Brooklyn Boro

November 12: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

November 12, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle History
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ON THIS DAY IN 1918, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN FRANCE, MONDAY, NOV. 11 (AP) — Hostilities along the American front ended with a crash of cannon. The early forenoon had been marked by a falling off in fire all along the line, but an increasing bombardment from the retreating Germans at certain points stimulated the Americans to a quick retort. From their positions north of Stenay to Southeast of the town, the Americans began to bombard fixed targets. The firing reached a volume at times almost equivalent to a barrage. Two minutes before 11 o’clock, the firing dwindled, the last shells shrieking over no man’s land precisely on time. There was little celebration on the front line, and American routine was scarcely disturbed over the cessation of fighting. In the areas behind the battle zone, there were celebrations today on all sides. Here and there, there were little outbursts of cheering, but even those instances were not on the immediate front.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1938, the Eagle reported, “BERLIN (AP) — Jews today were assessed 1,000,000,000 marks ($400,000,000) as a penalty for the murder of Ernst vom Rath, German diplomat in Paris, it was announced officially. Field Marshal Hermann Wilhelm Goering, as director of Germany’s four-year plan, issued a decree, effective next Jan. 1, prohibiting Jews from conducting retail businesses, mail order and commission houses and independent handicraft enterprises. Goering’s decree further banned Jews from heading any industrial or commercial concern by forbidding them to hold the position of ‘betriebsfuehrer,’ which every factory or similar undertaking must have under the national labor law. At the same time, semi-official sources said that 1,600 Jews had been arrested in Berlin alone. (The United Press estimated 6,000 Jews arrested in Berlin.) These sources said it was impossible to estimate how many other Jews had been seized in the rest of Germany since the killing of vom Rath, secretary of the German embassy in Paris, which incited nationwide burnings of synagogues and destruction of Jewish stores Thursday.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1951, the Eagle reported, “Fair skies and mild temperatures gave assurance today that the thrice-postponed dedication of Brooklyn’s War Memorial and the portion of S. Parkes Cadman Plaza in which in stands will be held as scheduled. The ceremonies were set for 3 p.m., with Park Commissioner Robert Moses, Borough President [John] Cashmore, Mayor [Vincent] Impellitteri, Acting Council President Joseph T. Sharkey, Frank D. Schroth, publisher of the Brooklyn Eagle, and George V. McLaughlin, head of the Brooklyn War Memorial, Inc., as speakers. The corporation headed by McLaughlin raised the $500,000 by popular subscription to build the imposing limestone structure as a permanent tribute to the more than 7,000 Brooklynites who lost their lives in conflict. The Park Department built the surrounding park area at a cost of $370,000. Both the memorial and the park, which includes a 150-foot-wide lawn area leading up to the building, will be dedicated marking also the completion of the first integrated unit of the Brooklyn Civic Center, a vast program calling for development of the entire Brooklyn Bridge approach area.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1952, the Eagle reported, “Jackie Robinson, star second baseman of the Brooklyn Dodgers, is today the proud possessor of the title of ‘Outstanding Father of the Year.’ The accolade was bestowed upon the popular ballplayer last night by the Men’s Club of the Infants Home of Brooklyn, 1358 56th St. The presentation of a scroll commemorating the citation by Karl Naarden, club president, was for Robinson’s work with youth groups and his own record as a family man. Commenting on his new post as director of community activities for the National Broadcasting Company, Robinson discussed the network’s plans for youth work and rehabilitation of elderly people. In response to a question from the floor, the ballplayer said that when he retires he does not plan to coach or manage, but would prefer another job which would give him more time with his children, Jackie Jr., 6, Sharon, 2, and David, 5 months. Robinson praised the men’s club for its ‘fine work in a most important field — that of getting youngsters off on the right foot.’”

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Ryan Gosling
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Cote de Pablo
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “My Dinner with Andre” star Wallace Shawn, who was born in 1943; sportscaster Al Michaels, who was born in Brooklyn in 1944; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Neil Young, who was born in 1945; “Will & Grace” star Megan Mullaly, who was born in 1958; “All My Children” star Vincent Irizarry, who was born in 1959; gymnast and Olympic gold medalist Nadia Comaneci, who was born in 1961; “Challenger Deep” author Neal Shusterman, who was born in Brooklyn in 1962; singer-songwriter and actor Tevin Campbell, who was born in 1976; “NCIS” star Cote de Pablo, who was born in 1979; “La La Land” star Ryan Gosling, who was born in 1980; Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway, who was born in Brooklyn in 1982; and NBA point guard Russell Westbrook, who was born in 1988.

Neil Young
Chris Pizzello/AP

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THE GOOD FIGHT: Elizabeth Cady Stanton was born on this day in 1815. Renowned along with compatriot Susan B. Anthony as a leader of the American Women’s Suffrage Movement, she organized the Seneca Falls Convention (1848) and authored its eponymous Declaration of Sentiments, the first document to call for women’s elective franchise. She died in 1902, 18 years before the passage of the 19th Amendment, which she drafted in 1878.

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AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY: American Airlines Flight 587 crashed on this day in 2001. The plane, which took off from JFK International Airport en route to the Dominican Republic, crashed in Belle Harbor, Queens, killing all 260 people on board and five people on the ground. The disaster occurred just two months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and sparked fears of another attack, but the NTSB determined that the first officer had overused the rudder controls in response to wake turbulence from another plane. A memorial to the victims was dedicated in Rockaway Park in 2006.

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

 

Quotable:

“Do you believe in miracles?”

— sportscaster Al Michaels, who was born on this day in 1944

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