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July 21: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

July 21, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle History
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ON THIS DAY IN 1933, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “With the Socialists definitely cutting loose from the Fusionist movement, leaders of anti-Tammany forces were to meet today in the office of former Gov. Charles S. Whitman in an attempt to reach an agreement on a candidate. The situation prior to the meeting indicated a commanding lead for former Representative Fiorello H. LaGuardia, but there was considerable, and mysterious, talk about dark horses. A new name injected in the Fusion field is that of former State Senator Nathan Straus Jr., to whom the Republicans are reported to be only lukewarm. The Socialist party, according to an announcement, will nominate a complete ticket at its convention to be held tomorrow at the People’s House, 7 E. 15th St., Manhattan. Norman Thomas is expected to be the nominee.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1935, the Eagle reported, “Four persons were killed and four others injured by lightning yesterday as two severe electrical storms burst upon a sun-baked Brooklyn and Long Island. A slashing rain shot the temperature down 16 degrees from a peak of 87 at 2 o’clock, flooding streets and cellars and disrupting trolley and bus service. The victims of lightning were all on the sands of Brighton Beach when the bolts hurled down upon them … Police reserves were called to handle the tremendous throng, estimated at 600,000, in the Coney Island section. No report of injuries was received in this mad rush. The storm, terrific while it lasted, was of short duration, lasting less than an hour, but was instrumental in bringing welcome relief to a sweltering populace. Today’s weather report smacks of yesterday’s, for fair, smiling skies are predicted for the day, with thunderstorms due late in the afternoon.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1936, the Eagle reported, “BERLIN (A.P.) — It’s the United States against an athletic ‘triple entente’ in the Eleventh Olympic Games, Aug. 1-16. At least, much speculation is based on the question of what the combined forces of Germany, Japan and Finland can do to break down Yankee supremacy in the world’s quadrennial super-sports carnival. The host nation is at maximum strength numerically with a team numbering 448, but on the whole the Germans are hardly of the caliber to make an appreciable dent in the dominance the United States has enjoyed in track and field ever since the current series of Olympic Games began. Curiously, however, Germany’s strength seems to be in the events in which Japan’s and Finland’s marks fall short. And thus these three nations comprise a sort of triple threat against the highly favored star-spangled brigade.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1937, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON (A.P.) — Reports of possible drastic modification of the administration’s court bill spread among senators today simultaneously with the election of Alben W. Barkley of Kentucky to be Democratic leader in the Senate. Barkley won over Pat Harrison of Mississippi. The Kentuckian drew his chief support from proponents of the court bill. Harrison’s votes came largely from those opposed to it. What sort of settlement of the court issue would produce lasting unity in Democratic ranks remained to be worked out by the new leader and his associates. There were reports — emanating from opponents of the court bill — that the administration might scrap those portions of the measure which provided for adding new justices to the Supreme Court. There were other rumors, equally unconfirmed, that the president had given Vice President [John Nance] Garner broad discretion to settle the court dispute in the best way he can.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1940, the Eagle reported, “The number of passengers carried to Havana during the first six months of 1940 showed an increase of more than 22 percent over the corresponding period in 1939, William C. Campbell, passenger traffic manager of the Cuba Mail Line, reported yesterday. ‘Persons traveling to the popular Cuban capital aboard the Oriente and other ships of the Cuba Mail Line since January totaled 3,981 as compared with 3,244 in the first half of last year,’ explained Mr. Campbell. ‘American citizens require no passports whatever to visit Cuba, despite some unfounded statements to the contrary. A short cruise to Havana answers the popular psychological demand for escape from worry and boredom.”

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CC Sabathia
Tony Gutierrez/AP
Brandi Chastain
Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “Moonstruck” director Norman Jewison, who was born in 1926; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Cat Stevens, who was born in 1948; “Doonesbury” cartoonist Garry Trudeau, who was born in 1948; The Hooters co-founder Eric Bazilian, who was born in 1953; “The Lincoln Lawyer” author Michael Connelly, who was born in 1956; former “Saturday Night Live” star Jon Lovitz, who was born in 1957; former Faith No More guitarist Jim Martin, who was born in 1961; National Soccer Hall of Famer Brandi Chastain, who was born in 1968; “The Hangover” star Justin Bartha, who was born in 1978; “Black Hawk Down” star Josh Hartnett, who was born in 1978; former N.Y. Yankees ace CC Sabathia, who was born in 1980; rapper KB, who was born in 1988; Brooklyn Nets center DeAndre Jordan, who was born in 1988; “Wonder Wheel” star Juno Temple, who was born in 1989; and model and actress Sara Sampaio, who was born in 1991.

Jon Lovitz
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

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NO MORE BULL: The first major engagement of the Civil War took place on this day in 1861. Union Gen. Irvin McDowell was defeated by Confederate troops led by Gen. Joseph E. Johnston at the first Battle of Bull Run at Manassas, Va. It was during this battle that Confederate Gen. T.J. Jackson won the nickname “Stonewall.” Jackson served at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn in the late 1840s.

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A STRONG FOUNDATION: The National Women’s Hall of Fame was founded on this day in 1979. Located in Seneca Falls, N.Y., where the first Women’s Suffrage Convention was held in 1848, the hall honors American women whose contributions “have been of the greatest value in the development of their country.”

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

Quotable:

“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.”
— author Ernest Hemingway, who was born on this day in 1899


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