September 17: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

September 17, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1879, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “So far as the mere business of re-establishing British authority at Cabul is concerned, the latest news is favorable, as there is nothing at all to indicate a disposition on the part of the country to respect that authority when unsupported by a large army. All the indications are that the days of Afghanistan’s standing as an independent country are over. Its fate is in the hands of England and Russia, and they will divide it between them. Just now it looks as if the English might have saved a great deal of money and several hundred lives, had they come to an understanding with the Czar before going to war with the Ameer.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1916, the Eagle’s junior section reported, “Funny things happen on the first day of school, though most of us don’t feel like laughing just then. We have to wait until we are in a happier frame of mind. Do you remember the boy who always starts the year by being late? He wouldn’t make an exception on the first day — that would be against his principles. You see, he has only had three months to get to school on time, so you can’t expect him to do it on such short notice. In the last five minutes of those three months he suddenly realizes that he is late. Then he rushes and gets to class just three minutes overdue, and very much out of breath. There are girls like this, too, but they are not so numerous as the boys. Girls as a rule get to school on a much more regular time schedule than boys. There are four reasons for this: they like school better; they fear teacher more; they take their work more seriously; and they don’t hang around the block so long before going to school.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1953, the Eagle reported, “Brooklyn’s Kenneth Sutherland today led a move of the three county Democratic leaders who backed Mayor Vincent R. Impellitteri for renomination away from the Impellitteri camp to that of the man who beat him, Manhattan Borough President Robert F. Wagner Jr. In a let’s-close-ranks statement, Sutherland said: ‘We’re Democrats and of course accept the mandate of our party primary. Our organization in Kings County will not only support the Democratic candidates nominated, but we will do all in our power to solidify the party in the City of New York.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1954, the Eagle reported, “(U.P.) — Eddie Fisher, the golden boy among the current crop of popular singers, is about to get engaged to movie star Debbie Reynolds against the best advice of thousands of teen-agers. He loves the girl, the 26-year-old baritone said happily in an interview in his Manhattan hotel, confirming weeks of rumors. And she loves him. They’ll be reunited in Hollywood tomorrow morning when Eddie arrives by plane to rehearse for appearances on two television shows. His split-second weekend schedule, which calls for his return here Tuesday for his own TV show, leaves almost no time for romance. ‘We’re going to be engaged, but it won’t be this weekend,’ the singer said, blushing like a boy in love. Fisher, regarded as the hottest thing in the singing business now, is a slight, shy-appearing young man with a crew cut, whose income has climbed to at least $750,000 a year and whose devoted fans, mostly teen-agers, send him an average of 4,000 letters a week. ‘I’ve had a lot of advice lately from kids 14 and 15 about whether I should get married or not,’ he said amiably. ‘Some of them write and say not to do it or they’ll quit the fan clubs.’ Eddie himself once said that ‘love and show business are like oil and water.’ Now he’s changed his mind.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Gemini astronaut Thomas P. Stafford, who was born in 1930; Baseball Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda, who was born in 1937; former U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter, who was born in 1939; Basketball Hall of Famer Phil Jackson, who was born in 1945; TV horror hostess Cassandra Peterson, who was born in 1951; comedian Rita Rudner, who was born in 1953; former N.Y. Mets closer John Franco, who was born in Brooklyn in 1960; “Friday Night Lights” star Kyle Chandler, who was born in 1965; rapper and producer Doug E. Fresh, who was born in 1966; “MADtv” star Bobby Lee, who was born in 1971; former N.Y. Knicks forward Rasheed Wallace, who was born in 1974; rapper and singer Flo Rida, who was born in 1979; NHL star Alexander Ovechkin, who was born in 1985; and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was born in 1995.

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LAW OF THE LAND: Today is Constitution Day. On Sept. 17, 1787, delegations from 12 states met at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia and voted unanimously to approve the proposed document. Thirty-nine of the 42 delegates present signed it and the convention adjourned after drafting a letter of transmittal to the Congress. The proposed constitution stipulated that it would take effect when ratified by nine states.

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IT’S WITCHCRAFT: “Bewitched” premiered on this day in 1964. The sitcom starred Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens. Although she promises not to use witchcraft in her daily life, she finds herself twitching her nose in many situations. Co-stars included Dick York and Agnes Moorehead. The last episode aired in 1972.

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

Quotable:

“Men who have a pierced ear are better prepared for marriage — they’ve experienced pain and bought jewelry.”

— comedian Rita Rudner, who was born on this day in 1953