September 7: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

September 7, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1926, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “Freaks of the Storm: A geyser shot high into the air for more than three hours when flood pressure caused a water main to explode on 4th ave. near 65th st. … The force of the downpour dug wooden paving blocks out of the roadway of the bridge over Brighton subway and at Beverly rd. Similar blocks were torn away at Cortelyou rd. and E. 18th st. … Prospect Park Lake overflowed for the first time in the city’s history and sluice gates had to be opened … Young men ‘shot rapids’ in a canoe at Newkirk ave. and E. 19th st. … A swollen creek swept a sedan motorcar from the bridge near Somerville, N.J. Three passengers took refuge on the roof of the car and were marooned for an hour … Coney taxi drivers and operators of sightseeing buses played pirate until their vehicles were stalled by the rising waters. Short drives were refused … Women caught by the storm at Coney waded through the streets in bare feet rather than ruin holiday slippers … A Nostrand ave. druggist’s cellar was filled with 10 feet of water which seeped into the store proper. The druggist sought aid of city pumps early last evening and got it at 10:30 this morning.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1933, the Eagle reported, “HAVANA (A.P.) — Turbulent Cuba stood at the crossroads today, with some political factions convinced that civil war would be necessary to solve her governmental problem, while others looked for intervention by the United States. The radical administration which has seized power continued on the surface to be optimistic that Tuesday’s coup d’etat would be successful. Members of the provisional government declared that order would be maintained and that there would be no intervention by America. But all sections of the more conservative political groups considered intervention inevitable unless there was an abrupt change in the tense situation. Among these latter factions were members of the ABC secret society, the followers of former President Mario G. Menocal, and a considerable part of another important revolutionary body, the OCRR, among whom fears of a counter-revolution were expressed. In the face of this acute crisis, the administration — a five-man junta set up after soldiers, sailors and national police ousted commissioned officers and obtained the resignation of President [Carlos Manuel] de Cespedes’ month-old provisional government — courageously tackled head-on its most dangerous problems. It secretly resolved to disarm all civilians and began to try to restore to their former positions officers ousted Monday night and Tuesday morning. Impartial observers believed that neither effort would be crowned with success.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1937, the Eagle reported, “SHANGHAI (U.P.) — Hundreds of Americans in this shell-torn city cabled Washington and President [Franklin] Roosevelt today demanding the protection of American warships in the Shanghai war. As the appeal was sent, word was brought that the Japanese warriors had occupied and fortified the Seventh Day Adventist Mission compound outside the city and were in battle array under three American flags which still flew over the mission. The American consulate decided to protest the reported occupation. The compound was occupied by 20 Japanese bluejackets, with several machine guns and sandbag barricades. The American Chamber of Commerce, after an emergency meeting, sent a message to Secretary of State Cordell Hull, asking that President Roosevelt’s statement, urging immediate evacuation, interpreted here as meaning Americans would be abandoned to their fate if they failed to leave, be ‘clarified immediately.’ Panic spread through the foreign settlement as scores of American businessmen, some of them with lifetime savings invested in business here, bombarded the U.S. Consulate with pleas for protection. Americans here, angry at what they believed was a withdrawal of American protection for nationals abroad, vigorously urged President Roosevelt to adopt ‘a foreign policy with a strong front and keep the American flag waving.’ A 20-year veteran in the settlement, Mark L. Moody, formerly of Lansing, Mich., circulated a petition to the president to ‘get off his yacht, get on his feet and get some guts above them. Shanghai Americans are not quitters!’”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, who was born in 1930; “I Will Survive” singer Gloria Gaynor, who was born in 1943; Hockey Hall of Famer Jacques Lemaire, who was born in 1945; N.Y. Yankees broadcaster Suzyn Waldman, who was born in 1946; “The Simpsons” star Julie Kavner, who was born in 1950; author and journalist Peggy Noonan, who was born in Brooklyn in 1950; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders), who was born in 1951; “L.A. Law” star Corbin Bernsen, who was born in 1954; “Lost” star Michael Emerson, who was born in 1954; Songwriters Hall of Famer Diane Warren, who was born in 1956; Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jennifer Egan, who was born in 1962; former “Saturday Night Live” star Leslie Jones, who was born in 1967; International Boxing Hall of Famer Shane Mosley, who was born in 1971; National Soccer Hall of Famer Briana Scurry, who was born in 1971; “American Pie” star Shannon Elizabeth, who was born in 1973; and “Across the Universe” star Evan Rachel Wood, who was born in 1987.

Michael Emerson
Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

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RENAISSANCE WOMAN: Queen Elizabeth I was born on this day in 1533. The daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn ascended the throne in 1558. During her reign, the British defeated the Spanish Armada, the Anglican Church was essentially established and England became a world power. She died in 1603.

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MAIL BONDING: The New York Post Office Building on Eighth Avenue between 31st and 33rd streets was opened to the public on this day in 1914. On the front of the building is an inscription that reads: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from their appointed rounds.” This has long been believed to be the motto of the U.S. Postal Service. They have, in fact, no motto — but the legend remains.

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

Quotable:

“Democracy involves that old-fashioned thing called working it out.”

— author and journalist Peggy Noonan, who was born in Brooklyn on this day in 1950