History

September 9: ON THIS DAY in 1948, 300,000 defy Soviet in Berlin

September 9, 2019 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1901, the Brooklyn Daly Eagle reported, “Today was the beginning of another school year’s work for the public schools of Brooklyn, and the opening exercises were marked with an event that will be memorable as long as the children live. It is the prayer that every one of the 150,000 children and teachers offered up to Divine Providence to restore to health and strength William McKinley, president of the United States. This was done as a result of the following letter, which President Charles E. Robertson of the Brooklyn School Board sent to every school principal yesterday: ‘You are hereby requested at the opening exercises of all your classes and departments on Monday morning, September 9, to have appropriate reference made of the awful calamity which has shocked the people of the civilized world. The dastardly attempt made upon the life of the president of the United States fills the soul of every good citizens with apprehension and grief. Let every loyal American heart in our public schools offer a fervent prayer that the life of President McKinley be spared, and that he be permitted to continue to serve the country he loves so well.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1940, the Eagle reported, “By official proclamation of Borough President [John] Cashmore, this is ‘Brooklyn Children’s Day’ — the opening of the new school year. But whether 400,000 Brooklyn boys and girls who thus ended their summer vacation fully appreciated the honor was at least debatable. Superintendent of Schools Harold G. Campbell, at his new headquarters, 110 Livingston St., issued a call to the city’s 37,000 teachers to lose no opportunity to foster loyalty and devoted to American ideals among their 1,128,000 charges. ‘In times like the present,’ said Dr. Campbell, ‘I am sure that every teacher will do all that is possible to foster loyalty to our country and devotion to those ideals of tolerance and fair play which are synonymous with Americanism.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1948, the Eagle reported, “Berlin (U.P.) — Russian authorities rejected all protests against the Soviet reign of terror in Berlin today and pressed ahead with apparent plans to drive the Anglo-American airlift out of the skies. ‘Do not interfere in matters which do not concern you,’ the Russians told Col. Frank Howley, American commander in Berlin, when he protested against their City Hall coup early this week. In the coup, Russian troops and Communist-dominated police seized the Berlin City Hall, drove the City Assembly into the Western sectors, beat up American correspondents, broke into American military offices and arrested some 40 West Sector German police, under American and French protection. Russian fighter planes roared over the American sector of Berlin at noon after warning the four-power air safety center that their planes would saturate the busy Allied corridor during seven more days of Soviet air maneuvers.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1953, the Eagle reported, “Washington (U.P.) — Informed sources said today there is a good chance President Eisenhower will pick an eminent Republican jurist, rather than a political figure, to succeed Fred M. Vinson as Chief Justice of the United States. Federal Circuit Judge John J. Parker of Charlotte, N.C.,. and Chief Justice Arthur T. Vanderbilt of the New Jersey Supreme Court were mentioned as possible choices should Mr. Eisenhower decide to entrust the nation’s highest judicial post to a man already on the bench. Earlier speculation about a successor to Vinson, who died of heart attack yesterday, had centered around Governors Thomas E. Dewey of New York and Earl Warren of California.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1953, the Eagle also reported, “London (U.P.) — The Admiralty announced today that a British motor launch of the Hong Kong local defense force was fired upon early this morning and suffered casualties. The Admiralty did not identify the attackers in its brief communique. British and other merchant ships have been attacked, and in some instances boarded, in Chinese waters by both Chinese Nationalist warships and the notorious pirates who infest the coast. The Admiralty said that the British destroyer Concord has been ordered to get the casualties and take them to Hong Kong.”