July 10: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

July 10, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1891, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “At yesterday’s session of the convention of the association of teachers of the deaf and dumb at Crosbyside, a highly interesting account was given of the phenomenal results achieved in the case of Helen Keller, a child who is not only deaf and dumb, but also blind … Helen’s parents brought her to Dr. A. Graham Bell [who] suggested that Helen be taught to speak, but the parents did not receive the suggestion with favor, as the difficulties seemed too great. However, instruction was begun and a Miss Sullivan, who is possessed of a special genius for teaching deaf mutes, undertook the difficult task.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1920, the Eagle reported, “It became known this morning to the officials of the immigration station on Ellis Island, that a large number of detained aliens made their escape late yesterday afternoon or during the night. Superintendent P.A. Baker declined to estimate how many got away and would not give out further particulars until his investigation has made further progress. It was admitted, however, that suspicion of a conspiracy on the part of certain attendants in Public Health Hospital, which takes care of immigration patients although the institution is under the Treasury Department and not under the direction of the immigration service, has been awakened. Inspector Hayes of the legal department of the Immigration Bureau left the island on the 11 o’clock ferryboat, taking with him one of the hospital attendants. They went to the office of the United States Attorney, where, it was said, the hospital attendant would be asked to explain what he knows about the escape of the aliens. One report says that at least 16 aliens were enabled to escape from the island.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1936, the Eagle reported, “The great experiment of frying an egg on the steps of Borough Hall was tried yesterday by an Eagle reporter … At 2:50 p.m., when New York’s all-time heat record was exploding, he arrived at Borough Hall, juggling one egg, one saltshaker and one pepper shaker … Momentarily he expected Borough President Raymond V. Ingersoll to dash out of his offices shouting: ‘You can’t do that on my doorstep.’ But he went ahead and cracked the egg … In no time everybody in Court Square gathered around offering advice, suggestions and bets … But 15 minutes later everyone agreed it was a fizzle … It was definitely not fried.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1953 the Eagle reported, “MOSCOW (U.P.) — Secret police chief Lavrenti P. Beria, arrested on treason charges presented by Premier Georgi M. Malenkov, today faced trial for plotting to seize leadership of the government and overthrow Communism in Russia. Beria, No. 2 man in the Soviet government since Josef Stalin’s death last March, was stripped of all his power and expelled from the Communist party as an enemy of the state. The official communique announcing Beria’s downfall, first break in the leadership of the Malenkov government, failed to disclose Beria’s whereabouts, and it was presumed he was in jail awaiting trial. The removal of Beria, who had been the middle member of the ruling triumvirate with Malenkov and Deputy Premier Vyacheslav Molotov, was expected to cause world-wide repercussions and possibly great policy changes in Iron Curtain countries. It also was believed the government would conduct a sweeping investigation into Beria’s Ministry of Interior Affairs, which includes the secret police, and possibly purge its personnel. Beria’s case was presented to the Supreme Court of the Soviet Union after Malenkov had named him as a traitorous counter-revolutionary in a recent report to the Communist party central committee.”

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Sofia Vergara
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

Mavis Staples
Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Nobel Prize-winning author Alice Munro, who was born in 1931; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Mavis Staples, who was born in 1939; “CHiPs” star Robert Pine, who was born in 1941; former baseball player and manager Hal McRae, who was born in 1945; “Alice’s Restaurant” singer Arlo Guthrie, who was born in 1947; Triumph co-founder Rik Emmett, who was born in 1953; Baseball Hall of Famer Andre Dawson, who was born in 1954; Pet Shop Boys co-founder Neil Tennant, who was born in 1954; “Modern Family” star Sofia Vergara, who was born in 1972; “Entourage” star Adrian Grenier, who was born in 1976; “I Wanna Love You Forever” singer Jessica Simpson, who was born in 1980; and “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” star Isabela Merced, who was born in 2001.

Jessica Simpson
Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

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BREAKING NEWS: David Brinkley was born on this day in 1920. The North Carolina native was one of the most recognizable faces in American broadcast journalism for more than 50 years. He was NBC’s first White House correspondent, and his coverage of the 1956 Democratic and Republican national conventions landed him the anchor job on NBC’s nightly TV newscast. In 1981, he moved to ABC, creating the Sunday morning interview show “This Week with David Brinkley.” He died in 2003.

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KING OF THE COURT: Arthur Ashe was born on this day in 1943. The Virginia native became a legend for his list of firsts as a black tennis player. Chosen for the U.S. Davis Cup team in 1963, he became captain in 1980. He won the U.S. men’s singles championship and U.S. Open in 1968 and the men’s singles at Wimbledon in 1975. Ashe won a total of 33 career titles and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985. He died in 1993.

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

Quotable:

“If you don’t get out among the people, how are you going to know what they need to hear about?”

— singer Mavis Staples, who was born on this day in 1939