January 18: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

January 18, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1919, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “PORT JEFFERSON, L.I. — Dr. F.S. Child, resident physician in charge of the Brooklyn Home for Blind, Crippled and Defective Children, said this morning that the influenza epidemic at the home was now well in hand. Since the outbreak last Sunday there have been thirteen deaths. Three of these were Sisters in the home and the others were children. All thirteen died of pneumonia. There were 280 cases in the home yesterday, many of these being pneumonia cases. There are 345 inmates, including the Sisters and nurses. About fifteen additional nurses have come to the home this week. These were to take the places of the Sisters who have fought the disease night and day since its outbreak.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1934, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON (AP) — Roosevelt Democrats made it plain today they would look with disfavor upon any obstructionist policies pursued by Democrats in the New York Legislature with regard to the economy legislation sought for New York City by Mayor [Fiorello] LaGuardia. The attitude of the administration followers was disclosed within a few hours after conferences between Postmaster General [James] Farley, national and New York State Democratic chairman; Secretary of State Edward J. Flynn of New York, and Senator John J. Dunnigan, Democratic leader in the New York Senate. In high administration circles the conviction was expressed that New York City was entitled to the ‘new deal’ which the LaGuardia administration has undertaken through bills laid before the lawmakers at Albany.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1955, the Eagle reported, “TAIPEI, FORMOSA (UP) — Red Chinese amphibious forces launched a full-scale invasion of tiny but vital Yijiangshan in the Tachen Islands today and the Nationalists said the situation was ‘critical.’ The Communists struck at the outpost guarding the approaches to strategic Tachen from two directions after Red Chinese bombers and artillery had destroyed half the Nationalists’ supplies in the island group. A Nationalist communique issued at Taipei stated that the battalion of Nationalist guerrillas defending the little island still was fighting tonight. But reliable sources said the defenders’ position was in jeopardy and some fears were expressed that Yijianghsan had fallen to the Nationalists’ hated enemy. Yijiangshan, which lies only 12 miles north of the main island of Tachen, had been under sporadic Communist shelling for months, but early today the Reds attacked the rugged outpost with bombers and a heavy barrage from nearby Toumen Island. Tachen Island itself was hit hard by more than 60 Red bombers under escort of Russian-made MIG-15Js. The Communist raiders destroyed 70 tons of supplies which had been sent to the Tachens from America as a Christmas gift. The air-sea attack was the first combined operation against Chiang Kai-shek’s outpost islands since the ‘little war’ erupted in the South China Sea last September with the shelling of Nationalist-held Quemoy Island.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1963, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON (UPI) — President [John F.] Kennedy proposed a 75 percent hike in spending on space projects yesterday, with most of the increase going into the effort to put the first man on the moon. He set aside a record $6.1 billion for both military and civilian programs in his space budget for the fiscal year starting July 1. In addition to the moon project, the funds would go for ‘military astronautics,’ space stations for worldwide weather forecasting and communications systems, bigger and more efficient rockets and in preparation for exploratory trips to Mars and Venus. Of the total, $4.2 was budgeted for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA officials told a briefing session that they planned to expand the Ranger program of unmanned exploration of the moon to a total of 24 spacecraft. The Ranger flights are designed as a prelude to manned flights to earth’s natural satellite.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “Deliverance” director John Boorman, who was born in 1933; Oscar-winner Kevin Costner, who was born in 1955; Oscar-winner Mark Rylance, who was born in 1960; Hockey Hall of Famer and former N.Y. Rangers center Mark Messier, who was born in 1961; “Little House on the Prairie” star Alison Arngrim, who was born in 1962; former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who was born in 1963; International Boxing Hall of Famer Virgil Hill, who was born in 1964; “Absolutely Fabulous” star Jane Horrocks, who was born in 1964; “Law & Order” star Jesse L. Martin, who was born in 1969; former NAACP President Benjamin Jealous, who was born in 1973; former N.J. Devils right wing Brian Gionta, who was born in 1979; singer-songwriter Estelle, who was born in 1980; former NFL defensive end Julius Peppers, who was born in 1980; and “How I Met Your Mother” star Jason Segel, who was born in 1980.

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OH-KAYE: Danny Kaye was born in Brooklyn on this day in 1913. His most notable films are “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” (1947), “Hans Christian Andersen” (1952), “White Christmas” (1954) and “The Court Jester” (1955). He also hosted “The Danny Kaye Show” on TV in the 1960s. In addition, Kaye helped raise millions of dollars for UNICEF and musicians’ pension plans. He died in 1987.

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MOVIN’ ON UP: “The Jeffersons” premiered on this day in 1975. The CBS sitcom was about an African-American family (formerly neighbors of the Bunkers on “All in the Family”) who moved to Manhattan’s East Side thanks to the success of George Jefferson’s dry-cleaning stores. The cast included Sherman Hemsley as George, Isabel Sanford as his wife Louise and Marla Gibbs as maid Florence. The show ran until 1985.

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

Quotable:

“I wasn’t born a fool. It took work to get this way.”

— entertainer Danny Kaye, who was born in Brooklyn on this day in 1913