color TV (Eisenhower)
1959 KLX-AM in Oakland Calif changes call letters to KEWB (now KNEW)
1962 NASA civilian test pilot Joseph A Walker takes X-15 to 31,580 m
1963 1st Rolling Stones TV appearance (Thank Your Lucky Stars) & release 1st single, "Come on"
1965 Gemini 4 completes 62 orbits
1967 2 Moby Grape members arrested for contributing to deliquency of minors
1967 Israel captures Wailing Wall in East Jerusalem
1968 Sirhan Sirhan indicted for Bobby Kennedy assassination
1969 Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash combine on a Grand Ole Opry TV special
1969 Tommy James & the Shondells release "Crystal Blue Persuasion"
1970 Jockey Willie Shoemaker passes Johnny Longden with his 6,033 win
1970 The Who's Tommy is performed at NY's Lincoln Center
1971 Soviet Soyuz 11 crew completes 1st transfer to orbiting Salyut
1972 German Chancellor Willy Brandt visits Israel
1975 Spain's Manuel Orantes wins US Open, beating Jimmy Connors in 3 sets
1977 Anita Bryant leads successful crusade against Miami gay rights law
1978 Bullets beat Supersonics for NBA championship, 4 games to 3
1979 Bhaskara 1, Indian Earth resources/meteorology satellite, launched
1979 Rocker Chuck Berry is charged with tax evasion
1980 John McEnroe beats Bj”rn B”rg for US Open
1980 Temperance Hill wins Belmont Stakes (50:1 long shot)
1980 Tommy John wins his 200th, 3-0 on a 2-hitter
1981 Bjorn Borg wins his 6th French Open singles (defeats Ivan Lendl)
1981 Israel destroys alleged Iraqi plutonium production facility
1982 NY Mets draft Dwight Gooden, Roger McDowell & Randy Myers
1982 Pres Reagan meets Pope John Paul II & Queen Elizabeth
1983 A Gilmore & P Kilmartin discovers asteroid #3152
1983 Steve Carlton temporarily passes Nolan Ryan with his 3,552 strike out
1986 Madonna's "Live to Tell," single goes #1
1989 23 year old olympic barefoot South African runner Zola Budd retires
1989 Atlanta Fulton County Comm approves $210M stadium for the Falcons
1989 Wayne Gretzky wins his 9th NHL Hart (MVP) Trophy in 10 years
1990 Michael Jackson hospitalized for chest pains
1991 Singer Jimmy Osmond weds Michelle Larson

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Chad : National Day
Western Australia : Foundation Day (1838) - - - - - ( Monday )
Massachusetts : Teachers' Day - - - - - ( Sunday )
Ireland : Bank Day - - - - - ( Monday )
Bahamas : Labour Day - - - - - ( Friday )
New Zealand : Queen's Birthday - - - - - ( Monday )

Religious Observances
Christian : Feast of Bl Marie-Therese de Soubiran
Luth : Commemoration of Seattle, Chief of the Duwamish
RC : Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (opt)

Religious History
1099 The armies of the First Crusade (1096-99) reached the walls of Jerusalem.
1891 English Baptist clergyman Charles H. Spurgeon preached the last sermon of his 38-year-long ministry at London's Metropolitan Tabernacle. He died the following January.
1913 Ohio-born Methodist evangelist George Bennard introduced his new hymn, 'The Old Rugged Cross,' during a revival he was conducting at Pokagon, Michigan.
1934 Wycliffe Bible Translators held its first study course in linguistics at Sulphur Springs, Arkansas. The training session lasted 3 months.
1959 English apologist C.S. Lewis wrote in a letter: 'If we really think that home is elsewhere and that this life is a 'wandering to find home,' why should we not look forward to the arrival?'

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

Thought for the day :
"Pale ink beats a good memory."

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