July 11: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
ON THIS DAY IN 1921, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON — William Howard Taft was sworn in today as Chief Justice of the United States. The simple ceremony of elevating the former president to the Supreme Court was performed in the office of Attorney General Daugherty by Justice Hoehling of the District Supreme Court, in the absence from the city of the justices of the Supreme Court. Those present included Mr. Taft’s brother, Henry W. Taft of New York, and John T. Adams, chairman of the Republican National Committee … Immediately after taking the oath, Chief Justice Taft went to the White House to pay his respects to President Harding … As Chief Justice, Mr. Taft will receive a salary of $15,000 and he will be the only member of the Supreme Court to pay an income tax as he is the first justice named since the income tax law became effective. It was figured that the total tax on his salary would be $1,940 annually.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1946, the Eagle reported, “The Park Department today admitted that it needs the public’s help to keep Coney Island’s sands free of garbage and other refuse — because it lacks sufficient personnel and new equipment to handle the job as it might be done if the public pitched in. In response to many complaints that unsanitary and unhealthful conditions abound at Coney Island because refuse litters the beach, a department spokesman said that the situation would be remedied if persons who use the beach — residents of Coney, as well as transients — utilized the 2,000 receptacles conveniently at hand. He suggested an educational campaign to achieve this end. Investigation by the Brooklyn Eagle disclosed that there are many empty baskets on the beach, and plenty of litter surrounding them. Some summonses were handed out last weekend by the three Park Department men stationed at the beach. These men will be augmented by three more, according to the spokesman. He suggested that the police discipline beach litterers ‘more effectively than they do now’ in an effort to get people to drop their refuse and broken glass in the receptacles.”
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’.