History

July 24: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

July 24, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1871, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “This summer has been noted for the great quantity of sharks which have been killed in the vicinity of Rockaway. Yesterday Henry Spears ‘beached’ a shark, and then dispatched him with a few rifle balls.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1901, the Eagle reported, “BAY SHORE, L.I. — J. Campbell Smith went fishing in his yacht Eleanor on Monday, but after failing to secure any fish, Captain Watts was convinced that sharks must be the hoodoo. Mr. Smith had his brother-in-law Benis T. Smith on board, and as Mr. Smith had had a fine tempered spear made last year for sharks, the party thought they would turn their efforts in that direction, and to their amazement killed sixty-five of the huge creatures. Captain Watts says that many were speared clear through. They took on board all the boat would accommodate, fourteen in all, and placed them on the lawn of his residence, where crowds viewed them yesterday. The others were left floating around in the water.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1945, the Eagle reported, “POTSDAM (U.P.) — The Big Three Conference will recess tomorrow to learn the outcome of Britain’s elections, to be announced Thursday, but President Truman and Premier Stalin will continue their talks next week regardless of who wins the British race, it was learned authoritatively today. The British announced officially today that Mr. Churchill was going to London for the Thursday election results, but added the ‘Berlin Conference’ would not end. Mr. Churchill plans to leave Wednesday for London, and if he wins the election he is expected to return by Friday when the Big Three will resume its meetings. While Mr. Churchill is in London, Mr. Truman and Generalissimo Stalin probably will confer informally, but this has not been confirmed. Official sources in Potsdam declared there was no foundation for the recently circulated report that part of the American delegation has already left Berlin and that another section was leaving soon for a new and ‘surprising’ destination. While all indications pointed toward the conference continuing into next week, it was conceivable that a Churchill defeat would cause a drastic shortening of the meetings.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1947, the Eagle reported, “MINNEAPOLIS — Doctors should diagnose and treat infantile paralysis early in order to reduce discomfort and crippling of the victims, Dr. John F. Pohl of the Elizabeth Kenny Institute here urges in a report appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Headache is the most distinctive initial complaint. This is usually a severe, generalized, unrelenting type, rare in the illnesses of childhood. Spasm, which is shortening of the muscles, appears early and is present in every case, Dr. Pohl also found in studying 1,125 cases of poliomyelitis during the 1946 epidemic. Paralysis is not a common early symptom, however. ‘Symptoms and observations are sufficiently characteristic to enable the diagnosis to be established in most patients within 24 hours of the onset,’ Dr. Pohl said.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1949, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON, JULY 23 — A proposal to have the United States call the North Atlantic Treaty nations together in convention for the purpose of exploring the possibilities of forming a Transatlantic Union will be introduced in both houses of Congress early this week … Now that the pact itself has been ratified, some 10 or 12 of the Senate’s most influential members are ready to suggest that this nation go even farther in developing the transatlantic area of democratic nations into a bloc which is both impregnable against Communism and against the ravages of economic disorder. These senators and several members of the lower house feel that the only way to do this is to use the North Atlantic Treaty as a means of deferring war until stronger means — specifically, an Atlantic union of free nations — can be brought about.”

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Jennifer Lopez
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “Laugh-In” star Ruth Buzzi, who was born in 1936; “Clueless” star Dan Hedaya, who was born in Brooklyn in 1940; “Fright Night” star Chris Sarandon, who was born in 1942; “Seinfeld” star Michael Richards, who was born in 1949; “Wonder Woman” star Lynda Carter, who was born in 1951; National Racing Hall of Famer Julie Krone, who was born in 1963; Basketball Hall of Famer Karl Malone, who was born in 1963; all-time home run champion Barry Bonds, who was born in 1964; “A Different World” star Kadeem Hardison, who was born in Brooklyn in 1965; “Wicked” star Kristin Chenoweth, who was born in 1968; “If You Had My Love” singer Jennifer Lopez, who was born in 1969; “Firefly” star Summer Glau, who was born in 1981; “Mad Men” star Elisabeth Moss, who was born in 1982; Oscar-winning actress Anna Paquin, who was born in 1982; and TV personality Bindi Irwin, who was born in 1998.

Kristin Chenoweth
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

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AMERICAN FLYER: Amelia Earhart was born on this day in 1897. The Kansas native received training as a nurse’s aide and cared for patients during the 1918 influenza epidemic. Her interest in aviation was sparked at an exhibition by a World War I flying ace. She was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic and the first person to fly solo across the Pacific from Hawaii to California. She disappeared on a flight from New Guinea to Howland Island in the Pacific on July 2, 1937 and was declared dead in absentia in 1939.

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FURIOUS GEORGE: The “Pine Tar Game” took place at Yankee Stadium on this day in 1983. With the Kansas City Royals trailing the Yankees 4-3 in the top of the ninth with two outs, Royals third baseman George Brett hit a two-run homer to give his team the lead. Yankees manager Billy Martin complained to the umpires that Brett’s bat had too much pine tar on it. The umpires called Brett out and the Yankees won, prompting the enraged Brett to storm the field. The Royals protested the game and the American League president ruled that it would be replayed Aug. 18 from the point of the home run. The Royals won 5-4.

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

Quotable:

“There’s more to life than being a passenger.”

— aviator Amelia Earhart, who was born on this day in 1897