August 12: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

August 12, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1913, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “ALBANY — Upon the passage of the resolution introduced in the Assembly, last night, for the impeachment of Governor [William] Sulzer, depends the continuation of the move for the removal of the state executive. The next procedure is to draw up articles of impeachment. The articles of impeachment, should the resolution to present them be passed today, will be laid before the Senate by Friday. Such articles correspond to an indictment against a citizen, accused of a crime, by a grand jury. The Senate acts as the court and the presentation of impeachment articles corresponds to an arraignment before a bar of justice. Automatically the lieutenant governor takes the reins when the governor is impeached, and it is believed that Governor Sulzer will vacate the Executive Chamber peacefully. He may not be asked to leave the people’s house at present. After articles of impeachment have been presented, there will be a recess of from thirty to sixty days, giving both sides time to prepare their case. In the formal articles of impeachment may be included charges not yet aired. When the impeachment court convenes, it will be made up of forty-nine senators and seven judges of the Court of Appeals. A two-thirds majority will be required to oust Governor Sulzer.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1932, the Eagle reported, “ALBANY — The Hon. Jimmy Walker, at bay in the Executive Chamber before Governor [Franklin] Roosevelt, has all the outward appearance of a man convinced he is licked. This slim, middle-aged politician fighting the biggest fight of his 23 years in public life, is not the bantamweight battler who went into the ring with Samuel Seabury before the Hofstadter Committee two months ago. The story is going the rounds that on the night of his arrival here, after the last of the aerial bombs had burst and the band had retired from State St., the mayor, in his hotel room, actually wept. He is said to have explained the tears to big, blustering Ed O’Connell, the Albany boss, as the reaction of a man to a warm welcome ‘when he is on the skids.’ Certainly John J. Curtin, with a long and distinguished career at the Bar, is defending one of his most difficult, if not the most difficult client that has ever retained him. For Walker, sitting on the edge of his chair some 20 feet from Governor Roosevelt and an equal distance from Seabury, is everlastingly tugging at Curtin’s arm, demanding that he say this, that and the other thing. Jimmy is rattled. The flush is gone from his cheeks and so is his habit of speaking and then looking over the crowd to watch the effect. The obvious emotional state into which he has worked himself has driven the color from his face and made him simply an ordinary mortal with his back to the wall.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1933, the Eagle reported, “HAVANA — The Cuban State Department today formally advised the diplomatic corps that President [Gerardo] Machado will take a leave of absence and that it is the president’s purpose later to resign. The department’s communication said that Orestes Ferrara, secretary of state, had previously resigned, but was continuing and that the department would attend to routine matters until Ferrara’s successor should be appointed. The resignation of the secretary of state as well as the president was part of the American peace plan in order to permit the appointment of a new secretary of state acceptable to all factions who should succeed to the highest office. Col. Horacio Ferrer, 61-year-old doctor, was regarded today as the outstanding candidate for the presidency, Alberto Herrera, secretary of war, and Machado’s choice, having been rejected by leaders of the military revolt. A number of other Cuban political figures, both on the island and now in exile or on duty elsewhere, have been mentioned as Machado’s successor until a new and stable regime could be established.”

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Cara Delevingne
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “Love at First Bite” star George Hamilton, who was born in 1939; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits), who was born in 1949; “Supernatural” star Jim Beaver, who was born in 1950; jazz guitarist and composer Pat Metheny, who was born in 1954; “Thirteen Days” star Bruce Greenwood, who was born in 1956; rapper and producer Sir Mix-a-Lot, who was born in 1963; “Parenthood” star Peter Krause, who was born in 1965; International Tennis Hall of Famer Pete Sampras, who was born in 1971; New York Giants Super Bowl hero Plaxico Burress, who was born in 1977; “Psych” star Maggie Lawson, who was born in 1980; “Face/Off” star Dominique Swain, who was born in 1980; and “Paper Towns” star Cara Delevingne, who was born in 1992.

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AMERICAN EPIC: Cecil B. DeMille was born on this day in 1881. A film showman extraordinaire known for lavish screen spectacles, he produced more than 70 major films, including “Cleopatra,” “The Plainsman,” “Reap the Wild Wind” and “The Ten Commandments.” He won an Oscar for “The Greatest Show on Earth” in 1953. He died in 1959.

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P.C. CULTURE: IBM released its personal computer on this day in 1981. It cost the equivalent of $3,000 in today’s currency. Although IBM was one of the pioneers in making mainframe and other large computers, this was the company’s first foray into the desktop computer market. Eventually, more IBM-compatible computers were manufactured by the company’s competitors than by IBM itself.

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

Quotable:

“It’s not my place to tell you whom to vote for, to take any political stand, to tell you what religion to believe in. I’m an athlete. I can influence certain things, but when I see other athletes and celebrities telling you whom to vote for, I actually get a bit offended.”

— tennis great Pete Sampras, who was born on this day in 1971