January 30: ON THIS DAY in 1948, Gandhi Assassinated

January 30, 2020 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1915, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “In three weeks, with ceremonies entirely novel in character, the gates of the Panama-Pacific Exposition will be thrown open to the world, the first case on record when an international exposition has been opened, complete, on schedule time to the minute. Ground for the Palace of Machinery, the first of the 11 great exhibit palaces to be constructed, was broken January 1, 1913 — little more than two years ago. Forty-one foreign nations and forty-three states and territories of the American Union are participating in this governmental celebration of the completion of the Panama Canal. Of the nations now at war, France, Japan, Turkey and Belgium are participating officially, while private exhibitors come from all the belligerent countries.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1933, the Eagle reported, “Berlin (AP) — Adolf Hitler, picturesque leader of the German Fascists, was made Chancellor of Germany today, succeeding Gen. Kurt von Schleicher, who resigned last week. But in granting him the ambition of his political lifetime, President von Hindenburg surrounded him with a cabinet of conservatives … The new chancellor is only 43. ‘Well, we shall see,’ was all he said to the correspondents as he returned to his hotel from the President’s office. ‘Now let’s eat.’ He had been up all night and until 5 o’clock this morning working out a detailed program to submit to the President. With his new associates he went over the executive offices.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1947, the Eagle reported, “To the Coronet Theater last night came a play by a young man named Arthur Miller, who will hereafter be classified as one of the best of American dramatists. He writes boldly, is not afraid to face such situations as only the most expert dramatists dare get themselves into and often find it difficult to get themselves out of, and makes it look as if he might be another Lillian Hellman almost any day. ‘All My Sons’ has a terrific kick … Mr. Miller writes natural dialogue that in addition to its naturalness reaches the vital spot quickly and without fumbling. And when facts explode in the faces of his people they do not have to change their characters, they meet them head on with new but consistent manifestations of their natures. Something unexpected happens at every turn of the plot. The spectator sits still, listening for every word. Mr. Miller is a fine storyteller.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1948, the Eagle reported, “New Delhi, Jan. 30 (UP) — Mohandas K. Gandhi, saint of India, was shot and killed today in an assassination which may set the whole subcontinent of India ablaze with warfare between Hindus and Moslems. The 78-year-old wisp of a man, his body even more frail than usual after a fast which ended a scant fortnight ago, was shot down by three bullets as he walked to the prayer grounds of Birla House for his evening devotions. He was carried into the great mansion, home of one of India’s greatest industrial magnates, in the arms of his weeping disciples. There he died at 5:45 p.m. (7:15 a.m. Brooklyn time), a martyr to the cause for which he had dedicated his life – India’s freedom.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1963, the Eagle reported, “Boston (UPI) — A world he loved and wrote about today mourns the death of Robert Frost, the impish New England poet whose simple verse established him as a literary giant and great humanist. The 88-year-old Frost, who years ago became this nation’s unofficial poet laureate, died at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital Tuesday with only doctors and nurses at his bedside. Though mentally keen till the end, he said not a word. A seven-week struggle against a series of ailments had left him physically exhausted. … Tributes poured in from around the world — from both sides of the political divisions he always ignored or jibed at. He spent a lifetime simply writing about people and how they feel … Frost’s four Pulitzer Prizes stand as a monument to his poetic genius, and in the waning years of his life he became a symbol of international good will.”