MILESTONES: April 9, birthdays for Leighton Meester, Marc Jacobs, Cynthia Nixon

Brooklyn Today

April 9, 2018 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Leighton Meester. Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

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On this day in 1906, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle continued its extensive coverage of the devastation caused by the April 5 eruption of Mount Vesuvius and its effects on Brooklyn residents who were concerned about friends and relatives in Italy. “You would be surprised to know how many of our Italian immigrants came from the towns bordering on Mount Vesuvius,” said W.E. Davenport, superintendent of the Italian Settlement House on Front Street. “Take the town of Bosco Tre-Case, which is reported to have been wiped out by a gigantic stream of lava. That town, which had a population of 10,000, sent at least 1,000 immigrants to the city. Probably more than a third of them live in one of the five Italian colonies in the borough.”

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On this day in 1917, three days after the U.S. declaration of war against Germany, the Eagle reported, “A prize of $5,000 for the first American sailor who sinks the first enemy submarine is proposed by a bill introduced today by Representative Gould of New York.”

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On this day in 1933, the Eagle reported, “The principle that Germany shall be governed and administered by Aryans, and by the definition that any person having one Jewish grandparent is a Jew, were formally established in German law today … Thousands of officials held over from the previous regime will be ousted as a result of the law, and in the future all Jews will be barred from public office … The only exceptions are Jews who already were in the service of the state Aug. 1, 1914, or who served in the world war trenches, or whose fathers or sons fell in battle for Germany. After the death or retirement of these exceptions, no Jew will hold office anywhere in the Reich.”

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On this day in 1936, the Eagle reported, “The new German Zeppelin Hindenburg, on the way back from Brazil, had signaled that it was having grave engine difficulty over the Moroccan coast … The Hindenburg had asked emergency authorization to fly over France, which was granted.”

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On this day in 1939, the Eagle reported, “Marian Anderson, Negro contralto, who was refused permission by the Daughters of the American Revolution to appear in their Constitution Hall in Washington this Easter, will sing per schedule at 5 p.m. today … Miss Anderson will be heard at Abraham Lincoln Memorial.”

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On this day in 1942, the Eagle reported, “Thirty-six thousand American and Filipino troops, exhausted by short rations, disease and lack of relief, were overwhelmed on Bataan Peninsula today by a fresh and numerically superior enemy.” Secretary of War [Henry] Stimson said that “every effort was being made to get as many of them as possible to Corregidor and other American fortresses that still hold out in Manila Bay. But it appeared doubtful that any substantial number could be evacuated.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who was born in 1964; fashion designer Marc Jacobs, who was born in 1963; actor Taylor Kitsch, who was born in 1981; editor and journalist Paul Krassner, who was born in Brooklyn in 1932; actress Michael Learned, who was born in 1939; songwriter, pianist and mathematician Tom Lehrer, who was born in 1928; actress Leighton Meester, who was born in 1986; actress Cynthia Nixon, who was born in 1966; actress Keshia Knight Pulliam, who was born in 1979; actor Dennis Quaid, who was born in 1954; actress Kristen Stewart, who was born in 1990; and race car driver Jacques Villeneuve, who was born in 1971.

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THIS WEEK IS NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries — school, public, academic and special — participate.

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PAUL BUSTILL ROBESON WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1898. Born in Princeton, N.J., was an all-American football player at Rutgers University and received his law degree from Columbia University in 1923. After being seen by Eugene O’Neill in an amateur stage production, he was offered a part in O’Neill’s play “The Emperor Jones.” His performance in that play with the Provincetown Players established him as an actor. Without ever having taken a voice lesson, he also became a popular singer. His stage credits include “Show Boat,” “Porgy and Bess,” “The Hairy Ape” and “Othello,” which enjoyed the longest Broadway run of a Shakespeare play. In 1950, he was denied a passport by the U.S. for refusing to sign an affidavit stating whether he was or ever had been a member of the Communist Party. The action was overturned by the Supreme Court in 1958. Robeson died at Philadelphia, PA, Jan 23, 1976.

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THE CIVIL WAR ENDED ON THIS DAY IN 1865. At 1:30 p.m., Gen. Robert E. Lee, commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, surrendered to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, commander in chief of the Union Army, ending four years of civil war. The meeting took place in the house of Wilmer McLean at the village of Appomattox Court House, Virginia. Confederate soldiers were permitted to keep their horses and go free to their homes, while Confederate officers were allowed to retain their swords and sidearms as well. Grant wrote the terms of surrender. Formal surrender took place at the courthouse on Apr 12. The death toll for the Civil War is estimated at 500,000 men.

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

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“As an artist I come to sing. But as a citizen, I will always speak for peace, and no one can silence me in this.” — Paul Robeson, who was born on this day in 1898