MILESTONES: April 6, birthdays for Zach Braff, Candace Cameron-Bure, Peyton List

Brooklyn Today

April 6, 2018 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Zach Braff. Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

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Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 96th day of the year.

On this day in 1910, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that the mansion of Eagle founder Isaac Van Anden was sold. The 218 Columbia Heights home was reported to have been built in 1871 and was a four-story-and-basement brownstone structure. The story continued, “The sale of the property was made from Miss Van Anden, a niece of the owner, to a client of the Pyle concern, whose name and the price paid has not been disclosed.” The story said the house stood on part of what had previously been the Pierrepont farm.

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On this day in 1917, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed war. Although the World War began in Europe in 1914 (sparked by the assassination in Sarajevo of Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand), the U.S. stayed neutral. But following Germany’s alleged bombing of American vessels and other threats, “President Wilson at 1:11 p.m. signed the resolution of Congress declaring a state of war between the United States and Germany,” the Eagle story read. “In the proclamation he called upon American citizens to give support to all measures of the government.”

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On this day in 1895, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle featured a report from London that Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde, who had become one of England’s most popular playwrights as well, was being held in prison without bail. The Eagle’s story read, “Oscar Wilde, who passed last night in the Bow Street police station after his arrest by officers of the treasury department, was arraigned in the Bow Street court this morning.” The story described the scene in the courtroom, but did not state the reason he was arrested and for which the judge refused to set bail. (The understanding may have been tacit that the charge against Wilde was for solicitation). The story ran on a Saturday, and Wilde was remanded to jail until the next Thursday.

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On this day in 1896, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported on a debate between those favoring the borough’s surface transportation versus elevated roads. At this point, Brooklyn was still an independent city. The story began, “The surface railroad companies of the city, as was predicted in the Eagle a week ago, have combined in opposition to the proposition made by the elevated road companies for leasing the New York and Brooklyn Bridge.” The subhead pointed out that the surface road companies were petitioning for equal privileges on the bridge and would carry passengers for free.

In that same issue, the Eagle ran a story that former President Benjamin Harrison had secretly remarried, following the death of his first wife. His bride, Mary Scott Lord Dimmick, had also been widowed. She was the niece and former secretary of his deceased wife. At the time they married, Harrison was 62 and Dimmick was 37. Harrison’s two adult children— both older than the bride — opposed the marriage.

That same edition’s page 14, reported the first modern Olympic Games taking place in Athens, Greece: “The opening of the Olympic Games was observed here today as a national festival. The city was brilliantly decorated and great enthusiasm was manifested over the sports. The day opened with a Te Deum at the cathedral, which was attended by the royal family.” (The Te Deum is a liturgy named for one of the church’s principal Latin canticles of praise). The story reported that the American teams were “in excellent condition and full of confidence.”

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On this day in 1910, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that a couple kissing passionately on the “L” train were arrested. The man had to pay the fine. Onlookers could take only so much before protesting and the conductor intervened. The subhead read, “Quivering Smack Stirs Hair Hearers to Protest and Trouble Follows.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include former U.S. Rep. MICHELE BACHMANN, who was born in 1956; Hall of Fame baseball player BERT BLYLEVEN, who was born in 1951; former baseball player BRET BOONE, who was born in 1969; actor ZACH BRAFF, who was born in 1975; actress CANDACE CAMERON BURE, who was born in 1976; comedian and actor JERROD CARMICHEAL, who was born in 1988; actress MARILU HENNER, who was born in 1952; former hockey player OLAF KOLZIG, who was born in 1970; director, producer, writer and actor BARRY LEVINSON, who was born in 1942; composer and conductor ANDRE PREVIN, who was born in 1929; actor JOHN RATZENBERGER, who was born in 1947; actor PAUL RUDD, who was born in 1969; actor ROY THINNES, who was born in 1938; scientist JAMES WATSON, who was born in 1928; and actor BILLY DEE WILLIAMS, who was born in 1937.

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RAPHAEL WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1483. The Italian painter and architect is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the High Renaissance, alongside Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Raphael died on his birthday in Italy in 1520.

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THE CAPITOL RECORDS BUILDING OPENED ON THIS DAY IN 1956. The world’s first circular office building, located near the famous Hollywood and Vine intersection in Los Angeles was dedicated on this day. Designed by Louis Naidorf of Welton Becket and Associates, the Capitol Tower (official name) was not actually meant to resemble a stack of vinyl records — Naidorf designed the mid-century modern classic without knowing who his client was. The 13-story building, completed at a cost of $2 million, housed the headquarters of Capitol Records and state-of-the-art recording studios. The building is topped by a spire that blinks out “Hollywood” in Morse code at night.

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ROSE SCHNEIDERMAN WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1882. She is best-remembered as a pioneer in the battle to increase wages and improve working conditions for women. At age 16 she began factory work in New York City’s garment district and quickly became a union organizer. Opposed to the open-shop policy, which permitted nonunion members to work in a unionized shop, Schneiderman organized a 1913 strike of 25,000 women shirtwaist makers. She worked as an organizer for the International Ladies Garment Workers Union and for the Women’s Trade Union League, serving as president for more than 20 years. During the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed her to his Labor Advisory Board as the board’s only female member. Schneiderman died in 1972 in New York.

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

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“The world moves fast, but change isn’t always a good thing when you got it right the first time around.” — actor Billy Dee Williams, who was born on this day in 1937