April 13: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
ON THIS DAY IN 1945, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON (U.P.) — President Harry S. Truman took up the burden of the world’s most powerful office today with a pledge to win the war which Franklin D. Roosevelt’s leadership had carried to the verge of victory. Shocked as all others by news of Mr. Roosevelt’s death, Mr. Truman spoke his promise to the world a few minutes after taking the oath of office last night. ‘The world may be sure,’ he said, ‘that we will prosecute the war on both fronts, east and west, with all the vigor we possess to a successful conclusion.’ Conferences with army and navy leaders are understood to be high on the new President’s list today. The new President took the oath of office at 7:08 last night. Mr. Roosevelt, at 63, had served 12 years, 1 month and 8 days in the office whose cruel exactions killed him, but also stimulated his desire to stay on. No other man had served more than eight years.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1947, the Eagle reported, “Mayor [William] O’Dwyer last night set in motion the complicated machinery by which he hopes to have every one of the city’s 7,835,000 persons vaccinated against smallpox within the next three weeks. At an extraordinary press conference in City Hall, following a special meeting of his entire cabinet, the Mayor referred to the second death from the disease earlier in the day and declared: ‘There is a danger. The time has come as a health measure to urge everyone to be immunized against smallpox by vaccination. Since we’re fighting a hidden enemy, there is no way to win but to immunize everybody.’ An hour later, Police Commissioner Wallender called a special meeting of all division inspectors and precinct captains to outline plans for mobilizing members of the now-defunct civilian defense organization in a house-to-house campaign to urge everyone who has not been vaccinated in the last five to seven years to have the treatment. Mr. O’Dwyer said vaccinations will be given free at regular Health Department stations, city hospitals and baby health stations. Starting Wednesday, he added, free vaccinations also will be given at every police station from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. daily, and as soon as supplies and manpower are available, immunization will be provided at each of the 383 fire houses in the five boroughs.”
Brooklyn Boro
View MoreNew York City’s most populous borough, Brooklyn, is home to nearly 2.6 million residents. If Brooklyn were an independent city it would be the fourth largest city in the United States. While Brooklyn has become the epitome of ‘cool and hip’ in recent years, for those that were born here, raised families here and improved communities over the years, Brooklyn has never been ‘uncool’.