The Death of Genius – Today In Southern History

Jul 06, 2026

6 July 1962

1775 – Congress issued the “Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms”, written by Thomas Jefferson and John Dickinson, listing American grievances.
1861 – The Confederate cruiser C.S.S. Sumter released seven captured federal vessels in Cuban waters.
1862 – Fighting at Devall’s Bluff, Arkansas killed a combined 106 soldiers.
1869 – Black candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, Dr J. H. Harris lost even though white Southerners were mostly still forbidden to vote
1929 – St. Louis Cardinals set a MLB run record with 28 runs on 28 hits against Philadelphia
1954 – KMOS TV channel 6 in Sedalia-Warrensburg, MO began broadcasts
1957 – The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library formed in Independence, Missouri.
1957 – Althea Gibson of South Carolina won the Wimbledon women’s singles tennis title, becoming the first black athlete to win the event.
1986 – Atlanta infielder Bob Horner became the 11th player to hit 4 home runs in a MLB game against the Montreal Expos
1989 – The U.S. Army destroyed its last Pershing 1-A missiles at an ammunition plant in Karnack, Texas under the terms of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
1994 – “Forrest Gump”, directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Tom Hanks and based on the novel by Winston Groom was released