October 7: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

October 7, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1931, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “Manager Paul Binstock of the Fortway Theater reports a rush of youngsters to join the Mickey Mouse Club about to be launched by that theater and co-operating stores among which membership blanks have been distributed. ‘The Mickey Mouse Club, suggested by the Mickey Mouse cartoons in sound, is one with a very definite purpose,’ explains Manager Binstock. ‘For instance, here is the creed of the Mickey Mouse Club: I will be a square shooter in my home, in school, on the playground and wherever I may be. I will be truthful and honorable, and strive, always, to make myself a better and more useful little citizen. I will respect my elders and help the aged, the helpless and children smaller than myself. In short, I will be a good American!’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1942, the Eagle reported, “Today is the day Brooklyn’s millions deliver their own private kick in the pants to Hitler and Hirohito. Today at 3 p.m. Brooklyn begins putting out its scrap. Tomorrow morning at 6:45 the Department of Sanitation’s trucks start rumbling through the graying light to pick up the stuff with which your Uncle Samuel’s sinews of war will be strengthened. All day long 250,000 volunteers, shock troops in Brooklyn’s battle for material, were going from door to door, flat to flat, block to block, urging all to get it out. They told householders about the deadline. That is important. Begin putting the scrap on the sidewalk in front of your home at 3 p.m. today. Get it all out before 6:45 a.m. tomorrow. Don’t miss the boat. When the trucks pass, it will be too late for them to turn back. Don’t be too late. And don’t give too little. Every patriotic man, woman and child searched today through every apartment, cellar, attic and garage in the borough to get every bit of scrap metal out to the curb this afternoon or tonight. Today brought to a climax the borough’s greatest treasure hunt, a search for an unlimited amount of scrap desperately needed to keep the nation’s war production on the march. Today it was up to Brooklyn to answer the last call.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1948, the Eagle reported, “BOSTON — The Braves, eager to make it two in a row over the [Cleveland] Indians in their World Series duel here this afternoon, jumped into an early lead by scoring a run off Bob Lemon in the first inning.” The Indians — who are changing their name to the Guardians next year — ended up winning Game 2 of the 1948 World Series 4-1. Eddie Robinson, Cleveland’s 27-year-old first baseman, went 1-for-3 with a walk. In his 13-year career, Robinson also played for the Washington Senators, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia A’s, N.Y. Yankees, Kansas City A’s, Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles. The four-time All-Star later served as general manager of the Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers. He was baseball’s oldest living former player – and the last living former Indians player to have won a World Series – when he died Oct. 4, 2021 at age 100.

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ON THIS DAY IN 1954, the Eagle reported, “The state campaign warmed up today with Republican and Democratic candidates heatedly trading racial prejudice charges. Averell Harriman, Democratic gubernatorial candidate, started the ball rolling when he accused his opponent, Senator Irving M. Ives, of trying to create a ‘spirit of hatred’ between the state and New York City voters. At the same time, Tammany Leader Carmine DeSapio charged the Onondaga County Republican organization with bigotry because a picture of Jacob K. Javits, GOP candidate for attorney general, was left off campaign literature distributed by the upstate group. Javits countered that both Democrats were using ‘gutter tactics’ and charged that Harriman had become a ‘weak and willing mouthpiece for the masterminds of gangster-connected Tammany Hall.’ He described the Onondaga organization’s omission as ‘inadvertent’ and ascribed it to the fact that he had not supplied the committee with his picture. Ives lashed out at the Democrats and accused Harriman of trying to ‘tie anti-Semitism to me.’ ‘Of course my whole record completely and absolutely belies anything of that kind,’ the GOP candidate told newsmen accompanying him on his upstate swing of 12 counties.”

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John Mellencamp
Chitrapa via Wikimedia Commons

Toni Braxton
The Heart Truth via Wikimedia Commons

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include talk show host Joy Behar, who was born in Brooklyn in 1942; former N.Y. Yankees coach Jose Cardenal, who was born in 1943; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer John Mellencamp, who was born in 1951; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Tico Torres (Bon Jovi), who was born in 1953; cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who was born in 1955; “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell, who was born in 1959; “Unbreak My Heart” singer Toni Braxton, who was born in 1967; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Thom Yorke (Radiohead), who was born in 1968; “Boiler Room” director Ben Younger, who was born in Brooklyn in 1972; former NFL running back Priest Holmes, who was born in 1973; “American Idol” winner Taylor Hicks, who was born in 1976; former NFL cornerback Charles Woodson, who was born in 1976; San Francisco Giants third baseman Evan Longoria, who was born in 1985; and L.A. Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts, who was born in 1992.

Simon Cowell
Alison Martin via Wikimedia Commons

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SIGNING IN: Caesar Rodney was born on this day in 1728. The Delaware native was a delegate to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia and cast a tie-breaking vote that led to the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, which he signed. He died in 1784 after a long battle with cancer.

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MEOW AND FOREVER: “Cats” premiered on this day in 1982. The second-longest-running production in Broadway history (after “The Phantom of the Opera”) was based on a book of poetry by T.S. Eliot and had a score by Andrew Lloyd Webber. More than 10 million theatergoers saw the New York City production, which closed Sept. 10, 2000 after 7,485 performances.

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

Quotable:

“If you break your knee, you have therapy on your knee, and it’s the same for your heart.”

— singer-songwriter Toni Braxton, who was born on this day in 1967