May 7: ON THIS DAY in 1945, war is ended, Nazis assert
ON THIS DAY IN 1853, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “In Allentown (Pa.) one evening last week, the proprietor of a restaurant left a few oysters standing in a basin on the floor; from the heat of the room they partially opened; during the night it appeared a mouse undertook to creep in between the shell, when the oyster fastened on the mouse and made it a victim. In the morning the oyster was picked up with the mouse tightly pressed between its shell.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1915, the Eagle reported, “The Cunard liner Lusitania, sailing from New York to Liverpool with 1,300 passengers on board, was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine about ten miles off the Irish coast, South of Cork, at 2:33 this afternoon … Disregarding a warning from the German embassy at Washington that the Lusitania would likely be torpedoed, 1,300 persons took passage and no cancellations were recorded, when she left her pier at 11 o’clock last Saturday morning. The German Embassy had caused a warning advertisement to be printed in scores of American newspapers, and the State Department was asked to act upon the matter.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1945, the Eagle reported, “London, May 7 (UP) – A German broadcast said today that all remaining German forces in Europe have surrendered, and there were indications here that an Allied proclamation on the end of the war will be made today. There was no confirmation from Allied sources that the Germans have surrendered, but every sign in London was that the end of the war is near. Some sources here said the Allied proclamation may be issued by 6 p.m. double British summer time (noon Brooklyn time). A speaker identified as German Foreign Minister County Ludwig Schwerin von Krosigk announced over the Flensburg radio at 2:09 p.m. (8:09 Brooklyn time) that the high command of the German armed forces have surrendered unconditionally all “fighting German troops” today. The order for surrender was given by Fuehrer Grand Adm. Karl Doenitz, the broadcast said. It came on the 2,074th day of the European war.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1950, the Eagle reported, “Wheeling, W. Va. (U.P.) – A comic book caused the death of Tojo, the Wheeling zoo monkey. It wasn’t the funny pages that killed him with laughter but part of the metal binding. Some wire staples were found in the simian after zoo officials were told the animal had been munching at a comic book a boy tossed into his cage. Several years ago, a monkey died from eating a mirror.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1954, the Eagle reported, “Hanoi, Indo-China, May 7 (UP) – Waves of Communist troops seized a foothold in the heart of Dien Bien Phu today and Brig. Gen. Christian de Castries ordered his artillery to shell his own headquarters if necessary — but to fight on. An estimated 40,000 Communist rebels hit the staggering French defenses from three sides and quickly overwhelmed a French outpost guarding De Castries’ headquarters … There was little doubt the enemy had launched its final attack on the French fortress that has stood off 40,000 rebel Vietminh troops for 57 days.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1963, the Eagle reported, “Almost ten years to the day, and only after an entire winter of hard work by its members and legion of friends, the long-range aim of the South Highway Little League became a thrilling reality last Saturday when it officially opened its new twin-fields to some 360 youngsters who comprise the 18 teams in the loop. The South Highway group added another big league feature to the occasion by naming the diamonds ‘Gil Hodges Field,’ in honor of Brooklyn’s all-time favorite, who has himself adopted our borough as his ‘home town.’ … Complete with concrete stands, drainage and sprinkler systems, and a modern lighting plant for night baseball, Gil Hodges Field is big league in every respect, and is already acclaimed as the most complete little league diamond in the State of New York.”
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