July 14: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

July 14, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1933, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “Behind the secrecy attached to the printing of the petition of the Citizens Party, which will be ready for circulation tomorrow bearing the name of John F. Hylan as sole candidate for mayor, there is a growing certainty that former Representative Fiorello H. La Guardia has been named on the supporting ticket as candidate for president of the Board of Aldermen. These petitions, according to the leaders of the Citizens Party, will be circulated immediately among all the civic, political and social organizations in the city in order to secure the average taxpayers choice of candidates instead of resorting to boss-picked nominees.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1936, the Eagle reported, “‘There’s a broken heart for every light on Broadway’ — so write the columnists who cover the ‘Stem.’ But it must have been driven home to any casual observer of the recent Olympic tryouts that there were at least five broken hearts for every successful candidate who clinched that coveted trip to Berlin. Of all the disappointed athletes — both men and women — we imagine that one Olomay (Toni) Redfern, the 16-year-old Pelham schoolgirl, wallowed lowest in the depths of despair when she learned she had not made the women’s swimming team. Even in this very progressive swimming world you’ll search far and wide before you’ll discover another example of a competitor who rose from the ranks to national prominence as fast as Toni. Only seven months ago, mind you, this comely miss really began to swim. She was taken under the wing of Miss Ethelda Bleibtrey, former aquatic star, who recognized the latent possibilities in the youngster’s makeup. Little by little did Olomay improve, until only a few weeks ago you read where she scored an amazing upset in the national championships at Manhattan Beach to take the sprint freestyle crown. And then, in your last Sunday newspaper, you learned that another amazing upset had kept Miss Redfern off the list of qualifiers. She failed to place in her heat for the finals. It was later learned that Toni was ill; that she should not have been swimming at all. But for months she had lived just for this one chance — the chance to go abroad — and she could not pass it by.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1949, the Eagle reported, “Republican-Fusion forces today pressed for an early accord on a mayoralty candidate to pit against Mayor [William] O’Dwyer, whose history-making back-flip on an earlier decision to retire has again spotlighted him in the political arena. Several aspirants for the City Hall post are being seriously considered to carry the Fusion banner in the mayoralty sweepstakes, but it is believed that Newbold Morris, City Council president during the La Guardia regime, is the most discussed candidate during several closed-door Fusion negotiations. Morris, who ran unsuccessfully against O’Dwyer in a three-way race four years ago as the No Deal candidate, is regarded highly by the Liberal party, which is reportedly turning its back on O’Dwyer. The Liberals, who meet tonight in the Hotel Statler, Manhattan, to name a citywide ticket, are ready to line up with Republican and other Fusion elements if they support Morris or Representative Jacob K. Javits of Manhattan as the mayoralty designee.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1954, the Eagle reported, “TOKYO (U.P.) — Sea and air forces of the United States and its allies today were prepared to race to Haiphong and Hanoi if Communist attacks force an Indo-Chinese ‘Dunkirk.’ The U.S. Navy said its forces in the Far East were ‘available’ in case Washington orders them to go to the rescue of foreign nationals, French troops and possibly thousands of Vietnamese natives who choose to flee the Communists. U.S. Air Force units based in the Philippines were ready at any moment to pluck from the Hanoi airfield the American technicians sent to Indo-China to assist and instruct French maintenance crews. Whether a massive and hasty evacuation will be necessary will depend on developments at Geneva, Switzerland and Trung Gia, Indo-China, where negotiators were working on a cease-fire that might permit a more leisurely withdrawal.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “Sunset Boulevard” star Nancy Olson, who was born in 1928; New York Giants great Rosey Grier, who was born in 1932; former Sony Music Entertainment CEO Tommy Mottola, who was born in 1949; fashion designer Bruce Oldfield, who was born in 1950; “Glee” star Jane Lynch, who was born in 1960; “The Bad News Bears” star Jackie Earle Haley, who was born in 1961; “Lost” star Matthew Fox, who was born in 1966; former Mets and Yankees third baseman Robin Ventura, who was born in 1967; four-time Major League All-Star Tim Hudson, who was born in 1975; and former Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, who was born in 1985.

Jackie Earle Haley
Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP

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HANNA-MATION: William Hanna was born on this day in 1910. He was the co-creator of such popular animated characters as Tom and Jerry, Yogi Bear, Snagglepuss and Magilla Gorilla. With partner Joe Barbera, he won seven Academy Awards for his Tom and Jerry cartoon shorts, and eight other works were nominated. The Hanna-Barbera team created the first animated TV sitcom for adults, “The Flintstones” (1960), and such favorites as “The Jetsons” and “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?” Hanna died in 2001.

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SURREAL DEAL: Ingmar Bergman was born on this day in 1918. One of the most influential filmmakers of the 20th century, Bergman directed such classics as “Fanny and Alexander,” “Wild Strawberries” and “Cries and Whispers.” He wrote or directed 62 films and more than 170 stage plays, mainly in his native Sweden, but was renowned all over the world and was nominated for nine Academy Awards. He died in 2007.

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

Quotable:

“If anyone would have told me that I would go from football to needlepoint, I would have laughed in their face.”

— N.Y. Giants great Rosey Grier, who was born on this day in 1932