MILESTONES: March 8, birthdays for James Van Der Beek, Petra Kvitova, Lester Holt

Brooklyn Today

March 8, 2018 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

James Van Der Beek. Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Share this:

Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 67th day of the year.

On this day in 1887, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle news pages gave extensive coverage of the death of famed abolitionist preacher Henry Ward Beecher, which had occurred at 9:30 that morning. The detailed and poetic obituary stated of Beecher, “All his life was a Gospel.” It pointed out that while some considered his religious views to be “dangerously heterodox,” they also compared Beecher’s ministry to that of Jesus’ confronting the Pharisees of his time. “During 40 years of intimacy, the sorrowing author of this tribute never heard from his friend’s lips or read in any production of his pen a sentiment that could be construed into a violation of that charity which Jesus of Nazareth crowned queen of all the virtues,” the Eagle wrote.

****

On this day in 1876, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page covered a talk by Dartmouth College professor C.A. Young to the Young Men’s Christian Association of Brooklyn, which had been established in 1844. Young described the spectroscope as an innovation of optic science. The Eagle provided substantial content of this well-attended lecture, titled “The Astronomical Discoveries of the Spectroscope,” with discussions of stellar disturbances and spots on the sun.

****

On this day in 1935, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page featured coverage of the funeral of the late Supreme Court Associate Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., who died two days before his 94th birthday. A Civil War veteran, Holmes was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Theodore Roosevelt, and served for 30 years. He served as acting associate justice for two months in 1930. An eloquent, outspoken jurist, he earned a reputation as “The Great Dissenter” for his objections to his Supreme Court colleagues’ findings on many occasions. The Eagle story reported that Holmes’ burial took place during a sleet storm. President Franklin Roosevelt and his wife, Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes and his wife and several associate justices attended, covered by only a canopy at Arlington National Cemetery.

****

On this day in 1943, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page broke the news that the military draft was being expanded to include married men. During World War II, Maj. Gen. Lewis B. Hershey, director of the Selective Service Committee, informed the Senate Appropriations Committee that the pool of single men who were eligible for the draft was “practically exhausted,” and about the only single men left were about 400,000 high school students who would become eligible for induction that summer. One reason was that men in certain occupations were considered “essential,” and were exempt—as were others who were deferred or who otherwise could not serve. The Selective Service also proposed that all men whose 4-F classification was based solely on age be reclassified as 1A, and that the age limit be raised to 41.

****

On this day in 1945, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page published a news bulletin that the American 1st and 3rd Armies had crossed the Rhine River along the Western Front in Germany and were closing in on Berlin. They had captured Bonn. The story reported that German resistance was weakening, and that the Red (Soviet) was advancing toward Berlin. They had set ablaze an area around the Oder River, reaching down to Frankfort.

****

NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include actress SUSAN CLARK, who was born in 1943; singer and actor MICKY DOLENZ, who was born in 1945; journalist and anchor LESTER HOLT, who was born in 1959; model KATHY IRELAND, who was born in 1963; tennis player PETRA KVITOVA, who was born in 1990; actress CAMRYN MANHEIM, who was born in 1961; actor FREDDIE PRINZE JR., who was born in 1976; actor AIDAN QUINN, who was born in 1959; Hall of Fame baseball player JIM RICE, who was born in 1953; singer and songwriter CAROL BAYER SAGER, who was born in 1947; and actor JAMES VAN DER BEEK, who was born in 1977.

****

TODAY IS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY. It is a day to celebrate, respect and appreciate women for their economic, political and social achievements. For more information, visit un.org.

****

LOUISE BEAVERS WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1902. Her Hollywood career spanned 30 years and more than 125 films. Though she was forced to play stereotypical roles, such as those of maids, her authentic talent was always apparent. Her starring role in the film “Imitation of Life” earned her high praise. Beavers was a member of the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. She also played the title role in the TV series “Beulah.” She died in California in 1962.

****

CARL PHILIPP EMANUEL BACH WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1714. Musically the most important and influential of Johann Sebastian Bach’s sons, the composer, keyboard performer and theorist was a contributor to the Viennese classical style and pioneer of sonata-allegro musical form. The publication of “Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments,” which remains one of the principal monuments of 18th-century musical thought and practice, made him the most renowned authority of the 18th century on keyboard pedagogy and composition. Influential to Haydn and Beethoven, Bach died in 1788 in Germany.

****

TODAY IS NATIONAL PROOFREADING DAY. Do typos make you cringe? Strive for 100 percent accuracy in all documents and messages. Grab a red pen or red pencil to correct misspelled words, misused words, typos, grammatical errors and missing, overused and misused punctuation marks.

****

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

****

“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” — jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., who was born on this day in 1841