Category Archives: Alabama Collection

Cotton Dethroned!

98 years ago today, on September 3, 1910, the boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis) was first discovered on Alabama soil. The unbelievable devastation the boll weevil caused to cotton crops throughout the South was the catalyst for diversifying agriculture in Alabama, … Continue reading

Olympic History and a great Alabamian

Seventy-two years ago today, on August 3, 1936, track and field athlete and native Alabamian Jesse Owens won his first of four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. Owens was born in Oakville, Alabama in 1913 and … Continue reading

Il y a longtemps… The Pélican Girls in Mobile and Yellow Fever Comes Full Circle

Detail of, Guillaume de L’Isle’s map Novissima tabula regionis lvdoviciana gallice dictæ La Lovgsiane iam olim quidem sub Canadæ et Floridæ nomine in America Septentrionali [Nuremburg; 1730?]From the Hoole Library’s map collections.  Four hundred and four years ago today, on … Continue reading

Shazam! Happy Birthday UA Alum Jim Nabors

Jim Nabors, UA Homecoming 1968 University of Alabama alum Jim Nabors (class of 1952) was born on June 12, 1930 in Sylacauga, Alabama. Best known for his beloved character, Gomer Pyle on both the Andy Griffith Show and Gomer Pile, … Continue reading

The Archer, the Thief and UA’s 1938 Rose Bowl Team

This very cool picture from our collections features The University of Alabama’s football team in 1938 — after their defeat in the Rose Bowl. In the photograph are two men who stand out a little bit — with elaborate costumes. … Continue reading

Harper Lee Postscript: The Understatement of the Century

This detail from the “Little Nelle” Heads Ram… article posted earlier this week merits a second look. And write a book she did…. It was awarded the Pulitzer Prize 47 years ago today.

Of birthdays, Campus Humor Magazines, and the Pulitzer Prize!

One of the most beloved Alabamians and University of Alabama alums has a birthday this week – Happy Birthday, Harper Lee! And it was 47 years ago this week that she received quite a birthday present — the Pulitzer Prize … Continue reading

Laissez les bon temps rouler! Ou? A Mobile, bien sur!

Alabamians are quick to point out that New Orleans was not the first place, nor is it the only place that Mardi Gras is celebrated. While celebrations occur throughout the state of Alabama, it is Mobile’s Mardi Gras tradition, which … Continue reading

Congratulations Harper Lee!

A very special congratulations to beloved native daughter, University of Alabama alum, and friend to the UA Libraries, Nelle Harper Lee. On November 5, 2007, Ms. Lee was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award. The … Continue reading

Dreams of Africa in Alabama — Two Upcoming Lectures with Dr. Sylviane Diouf 11/12 and 11/13

The UA Libraries is co-sponsoring a visit with Dr. Sylviane Diouf, curator at the Schomburg Center for Black Culture in New York, and author of Dreams of Africa in Alabama: The Slave Ship Clotilda and the Story of the Last … Continue reading