The Seven Cities of Cibola – Today In Southern History
24 May 1539
On this date in 1539…
On a search for wealthy cities rumored to be north of Mexico, Friar Marcos de Niza recorded in his journal that he finally sighted Cibola, though he never actually reached the city. His report will lead to future doomed expeditions looking for the “Seven Cities of Gold” throughout Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and as far as Missouri.
Other Years:
1513 – While exploring the Gulf Coast of Florida, Spanish Conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon engaged in a fight with Calusa Indians near Charlotte harbor. De Leon’s troops capture four Calusa warriors.
1818 – General Andrew Jackson’s troops captured Pensacola, Florida.
1844 – The first telegraphed news dispatch sent from Washington, DC appeared in the Baltimore “Patriot.”
1861 – Invading federal troops occupied Alexandria, Virginia.
1925 – John Scopes was indicted for teaching Darwinian theory in a Tennessee high school.
1935 – Jesse Owens of Oakville, Alabama tied the world record for the 100-yard dash at 9.4 seconds.
1961 – Twenty-seven Freedom Riders were arrested in Jackson, Mississippi for disturbing the peace and inciting to riot.
1968 – The Gateway Arch was dedicated as part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri.
1997 – South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond became the longest-serving senator in U.S. history at 41 years and 10 months.
2020 - Millions of cicadas emerge in a once in 17-year event across the US south endangering crops and causing noise issues.
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