April 24: ON THIS DAY in 1928, Lindbergh hops with serum for Bennett

April 24, 2020 Brooklyn Eagle History

Share this:

ON THIS DAY IN 1913, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “The dinner to be given by F.W. Woolworth in honor of Cass Gilbert, the architect of the Woolworth Building, will take place tonight at 7 o’clock on the twenty-seventh floor of the new building. The building will be formally opened from Washington by [President Woodrow Wilson], who, by pressing a button in the White House, will flash the electric current to every one of the more than 80,000 odd lamps in the structure, illuminating it instantaneously from the top-most pinnacle to the lowest sub-basement. Special trains will convey the guests from Washington, Boston and other large cities to the banquet. The list of guests includes men prominent in every walk of life throughout the country.”

***

ON THIS DAY IN 1928, the Eagle reported, “CURTISS FIELD, N.Y. (AP) — Col. Charles A. Lindbergh, the lone eagle of the Atlantic, took to the air today to fly as he never flew before in a race to save the life of a fellow airman, Floyd Bennett. Lindbergh hopped at 3:08, carrying anti-pneumonia serum needed by doctors attending the North Pole flier in Quebec, where he was taken after being stricken with pneumonia while commanding a relief expedition to the marooned transatlantic fliers on Greenly Island. Doctors said that the serum is the only thing that they feel certain can save Bennett’s life. Bennett, who flew to the North Pole with Commander Richard E. Byrd in 1926 and had been appointed second in command for the South Pole flight this fall, contracted his illness while going with Bernt Balchen to the relief of the Bremen’s fliers on Greenly Island.”

***

ON THIS DAY IN 1929, the Eagle reported, “ROOSEVELT FIELD, L.I. — Elinor Smith, in her shining Bellanca monoplane, landed here at 2:04 p.m. today, having been alone in the air for 26 hours, 23 minutes and 16 seconds. Thus the 17-year-old Freeport girl had set a new women’s endurance record at more than four hours ahead of the record of 23 hours, 3 minutes and 12 seconds, previously held by Mrs. Louis McPhetridge of California.”

***

ON THIS DAY IN 1931, the Eagle reported, “It will be the George Washington Bridge after all. The Port of New York Authority yesterday settled the controversy that has waged several months over a name for the new span across the Hudson River. It voted 10 to 1 in favor of the Washington idea. Howard S. Cullman dissented. He favored ‘the Hudson River Bridge.’”

***

ON THIS DAY IN 1940, the Eagle reported, “HELSINKI, FINLAND (U.P.) — With the simple statement that the ‘Olympic games would not take place this year,’ the Finnish Olympic Committee has officially canceled the 1940 Olympiad, it was announced today.”

***

ON THIS DAY IN 1954, the Eagle reported, “Hanoi, April 24 (U.P.) — Waves of Communist shock troops battered Dien Bien Phu’s crumbling lines today and French defenders fell back from the onslaughts with ‘serious losses.’ The war in Indo-China reached a most critical stage. Dien Bien Phu was not alone at stake. The French said the situation in the vast, rice-rich Red River delta, keystone of France’s position in Indo-China, has become ‘extremely serious.’ Communist forces estimated at 100,000 in the delta area had carried out so many attacks on vital road and rail connections between Hanoi and the supply port of Haiphong that a military airlift ‘has become almost indispensable.’”

***

ON THIS DAY IN 1963, the Eagle reported, “London (UPI) — Princess Alexandra of Kent, cousin of Queen Elizabeth, will be married in Westminster Abbey today to Hon. Angus Oglivy, son of the Earl of Airlie, in a ‘family occasion’ that her popularity has turned into the wedding of the decade. One king, four queens and three crown princes will head a record number of 120 members of royalty who will be among the throng of 2,000 crowding the historic abbey for the ceremony … Final rehearsals were held in Westminster Abbey yesterday. Crews for the 60 television cameras which will cover the wedding, the largest number ever used for a broadcast here, rehearsed their positions.”