ON THIS DAY IN 1922, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “Rebuilding of the Brooklyn Bridge and the erection of a new span across the East River constitutes the new program of the city Department of Plant and Structures, announced today. The engineering experts of the department have decided that in order to get a maximum of service from the historic old structure a complete reconstruction is the only possible course. This follows the recent action of ordering all motor vehicular traffic off the span. Word of the plan became known today when Commissioner Whalen wrote a letter to Mayor Hylan saying that within a few days he would formally request the Mayor to call a special meeting of the Board of Estimate to take up the bridge situation. An unconfirmed rumor, emanating though from a reliable source, is that one of the four cables that provide the chief strength of the Brooklyn Bridge has slipped from its saddle.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1932, the Eagle reported, “The new commemorative George Washington 25-cent coins are to be put into circulation Monday, Federal Reserve officials announced.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1949, the Eagle reported, “HAMILTON, N.Y. (U.P.) — Governor Dewey accused the Truman administration today of throwing the key to world peace ‘into the bottom of the Pacific’ because of its ‘no-policy-at-all’ toward China. In a speech prepared for the Colgate University foreign policy conference, he said all is not lost with the Nationalist forces if the United States offers immediate and continuing aid. Mr. Dewey said the U.S. has won ‘an uneasy stalemate’ in Europe through Marshall Plan aid. ‘What is to be done about China?’ he asked. ‘I know and you know that there is no simple answer, but you and I know equally well that there can be neither excuse nor reason for timidity and muddle-headedness on the part of our Government in attempting a solution.’ … Dewey predicted that if all China should go Communist, Indo-China, Siam, Malaya and Burma would follow. That, he said, would bring the Communists within easy reach of the Middle East oil supplies. The Governor pointed out that while saving 270,000,000 Europeans, the U.S. may be losing a billion Asiatics to the Communists.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1952, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON (U.P.) — Jet planes capable of speeds of 600 miles an hour made a futile attempt to intercept mysterious glowing objects that streaked over the Capital for the second consecutive weekend. The Air Force, which always has maintained a skeptical attitude about ‘flying saucers,’ said today it was investigating the unidentified objects, described as ‘glowing white lights,’ that were spotted by radar and then visually by Air Force and commercial pilots Saturday night. ‘We don’t know what they are, but we are investigating,’ an Air Force spokesman said today. ‘We have no concrete evidence that they are flying saucers. Conversely, we have no concrete evidence that they are not flying saucers.’”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1953, the Eagle reported, “Frank Lloyd Wright, a sharp-witted architect, tangles with city officials at a hearing today on whether his $2,000,000 ‘masterwork’ of streamlined concrete and glass shall be erected on staid old 5th Ave. The hearing was called by the Board of Standards and Appeals in the Municipal Building, Manhattan, to decide if the proposed new building to house a museum of non-objective paintings can be put up without violating the city’s building code. Wright, the 84-year-old ‘bad boy’ of architecture, hoped to convince building authorities his new creation was a ‘little temple’ rather than a potential firetrap. He already had denounced the city building code as a ‘code for fools.’ Wright also recently described New York as a ‘greatly overgrown village’ that may be deserted in 25 years if it doesn’t change its architectural ways. He believes his new building, to house the Solomon R. Guggenheim Memorial Museum, would be a step in the right direction. Planners hope to erect the glass-domed art gallery amid fashionable apartment houses opposite Central Park. The building was attacked as a possible fire hazard that would block off sunlight and air from neighboring apartments. There was also the matter of an overhang, projecting six feet beyond the building line.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1953, the Eagle reported, “Magistrate Charles Solomon, fast becoming an air-conditioning expert, appealed to the public today to seek recourse other than the criminal courts to complain about the windowsill monsters that cool on the inside and roar on the outside. After tossing another complaint to the unconditioned winds of Magistrate’s Court, the judge admitted a ‘terrific problem’ but pointed out that under the law, very little can be done about it. ‘The only provision of law seemingly applicable,’ he said, ‘is Section 181 of the Sanitary Code. Under this section, it is not enough to prove the operation of the air-conditioner. One must go further and prove that the operation adversely affected health. This would require medical proof and would involve: (1) health before conditioner; (2) health after conditioner and (3) proof that health, if adversely affected, was caused by conditioner.’”
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Elizabeth Berkley. Photo: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “Garfield” cartoonist Jim Davis, who was born in 1945; “Lou Grant” star Linda Kelsey, who was born in 1946; “All in the Family” star Sally Struthers, who was born in 1947; Devo co-founder Jerry Casale, who was born in 1948; former Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse, who was born in 1954; “Full House” star Lori Loughlin, who was born in 1964; “Saved by the Bell” star Elizabeth Berkley, who was born in 1974; political aide
Manu Ginobili. Photo: Eric Gay/AP
Huma Abedin, who was born in 1976; four-time NBA champion Manu Ginobili, who was born in 1977; former N.Y. Islanders left winger Zach Parise, who was born in 1984; and “Ballers” star John David Washington, who was born in 1984.
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THE BUNNY TRAIL:Beatrix Potter was born in London on this day in 1866. The author, illustrator, naturalist and conservationist created beloved and bestselling children’s books, starting with “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” in 1901. She died in 1943.
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FIRST CLASS: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was born on this day in 1929. The native of Southampton, N.Y., married Sen. John F. Kennedy in 1953 and was the first lady of the U.S. from
John David Washington. Photo: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
1961 until her husband’s assassination in 1963. She later married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. After his death in 1975, she moved to New York City and became a prominent book editor. She died in 1994.
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Special thanks to “Chase’s Calendar of Events” and Brooklyn Public Library.
Quotable:
“There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.” — former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who was born on this day in 1929.
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.
