June 24: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

June 24, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1902, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “LONDON — King Edward VII is suffering from perityphlitis and there is practically no chance for his recovery. This afternoon at 2 o’clock he underwent a surgical operation, which the surgeons report to have been successful. All depends upon the next few hours. The latest accounts say the sovereign is sleeping and that he has gained considerable rest during the afternoon, but the intimate friends of his majesty have little hope that he will survive the disease, which, stripped of medical phrases, is an aggravated type of appendicitis. His age and mode of life are entirely against his recovery. The coronation has been postponed indefinitely and Great Britain is stunned. Apprehension regarding the king’s recovery is made all the more acute by the tremendous losses that will be sustained by the calling off of the festivities or which the entire nation has prepared for months. In fact, the financial losses will be appalling, millions of dollars having been expended. A meeting was held this afternoon in the office of the premier, Lord Salisbury, for the purpose of arranging for contingencies in the event of the king’s death. Another one will be held tonight.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1940, the Eagle reported, “Transit unification means the end of the Subway Sun, perky news-bulletin of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company, which for 20 years has informed millions of straphangers about their city and entertained them with its caricatures. The current and final edition carries a cartoon showing the delivery of the I.R.T. system to Mayor LaGuardia by Thomas E. Murray Jr., federal receiver, ‘with best wishes.’ The cartoons were drawn by an artist who was not an Interborough employee. William Jerome Dady, secretary of the Board of Transportation, said it was an economy measure. Another poster-paper, the Elevated Express, will also be abolished.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1941, the Eagle reported, “The Brooklyn Young Republican Club was on record today with an endorsement of the third term candidacy of Mayor LaGuardia. Directing that copies of their endorsement be sent to Republican County Chairman John R. Crews, to every Republican district leader in Brooklyn and to the mayor himself, the club members declared last night in the Hotel Bossert that they ‘unqualifiedly’ support LaGuardia for re-election. The mayor’s interest in national defense was a factor in the endorsement, which pointed to his ‘knowledge and experience in matters pertaining to national defense, which are and will be of inestimable value to the city during the present national emergency.’ The LaGuardia administration, the endorsement cited, ‘has been honest, capable, non-partisan and, on the whole, characterized by the appointment to public office of persons of ability and integrity, all in contrast to many preceding administrations.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1947, the Eagle reported, “District Attorney Miles E. McDonald warned the graduating class of Bay Ridge High School last night that to prevent old-world conditions arising in America, they must always remain alert to the cause of true democracy and be ready to do battle against Communism or any other foreign ideology that seeks to ‘deprive us of the rights we cherish.’ The district attorney told the 424 graduates that when they reach the age of 21 they must ‘forge their ballot into a sword and shield that will protect all those who dwell within the borders of our land from enslavement, fear, destruction and even annihilation, unless we recognize the danger that is ours and combat it before it is too late.’ The auditorium of Brooklyn Technical High School, Ft. Greene Place and DeKalb Ave., was packed to capacity for the exercises. Following the processional, the salute to the flag and the singing of the ‘Star-Spangled Banner,’ the Rev. William Cummings, pastor of St. Michael’s R.C. Church, gave the invocation. Elizabeth T. Fitzpatrick, principal of the school, made the address of welcome.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include astronomer Carolyn S. Shoemaker, who was born in 1929; Basketball Hall of Famer Sam Jones, who was born in 1933; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac), who was born in 1942; “Knots Landing” star Michele Lee, who was born in 1942; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jeff Beck (The Yardbirds), who was born in 1944; former New York Gov. George Pataki, who was born in 1945; “Robocop” star Peter Weller, who was born in 1947; former New York Rangers coach John Tortorella, who was born in 1958; Mazzy Star singer Hope Sandoval, who was born in 1966; “The Office” star Mindy Kaling, who was born in 1979; model and philanthropist Petra Nemcova, who was born in 1979; and former Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes, who was born in 1986.

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MAN OF FAITH: Henry Ward Beecher was born on this day in 1813. The native of Litchfield, Conn., became pastor of Plymouth Church in Brooklyn Heights in 1847. From the pulpit, he advocated for many of the controversial issues of his era, including temperance, women’s suffrage, Darwinian evolution and, most notably, abolition. He died in 1887 and is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery.

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MERCY MISSION: The Berlin Airlift began on this day in 1948. In the early days of the Cold War, the Soviet Union challenged the West’s right of access to Berlin. The Soviets created a blockade, and an airlift to supply some 2,250,000 people resulted. The airlift lasted for 321 days and brought 1,592,787 tons of supplies into Berlin. Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin finally backed down and the blockade ended on May 12, 1949.

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

Quotable:

”Every charitable act is a stepping stone toward heaven.”
— Henry Ward Beecher, who was born on this day in 1813