ON THIS DAY IN 1883, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle said, “The meeting of the Bridge Trustees yesterday will have a certain historic importance in that they received and accepted the resignation of Colonel Roebling, the engineer under whose direction the great work was from the most rudimentary of its stages carried to its consummation. The Colonel, as everybody knows, has long been an invalid, rarely able to leave his bedroom, and guiding the work on the bridge rather as a general who prescribes a plan of battle but does not participate in it than as one who actually leads men into the fight. His disease was caught in the Brooklyn caisson, in the vicinity of which his father lost his life. Whether Colonel Roebling will ever recover his health is an open question, though if the hearty desires of millions of people could restore him to health he would be a well man tomorrow. To his resignation now that the bridge is, in all essential respects, finished, there is, of course, no objection. He has little taste for the mere administrative duties which his successor will have to discharge, and after the long strain to which he has been subjected he must indeed require a change of scene and rest. The Board elected him to the office of consulting engineer, so that he will doubtless remain officially related to the bridge while his life lasts.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1905, the Eagle reported, “Commander Robert E. Peary, who for seventeen years has been one of the leading Arctic explorers, having conducted numerous expeditions to Greenland and the polar regions, will now lead an expedition to the north with the avowed purpose of reaching the North Pole. On this trip there will be no attempt to explore Greenland or to find a northwest passage. The purpose is to discover the North Pole, and on the achievement of his one object depends the success of the expedition. The Roosevelt, Peary’s ship, is a schooner of the three-masted variety and is admirably suited for Arctic work. The sails are only carried as auxiliary power. The ship carries very powerful engines and machinery and her speed is about twelve miles an hour. The ship was built under Commander Peary’s direct supervision and is considered the finest boat ever constructed for Arctic work.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1932, the Eagle reported, “Activity will continue this Summer on the carving of Mount Rushmore into a national memorial. This is where Gutzon Borglum is carving the heads of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt in solid granite so that it may stand as a lasting memorial in time to come.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1947, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON (U.P.) — Congress rushed plans to double check the security of America’s atom bomb secrets today in the wake of the disclosure that vital data had been removed from the Los Alamos, N.M., atomic plant by two soldiers in March of 1946. The Justice Department also swung into action. It announced it would prosecute the two sergeants who reportedly took the documents as ‘souvenirs’ and kept them for a full year before they were recovered by the FBI. The Department declined to identify the two soldiers or cite the statute under which it would prosecute them. It said the question of legal proceedings still was under study. Chairman Bourke B. Hickenlooper (R., Iowa), of the Joint Congressional Atomic Committee, said he believed vital secrets had not been exposed to ‘unauthorized persons.’ But he said his committee planned to double its ‘watchdog’ role over atomic research.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1949, the Eagle reported, “Rival managers Billy Southworth and Lou Boudreau said yesterday that they will announce their batting orders and starting pitchers for the annual major-league All-Star game tomorrow. The game will be played at Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, on Tuesday, with the American leaguers quoted as 7-to-5 favorites. Southworth, Boston Braves manager who will pilot the National League All Stars, said he would announce his batting order and starting pitcher at 11 a.m. Boudreau, pilot of the Cleveland Indians who will lead the American All Stars, said he would announce the same thing sometime during the day. The announcements will come during the annual mid-Summer meetings of major-league club-owners.”
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Sofia Vergara. Photo: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Mavis Staples, who was born in 1939; “CHiPs” star Robert Pine, who was born in 1941; former baseball player and manager Hal McRae, who was born in 1945; “Alice’s Restaurant” singer Arlo Guthrie, who was born in 1947; Triumph co-founder Rik Emmett, who was born in 1953;
Mavis Staples. Photo: Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP
Baseball Hall of Famer Andre Dawson, who was born in 1954; Pet Shop Boys co-founder Neil Tennant, who was born in 1954; “Modern Family” star Sofia Vergara, who was born in 1972; “Entourage” star Adrian Grenier, who was born in 1976; “I Wanna Love You Forever” singer Jessica Simpson, who was born in 1980; and “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” star Isabela Merced, who was born in 2001.
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BREAKING NEWS: David Brinkley was born on this day in 1920. The North Carolina native was one of the most recognizable faces in American broadcast journalism for more than 50 years. He was NBC’s first White House correspondent, and his coverage of the 1956 Democratic and Republican national conventions landed him the anchor job on NBC’s nightly TV newscast. In 1981, he moved to ABC, creating the Sunday
Jessica Simpson. Photo: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
morning interview show “This Week with David Brinkley.” He died in 2003.
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KING OF THE COURT: Arthur Ashe was born on this day in 1943. The Virginia native is legendary for his list of firsts as a black tennis player. Chosen for the U.S. Davis Cup team in 1963, he became captain in 1980. He won the U.S. men’s singles championship and U.S. Open in 1968 and the men’s singles at Wimbledon in 1975. Ashe won 33 career titles and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985. He died in 1993.
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Special thanks to “Chase’s Calendar of Events” and Brooklyn Public Library.
Quotable:
“If you don’t get out among the people, how are you going to know what they need to hear about?” — Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Mavis Staples, who was born on this day in 1939.
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.
