Alabama is nicknamed the Yellowhammer State, after the
state bird. Alabama is also known as the "Heart of
Dixie" and the "Cotton State". The state has diverse geography, with the north dominated by the mountainous
Tennessee Valley and the south by
Mobile Bay, a historically significant port. Alabama's capital is
Montgomery, and its largest city by population and area is
Huntsville. Its oldest city is
Mobile, founded by
French colonists (
Alabama Creoles) in 1702 as the capital of
French Louisiana.
Greater Birmingham is Alabama's largest metropolitan area and its economic center. Politically, as part of the
Deep South, Alabama is predominantly a
conservative state, and is known for its
Southern culture. Within Alabama,
American football, particularly at the
college level, plays a major part of the state's culture.
Originally home to many native tribes, present-day Alabama was a Spanish territory beginning in the sixteenth century until the French acquired it in the early eighteenth century. The British won the territory in 1763 until losing it in the
American Revolutionary War. Spain held Mobile as part of
Spanish West Florida until 1813. In December 1819, Alabama was recognized as a state. During the antebellum period, Alabama was a major
producer of cotton, and widely used
African Americanslave labor. In 1861, the state seceded from the United States to become part of the
Confederate States of America, with Montgomery acting as its first capital, and rejoined the Union in 1868. Following the
American Civil War, Alabama would suffer decades of economic hardship, in part due to agriculture and a few
cash crops being the main driver of the state's economy. Similar to other former slave states, Alabamian legislators employed
Jim Crow laws from the late 19th century up until the 1960s. High-profile events such as the
Selma to Montgomery march made the state a major focal point of the
civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. (Full article...)
The club played all of their home games at
Legion Field. The most successful of the World Football League franchises, the Americans led the league in attendance and won all 13 of their home games. They developed a reputation for come-from-behind victories and winning by narrow margins. The Americans finished the 1974 regular season at 15–5 and won the 1974
World Bowl by one point over the Florida Blazers. (Full article...)
HiramKing "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer-songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century. Williams recorded 55 singles that reached the top 10 of the
Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart, five of which were released posthumously, and 12 of which reached No.1.
Born and raised in Alabama, Williams learned guitar from African-American
blues musician
Rufus Payne. Both Payne and
Roy Acuff significantly influenced his musical style. After winning an amateur talent contest, Williams began his professional career in Montgomery in the late 1930s playing on local radio stations and at area venues such as school houses, movie theaters, and bars. He formed the
Drifting Cowboys backup band, which was managed by his mother, and dropped out of school to devote his time to his career. Because his alcoholism made him unreliable, he was fired and rehired several times by radio station
WSFA, and had trouble replacing several of his band members who were drafted during World War II. (Full article...)
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