July 14: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

July 14, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1902, a Brooklyn Daily Eagle editorial said, “A man who is 72 years of age, Lord Salisbury, has resigned the premiership of the British ministry, and his nephew, Mr. A.J. Balfour, who is 54, has been named as his successor. Yet Lord Salisbury is said to be ‘not yet old’ by those who compare him with Mr. Gladstone, when the latter laid down his leadership, or with Leo XIII, who is approaching his 92nd year. And Mr. Balfour is characterized by the same persons as ‘still a young man.’ It will thus be seen that age, or the estimate of age, is a relative matter. And, indeed, it must be confessed that, whether the average of human life has increased or not, the measure of its years of usefulness in high public service has been advanced, at least in Great Britain.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1932, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON — The purchase of firearms in the District of Columbia has been made much more difficult as a result of the enactment of a law which Congress and the president hope to see copied in the various states. Under the new law the purchaser of a pistol must supply the dealer with minute details about himself and the reasons for his desire for a gun and then wait 48 hours before the weapon is delivered. Police headquarters must receive a copy of the application to purchase a gun six hours after it is filed with the dealer. This provision gives local authorities 42 hours in which to verify the statements made in the application. The dealer must keep a detailed record of the firearm, its caliber, bore, number and other distinguishing marks for six years and also furnish a copy of the description to the police. The new law imposes additional penalties on persons convicted of using deadly weapons in the commission of a crime. In this respect it follows the statutes recently enacted in New York and other states.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1941, the Eagle reported, “BERLIN (INS) — While military spokesmen claimed German penetration of Kiev, capital of the Ukraine, and predicted its early occupation, the Nazi high command today announced opening of a gigantic Finnish offensive on both sides of Lake Ladoga. Personally commanded by Field Marshal Baron Carl von Mannerheim, chief of the Finnish Defense Council, the drive was aimed at Leningrad and was designed to tie in with a German offensive against the great Russian citadel from the south. General Staff plans had called for the Finnish offensive to get under way when the German drive was sufficiently far advanced to permit Leningrad to be enclosed in the fangs of a huge pincer movement. The Finns will handle the northern part of the claw while German troops operate east and west from the Lake Peipus region. The entire maneuver is designed to trap and destroy all Soviet forces in the Leningrad region. Except for announcing the start of the Finnish offensive, the high command merely said that all operations on the eastern front were proceeding ‘according to plan.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1950, the Eagle reported, “President Maximilian Moss of the Board of Education today prepared invitations to the heads of the city’s parochial, independent and private schools to have representatives meet with his board’s reactivated committee on civilian defense for a discussion of plans to care for pupils in event of a war emergency. The committee was reactivated at a meeting of the board late yesterday at which the Rev. John M. Coleman, Brooklyn board member and rector of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, was designated chairman. Named to serve with him were board members Charles F. Rank of Queens and James Marshall of Manhattan. Mr. Marshall deferred decision on whether he will serve. The board also directed Dr. William Jansen, superintendent of schools, to name a defense administrator who will coordinate the defense activities of the several schools. The New York School Committee on Civilian Defense functioned during World War II with C. Frederick Pertsch, now an associate superintendent of schools in charge of vocational education, as school defense administrator.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “Sunset Boulevard” star Nancy Olson, who was born in 1928; former N.Y. Giants defensive tackle Rosey Grier, who was born in 1932; former Sony Music Entertainment CEO Tommy Mottola, who was born in 1949; fashion designer Bruce Oldfield, who was born in 1950; “Weakest Link” host Jane Lynch, who was born in 1960; “The Bad News Bears” star Jackie Earle Haley, who was born in 1961; “Lost” star Matthew Fox, who was born in 1966; former Mets and Yankees third baseman Robin Ventura, who was born in 1967; four-time Major League All-Star pitcher Tim Hudson, who was born in 1975; and former N.Y. Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, who was born in 1985.

Jackie Earle Haley
Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP

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HANNA-MATION: William Hanna was born on this day in 1910. The New Mexico native co-created popular animated characters such as Tom and Jerry, Yogi Bear, Snagglepuss and Magilla Gorilla. With partner Joe Barbera, he won seven Academy Awards for his Tom and Jerry cartoon shorts, and eight other works were nominated. The Hanna-Barbera team created the first animated TV sitcom for adults, “The Flintstones” (1960), and such favorites as “The Jetsons” and “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?” Hanna died in 2001.

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SURREAL DEAL: Ingmar Bergman was born on this day in 1918. One of the most influential filmmakers of the 20th century, Bergman directed such classics as “Fanny and Alexander,” “Wild Strawberries” and “Cries and Whispers.” He wrote or directed 62 films and more than 170 stage plays, mainly in his native Sweden, but was renowned all over the world and nominated for nine Academy Awards. He died in 2007.

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

Quotable:

“A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.”

— former President Gerald Ford, who was born on this day in 1913