ON THIS DAY IN 1902, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON — Opinion varies as to the termination of the blockade of the Venezuelan ports. In some quarters it is assumed that if President Roosevelt accepts the duty of arbitrator the allies will call off the blockade at once. On the other hand, it is pointed out the custom requires the terms of the arbitration to be accurately defined and this will consume time, pending which the blockade will continue.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1925, the Eagle reported, “ROME (AP) — Pope Pius today granted an audience to Cardinal Hayes, Archbishop of New York, who is here for the closing ceremonies of the holy year. Cardinal Hayes was received at the Vatican with military honors, the Swiss guards and gendarmes taking part in the ceremony. In the antechamber of the papal apartment he was greeted by officials of the Papal Court. After a few minutes the door of the Pope’s private library was thrown open and His Holiness greeted the Cardinal, who knelt before him. The Pontiff raised him immediately and embraced him fraternally. The conversation in the library lasted about 40 minutes, the Pope reviewing events since Cardinal Hayes was last at Rome to receive his red hat. The Holy Father expressed great satisfaction at the success of the holy year, to which he said Americans had contributed greatly by their zeal, piety and generosity.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1925, the Eagle reported, “With the assurance from the executive committee that the Sesquicentennial International Exposition, which is to be held in Philadelphia, will open on June 1, 1926, the New York sesquicentennial committee tendered a dinner to W. Freeland Kendrick, Mayor of Philadelphia, last night at the Hotel Roosevelt, Manhattan. The occasion marked the beginning of the united effort of leading commercial and civic interests in both cities to make the coming exposition the greatest in the history of this generation.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1945, the Eagle reported, “HEIDELBERG (U.P.) — Gen. George S. Patton will be buried on Christmas Eve at Ham in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg beside fallen soldiers of his victorious United States 3rd Army. His widow, Beatrice, selected the Luxembourg burial site in consultation with army officers because she felt that the General wanted to remain with his troops, even in death. It was felt unfitting that he should be buried in Germany. Episcopal services will be held for Patton at Heidelberg tomorrow, and again in Luxembourg on Monday. The mountainous little Duchy, tucked in a corner bordering Belgium, France and Germany, was traditionally neutral soil until the Germans overran it in May 1940. Patton will lie in the same soil over which the 3rd Army rushed just a year ago to smash the southern shoulder of the German Ardennes salient in ‘the Battle of the Bulge.’ Just west of the Luxembourg border lies Bastogne, scene of the heroic American airborne stand during that battle.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1950, the Eagle reported, “TOKYO (U.P.) — Communist China today rejected the United Nations appeal for a cease-fire in Korea, demanded a seat in the U.N. as its price for peace and hinted that Chinese Red troops no longer recognize the 38th Parallel as the frontier between North and South Korea. The Chinese Communist stand on the Korean war was made public in a statement by Premier and Foreign Minister Chou En-lai broadcast by Peiping radio and monitored to Tokyo. Chou’s statement was issued only a few hours after a warning by Gen. Douglas MacArthur that Red attacks in Korea are increasing in intensity and may be the overture to a massive new offensive into South Korea. MacArthur’s warning implied that some Chinese Reds may already have crossed the 38th Parallel north of Seoul. Chou’s statement was presented to the world as the official answer of the Chinese People’s Republic to two requests by a three-man United Nations committee for a cease-fire meeting. The broadcast gave no indication any other answer would be given. Neither was there any indication it had been dispatched to the United Nations. Chou said the United Nations request for a cease-fire was ‘illegal’ because Communist China was not a member of the United Nations and therefore could not be bound by its decisions. He demanded that Communist China be given a seat in the U.N. and added menacingly that the United States had ‘destroyed … the political and geographic boundary’ represented by the 38th Parallel in Korea with last October’s northward offensive.”
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Jerry Koosman. Photo: Frank Franklin II/AP
NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAYinclude “Pretty Woman” star Hector Elizondo, who was born in 1936; former N.Y. Mets pitcher Jerry Koosman, who was born in 1942; Baseball Hall of Famer Steve Carlton, who was born in 1944; journalist Diane Sawyer, who was born in 1945; former L.A. Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey, who was born in 1948; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick), who was born in 1948; former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lonnie Smith, who was born in 1955; “Schindler’s List” star Ralph Fiennes, who was born in 1962; U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who was born in 1970; “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks, who was born in 1989; “All About That Bass” singer Meghan Trainor, who was born in 1993; and “High School Musical” star Joshua Bassett, who was born in 2000.
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CENTER STAGE: Giacomo Puccini was born on this day in 1858. The Tuscany native composed
Jordin Sparks. Photo: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
the beloved operas “La Boheme” (1896), “Tosca” (1900), “Madama Butterfly” (1904) and “Turandot” (1924). He died in Belgium in 1924.
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Meghan Trainor. Photo: John Shearer/Invision/AP
WATERMARK:The Lincoln Tunnel opened on this day in 1937. Designed by Ole Singstad, the 1.5-mile tunnel under the Hudson River connects Midtown Manhattan with Weehawken, N.J. It is owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and its three tubes carry a combined average of more than 112,000 vehicles a day.
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Special thanks to “Chase’s Calendar of Events” and Brooklyn Public Library.
Quotable
“When I no longer thrill to the first snow of the season, I’ll know I’m growing old.” — former First Lady Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson, who was born on this day in 1912
SUNSET PARK — “As a resident of Marine Park, one of the great surprises I found biking around Industry City and visiting Japan Village was to discover Bush Terminal Park. I continue to be amazed at the serene hideaways that the city offers in some of the busiest places — and, still, with an iconic view.”
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — ‘A miracle that no one was killed …’ That’s what neighbors are saying about the collapse of the Hotel St. George marquee. Shown in this photograph are workmen beginning the removal and repair of the historic, old neon sign at the corner, referencing a relic of Brooklyn Heights’ past: the St. George Hotel.
ATLANTIC AVENUE — Exhausted shopper with cluster of bags and goods from mall at Boerum Place stops to look at huge construction site across the street. “Is that REALLY going to be a jail??” Her male companion is reassuring, “Nothing like Rikers … this is 21st Century.”
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — Overheard in line at one of most popular pastry outlets on Montague Street: “Hope I can get them into a camp …” A mother with two pre-schoolers in tow was showing a friend the Dodge Y flyer for Healthy Kids Day on Saturday, April 18.
