July 1: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

July 1, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1876, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “The Committee of the Board of Aldermen entrusted with the duty of making preparations for the proper celebration of the Centennial Anniversary of the National Independence are drawing to the close of their labors. Alderman Fisher, the chairman of the committee, has devoted almost the whole of his time from the last week to perfecting the arrangements, and if any mishaps should occur it will not be for want of attention on his part.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1925, the Eagle reported, “SANTA BARBARA, CAL. (A.P.) — A bright dawn spread over Santa Barbara, earthquake-stricken city of the Pacific, as her thousands of sons and daughters arose to face serious problems of reconstruction which confront them in returning their city to what was formerly described as the millionaire’s playground and municipal gem of the Pacific Coast. Ten people have lost their lives in the earthquake, described as the heaviest to visit the Pacific Coast. Five major shocks have been recorded since the first temblor on Monday, but throughout the night there have been nearly a score of slight, almost imperceptible shocks. No exact estimate of the loss has been announced, but it has been described as between $20,000,000 and $25,000,000. During the night, structural engineers, who have been assigned the task of testing the remaining strength of the city’s structures, began arriving from Los Angeles and San Francisco. It was freely predicted that many of the buildings, although standing and exhibiting but slight traces of the earthquake’s ravages, would be ordered demolished to make way for more solid and substantial structures.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1953, the Eagle reported, “An unprecedented six-way race for mayor loomed today in the wake of the Liberal party’s decision to ‘go it alone’ behind Council President Rudolph Halley. With the Liberals, who have been steadily grabbing strength in municipal elections, in the mayoralty campaign alone for the first time since the party was formed, hopes of a ‘good government’ coalition against the Democrats were smashed. Representative Jacob K. Javits, the only man who could have prompted a combined Republican-Liberal ticket, said after Halley’s selection by the Liberals last night that the ‘traditional good-government elements’ could still enter a candidate — himself. Most observers do not agree with him that this would be feasible. Halley and County Judge Samuel S. Leibowitz, who has accepted the City Fusion party designation, are now officially in the race, although technically Halley’s candidacy still depends on approval by an official meeting of the five Liberal party county committees. That is merely a formality. Although there is still a chance that the Republicans and Democrats may unite behind Manhattan District Attorney Frank S. Hogan or possibly Kings County District Attorney Miles F. McDonald, it appears more likely that both major parties will run separate mayoralty nominees. Mayor [Vincent] Impellitteri, unless he receives the Democratic nod — still a possibility but the odds are against it — gives every indication he will run again on the Experience party line, as he did when elected in 1950. The sixth candidate will be from the American Labor party, which has virtually lost its one-time appeal for independent voters.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1953, the Eagle reported, “Supreme Court Justice Walter R. Hart said today that 10 more justices should be added to the bench in Brooklyn, charging that Brooklyn, with a greater population, greater area and greater number of lawsuits being instituted each year than Manhattan, was being ‘discriminated’ against. Hart cited frequent criticism of calendar delay in Brooklyn Supreme Court, the implication being that ‘there is something wrong with the judicial system, if not with the justices presiding in the court.’ In answer to this, he said, he had prepared a report for the Albany-appointed committee which is investigating the state’s courts. The document was read to members of the committee at a meeting last Wednesday in the Bar Association Building in Manhattan.”

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Andre Braugher
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “An American in Paris” star Leslie Caron, who was born in 1931; “M*A*S*H” star Jamie Farr, who was born in 1934; Famous Amos founder Wally Amos, who was born in 1936; New York Rangers legend Rod Gilbert, who was born in 1941; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Debbie Harry (Blondie), who was born in 1945; former “Saturday Night Live” star Dan Aykroyd, who was born in 1952; “Shame” singer Evelyn “Champagne” King, who was born in 1960; “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” star Andre Braugher, who was born in 1962; Faith No More co-founder Roddy Bottum, who was born in 1963; “Baywatch” star Pamela Anderson, who was born in 1967; “One Tree Hill” star Hilarie Burton, who was born in 1982; and “It” star Chosen Jacobs, who was born in 2001.

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STAMP OF APPROVAL: The first U.S. postage stamps were issued by the U.S. Postal Service on this day in 1847. Benjamin Franklin was honored on the five-cent stamp and George Washington was honored on the 10-cent stamp. Stamps had been issued by private postal services in the U.S. prior to this date.

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LIVE FROM NEW YORK: The first scheduled television broadcast took place on this day in 1941 when the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) broadcast its signal from the Empire State Building. The Federal Communications Commission had granted the first commercial TV licenses to 10 stations on May 2, 1941.

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

Quotable:

“Famous people feel that they must perpetually be on the crest of the wave, not realizing that it is against all the rules of life. You can’t be on top all the time, it isn’t natural.”
— screen legend Olivia de Havilland, who was born on this day in 1916