May 21: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

May 21, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1937, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON (U.P.) — President Roosevelt said today he had not considered a successor to retiring Supreme Court Justice Willis Van Devanter — and doesn’t expect to for some time. Mr. Roosevelt limited his press conference comment on the judiciary situation to that brief statement. After being asked jestingly if he ‘would confirm the Senate appointment’ of Senator Joseph Robinson (D., Ark.) to the bench, Mr. Roosevelt said he had not considered any possible appointee. Anything newspapermen write about Justice Van Devanter’s successor, the president said, should be labeled ‘Surmise No. 23.’ … Senator Burke (D., Neb.) called on foes of the Roosevelt court bill today to stand firm, declaring administration leaders were ‘putting pressure’ on doubtful senators. ‘The present calm is largely on the surface,’ he said. ‘Now is the time for opponents of the bill to be most alert.’ Burke said he believed the president sincerely wanted ‘all or nothing,’ but that friends of the bill in the Senate were ‘quietly laying the foundation for an attempt to compromise.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1942, the Eagle reported, “TEANECK, N.J. — Demands for police protection reached a ‘high note’ here today for a department already overtaxed with payroll escorts and traffic needs. A voice on the telephone said: ‘Please send lots of cops to the high school tonight. We can’t keep our minds on the music if we have to worry about gas and tires being stolen.’ The Teaneck Choral Society has scheduled a concert there tonight.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1948, the Eagle reported, “LAKE SUCCESS (U.P.) — The United Nations Truce Commission in Jerusalem appealed to the Security Council today to dispatch a strong, neutral armed force to impose a cease-fire on Arabs and Jews in the Holy City. The commission, despairing of achieving a Jerusalem truce without force, warned that the only alternative was a fight to the finish. The urgent cablegram asked the council to invoke the strongest clause of the UN charter — the provisions for quelling aggression by armed intervention. The truce commission’s cable, signed by Thomas Watson, American member of the commission, was relayed to UN headquarters by way of Paris. It reached the Security Council at the height of a serious split over the UN’s role in the Palestine warfare and UN diplomats were doubtful that the commission’s appeal would be heeded. The Truce Commission reported that it has been fired on and members of its party injured in a week-long effort to work out between Jews and Arabs an agreement to cease-fire, at least in the old walled city of Jerusalem.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1948, the Eagle reported, “LONDON (U.P.) — Catholic and British Protestant quarters were at loggerheads today as to whether Princess Elizabeth should waltz on Sunday. The princess saw no harm in it on a recent visit to Paris, where she danced with her consort, Philip, Duke of Edinburg in a dim-lit Paris night club. But it began to look today as though the young princess will do no more dancing on ‘the Lord’s day.’ Three powerful Protestant organizations have sent protests against the Princess’ dancing and the Church of England is expected to lend its voice to the discussion next month at its church assembly. The Lord’s Day Observance Society of England, its counterpart in Scotland and the Church of Scotland all have showered the royal couple’s advisers with reprimands for permitting the dancing and a visit to the racetrack over the weekend. Only Roman Catholic quarters came to the defense of the young princess. The editor of one Catholic newspaper said Sunday dancing was not only fine, but commendable. He said Catholic clubs sponsored many Sunday dances. As for going to the races, he said it was no different than sitting home reading a book. The Lord’s Day Observance Society of England was called into emergency meeting yesterday to deal with the situation.”

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Lisa Edelstein
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Baseball Hall of Famer Bobby Cox, who was born in 1941; “Bobby’s Girl” singer Marcie Blane, who was born in Brooklyn in 1944; Chicago singer Bill Champlin, who was born in 1947; “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” singer Leo Sayer, who was born in 1948; “The A-Team” star Mr. T, who was born in 1952; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Stan Lynch (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), who was born in 1955; “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” star Judge Reinhold, who was born in 1957; former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who was born in 1959; “Family Guy” producer Richard Appel, who was born in 1963; My Bloody Valentine founder Kevin Shields, who was born in 1963; “House” star Lisa Edelstein, who was born in 1966; “The Craft” star Fairuza Balk, who was born in 1974; and former N.Y. Yankees pitcher Andrew Miller, who was born in 1985.

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HOPE SPRINGS: Alexander Pope was born on this day in 1688. The English poet, critic and satirist gained fame with “The Rape of Lock” (1712-14), which established him as the foremost poet of the time. He is also the author of the unfinished “An Essay on Man,” which features the line “Hope springs eternal in the human breast.” He died in 1744.

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LIFEBLOOD: The American Red Cross was founded by Clara Barton on this day in 1881. Originally established in Switzerland in 1864 by representatives of 16 European nations, the Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization governed and directed by volunteers and provides disaster relief at home and abroad. Its 1.1 million volunteers are involved in community services such as collecting and distributing donated blood and blood products, teaching health and safety classes, and acting as a medium for emergency communications between Americans and their armed forces.

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Special thanks to “Chase’s Calendar of Events” and Brooklyn Public Library.

Quotable:

“Charms strike the sight, but merit wins the soul.”
— poet Alexander Pope, who was born on this day in 1688