February 15: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

February 15, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1903, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “Many young folks in Brooklyn did not receive the valentines which were mailed to them yesterday. The carriers made their last trip last evening several hours behind schedule time and were compelled to abandon their trips in order to comply with the postal regulations, which provide that they shall not work longer than eight hours. If they broke the rule, they would forfeit their day’s pay.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1914, the Eagle reported, “CHICAGO, FEB. 14 — ‘The American League has declared war,’ said Ban Johnson today. ‘We will stop at nothing to eliminate the present management of the Chicago National League Club from organized baseball. It is, to my mind, essential that President [John] Tener of the National League and Garry Herrmann, president of the National Commission, be clothed with absolute authority to remove from the National League any club owner held to be a detriment to the game.’ Johnson, roused by Charles W. Murphy’s threat to take legal action against him, today broke the silence he has maintained since the joint league conference in New York, and outlined his plan to maintain between the major leagues the good understanding which, he asserted, was menaced by the present conduct of the Cubs. The American League, he intimated, was prepared to go the length of changing the National agreement or of favoring the formation of another major league.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1932, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON – President [Herbert] Hoover this afternoon nominated Chief Judge Benjamin Cardozo of the New York State Court of Appeals as associate justice of the Supreme Court, in succession to Associate Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, retired. The nomination of this outstanding liberal came after several weeks of apparent indecision and after indications that geographical considerations would dictate the appointment of a Westerner. Strong pressure was brought upon the president, however, to choose Judge Cardozo for the place. It was urged upon him that the appointment of some distinguished circuit judge from some remote state would prove disappointing to public opinion, in view of the fact that the vacant seat was that of the great Holmes. It was further urged that the president had a chance, in this nomination, of correcting the damage done to the administration when Judge John Johnston Parker of North Carolina was nominated for the Supreme Court and rejected. It is reported that Chief Justice Charles Evan Hughes and Associate Justice Harlan F. Stone, both of New York, and both lined up with the progressive wing of the court, recommended the Cardozo appointment to Mr. Hoover.

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ON THIS DAY IN 1948, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON (U.P.) — Defense Secretary James V. Forrestal tonight announced plans to meet the threat of atom bombs, guided missiles and bacteria war with a national civil defense organization. Secretary Forrestal received his authority from President [Harry] Truman. He acted on the recommendations of an army board report that warned of the danger of attack on the United States. ‘In the event of another war,’ the board found, ‘widespread destruction can be anticipated in industrial areas and centers of population. The populace should be organized into small groups under leaders and trained in fire-fighting, rescue and first aid.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1952, the Eagle reported, “UNITED PRESS — Free peoples throughout the world bowed their heads in silent tribute today to the late King George VI. In Washington, President and Mrs. Truman led the American delegation at memorial services in Washington Cathedral. British Ambassador Sir Oliver S. Franks took part. Altar pieces given to the cathedral by the late king last year were on display. The funeral service in Windsor Castle was to be duplicated late today in the Episcopal Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew, Clinton Ave. and Fulton St. … Memorial services were held in Trinity Church, Manhattan, with Holy Communion honoring the dead at 8 a.m. Another service at noon was attended by members of various British societies as well as the general public. New York’s Liberty Bell in the tower of Middle Collegiate Church, Manhattan, tolled 56 times — once for each year of the dead king’s life — beginning at noon.”

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Megan Thee Stallion
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Matt Groening
Paul A. Hebert/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “Charly” star Claire Bloom, who was born in 1931; feminist author Susan Brownmiller, who was born in Brooklyn in 1935; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Mick Avory (the Kinks), who was born in 1944; “Maus” author Art Spiegelman, who was born in 1948; “Don’t Cry Out Loud” singer Melissa Manchester, who was born in 1951; “Live and Let Die” star Jane Seymour, who was born in 1951; “Eve’s Bayou” star Lynn Whitfield, who was born in 1953; “The Simpsons” creator Matt Groening, who was born in 1954; guitarist Jake E. Lee, who was born in 1957; Pro Football Hall of Famer Darrell Green, who was born in 1960; shuttle astronaut Leland D. Melvin, who was born in 1964; “Family Guy” star Alex Borstein, who was born in 1971; “Xena: Warrior Princess” star Renee O’Connor, who was born in 1971; former N.Y. Rangers right wing Jaromir Jagr, who was born in 1972; Incubus singer Brandon Boyd, who was born in 1976; and rapper Megan Thee Stallion, who was born in 1995.

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REVOLUTIONARY: Galileo Galilei was born on this day in 1564. The Italian physicist and astronomer proved the theory that all bodies, large and small, descend at equal speed, and he gathered evidence to support Copernicus’ theory that Earth and other planets revolve around the sun. In 1632 he was tried by the Inquisition and found guilty of heresy. He remained under house arrest until his death in 1642. The Catholic Church issued an official apology to Galileo in 2000.

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THE FAMILY JEWELS: Charles Lewis Tiffany was born in Connecticut on this day in 1812. The famous jeweler’s name is synonymous with high standards of quality. He died in 1902.

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

Quotable:

“My standard comment is, ‘If you don’t want your kids to be like Bart Simpson, don’t act like Homer Simpson.’”

— “The Simpsons” creator Matt Groening, who was born on this day in 1954