May 12: ON THIS DAY in 1937, George VI crowned in fanfare of pomp

May 12, 2020 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1920, a Brooklyn Daily Eagle editorial stated, “Whether Florence Nightingale was born on May 12 or May 15, 1820, does not much matter. Her commonly observed anniversary is the 12th. And each year since the great war was forced upon the world, the anniversary has had greater interest. For Florence Nightingale stood for the ideals of woman’s service much like those for which our best women stand today, and what she did for the British Army in Crimea is part of the history of the world … Miss Nightingale lived to be 90 years old. She was calm, undisturbed, never seeking the limelight, never shunning it. Her life presents no subjects for controversies. She did good not by stealth, nor did she blush to find fame. Fame was the least of her concerns or anxieties.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1937, the Eagle reported, “LONDON (AP) — England and Empire crowned George VI King today, the symbolic sovereign of a quarter of the globe. Upon his head in Old Westminster Abbey, Cosmo, Archbishop of Canterbury, placed the priceless crown of St. Edward. Guns crashed from London Tower; tumult burst from multitudes in Abbey and streets. The whole world heard the apex of Britain’s greatest show in 1,000 years. Forgotten for the moment in this panorama of empire on parade was Edward of Windsor, whose day — save for love and abdication — this might have been. In ritual of solemn beauty, the King — and then Elizabeth, his Scottish Queen — was recognized, anointed, pledged to rule with mercy and with justice and consecrated to govern a half-billion persons. With scepter, sword and orb, in rich raiments of church and state, seated in the scarred and ancient oaken coronation chair above the hallowed Stone of Scone, he received the crown on bowed head and heard he joyous shouts of millions: ‘God Save the King!’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1945, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON (U.P.) — Today is R-Day, the day the United States officially begins redeploying its mighty 8,300,000-man army to concentrate on its remaining enemy, Japan. In Europe the first of an estimated total of 3,100,000 men not remaining as occupation forces are streaming into the great ports of Le Havre, Marseille, Cherbourg and Antwerp. Most of them will sail for the United States, where some will be discharged in accordance with the army’s point system of demobilization. Others will be given furloughs here and be sent on to the Pacific. Some troops urgently needed in the Pacific will go there directly from Europe. Many units of service forces already had been transferred to the Pacific theater. Here at home the demobilization process gets under way today with the discharge under the point system of nearly 2,500 combat veterans already in the country. First of some 1,300,000 men to be released under the point system during the next 12 months, the men who are trading their khaki for civvies, are battle veterans from all theaters brought home for rest and recuperation before VE-Day.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1948, the Eagle reported, “The anti-Soviet film, ‘The Iron Curtain,’ opened today at the Roxy Theater, Manhattan, as police girded for a possible repetition of last night’s riot of opposing lines of pickets outside the theater tonight. Both the Catholic War Veterans, who turned up last night 1,600 strong, and the pickets who oppose the showing of the film notified police that they intend to picket starting at 7:30 p.m. The Catholic veterans again will picket the pro-Soviet pickets. Last night’s melee occurred when some 2,000 persons who had attended the Henry Wallace meeting at Madison Square Garden joined others picketing the Roxy for scheduling ‘The Iron Curtain’ and clashed with the anti-Communists. Police estimated 10,000 spectators were drawn to the scene. The Wallace group had just heard the third party Presidential candidate read an open letter to Stalin calling for an ‘end to the cold war.’ The campaign against ‘The Iron Curtain’ was spearheaded by the National Council for American Soviet Friendship … The Daily Worker also called for picketing of the movie, which is based on the life story of Igor Gouzenko, a cipher clerk in the Russian Embassy at Ottawa, who helped Canadian authorities smash a Communist spy ring.”