August 28: ON THIS DAY in 1945, Yank troops ready for mass landings

August 28, 2020 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1931, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “New York’s school children will receive an extra ten days vacation if the Board of Education acts upon the suggestion today of Dr. Shirley W. Wynne, Health Commissioner. The schools are scheduled to open Sept. 14. Commissioner Wynne probably will recommend to the Board of Education that the opening of the schools be delayed as an ‘extra precautionary measure’ against infantile paralysis. It was indicated at a meeting of the medical advisory board Monday, at which members of the New York County Medical Society and representatives of the Board of Education were present, that the date for the opening of the schools would be determined by the reports of the past week. ‘Previous experience,’ Dr. Wynne said, ‘leads us to believe that the outbreak has reached its peak and is now on the decline. In the past, September usually has brought the end of an epidemic.’ For the past 24 hours ending this morning, 53 new cases were reported, bringing the total since the first of the year to 2,613. There were seven new deaths, increasing the fatalities to 300. Thirty of the new cases were reported in Brooklyn.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1941, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON (U.P.) — President Roosevelt is undertaking personal negotiations with the Japanese Ambassador regarding differences between this country and Japan in the tense Far Eastern situation, Secretary of State Cordell Hull revealed today. Hull made this disclosure after a White House conference at which the Ambassador, Admiral Kichisaburo Nomura, presented to the President a message from the Japanese Prime Minister, Prince Konoye. Hull, who was present at the Ambassador’s 45-minute interview with the President, said there had been a general exchange of information on matters relating to the two governments and he thought there would be other meetings later.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1945, the Eagle reported, “MANILA (U.P.) — The occupation of Japan began smoothly today with the establishment of American advance headquarters 20 miles from Tokyo and the anchoring in Tokyo Bay of a nine-ship task force with 10,000 marines and bluejackets. An advance party of 150 technicians — the first occupation troops to land on Japan — radioed back from Atsugi airfield tonight that all 48 planes in the initial airborne force had landed safely this morning. Radio communications were set up and preparations begun to ready the airfield for the mass airborne landings scheduled to begin Thursday morning. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, supreme occupation commander, will be among the early arrivals Thursday. An NBC correspondent on Okinawa quoted the Atsugi party as saying the Japanese garrison served some of the Americans a six-course dinner on a white tablecloth while other pilots guarded the planes. Curious Japanese soldiers and civilians had to be pushed away from the planes.”

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ON AUG. 29, 1883, the Eagle reported, “An island inhabited by some millions of people and studded with volcanoes suddenly became the theater of the most extraordinary manifestation of those activities for which science is able to give but a poor explanation. Some time ago a small volcanic island a few miles off the coast and containing a volcano was observed to be in a state of excitement. This was not an unusual occurrence, it appears, and though the wonderful phenomena were watched with intense interest, no especial alarm was felt in the main island. The glow and detonations on Krakatoa were distinctly perceptible forty-five miles distant, and a few hours later a shower of red hot rocks and ashes began to fall. The deposit increased for several hours; the water which separates the two islands was observed to be in a state of profound agitation, literally boiling or approaching that state. The bed of the strait was undoubtedly heated to a tremendous temperature, sharing the condition of Krakatoa. For 500 miles round, the sea gave evidences of similar disturbances. But the sinister energy at work was traveling steadily toward Java carrying death and devastation with it.”