January 5: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

January 5, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1922, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “Park Commissioner John N. Harman was directed today by the Sinking Fund Commission to remove the sailors’ barracks and other buildings from Shore Rd., erected there by the federal government during the war, and to restore the drive to its original condition. A delegation of citizens from Bay Ridge, headed by ex-Congressman William E. Cleary, appeared before the commission and urged it not to countenance any further delay in the restoration of the Shore Drive. At the end of the war, all of the buildings and their appurtenances were turned over to the city by the government under an agreement that the restoration work be done at the expense of the city. Mr. Cleary said that the Shore Rd. was one of the most beautiful drives in Greater New York and an asset to the entire city, and that, at present, it was disfigured by various structures which did not belong there.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1930, the Eagle reported, “When the doors of the National Automobile Show were thrown open yesterday afternoon at the Grand Central Palace, the event marked virtually the 30th birthday of the greatest industry in America, for it was not until the first show was held 30 years ago that the business of making motorcars really rose to the height and dignity of an industry. Many of the throng that filled the stately aisles could recall this infant in its swaddling clothes which now has stepped into the majestic garments of a giant. Four spacious floors spread their enchanting vistas of cars before the gaze of the visitors. Each floor has its special attraction and special differences. This vast aggregation of motorcar units is gathered together under the auspices of the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce and presents what may without exaggeration be called the most captivating array of cars and equipment ever displayed to the public.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1934, the Eagle reported, “After a conference with Mayor [Fiorello] LaGuardia in City Hall, State Senator [John J.] Dunnigan, majority leader in the upper house of the Legislature, announced this afternoon he believed he would be able to cooperate on the mayor’s economy program. Dunnigan arrived at City Hall alone to keep an appointment he made last Tuesday. As he was leaving, he said: ‘We just had a little social chat. We discussed things generally. I think we will find a way of cooperating without any trouble. That is all it is necessary to say at this moment.’ Asked if the mayor’s economy bill had been introduced yet, he replied that it had been received today by the Senate clerk. ‘I haven’t read it yet,’ he said. ‘I don’t know what it’s all about. But I have every reason to believe we can get together.’ Later Mayor LaGuardia said: ‘We had a friendly and frank discussion of the legislative situation as two experienced legislators would have on any matter on which there was a difference of opinion.’ Meanwhile the city’s new mayor was expected sometime today to make further appointments to his official family.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1955, the Eagle reported, “UNITED PRESS — Americans were somewhat puzzled today over a State Department order declaring parts of the country off limits to Russians. The ban keeps Russians out of some pretty odd places, such as a South Dakota county which no longer exists. Russians are allowed to roam as they will through practically all of New York, but are ordered to stay out of Brooklyn. They are banned from Moscow, Iowa, and Moscow, Idaho, but are welcome to visit Moscow, Maine. It also means that a Soviet citizen who wants to sample some New Orleans night life must drop into the city by parachute.”

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Bradley Cooper
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Carrie Ann Inaba
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall, who was born in 1931; talk show host Charlie Rose, who was born in 1942; former U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, who was born in Brooklyn in 1944; Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton, who was born in 1946; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Chris Stein (Blondie), who was born in Brooklyn in 1950; “Dynasty” star Pamela Sue Martin, who was born in 1953; former CIA Director George Tenet, who was born in 1953; “Our Town” singer Iris DeMent, who was born in 1961; actress and model Suzy Amis, who was born in 1962; “Dancing with the Stars” judge Carrie Ann Inaba, who was born in 1968; “American Sniper” star Bradley Cooper, who was born in 1975; former NFL running back Warrick Dunn, who was born in 1975; “Mad Men” star January Jones, who was born in 1978; and model and actress Suki Waterhouse, who was born in 1992.

Robert Duvall
Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP

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TAKING FLIGHT: Jeannette Ridlon Piccard was born on this day in 1895. The first woman to qualify as a free-balloon pilot, she set a record in 1934 when she ascended more than 57,000 feet into the stratosphere with her husband, Jean Felix Piccard. She died in 1981.

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LET’S DANCE: Alvin Ailey was born on this day in 1931. The Texas native began his noted career as a choreographer after a successful career as a dancer. He founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, drawing from classical ballet, jazz, Afro-Caribbean and modern dance idioms to create the 79 ballets of the company’s repertoire. He and his work played a central part in establishing a role for black people in the world of modern dance. He died in 1989.

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

Quotable:

“The creative process is not controlled by a switch you can simply turn on or off; it’s with you all the time.”

— choreographer Alvin Ailey, who was born on this day in 1931