MILESTONES: July 9, birthdays for Tom Hanks, Courtney Love, Kevin Nash

July 9, 2018 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Tom Hanks. Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision for Producers Guild of America/AP Images

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Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 190th day of the year.

On this day in 1846, a Brooklyn Daily Eagle editorial stated, “Under the rule (we suppose) that ‘Misery loves company,’ the N.Y. Express talks as though Brooklyn were a part of the great City of Wickedness on the opposite shore — talks of our dirt and pigs. We confess the pigs; but as to the dirt, we have hardly any at all except what comes from New York — brought on the heels of the thousands who so eagerly rush over our ferries, out of that stifling place, to enjoy our delicious goodness here. Poor, miserable New Yorkers! We pity you again!”

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On this day in 1846, the Eagle reported, “About 1,000 miles of Telegraphic connection is now completed, of which one-third is in this state, and by the last of August 500 miles more will be in operation. Mr. Henry O’Reilly, who has contracted for the construction of the range between the Atlantic and Mississippi, including the Ohio Valley and the Lake country, says in language we find quoted in a Philadelphia paper: It is probable that the whole of the first section intersecting the New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington lines, will be completed to the Ohio river, at Pittsburgh and Wheeling, in four months from the first of July.”

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On this day in 1881, the Eagle published an update on the health of President James Garfield, who was shot in a Washington, D.C., train station the previous week: “Nothing more reassuring could possibly have come from the president’s medical attendants than the bulletins of yesterday. The history of this extraordinary case since Tuesday morning has been one continuous record of improvement in physical condition. The rally of the system from the shock was the first marked symptom. After getting his vital forces together the patient seemed to have moved toward recovery in a direct line, and at a constantly accelerated pace.”

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On this day in 1924, the Eagle reported, “Only the setting of the historic White House east room, with its profusion of banked flowers, might distinguish the simple funeral service there today for Calvin Coolidge Jr. from that for any other youth of his country. The governments of nations, with his own, were granted their wish to pay respect to the president’s dead son, but the desire of the bereaved family for simplicity ruled in every detail of arrangements.”

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On this day in 1939, the Eagle published an Associated Press story which read, “Playing one of the greatest games of her life, Alice Marble of San Francisco today beat Kay Stammers of England, 6-2, 6-0, and in 25 minutes added the Wimbledon ‘world tennis championship’ to her United States crown … Queen Mother Mary and United States Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy and Mrs. Kennedy presided over the center court from the royal box … Queen Mary asked that Miss Marble and Miss Stammers be presented to her … ‘Well, that’s just a dream come true,’ said Alice.” The 1939 and 1940 Associated Press Athlete of the Year, Marble was also a spy for U.S. intelligence during World War II and was shot in the back by a Nazi agent. In 1964, she was enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She died in 1990.

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On this day in 1947, the Eagle reported, “Washington, July 9 (U.P.) — Two members of the House-Senate Atomic Energy Committee said today that some secret atomic data had been stolen or lost from government files. But both the White House and the Atomic Committee’s chairman said that no such thefts had been reported to them. One committee member said some atomic documents had been stolen and that part of them had been recovered. Another referred to ‘missing data.’ Both asked not to be quoted by name … White House Press Secretary Charles G. Ross told questioners that ‘the White House, from President Truman on down, knows nothing about it.’”

On the same page, it was reported, “An official announcement of the engagement of Princess Elizabeth and Lt. Philip Mountbatten, former Prince Philip of Greece, was in preparation by Buckingham Palace today for imminent publication … Both Phillip and Elizabeth were at the palace as the announcement was being prepared. Philip left his post at the naval training college at Cosham where he is an instructor and drove up to London for ‘extended summer leave.’”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include Tony Award-winning actor BRIAN DENNEHY, who was born in 1938; dancer and choreographer MARGARET GILLIS, who was born in 1953; U.S. Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM, who was born in 1955; Oscar Award-winning actor TOM HANKS, who was born in 1956; artist DAVID HOCKNEY, who was born in 1937; singer and actress COURTNEY LOVE, who was born in 1965; actress KELLY McGILLIS, who was born in 1957; actor RICHARD ROUNDTREE, who was born in 1942; actor FRED SAVAGE, who was born in 1976; former sportscaster, actor and Hall of Fame football player O.J. SIMPSON, who was born in 1947; actor JIMMY SMITS, who was born in 1955; TV host and composer JOHN TESH, who was born in 1952; and singer and guitarist JACK WHITE, who was born in 1975.

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ELIAS HOWE WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1819. He is best known for inventing the sewing machine. Born in Massachusetts, he died in 1867 in Brooklyn. Howe is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery.

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THE 14TH AMENDMENT TO U.S. CONSTITUTION WAS RATIFIED ON THIS DAY IN 1868. The 14th Amendment defined U.S. citizenship and provided that no state shall have the right to abridge the rights of any citizen without due process and equal protection under the law. Coming three years after the Civil War, the 14th Amendment also included provisions for barring individuals who assisted in any rebellion or insurrection against the U.S. from holding public office, and releasing federal and state governments from any financial liability incurred in the assistance of rebellion or insurrection against the U.S.

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THE HIGHEST TSUNAMI IN RECORDED HISTORY OCCURRED ON THIS DAY IN 1958. An earthquake registering 8.3 on the Richter scale caused a massive landslide at the head of Lituya Bay, Arkansas, which in turn created a tsunami of 1,700 feet — higher than the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois (which is 1,450 feet). A 300-foot wave immediately followed, scouring bare about 4 to 5 square miles of land on both sides of the bay. Of three boats anchored at this remote spot, one was sunk, with the loss of two lives; miraculously, the other two boats with their passengers survived the powerful waves.

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THE BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY will host “Independent Publishing in an Age of Resistance Independent Publishing in an Age of Resistance” tonight at 6:30 p.m. What role do books play in shaping our current political culture? And how can independent publishers channel the resurgent activism of this particular historical moment? Melville House Publisher Dennis Johnson, the New Press Executive Director Diane Wachtell and Feminist Press Publisher Jamia Wilson sit down to discuss the challenges and opportunities of publishing in the current era. It will be moderated by Akashic Books Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Johnny Temple. 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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“Laugh a lot. It clears the lungs.” — artist David Hockney, who was born on this day in 1937