History Brooklyn Boro

MILESTONES: June 14, birthdays for Donald Trump, Lucy Hale, Kevin McHale

June 14, 2018 Brooklyn Daily Eagle
President Donald Trump. AP Photo/Evan Vucci
President Donald Trump. AP Photo/Evan Vucci
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Greetings, Brooklyn.  Today is the 164th day of the year.

On this day in 1900, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “It has been suggested by those in charge of the ceremonies in honor of the prison ship martyrs that the citizens of Brooklyn place their flags at half-mast during the ceremonies on Saturday. These will begin at Plymouth Church at 3 p.m. and the interment of the remains with military honors will take place at Fort Greene Park immediately after the close of the services. A similar suggestion regarding the city’s flags has been sent to Borough President [Edward] Grout. One-fourth of the seats in Plymouth Church have been reserved for specially invited guests during the services; the remainder are open to the public.”

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On this day in 1927, the Eagle reported, “Jerome K. Jerome, noted British author, died at a [Northampton] hospital today from a cerebral hemorrhage. Mr. Jerome, who was perhaps best known for his ‘Three Men in a Boat,’ was stricken on Jan. 6 while on a motor tour … Jerome appeared in the United States on lecture tours 20 years ago, and after the World War he urged a ‘peace without hate.’ With others he signed an appeal asking that the peace terms be modified.”

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On this day in 1928, the Eagle reported, “One of the most picturesque figures in the woman suffrage movement, Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst, died this morning in a London nursing home at the age of 69. Death came after a comparatively short illness. Mrs. Pankhurst was the first militant suffragist in efforts to obtain the vote for women, millions of whom are now enjoying the privilege of casting their ballots at the Parliamentary election as a result of her work with her militant supporters. This early work was often done at great personal risk … [She] visited America and lectured on behalf of her country … In 1911 she addressed a great mass meeting in the Brooklyn Academy of Music … On the outbreak of the World War, Mrs. Pankhurst and other militant suffragists joined in supporting the country … Suffrage was granted to women above 30 in 1918.”

 

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On this day in 1935, the Eagle reported from the Madison Square Garden Bowl in Long Island City, “James J. Braddock won the world’s heavyweight championship from Max Baer in the strangest, most puzzling title fight of the kind ever staged. Baer, whose murderous fists have been concerned with the deaths of two ringmen, whose sledge-like clouts crushed the gigantic [Primo] Carnera in the same ring a year ago, made a most amazing defense of his crown. Most of the time he spent in clowning and playacting. If he had any real interest in protecting his title, the fact was not apparent in his fighting … Later in his dressing room, Max explained why he wasn’t crestfallen over the turn of events. ‘It did my heart good to see how happy Braddock was to win the title. After all, Jimmy’s got a wife and kiddies. He probably needs the title more than I do.”

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On this day in 1954, Eagle editor and columnist Robert M. Grannis wrote, “Today is Flag Day and a lot of Americans won’t bother to pay any attention to it. Others will explore the attic and drag out the banner which guarantees their freedom. It will be dusty and worn and there will be moth holes here and there but the colors will remain intact. Nothing ever happens to the significance of this emblem and nothing ever will so long as folks retain even an ounce of appreciation. I decided to write about the flag today to answer a neighbor who thinks that nationalism is something to be ashamed of. Personally, I think he is an ass and I hope he reads this.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include actress YASMINE BLEETH, who was born in 1968; singer BOY GEORGE, who was born in 1961; screenwriter DIABLO CODY, who was born in 1978; actress MARLA GIBBS, who was born in 1931; Hall of Fame tennis player STEFFI GRAF, who was born in 1969; actress LUCY HALE, who was born in 1989; Olympic speed skater ERIC ARTHUR HEIDEN, who was born in 1958; actress TRAYLOR HOWARD, who was born in 1966; actor KEVIN McHALE, who was born in 1988; actor EDDIE MEKKA, who was born in 1952; actor WILL PATTON, who was born in 1954; and U.S. President DONALD TRUMP, who was born in 1946.

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HARRIET BEECHER STOWE WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1811. The American author is best known for “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” an antislavery novel that provoked a storm of protest and notoriety. It sold 300,000 copies in its first year alone. The reaction to “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and its profound political impact are without parallel in American literature. It is said that during the Civil War, when Stowe was introduced to President Abraham Lincoln, his words to her were, “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war.” She died in Connecticut in 1896.

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WARREN G. HARDING BECAME THE FIRST PRESIDENT TO BROADCAST ON RADIO ON THIS DAY IN 1922. The event was the dedication of the Francis Scott Key Memorial in Baltimore. The first official government message was broadcast in 1923.

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TODAY IS THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST NONSTOP TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT. In 1919, Capt. John Alcock and Lt. Arthur W. Brown flew a Vickers Vimy bomber 1,900 miles nonstop from St. Johns, Newfoundland, to Clifden, County Galway, Ireland. In spite of their crash landing in an Irish peat bog, their flight inspired public interest in aviation.

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ALOIS ALZHEIMER WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1864. In a 1907 article by the German psychiatrist and pathologist, Alzheimer first described the disease that was named for him. It was thought of as a kind of presenile dementia, usually beginning at age 40-60. Alzheimer died in 1915 in Germany.

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THE BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY will host “The Police Killing of Arthur Miller, 40 Years Later” tonight at 6:30 p.m. On June 14, 1978, Crown Heights community leader and businessman Arthur Miller was killed by police chokehold. Forty years later, MSNBC’s Joy-Ann Reid will lead a panel discussion featuring former City Councilmember Al Vann, activist Thenjiwe McHarris, and NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Representative Lumumba Bandele about what has changed and what has not — with special guests the Miller family. The program will be introduced by a series of oral histories from residents who remember this tragic event. For more information, visit brooklynhistory.org.

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

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“The past, the present and the future are really one: they are today.” — author and abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe, who was born on this day in 1811


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