MILESTONES: May 31, birthdays for Normani, Waka Flocka Flame, Marco Reus

May 31, 2018 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Normani. Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

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Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 152nd day of the year.

On this day in 1951, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that Gen. Douglas MacArthur would be the guest of honor at a longtime Brooklyn tradition. He would be reviewing the marchers in the annual Brooklyn Sunday School Union Parade, traditionally held on the first Thursday in June. “The general will review the 122d Anniversary parade by more than 100,000 Brooklyn children from various reviewing points along the route, driving through the lines under police escort and receiving the salutes of the marchers,” the story read. Among the other dignitaries scheduled to review the marchers were Mayor Impelliteri and his wife, Borough President John Cashmore and his spouse, and Brooklyn Eagle publisher Frank D. Schroth.

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On this day in 1887, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported on the second annual spring games of the Brooklyn Athletic Association, “at which two important records were broken,” according to the story. “The principal feature of the day was the successful attempt of W. Boyd Page, of the University of Pennsylvania, to beat his own record in the running high jump. His record, which is by far the best in this country, had been until yesterday 6 feet, 1 1/4 inches.” And Mr. Wiegand managed to overcome other competitors, “finishing from the scratch in the wonderful time of 39 3/5 seconds, reducing the best previous record by one second.”

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On this day in 1902, the Eagle reported that a young lady was overcome supposedly by the crowds at a church revival at the York St. Methodist Episcopal Church — and did not survive. Loretta Scudder, 18, was said to have grown faint while in the doorway of a standing-room only gospel concert and then collapsed. The pastor leading the revival did not attribute Scudder’s death to over-excitement, however, when asked if over-emotionalism might have been the cause: “No, Mr. Winter,” the exhorter (Evangelist) responded. “Indeed there has been less than the usual revival excitement in these services. The people, as a matter of fact, seem to be rather cold and I do not think a bolt from heaven would excite them.” However, he observed that this critique did not extend to the deceased young lady. “She was, I have been told, a young woman with considerable depth of religious feeling and was in every way an estimable young woman.”

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On this day in 1929, the Eagle published a photo and caption of Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Joan Crawford, announcing their engagement. The two made the announcement in their Manhattan hotel, saying their wedding would “take place in Hollywood at a later date.”

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On this day in 1947, the Eagle front page carried the tragic and unprecedented news of eight plane crashes over a three-day period. “At least 177 persons have been killed throughout the world since Thursday night, to mark the blackest period in the history of peacetime aviation,” read the lead paragraph. The three worst crashes were near Bainbridge, Maryland; New York and Tokyo; and one in Alaska rated close. The crashes in New York were blamed on thunderstorms and sudden shifting winds that interfered with takeoff. One heartbreaking story described a small boy carrying a photo of his mother, who hadn’t been told that his parents had been killed in the LaGuardia crash. About 21 passengers from Brooklyn and Queens were estimated to have been aboard.

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day includejournalist and author SVETLANA ALEXIEVICH, who was born in 1948; actor TOM BERENGER, who was born in 1950; Oscar Award-winning actor CLINT EASTWOOD, who was born in 1930; writer, comedian and actor CHRIS ELLIOTT, who was born in 1960; actor COLIN FERRELL, who was born in 1976; actress SHARON GLESS, who was born in 1943; actor GREGORY HARRISON, who was born in 1950; TV personality and host PHIL KEOGHAN, who was born in 1967; former baseball player KENNY LOFTON, who was born in 1967; actress ROMA MAFFIA, who was born in 1958; Hall of Fame football player and former sportscaster JOE NAMATH, who was born in 1943; singer NORMANI, who was born in 1996; Emmy Award-winning actress ARCHIE PANJABI, who was born in 1972; soccer star MARCO REUS, who was born in 1989; actor KYLE SECOR, who was born in 1958; actress BROOKE SHIELDS, who was born in 1965; actress LEA THOMPSON, who was born in 1961; Church of England special envoy TERRY WAITE, who was born in 1939; rapper WAKA FLOCKA FLAME, who was born in 1986; and singer and songwriter PETER YARROW, who was born in 1938.

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PATRICIA ROBERTS HARRIS WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1924. She was the first African-American woman to serve in an ambassadorial post, the first African American to hold a cabinet position (Secretary of Housing and Urban Development) and the first woman to serve as dean of a law school. Harris died in 1985 in Washington, D.C.

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THE COPYRIGHT LAW WAS PASSED ON THIS DAY IN 1790. President George Washington signed the first U.S. copyright law. It gave protection for 14 years to books written by U.S. citizens. In 1891, the law was extended to cover books by foreign authors as well.

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“SEINFELD” PREMIERED ON THIS DAY IN 1990. “The show about nothing”premiered on NBC to wide acclaim, with its intertwined story lines and surprising plot twists. Some of the programs concerned relationships, valet parking, annoying dogs and waiting for Chinese food. The cast featured Jerry Seinfeld as himself; Michael Richards as his neighbor Cosmo Kramer; Julia Louis-Dreyfus as his ex-girlfriend Elaine Benes; and Jason Alexander as his best friend George Costanza. The series ended in 1998.

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PRINCE RAINIER OF MONACO WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1923. The prince ascended the throne in 1949 and in 1956, he married Hollywood actress Grace Kelly and Monaco soon became the glamour destination for the rich and famous. By changing tax shelter laws and encouraging the casino industry, Rainier changed the destiny of his country, bringing it back from the brink of bankruptcy to become one of the wealthiest nations in Europe. He was Europe’s longest-reigning monarch when he died in Monaco in 2005.

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

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“I exist as I am, that is enough.” — Walt Whitman, who was born on this day in 1819