May 14: ON THIS DAY in 1948, new Jewish state born in Palestine

May 14, 2019 Brooklyn Eagle

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ON THIS DAY IN 1883, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “The wind whistled merrily over the Concourse at Coney Island yesterday, cleaning out in clouds the dust lodging in the holes with which its surface is adorned. Several thousand people took their first glimpse for the season of the waves, white capped and restless. A large majority of them looked weather beaten and anxious to get home. Those who had rugged constitutions or heavy overcoats ventured from one section of the beach to another and found considerable to interest them … It was quite evident that the island was waking from its winter sleep.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1940, the Eagle reported, “Toronto, May 14 (AP) – Death came today to Emma Goldman, once the flaming champion of Anarchy in America. Ill since suffering a stroke in February, she would have been 71 years old on June 27 … Her death raised echoes of a radicalism that extended back for half a century and reached its climax in the World War years that brought ‘Red Emma’ Goldman’s imprisonment and later deportation from the United States to Russia in 1919 for obstructing the draft. With her went Alexander Berkman, her companion and colleague for two-score years. In the new Soviet Russia she quickly found disillusionment, and fled to roam in many parts of the world, still a strident voice for social changes, but somehow lacking in the old-time urgency. In 1924 she published a book, ‘My Disillusionment in Russia.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1945, the Eagle reported, “The three-year-old military ban on pedestrian traffic on city bridges has been removed and pedestrians can walk back and forth across the Brooklyn and other bridges to their hearts’ content – as soon as the barriers, erected across footpaths July 19, 1942, can be removed. Rear Admiral Monroe Kelly, commandant of the 3rd Naval District, said security requirements no longer necessitated the ban against pedestrian traffic.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1948, the Eagle reported, “Tel Aviv, May 14 (U.P.) – A new Jewish State was born in Palestine today and immediately bitter Arab-Jewish fighting for Jerusalem began. Even as the Jewish dream of almost 2,000 years — a State of their own called Israel — came true at 4 p.m. (10 a.m. Brooklyn time) with a formal proclamation of Jewish leaders, Hagana troops were fighting Arabs in the Holy City. The veteran Jewish troops appeared to have the best of the fighting, which probably will decide final control of Jerusalem, according to reports reaching here. They had seized the former British security zone as the last of the Tommies moved out, ending 30 years of stormy British rule in Palestine. The Jewish flag — blue and white with a yellow Star of David — already flew over many strategic buildings in Jerusalem, radio reports said, but strong Arab resistance was being met by Hagana men fighting their way toward the Jaffa gate leading to the old city.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1963, the Eagle reported, “Cincinnati, Ohio (UPI) – Pete Rose was born about 25 years too late, for if ever a baseball player was ideal for the famed St. Louis ‘Gashouse Gang’ of the late ’30s, it’s the 21-year-old Cincinnati Reds’ rookie. When Rose gets hit by a pitch, he goes to first base faster than most players legging out an infield hit. When he triples, he runs out from under his cap. Someday he is likely to reach second on a base on balls. But Cincinnati manager Fred Hutchinson doesn’t care how often Rose’s cap falls off or how fast he gets to first just so he continues to get there as often as he has in recent weeks. The youngster was understandably nervous at the beginning of his rookie season, making a jump from class A to the majors in only his third year of professional baseball. He went three for 23 in the first six games and was benched. But his second-base replacement, Don Blasingame, didn’t do any better, so on April 27 Rose found himself back in the lineup. Since then he has batted .319, lifting his season average to .257, besides fielding his position well.”