July 27: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
ON THIS DAY IN 1913, a Brooklyn Daily Eagle editorial said, “Have you ever thought, as you read of the heroic deeds performed daily by the mounted patrolmen throughout the greater city, of the conspicuous part played by the police horse? The career of a maddened runaway horse is checked, and perhaps the lives of women and children saved; the rush of an angered mob is stemmed, or a crowd hurled back from the path of an onrushing fire truck, by a horse, that at a touch of the rein, effects a side movement, forcing back the surging human mass, without endangering a single life. In such instances, of very frequent occurrence, the newspaper headlines laud glowingly the coolness and bravery of the patrolman, while little or nothing is said of the horse. The police horse, with his high intelligence and fine courage, may well feel proud of the position he holds, for in addition to school training, he must pass an examination even more rigid than that required of patrolmen ambitious to enter the department ranks. So strict are these requirements that three out of every ten horses offered for police duty are rejected by the exacting police regents, who will tell you that the department horse, loyal and trustworthy, is one of the most valuable assets of the whole department; hence only the best must be selected.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1919, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON, JULY 26 — Congress is beginning to realize that it is high time to do something about the cost of living, if anything can be done. The problem is getting bigger and more troublesome. There are many senators and representatives who are convinced that the mass of the people are far more concerned about high prices than they are about the peace treaty or any other issue before the country. There is no assurance among legislators here that living costs can be brought down by investigation or legislation, but the feeling is growing rapidly that something must be attempted in response to the increasing public complaint. Prices of nearly all necessities have gone up since the armistice was signed, and are still going up. When a citizen in Washington buys a pair of shoes or a suit of clothes, he usually is informed by the tradesman that the next time he comes around, the price will be still higher. The immediate future is made to appear very dark. With Washington conditions right under their eyes, and with reports and protests coming in from many other parts of the country, members of Congress are bestirring themselves and are beginning to study the problem anxiously.”
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’.