July 13: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

July 13, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1918, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “AMSTERDAM — The illness which thousands of persons in German industrial districts are suffering, and which has been described as Spanish influenza, is really an illness due to hunger and consequent exhaustion, the Telegraff says it has learned. In various industrial towns in Westphalia and the Rhine provinces, the newspaper reports, many deaths are occurring daily and the hospitals are filled with patients suffering this malady. The German potato ration, the newspaper adds, has been reduced to between one and one-half to two kilograms weekly per person, and the new potato crop has not yet been distributed. As the result of the situation brought about by undernourishment and sickness, it is stated, various branches of German industry are being considerably hampered in their work.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1949, the Eagle reported, “Mayor [William] O’Dwyer today scrapped his political retirement plan and announced he will seek re-election to block a ‘conniving’ Tammany Hall from gaining control of the city and its resources. After an all-night huddle at Gracie Mansion with Borough President [John] Cashmore and other ranking party leaders, O’Dwyer told reporters at City Hall that he deems it his duty ‘in the best interest of the city’ to run for re-election. ‘It was only when it became apparent that Tammany Hall was conniving to gain control of the city and its resources that my course became clear and compelling,’ the mayor declared. ‘I specifically reject the support of the sinister elements of Tammany Hall. My appeal is to the decent citizens of every party.’ The mayor paid high tribute to District Attorney Frank S. Hogan of Manhattan and expressed regret that the Manhattan prosecutor already had accepted the Democratic mayoralty designation from three county leaders whom he previously described as ‘poison.’ Rather than launch a bitter intra-party battle, Hogan, it is believed, will decline the mayoralty designation and concentrate his efforts on recapturing the prosecutor’s berth.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1949, the Eagle reported, “If the Major League club owners are looking for an excuse to abandon the annual all-star game — as is often reported — they had their chance to do it today. For in the sorry sunset of the American League’s 11-7 victory over the National League at Brooklyn in what was easily the worst of the 16 mid-season classics ever played, there were very definite excuses for cutting the whole thing out. This might be a handy stopping point because the game, which got its start as a sort of added attraction to the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, now has completed its cycle of Major League parks — a cycle which permitted all the fans in big league territory to see their chosen stars in action. In addition to that, the last of the 16 games was something that reflected no credit upon the players who were supposed to be the best in the business. The National Leaguers fumbled as if in a rank sandlot game. Never before has a team committed as many errors in a single all-star game.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1953, the Eagle reported, “The New York City Transit Authority was in session since 9:30 a.m. today to determine how much New Yorkers will pay for bus and subway rides after July 30. One thing for certain — the 10-cent fare was doomed. Speculation ran high that the new fare, effective at the end of this month, would be set at 15 cents, but a minority of the five-man authority was believed holding out to make it about 12 1/2 cents. No matter what price the fare, it will be collected through tokens — 6,250,000 of which are already on hand. The authority expects to have almost 20,000,000 available by the fare change deadline date and 41,500,000 by Sept. 24. The tokens, smaller than a dime in size, are made of a brass, copper and zinc alloy. Other problems facing the authority members include the question of a pay increase for the 42,000 transit workers. Michael J. Quill, president of the C.I.O. Transport Workers Union, already has announced the union will seek a 25-cent an hour wage hike.”

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Harrison Ford
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “Jeopardy!” announcer Johnny Gilbert, who was born in 1928; “Picard” star Patrick Stewart, who was born in 1940; “Star Wars” star Harrison Ford, who was born in 1942; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn (The Byrds), who was born in 1942; game designer Erno Rubik, who was born in 1944; “Grease” star Didi Conn, who was born in Brooklyn in 1951; Olympic gold medalist and former light heavyweight champion Michael Spinks, who was born in 1956; Oscar-winner Cameron Crowe, who was born in 1957; “Community” star Ken Jeong, who was born in 1969; “Jericho” star Ashley Scott, who was born in 1977; “The Vampire Diaries” star Steven R. McQueen, who was born in 1988; and 2019 National League MVP Cody Bellinger, who was born in 1995.

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A SONG IN THEIR HEARTS: “Live Aid” took place on this day in 1985. The concerts in Philadelphia and London were seen by 162,000 attendees and an estimated 1.5 billion TV viewers. Performers included Queen, U2, Madonna, Eric Clapton and a reunited Led Zeppelin, among many others. The event was organized to raise funds for African famine relief and the musicians performed without a fee. Nearly $100 million was pledged toward aid to the hungry.

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KICKSTARTER: The first World Cup soccer competition was held in Montevideo, Uruguay on this day in 1930, with 14 countries participating. On July 30, Uruguay defeated Argentina 4-2 to take the cup.

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

Quotable:

“You know you’re getting old when all the names in your black book have M.D. after them.”

— Harrison Ford, who was born on this day in 1942