MILESTONES: April 4, birthdays for Robert Downey Jr., David Blaine, Austin Mahone

Brooklyn Today

April 4, 2018 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Robert Downey Jr. Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

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Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 94th day of the year.

On this day in 1913, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “Unless the weather man wills otherwise, the Brooklyn baseball fans will have a chance to see for themselves at Ebbets Field tomorrow whether Bill Dahlen’s 1913 Brooklyn Superbas are as great a ball team as reports from the training trip would indicate … Considering the great interest in the game developed by the building of Ebbets Field and the brilliant work done by the team in the South, not to speak of the fact that the Yankees will make their informal debut in Greater New York under the management of Frank Chance, it is estimated that 25,000 fans will turn out to welcome the two teams tomorrow.”

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On this day in 1865, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle continued its coverage of the fall of Richmond in the last days of the Civil War. “Though Lee has probably succeeded in making his escape from Richmond with what remains of his army, Grant’s victory will be regarded abroad and at home as deciding the fate of the Confederacy. Richmond was the stake played for, and the rebels have lost the game … It is telegraphed semi-officials from Washington that the leaders of the rebellion are willing to make terms on the single condition that the rights of citizenship shall be restored to the Southern people.”

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On this day in 1882, the Eagle reported, “The dispatch from St. Joseph, Missouri, relating the assassination of the train robber, Jesse James, by two of his pals, says that ‘they were influenced in killing him by the hope of getting the big reward which has been offered for James, dead or alive, by the governor and by the express and railroad companies.’ It is usual in all the states to offer rewards for the apprehension and conviction of criminals, but if the above report is correct, Missouri can claim the distinction of being the only state in which express and railroad companies are permitted to abet assassination by holding out pecuniary inducements for the killing of suspected persons.”

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On this day in 1936, the Eagle published extensive coverage about the execution in Trenton, New Jersey, of Bruno Richard Hauptmann, who had been convicted of the 1934 kidnaping and murder of the infant son of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh in what was dubbed “The Trial of the Century.” “Interest in the final fate of Bruno Richard Hauptmann was at a fever pitch in the metropolitan area last night,” the Eagle reported. “The Eagle switchboard recorded a heavy toll of calls, keeping all operators active between 7 p.m. and midnight. Nine-tenths of the inquiries were received between 8 and 9:45 p.m., many persons checking on reports received in their own homes over the radio networks. At Times Square, silent throngs gathered and waited watchfully until the news was flashed. Then they quietly dispersed.”

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On this day in 1949, the Eagle reported on the establishment of NATO. “The foreign ministers of 12 democratic nations chilled by Russia’s cold war signed the North Atlantic Treaty against armed attack today … The treaty would shatter the American tradition of avoiding entanglements. It would recognize that the United States is tied to the security of Western Europe … This new democratic weapon of defense seeks to mass the military, economic and spiritual force of 332,000,000 Western people against aggression from the 255,354,000 people of Russia and her captive states.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include magician DAVID BLAINE, who was born in Brooklyn in 1973; actor ROBERT DOWNEY JR., who was born in 1965; author KITTY KELLEY, who was born in 1942; Emmy and Oscar Award-winning actress CHRISTINE LAHTI, who was born in 1950; singer AUSTIN MAHONE, who was born in 1996; actress NANCY McKEON, who was born in 1966; actor CRAIG T. NELSON, who was born in 1946; actor BARRY PEPPER, who was born in 1970; former baseball player SCOTT ROLEN, who was born in 1975; and musician and actress JILL SCOTT, who was born in 1972.

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MAYA ANGELOU WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1928. The acclaimed poet, civil rights activist and memoirist is best-known as the author of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” She delivered the inaugural poem “On the Pulse of the Morning” in 1993 for incoming U.S. President Bill Clinton. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. Angelou, who was also a Tony Award–nominated actress, died in 2014 in North Carolina.

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MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. WAS ASSASSINATED ON THIS DAY IN 1968. The reverend was shot in Memphis, Tennessee. James Earl Ray was serving a 99-year sentence for the crime at the time of his death in 1998.

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THE BEATLES TOOK OVER THE MUSIC CHARTS ON THIS DAY IN 1964. The English group held the top five positions of the Billboard Hot 100 chart: “Can’t Buy Me Love” was number one, followed by (in order) “Twist and Shout,” “She Loves You,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “Please, Please Me.” The Beatles had made their first U.S. appearance barely two months before. In the same week, they held the top six places on the Australian music chart.

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ANTHONY PERKINS WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1932. The American actor was best-known for his movie role as homicidal innkeeper Norman Bates in the film “Psycho.” Perkins appeared in many Broadway plays in addition to his numerous film roles. He received an Oscar nomination for his supporting role in “Friendly Persuasion.” Perkins died in 1992 in California.

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MUDDY WATERS WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1915. The American blues guitarist and singer played a significant part in developing the modern electric rhythm and blues that came to be known as Chicago, or urban, blues. It was predominantly from this music that later forms such as rock and roll and soul sprang. His songs include “Hoochie Coochie Man,” “Mannish Boy,” “Got My Mojo Working” and many others. Waters died in Illinois in 1983.

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

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“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — the late Maya Angelou, who was born on this day in 1928