December 1: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

December 1, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1890, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “The Young Men’s Christian Association gave their annual thanksgiving dinner yesterday afternoon … In the forepart of the day, a wagon load of poultry, pies, confectionary, fruits, toys, etc., was sent to Flatbush, and received with loud acclaims by the juveniles, who are little accustomed to such dainty fare, any more than being waited upon by ‘real ladies and gentlemen.’ One day in the year, at least, their little hearts are glad and rejoice, and full of gratitude are those hearts to the benevolent association that administers to their temporal as well as spiritual needs.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1896, the Eagle reported, “A meeting of the Brooklyn Public Library association was held last night at the residence of A. Simis, 160 New York avenue. Dr. Walter B. Gunnison, principal of Erasmus Hall high school, and Nelson J. Gates of the board of education, addressed the members of the association on the need of a public library for teachers and pupils and altogether the result of the meeting was to greatly encourage the members of the association in their work of providing this city with a free public library such as can be found in many of the cities throughout the country. Mrs. Mary E. Craigie, president of the association, presided, and after the usual routine business had been disposed of, she addressed the meeting in regard to its self-elected task of establishing a free public library. She congratulated the members on the success of the endeavors to secure recognition of their work as shown by the action of the board of aldermen, and read extracts from the reports of similar associations and libraries throughout the country, which were of a nature to help the association in its work, and she concluded by suggesting that as official recognition had been given to the library movement, it would be well to ask for contributions from the friends of the association in the way of books, which would go to form the nucleus of the future free public library of this city.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1903, the Eagle reported, “After the excitement of yesterday’s big fire, Brooklyn awakened this morning to the realization of the important place which the Academy [of Music] held in the social and artistic life of the borough, and the question was asked on all sides, ‘What will be done to fill this place?’ No definite answer can be made to the question either by the directors of the Academy of Music Association or by any of the real estate men who already have their eye on the very valuable and desirable lot of land formerly occupied by the historic structure. The directors of the association held a meeting last night in the rooms of the Long Island Historical Society to discuss the question, but in the absence of the president of the board, Alexander E. Orr, no definite action was taken other than the authorization to have the walls torn down in compliance with the building laws. C.H. De Silver, when seen today, said: ‘There is no one who can tell you whether or not we will rebuild, because nobody knows.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1941, the Eagle reported, “TOKIO (U.P.) — Japan has decided to continue negotiations with the United States for rapprochement in hope that Kichisaburo Nomura and Saburo Kurusu, its ambassador and special envoy at Washington, may succeed in effecting a change of the American view, it was understood today. It was emphasized in well-informed quarters that Japan would not modify its own stand but would maintain its view that the United States misunderstood the Far Eastern situation. The cabinet met for 75 minutes today in extraordinary session and Foreign Minister Shigenori Togo reported the result of a weekend series of consultations with various leaders. Togo held his consultations on the basis of detailed reports from Nomura and Kurusu, it was understood, and as the result decided that the negotiations should be continued.”

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Janelle Monae
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Oscar-winning filmmaker Woody Allen, who was born in Brooklyn in 1935; World Golf Hall of Famer Lee Trevino, who was born in 1939; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer John Densmore (The Doors), who was born in 1944; “Wind Beneath My Wings” singer Bette Midler, who was born in 1945; actor and comedian Jonathan Katz, who was born in 1946; “Prince of the City” star Treat Williams, who was born in 1951; “Sex and the City” creator Candace Bushnell, who was born in 1958; model and actress Carol Alt, who was born in 1960; Baseball Hall of Famer Larry Walker, who was born in 1966; “Lost” star Nestor Carbonell, who was born in 1967; actor and comedian Sarah Silverman, who was born in 1970; “Hidden Figures” star Janelle Monae, who was born in 1985; and “Spider Man” star Zoe Kravitz, who was born in 1988.

Sarah Silverman
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

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STANDING UP: Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Ala., on this day in 1955 for refusing to give up her seat and move to the back of a municipal bus. Her arrest triggered a yearlong boycott of the city bus system and led to legal actions that ended racial segregation on municipal buses throughout the southern U.S. The event has been called the birth of the modern civil rights movement.

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KING OF COMEDY: Richard Pryor was born on this day in 1940. The African-American comedian and actor was known for his use of profanity, and his humor was frequently based on racial stereotypes. Extremely successful as a stand-up, he won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums, and he also wrote or starred in numerous classic comedy films, including “Stir Crazy,” “Silver Streak” and “Car Wash.” His drug problems were well documented in his comedy act and he struggled with multiple sclerosis late in his life. He died in 2005.

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

Quotable:

“There’s a thin line between to laugh with and to laugh at.”

— comedian Richard Pryor, who was born on this day in 1940