History

August 4: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

August 4, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1911, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “The House today concurred in the Senate amendments to the congressional reapportionment bill to prevent gerrymandering, and passed the measure as amended. The bill now goes to the president for approval.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1934, the Eagle reported, “SHANGHAI (A.P.) — The Chinese government claimed today its troops had smashed a communist rebellion in Fukien Province and saved the city of Foochow from threatened capture. Censorship, however, was sharp and details of the fighting were not available. Earlier unconfirmed reports received at Hong Kong said the communists had broken through government forces to capture the city of Shuikow and were menacing the important port of Foochow. The British warship Witch arrived at Foochow this afternoon.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1950, the Eagle reported, “(U.P.) — A father and son scientific team reported today the development of two types of a small, inexpensive atomic radiation recorder that may be used by all civilians in the event of an A-Bomb disaster. One model, the scientists reported, is about the size of a cigarette pack and can be carried in a pocket. The other is pill box size and can be worked in the manner of a wrist watch. The scientists were Dr. Charles C. Lauritsen and his son, Dr. Thomas Lauritsen, of the Kellogg Radiation Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, who explained the new devices in today’s issue of Science, official magazine of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Before explaining how the devices operate, the scientists gave their own views on the importance of detecting areas contaminated with radioactive materials, such as they said might be produced in an atomic energy pile and ‘rained down’ on cities. ‘The active materials,’ they said, ‘could be incorporated in a few hundred pounds of dust or sand and distributed from an airplane or from rockets launched from ships or submarines.’ Easy-to-handle detection meters are needed, they said, to prevent ‘mass hysteria and widespread panic’ should an atomic disaster occur.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1952, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON (U.P.) — Food prices, already at an all-time high, may soon be driven to even dizzier peaks by the drought and livestock disease epidemics now stalking the nation’s farms, officials said today. A worried spokesman for the Office of Price Stabilization summed up the outlook in one sentence: ‘The food price situation certainly looks bad for housewives.’ He pointed out that under the new controls law, all fruit and vegetable prices are entirely exempt from price ceilings and the OPS has only limited power to check increases on other food items. Agriculture Department officials said the future supply of beef, milk, corn, potatoes, peanuts, peaches, vegetables, cucumbers, berry crops and many other foods is jeopardized by the drought which has scorched crops from Maine to Mississippi. They said it is still too early for an accurate estimate of how much food will be lost because of the prolonged dry spell. But it doesn’t take an expert to see that the situation adds up to shorter supplies and higher prices in general.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1954, the Eagle reported, “There were 39,365 crimes committed in Brooklyn — better, or worse, than one every seven minutes — during the first six months of 1954, the Police Department disclosed today. Forty-four persons were murdered in those six months, an average of one every four days. If the current rate of crime in Brooklyn continues through the rest of the year, 1954 will show an 11.1 percent increase over last year — slightly higher than the city-wide average and well above the national figure. Once every 17 minutes a felony was committed. Every 30 hours, on the average, some woman was raped. Every day there were 40 burglaries committed. The semi-annual statistics served to spotlight the assertion by Police Commissioner [Francis W.H.] Adams that crime and violence are getting out of hand and will continue to unless more policemen are put on the streets.”

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Meghan, Duchess of Sussex
Frank Augstein/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include 1969 Mets World Series hero Cleon Jones, who was born in 1942; “Law & Order” star Richard Belzer, who was born in 1944; Pro Football Hall of Famer John Riggins, who was born in 1949; former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who was born in 1955; Oscar-winner Billy Bob Thornton, who was born in 1955; thoroughbred jockey Chuck C. Lopez, who was born in Brooklyn in 1960; former President Barack Obama, who was born in 1961; seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, who was born in 1962; “Hawaii Five-O” star Daniel Dae Kim, who was born in 1968; political correspondent Bret Baier, who was born in 1970; “Rectify” star Abigail Spencer, who was born in 1981; Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, who was born in 1981; and “Little Women” director Greta Gerwig, who was born in 1983.

Actor Daniel Dae Kim attends the “Man Of Steel” world premiere at Alice Tully Hall on Monday, June 10, 2013 in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

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LIVING IN STYLE: Louis Vuitton was born on this day in 1821. The French fashion designer and businessman founded the brand of leather goods now owned by LVMH. He apprenticed as a trunk maker and packer and worked for Empress Eugenie de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III, before launching his own business. He died in 1892.

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IN GOOD FAITH: James Springer White was born on this day in 1821. The native of Palmyra, Me., co-founded the Seventh-day Adventist Church, a Protestant denomination that emphasizes the second coming of Jesus Christ. In 1849 he founded the periodical The Present Truth, which is published today as Adventist Review. He died in 1881.

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

Quotable:

“Our police officers put their lives on the line for us every single day. They’ve got a tough job to do to maintain public safety and hold accountable those who break the law.”

— former President Barack Obama, who was born on this day in 1961