June 1: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

June 1, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1919, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “PARIS — The overnight requickening of art in France is proof positive that at last the dove of peace is about to emerge from her stygian abri and to stay in the land. … Realization of the barbarity of war comes to different nations in different ways. To France it came most forcefully through the starvation of her soul; the atrophy of art during the war robbed her of her vital nourishment. Revivified, she hastens to conceal her lines of suffering behind the inscrutable and mysterious smile of ‘La Jaconde.’ Indeed, ‘La Jaconde,’ or ‘Mona Lisa,’ as it is better known in the states, is again in graceful repose within its frame. The same impatience which greeted it when it was recovered after the abduction in 1911 waits upon it now daily. Up the marble staircase to the back of the Gambetta statue in the Carousel, and past one gorgeously furnished room into another, down through the endless length of corridor the visitors fly until, breathless, they stand before the woman whom Pater says is ‘older than the rocks among which she sits.’ There is no end to revery when you come into her presence.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1952, the Eagle reported, “Two gold half crowns, worth about $150,000 and encrusted with more than 500 diamonds and other precious stones, which had been blessed by Pope Pius XII at the Vatican on Jan. 9, were stolen yesterday from the Regina Pacis (Queen of Peace) Votive Shrine, 12th Ave. and 65th St. The crowns, which adorned a painting of the Madonna and the Child, behind the altar, were stolen by an unidentified thief who sawed through a bronze grille which had been placed there for the purpose of protecting the gems. Police theorized that the thief probably was a tall person who was able to saw the grille at a point five feet eight inches above a ledge, and then reach in about a foot, and remove the crowns from the painting. An electric alarm system, controlled by a switch in a safe in the shrine proper, was not set off, according to police.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1952, the Eagle reported, “EN ROUTE TO CHICAGO, MAY 31 — The Dodgers are riding into the sunset again for their second western invasion, confident of returning in triumph to Flatbush two weeks hence securely lodged in first place. Manager Charley Dressen intends to keep the pressure on the Giants throughout the junket. The big reason for his optimism is the renaissance of big Gil Hodges, who came out of his slump Memorial Day at Ebbets Field with five hits, including a double and two home runs. He drove in eight tallies as the Braves twice bit the dust. With the backward first baseman rattling the fences, the Brooklyn attack has broken loose. If the pitching doesn’t bog down, the Cubs, Pirates, Reds and Cardinals are in for some rugged afternoons and evenings.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1953, the Eagle reported, “LONDON (U.P.) — The great coronation ‘invasion’ began today as thousands set up camps complete with cooking stoves on streets where Queen Elizabeth II will ride tomorrow. The wide mall leading from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square resembled a battlefield strewn with bodies at dawn, but soon it became a scene of great activity. Overnight campers rolled out of their blankets and started making coffee and frying bacon. Every train and bus brought in early birds to claim their spots on the six-mile route that will be crushed with more than 2,000,000 persons by the time Elizabeth and Prince Philip ride by in their golden state coach. The Weather Bureau still had a damp outlook. The forecast for tomorrow was ‘mainly cloudy, short bright intervals and a few showers; very cool with maximum temperature around 55 degrees.’ A massive crowd swarmed around the palace in the early morning as Commonwealth representatives arrived to be greeted by the Queen. More than 40,000 persons assembled there last night. The Queen invited her Prime Ministers and other top officials to lunch today, her last official duty until the great ceremony of coronation tomorrow.”

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Morgan Freeman
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Gospel Music Hall of Famer Pat Boone, who was born in 1934; Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman, who was born in 1937; “Brazil” star Jonathan Pryce, who was born in 1947; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Ron Wood (The Rolling Stones), who was born in 1947; Country Music Hall of Famer Ronnie Dunn, who was born in 1953; “Knots Landing” star Lisa Hartman Black, who was born in 1956; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Alan Wilder (Depeche Mode), who was born in 1959; supermodel Heidi Klum, who was born in 1973; “You Oughta Know” singer Alanis Morissette, who was born in 1974; “The Walking Dead” star Sarah Wayne Callies, who was born in 1977; former Jets wide receiver Santana Moss, who was born in 1979; “Trainwreck” star Amy Schumer, who was born in 1981; and “Spider-Man” star Tom Holland, who was born in 1996.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU: Marilyn Monroe was born on this day in 1926. The actress and sex symbol was born Norma Jean Baker in Los Angeles. Her film career, which included roles in “Bus Stop,” “Some Like it Hot” and “The Seven Year Itch,” came to epitomize Hollywood glamour. In 1954 she married New York Yankees legend Joe DiMaggio but they divorced in 1955. She was married to playwright Arthur Miller from 1956 to 1961. Monroe died of a drug overdose on Aug. 5, 1962.

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U.S. STEEL: Superman debuted on this day in 1938. Ohio teenagers Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel wowed the comic book world with a new kind of pulp hero, a refugee from the planet Krypton, who made his first appearance in “Action Comics #1.” The character was such a smash hit that he ushered in an era of fantastical superheroes.

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

Quotable:

“The best way to guarantee a loss is to quit.”

— actor Morgan Freeman, who was born on this day in 1937