April 20: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

ON THIS DAY IN 1926, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “PHILADELPHIA — Word has been received from Chicago officials by Mayor J. Hampton Moore that petitions are in circulation in Illinois and surrounding states urging him to use his influence to have the Liberty Bell sent to Chicago for exhibition at the Educational Festival next July. The petitions were reported to contain more than 3,000,000 signatures, mostly of school children, and were said to be about ready for presentation to the Mayor. Chicago officials, it was said, have been informed that it would receive ‘every consideration.’ There has been a pronounced antipathy in Philadelphia toward movements to have the nation’s most treasured relic sent to other cities. However, Mayor Moore is of the opinion that if the bell is exhibited where many in the Middle West could view it, interest in the Sesqui-Centennial Exposition, to be held here in 1926, would be given great impetus. An effort also is being made to have the Liberty Bell placed on view at the exposition planned for Portland, Ore., in 1925.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1939, the Eagle reported, “LOUISVILLE, KY. — Horse race followers who use the pick-the-winner-by-his-name system have a varied selection in the 115 thoroughbreds nominated for the Kentucky Derby, May 6. It works once in a while, too. Postmaster General Farley is reported to have won a tidy sum on Bold Venture in 1936 because, he explained, ‘the New Deal is a bold venture.’ (He might have thought the horse was good, too.) Wagerers who like something unusual in names might find it in Hysterical, Race Riot, Roll and Toss, Touch and Go or Say Judge, five potential entries. At least one horse with a breezy moniker has galloped home first. That was Behave Yourself in 1921.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1963, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON (UPI) — President Kennedy said yesterday that ‘time will see Cuba free again,’ with the United States playing a major role in its liberation. But he opposed an invasion now — and denied he ever promised one to Cuban exiles. The President said he could not predict when or how the regime of Premier Fidel Castro would be deposed. But he said he does not consider a blockade or a military invasion the answer at this time. At the same time, the President flatly contradicted Cuban exile leader Jose Miro Cardona, who charged that the Kennedy Administration had reneged on a promise to invade Cuba. ‘Quite obviously, nobody in the United States government ever informed anyone that … we would launch a military invasion,’ the President told the American Society of Newspaper Editors. And despite pressures from Cuban exiles anxious to return to their homeland, the President added, ‘The foreign policy of the United States must be made by the United States.’ He said the United Nations must use ‘restraint and a sense of responsibility’ in dealing with Cuba. The President’s statement was applauded by the editors. Asked by one editor whether a policy of restraint might help keep Castro in power another five years, the President replied: ‘I don’t accept the view that Castro will be in power in five years.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1963, the Eagle reported, “At 5:32 p.m. (EST), rookie Ron Hunt was officially admitted into the New York Met Hall of Fame. The ceremony was very short. The young second baseman merely stroked a line double to left field, his third hit of the game, to score two Mets in the bottom of the ninth and bring our local heroes a pulsating, 5-4 victory over the Milwaukee Braves. The victory, the Mets’ first of this not so young season, enabled the new darlings of Coogan’s Bluff to move ahead of their pace of last season, which started with nine straight losses. And there were those who said the Mets weren’t improved. Shocking!”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “Star Trek” star George Takei, who was born in 1937; “Alien” star Veronica Cartwright, who was born in 1949; two-time Oscar-winning actress Jessica Lange, who was born in 1949; actor and musician Clint Howard, who was born in 1959; former N.Y. Yankees captain Don Mattingly, who was born in 1961; “Back to the Future” star Crispin Glover, who was born in 1964; “Lord of the Rings” star Andy Serkis, who was born in 1964; Dream Theater founder Mike Portnoy, who was born in 1967; “Criminal Minds” star Shemar

Moore, who was born in 1970; Olympic gold medalist and N.Y. Knicks executive Allan Houston, who was born in 1971; “Scary Movie” star Carmen Electra, who was born in 1972; “Blossom” star Joey Lawrence, who was born in 1976; and supermodel Miranda Kerr, who was born in 1983.

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MONUMENTAL: Daniel Chester French was born on this day in 1850. The New Hampshire native was one of the most important artists of the 19th and early 20th centuries as a sculptor of public monuments. He is best known for his 1875 “Minute Man” statue at Concord, Mass., and his 1922 statue of the seated Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial at Washington, D.C. He died in 1931.

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COMBINED MIGHT: Holland “Howling Mad” Smith was born on this day in 1882. The Alabama native is considered the father of amphibious warfare. He developed techniques that involved coordination of land, sea and air forces. During World War II he led troops in assaults in the Marshall and Mariana Islands and also directed forces at Guam, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He died in 1967.

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Special thanks to “Chase’s Calendar of Events” and Brooklyn Public Library.

Quotable:

“Social media is like ancient Egypt: writing things on walls and worshiping cats.” — “Star Trek” star George Takei, who was born on this day in 1937.