January 29: ON THIS DAY in 1932, Shanghai burns during massacre
ON THIS DAY IN 1851, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “John James Audubon, the distinguished ornithologist, died at his residence, on the banks of the Hudson, on Monday morning last. The deceased was in the 76th year of his age, and in the department of science to which he particularly devoted himself, he has left no equal behind him. He was the son of an admiral in the French navy, and was born in Louisiana. As a man, he was beloved by all who knew him; and as an author, his fame is world-wide, and destined to endure.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1932, the Eagle reported, “SHANGHAI (AP) — Fighting in the Chapel section of Shanghai continued with renewed force today, becoming virtually a massacre. The Chinese fought the Japanese invasion with a counter-attack on a Japanese club close to the border of the International Settlement. Although the Chinese were driven back, it was reported that the defenders in the counter-attack were dangerously near capture in the brief but bitterly fought engagement. The battled occurred after widely circulated rumors of a truce had been officially denied tonight by the Japanese authorities … Reports that American mission buildings and other American properties within the Settlement and without had been bombed by Japanese planes could not be confirmed and consular authorities said that lacking knowledge of such developments, they believed nothing of the sort had occurred. Nevertheless, consular officials penetrated the embattled areas and suggested that several American missionaries living there withdraw to the Settlement.”
Brooklyn Boro
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