July 16: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

July 16, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1842, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “Died, in Springfield (near Jamaica) on Sunday last, Samuel Mills, in the 89th year of his age. He served his country for a length of time in the long protracted war for American Independence. Thus ends the life of another patriot.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1916, Eagle columnist Frederick Boyd Stevenson wrote, “Mayor [John] Mitchel, in a statement outlining measures to prevent the spread of infantile paralysis, said among other things: ‘In short, it will be the effort of the city government during the continuance of the epidemic of infantile paralysis to focus all its forces on a general city clean-up as a means of reducing the possibility of the spread of the disease.’ Why not at all times have the city government focus all its forces in keeping the city clean, and thus, in a great measure, prevent by preparedness, the foothold of epidemics and their consequent spread? Last year it cost the taxpayers of the City of New York $3,322,426 to maintain the Department of Health. Last year it cost the taxpayers of the City of New York $8,949,752 to maintain the Department of Street Cleaning … Both departments should contribute toward maintaining the sanitary condition of the city and the health of its citizens. Twelve and one-quarter million dollars is a great sum of money to expend every twelve months … Now, I do not believe that any fair-minded person objects to this expenditure for these purposes, if the expenditure is necessary to maintain the health of the people, if the value is received for every dollar expended, and if practical results are obtained. But we ought to be mighty sure that we are getting practical results. Crimes of omission sometimes are as bad as crimes of commission.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1916, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON, JULY 15 — The government can do little or nothing to combat the shark peril that has developed in the vicinity of New York City, along the Atlantic coast. While the Coast Guard has been entrusted by Secretary of the Treasury [William] McAdoo to perform what service it can, the Coast Guard has no shark-hunting equipment and admits itself at a loss. The project of fishing for sharks does not appeal to the government authorities as a practical one, at least so far as the government itself is concerned. The marine experts here say that it would take thousands of small boats to conduct a systematic campaign, and even then such a campaign might be without effective results. ‘It is like being ordered out in a fly-infested town to catch all the flies,’ said a government official today. ‘Without doubt, you can catch some of the flies, but to catch all of them is another matter. Undoubtedly, we could catch some sharks if we had the equipment. But there would be lots of sharks we would not catch.’ No Coast Guard cutter will be ordered to catch sharks as the situation stands today. The White House has been importuned to do something about sharks, and the present activity in the Treasury Department is a result; but so far as practical work goes, there is little or none in sight. The men who have a knowledge of marine conditions cannot see what the government can do.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1954, the Eagle reported, “‘The rising tide of juvenile delinquency can be stemmed by the mothers of the community,’ Mrs. Josephine Lagana, founder and honorary president of the McDonald Civic Center, said today. If the women take an active part in community affairs, directing their children to wholesome activities and fighting for those activities which are lacking, the problem can be licked, she said. Scores of decent children drift to corner gangs, are made victims of perversion, dope and rackets, because of a lack of interesting and enjoyable things to do. Speaking before a ‘town hall’ meeting of mothers held at the Esplanade Democratic Club, 1401 Kings Highway, Mrs. Lagana said that parents should work for the establishment of needed youth centers and community houses sponsoring athletic leagues, Boy and Girl Scout troops, Cub packs, and other social activities for youngsters.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include International Tennis Hall of Famer Margaret Court, who was born in 1942; Pro Football Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson, who was born in 1943; “Crossover Dreams” star Ruben Blades, who was born in 1948; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Stewart Copeland (The Police), who was born in 1952; “Angels in America” playwright Tony Kushner, who was born in 1956; “V” star Faye Grant, who was born in 1957; “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” star Phoebe Cates, who was born in 1963; former “Saturday Night Live” star Will Ferrell, who was born in 1967; Pro Football Hall of Famer Barry Sanders, who was born in 1968; “Stand by Me” star Corey Feldman, who was born in 1971; Olympic gold medalist and U.S. Women’s World Cup soccer champion Carli Lloyd, who was born in 1982; and “Nip/Tuck” star AnnaLynne McCord, who was born in 1987.

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A CAPITAL IDEA: On this day in 1790, President George Washington signed legislation that selected the District of Columbia as the permanent capital of the U.S. Boundaries of the district were established in 1792. Plans called for the government to remain housed at Philadelphia until 1800, when the new national capital would be ready for occupancy.

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THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT: The U.S. tested the first atomic bomb on this day in 1945. The experimental plutonium bomb was set off at 5:30 a.m. in the New Mexico desert. Dubbed “Fat Boy” by its creator, it vaporized the steel scaffolding holding it as an immense fireball rose 8,000 feet in a fraction of a second, creating a mushroom cloud to a height of 41,000 feet. At ground zero the bomb emitted heat three times the temperature of the interior of the sun. All plant and animal life for a mile around ceased to exist.

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

Quotable:

“The only way to enjoy anything in this life is to earn it first.”

— entertainer Ginger Rogers, who was born on this day in 1911