ON THIS DAY IN 1894, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “CHAMBERLAIN, S.D. — Professor J.B. Hatcher and his party of students from Princeton college, who have just completed a tour through the bad lands of this state in search of fossils and petrifications, have met with good success. The party has been in the bad lands between the Cheyenne and White rivers since March 1. Since completing their tasks the students have started on an overland trip to Yellowstone park. The collection of fossils has been shipped to Princeton. It weighs 9,000 pounds and consists of rare specimens of extinct animals.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1908, the Eagle said, “Charles Burney writes to ask if sharks are likely to be dangerous in our waters, and if it is true that the man-eating shark is common around New York Bay. The shark properly called the man-eater shark is very rare indeed close to the shores within several hundred miles of this city. It is one of the largest of all the known sharks. Its proper name is Great White Shark. At Woods Hall, on Buzzard’s Bay, in Cape Cod, where the United States maintains one of its largest fish hatcheries and biological stations, there are only a few records of this shark. Not more than half a dozen specimens have been obtained there in many years. Professor Baird reported one capture of a large one in 1871, but all around Cape Cod this shark is so rare that the fishermen hardly know that there is such a fish. There is no official record of a Great White Shark having been taken anywhere within our bays. The common and practically the only shark around Brooklyn is the sand shark, also known as the ground shark. There are all sorts of stories about sharks of huge size being caught here and there in the harbor or just outside, but the writer has never seen a sand shark caught of a greater length than about 7 feet, and Dr. Tarleton H. Bean, one of the greatest scientific authorities on the fishes of our local waters, is inclined to think that it rarely reaches a size greater than 7 feet. The writer saw a living one some years ago that appeared to be at least 10 feet long, but he did not wait to be measured, and it is well known that fish look very much larger in the water and when swimming than they really are.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1935, the Eagle reported, “Somewhat cooler weather today succeeded yesterday’s blisterer, following the thunderstorm which last night forced the temperature down 13 degrees in an hour and a half. Fair skies were predicted by the Weather Bureau for the weekend, but with more local thunderstorms a possibility tomorrow afternoon. The humidity had dropped off sharply, being 72 percent at 9 a.m. as against 89 24 hours earlier. Yesterday’s sudden storm brought death to at least nine persons in the State, took scores of boats from their moorings, caused extensive property damage and added new complications to the work of a Congressional committee entering New York State today to investigate the flood situation. Although most of the flood-wrecked communities escaped the latest disturbances, the Binghamton area felt the lash of wind and hail as several trees were blown down and electric light service was temporarily disrupted. There was no noticeable rise in the rivers, however.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1948, the Eagle reported, “Sealed indictments, believed to name top-ranking American Communists on charges of working for the overthrow of the United States Government, were handed up today in Manhattan Federal Court … The indictments were returned as a climax of a year-long investigation by the June, 1947, Federal Grand Jury, which has been hearing evidence gathered by FBI agents and presented by Assistant Attorney General T. Vincent Quinn. Mr. Quinn told the Brooklyn Eagle the indictments were handed up to Federal Judge Vincent L. Leibell. He would not say when the sealed papers would be opened. A spokesman for the New York FBI office, asked whether FBI agents were rounding up those named in the indictments, replied, ‘No comment.’ A wall of secrecy has surrounded the grand jury inquiry, but at various times some information on it has been obtained. It was learned that many Communists, among them well-known leaders and little known underground workers, have been hauled before the jurors. At least one ex-bigwig of the Communist party was believed among the grand jury’s witnesses.”
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Omar Epps. Photo: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Oliva, who was born in 1938; “Bette Davis Eyes” singer Kim Carnes, who was born in 1945; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Carlos Santana, who was born in 1947; Twisted Sister co-founder Jay Jay French, who was born in 1952; “Career Opportunities” star Frank Whaley, who was born in 1963; “The Crocodile Hunter” star Terri Irwin, who was born in 1964; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam),
Josh Holloway. Photo: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
who was born in 1966; “Lost” star Josh Holloway, who was born in 1969; “Grey’s Anatomy” star Sandra Oh, who was born in 1971; “House” star Omar Epps, who was born in Brooklyn in 1973; “Archer” star Judy Greer, who was born in 1975; supermodel Gisele Bundchen, who was born in 1980; former “Dancing with the Stars” co-host Julianne Hough, who was born in 1988; and 2019 World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg, who was born in 1988.
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GOLD STANDARD: The first International Special Olympics Competition was held in Chicago on this day in 1968. Special Olympics is an international year-round program of sports training and competition for people with intellectual disabilities. More than 3.5 million athletes in more than 170 countries train and compete in 32 Olympic-style summer and winter sports. The program was
Sandra Oh. Photo: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
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LANDMARK LANDING: Man first landed on the moon on this day in 1969. U.S. astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed lunar module Eagle at 4:17 p.m. EDT and stayed on the lunar surface for 21 hours and 36 minutes. The landing was made from the Apollo 11’s orbiting command-and-service module, whose pilot, Michael Collins, remained aboard.
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Special thanks to “Chase’s Calendar of Events” and Brooklyn Public Library.
Quotable:
“You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from.” — novelist Cormac McCarthy, who was born on this day in 1933.
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.
