MILESTONES: February 5, birthdays for Cristiano Ronaldo, Darrell Waltrip, Sara Evans

Brooklyn Today

February 5, 2018 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Cristiano Ronaldo. AP Photo/Alberto Saiz

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Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 36th day of the year.

On this day in 1931, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported on a mother’s discovery of a speakeasy in a quiet, well-appointed Flatbush home. The mother, heartbroken because her “good” daughter was coming home drunk, followed her to a fashionable looking home (whose address was omitted) and discovered a drinking den filled with underage youths (ages-16-20). The mother’s letter asked the Eagle to intervene. An investigator found the house just as the mother had described. Prohibition would not be repealed until December 1933.

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On this day in 1861, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported in a brief note that the state of North Carolina’s Legislature had voted to join other slave states in seceding if no national reconciliation came about. The day before, on Feb. 4, 1861, six Southern states had seceded from the Union: South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana formed the Confederacy. President-elect Abraham Lincoln, who sought to save the Union, was a month away from being inaugurated. By the time he took the oath of office on March 4, 1861, Texas had joined the Confederate states.

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On this day in 1924, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page dedicated extension coverage for the funeral plans of the late former President Woodrow Wilson, who had died overnight on Feb. 3-4. He had suffered a stroke during his presidency, with wife Edith Bolling Galt Wilson reportedly managing the final months of his term for him. Brooklyn figured heavily in Wilson’s funeral, as seaman Oscar Herbert was selected to be part of his military guard of honor. And the Brooklyn Federation of Churches announced that it would hold services in houses of worship around the borough, including at Holy Trinity Church on Clinton and Montague streets. Cannons would boom throughout Brooklyn during this day of requiem.

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On this day in 1937, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported on President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s controversial plan to overhaul the federal tribunals, including the Supreme Court of the United States. He proposed to increase the Supreme Court to 15 judges and mandate the retirement of Supreme Court justices as they reach age 70 — with full benefits. Roosevelt asserted that his reforms would have no issue with the Constitution. His true reason may have been to increase the number of liberal judges. However, with two more justices joining the vote that declared the National Labor Relations Act and the Social Security Act to be constitutional, the reforms were no longer as urgent. Soon afterward, Roosevelt had the opportunity to nominate more justices. By 1942, all but two of the Supreme Court justices were those he had appointed.

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include Hall of Fame baseball player and executive Hank Aaron, who was born in 1934; Hall of Fame baseball player Roberto Alomar, who was born in 1968; singer Bobby Brown, who was born in 1969; country singer Sara Evans, who was born in 1971; Emmy Award-winning writer Christopher Guest, who was born in 1948; actress Barbara Hershey, who was born in 1948; actor and producer David Alan Ladd, who was born in 1947; actress Jennifer Jason Leigh, who was born in 1962; actress Laura Linney, who was born in 1964; financial writer Jane Bryant Quinn, who was born in 1941; actress Charlotte Rampling, who was born in 1946; soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo, who was born in 1985; actor David Selby, who was born in 1941; actor Michael Sheen, who was born in 1969; Hall of Fame football player Roger Staubach, who was born in 1942; soccer player Carlos Tevez, who was born in 1984; and auto racer Darrell Waltrip, who was born in 1947.

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THIS WEEK IS DUMP YOUR “SIGNIFICANT JERK” WEEK. It’s time to take out the garbage and get rid of that “jerk” boyfriend or girlfriend. This year will be the 23rd annual call to arms. Annually, it is observed the week before Valentine’s Day.

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THE LONGEST WAR IN HISTORY ENDED ON THIS DAY IN 1985. The Third Punic War, between Rome and Carthage, started in the year 149 BC. It culminated in the year 146 BC, when Roman soldiers led by Scipio razed Carthage to the ground. The desolated site was cursed and rebuilding forbidden. On this date, 2,131 years after the war began, Ugo Vetere, mayor of Rome, and Chedli Klibi, mayor of Carthage, met at Tunis to sign a treaty of friendship officially ending the Third Punic War.

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WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1914. The renowned Beat author is best remembered for his daring novels that pushed fiction to the outermost limits and explored previously taboo subjects such as drug use, homosexuality and systems of control. His books were frequently banned. He died in Kansas in 1997.

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THIS WEEK IS FREELANCE WRITERS APPRECIATION WEEK. Freelance writers do more than query editors and write and submit articles and books (nonfiction and fiction). They provide overworked editors with material, as well as inform and entertain readers.

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JOHN CARRADINE WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1906. The American film actor was born Richmond Reed Carradine in Greenwich Village. He appeared in more than 200 films. Frequently observed wandering the streets in a velvet suit and satin cape while reciting Shakespeare, he became known as “the Bard of the Boulevard.” Carradine died in 1988 in Italy.

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THE BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY (BHS) will host “Urban Health, Urban Parks: The Salve of the City” tonight at 6:30 p.m. Studies from across the world point to the positive impact of city parks on the health of urban dwellers. Join Prospect Park Alliance President Sue Donoghue, New York Times health columnist Jane Brody and “The Nature Fix” author Florence Williams for a metaphoric walk in the woods as they explore the science behind nature’s restorative powers. The event will be moderated by CityLab’s Laura Bliss. For more information, visit brooklynhistory.org.

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

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“All fiction is autobiographical and all autobiography is fiction.” — writer William S. Burroughs, who was born on this day in 1914