December 7

December 7 in the history of the Birmingham District:

2014: First United Methodist Church rededicated their refurbished sanctuary.
2006: The Bluff Park Substation was opened in Hoover.
2005: Corrections officer Deborah Thomas saved an inmate who had hanged himself in the Birmingham City Jail.
1984: The Newboys debuted at Gallette's in Tuscaloosa.
1973: The formal dedication of the UAB Diabetes Hospital began.
1966: Bull Connor suffered a stroke.
1959: Leonard Nimoy starred in a Town & Gown Theatre production of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" at Clark Memorial Theatre.
1941: Birmingham natives Thomas Rogers, William McCary and Julius Ellsberry were killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
1941: Milton Grafman was named Rabbi of Temple Emanu-El.
1903: A promotional and informational meeting about the Vulcan project was held at the Jefferson Theatre, which was lit for the first time with electric lights for the occasion.
1892: David Fox and his slate of Democratic Aldermen won the 1892 Birmingham municipal election without opposition.
1882: Businessman Belton Gilreath married the former Julia Margaret Burbage.
1853: Ground was broken for the construction of the Northeast & Southwest Railroad.

James R. Powell, born December 7, 1814

Births

1974: UAB Blazers basketball player Fred Williams was born.
1947: Alabama Slammers hockey head coach Garry Unger was born in Calgary, Canada.
1941: Shelby County Reporter publisher Wayne Rasco was born.
1936: ASHOF inductee Lloyd Nix was born in Carbon Hill.
1921: Philanthropist Caroline P. Ireland was born in San Diego, California.
1873: Methodist minister James Hanes was born.
1867: Birmingham Police officer John Little was born at Bradley's Camp near Morris.
1814: Elyton Land Company President and Mayor of Birmingham James Powell was born in Virginia.
1806: Railroad executive and Elyton Land Company shareholder Campbell Wallace was born in Sevier County, Tennessee.

2020: Former WBRC host Pat Gray died in Birmingham.
2019: Poet and educator Gerald Barrax died in Raleigh, North Carolina.
2018: Former state senator Fred Horn died in Birmingham.
2017: Architect Fritz Woehle died in Birmingham.
2013: Newspaper publisher Lee Walls died in Birmingham.
2009: Attorney Jack Bingham died.
2009: BPD East Precinct commander Gary Childs died.
1941: Birmingham area natives John A. Austin, Thomas Rogers, William McCary and Julius Ellsberry were killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
1934: Former Governor of Alabama William Brandon died in Tuscaloosa.
1920: U.S. Marshal Dick Griffin was ambushed by moonshiners and killed at Coolie Springs.

1985: Auburn tailback Bo Jackson won the Heisman Trophy.
1979: Enterprise High School defeated Vestavia Hills High School 14-13 in the 4-A football championship game at Legion Field.
1977: NHL legend Gordie Howe scored his 1,000th career goal against the Birmingham Bulls' John Garrett.
1893: Auburn and Georgia Tech tied, 0-0.