June 25: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

June 26, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1896, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “CANTON, OHIO — Governor [William] McKinley’s congratulations contained one from Theodore Roosevelt, from his summer home at Oyster Bay, as follows: “My Dear Mr. President to be — As a rule I do not like to try prophecy, but I think it is safe to say New York will give you the largest majority by far she has ever given a presidential candidate.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1913, the Eagle reported, “William Augustue Downing, messenger at the Kings County Democratic Headquarters in the Jefferson Building, will leave Saturday for Gettysburg, where he will spend his vacation. Mr. Downing is a veteran of the Civil War and will attend the Gettysburg celebration this year, but only as a spectator. He will not go with any of the regiments or participate in any of their ceremonies.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1916, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON — House leaders concerned over financing military movements growing out of the Mexican emergency are planning today an increase of $20,000,000 in the pending Army Appropriation Bill. Representative Hay, chairman of the Military Committee, said after a conference with Secretary Baker and other administration heads that the increase would be urged next week. The money would be added to appropriations for supplies, munitions, equipment, movement of troops and other necessary expenses. It is proposed to turn over $2,000,000 to the militia section of the Army for purchase of aviation equipment and training of operators. The House already has provided in the bill for $3,200,000 for aviation to be used by the Regular Army.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1935, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON — President Roosevelt’s share-the-wealth tax program was slipped into high gear along the road to enactment today. Developments were: Senator Pat Harrison of Mississippi, chairman of the Finance Committee, announced the inheritance and gift taxes and higher levies in the upper brackets of corporate and individual incomes will be attached to the pending resolution extending the nuisance imposts. The nuisance taxes expire Saturday night. This means any delay on the president’s new tax proposals may cost the government from $1,000,000 to $2,000,000 a day. The rates discussed by the Senate Finance Committee this afternoon on personal net incomes are for those of $1,000,000 a year and over. The maximum tax for these incomes now is 59 percent. Under the new legislation the present plan is to raise the rate to 60 percent and to graduate it upward to 80 percent on all net incomes over $10,000,000 a year. This rate will be in addition to the present normal tax rate of 4 percent on all incomes. The inheritance tax, as matters now stand, will begin on inheritances of $300,000 and be scaled upward to 75 or 80 percent on that portion of the legacy in excess of $10,000,000.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1953, the Eagle reported, “NEWPORT (U.P.) — A 23-year-old Washington heiress will be married in September to Senator John F. Kennedy, the ‘most eligible bachelor’ of capital society, whom she met a year ago while working as an inquiring photographer. The family of Jacqueline Lee Bouvier, who made her debut at a Newport dance in 1948, announced the engagement here last night. The wedding will take place Sept. 12 in this summer rendezvous of high society. Kennedy, 36, son of multimillionaire Joseph P. Kennedy, was elected to the Senate from Massachusetts last fall on the Democratic ticket. He defeated Henry Cabot Lodge, who has since been appointed U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Miss Bouvier, onetime art student at the Sorbonne in Paris, is the daughter of John V. Bouvier 3rd of New York and Mrs. Hugh. D. Auchincloss of Newport and McLean, Va. … Kennedy, who served three terms in the House before his election to the Senate, was graduated from Harvard in 1940 and commanded a PT boat in the Pacific during World War II … He and his eight brothers and sisters each received $1,000,000 from their father, former U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “Lassie” and “Lost in Space” star June Lockhart, who was born in 1925; former Brooklyn Dodger Don Demeter, who was born in 1935; Knicks legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Willis Reed, who was born in 1942; “You’re So Vain” singer Carly Simon, who was born in 1945; “Good Times” star Jimmie Walker, who was born in 1947; Toto singer David Paich, who was born in 1954; U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who was born in 1954; “After Life” star Ricky Gervais, who was born in 1961; former N.Y. Yankees catcher Mike Stanley, who was born in 1963; Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo, who was born in 1966; “ER” star Linda Cardellini, who was born in 1975; and internet personality Lele Pons, who was born in 1996.

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TO THE BITTER END: The Battle of Little Bighorn took place on this day in 1876. Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, leading military forces of more than 200 men, attacked an encampment of 2,000 Sioux Indians led by Chiefs Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse near Little Bighorn River, Montana. Custer and all men in his immediate command were killed in the two-hour battle.

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GET SET: The first color TV broadcast took place on this day in 1951. CBS produced the four-hour program, which was carried by stations in New York City, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, D.C., although no color sets were owned by the public. At the time, CBS itself owned fewer than 40 color receivers.

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

Quotable:

“Go to the moon. If you don’t get it, you’ll still be heading for a star.”
— Willis Reed, who was born in this day in 1942