August 24: ON THIS DAY

August 24, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1931, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “LONDON (A.P.) — J. Ramsay MacDonald, faced with a split in the ranks of his own labor party, today handed King George his resignation as Prime Minister and accepted the King’s mandate to form a new government in which all three of the major parties will be represented. He stepped out as head of the Labor Government and in again as Prime Minister of the new National Government in 20 minutes with the King, during which he submitted to the monarch the personnel of his new cabinet. Then he kissed the King’s hand, an age-old ceremony marking the beginning of his service as Prime Minister under the new regime. An official statement issued later at Mr. MacDonald’s office reported these facts, acknowledged that the new government was to be formed ‘for the purpose of meeting the present financial emergency,’ and added that Mr. MacDonald had gone into conference with Stanley Baldwin, the Conservative leader, and Sir Herbert Samuel, David Lloyd George’s lieutenant for the Liberals.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1944, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON — Whether to delay the opening of schools or close those holding summer sessions in the hope of preventing the spread of infantile paralysis has to be settled in every case on its own merits and on the basis of mathematical probability. Exactly how the disease spreads is not yet known. Many authorities think it is spread by direct contact between healthy children and those coming down with the disease or with healthy carriers of the virus that causes it. That theory is the reason for advice to keep children out of crowds and out of schools during an epidemic. In rural regions, where the children live relatively isolated in their own homes without even close neighbors, it might be wise to keep them out of school. Their chances of contact with the polio virus carried by others would be less, because staying out of school would mean staying away from people, young and old, except members of the family. In towns and cities, healthy children kept out of school may be likely to have more contacts with others on the streets, in shops and movies and through visits than they would if they were in school.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1952, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON, AUG. 23 (U.P.) — Inflation continues at a rising tide throughout the nation with no guarantee it will ease up after the new administration takes office in January. Economic stabilization officials predicted today the cost of living, which has jumped to an all-time high, will rise another 1½ to 2 percent by the time a new president is inaugurated Jan. 20. And they see no slackening off in the early months thereafter. Exactly what the incoming administration — be it Republican or Democratic — can or will do to meet the issue remains in doubt. Neither Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the GOP candidate, nor Gov. Adlai E. Stevenson, the Democratic standard bearer, has said whether he wants the price-wage control law extended or what he would do about future rent controls. Many economists say Truman deficit spending is a prime cause of inflation. The government, by President Truman’s latest estimate, will operate in the red at a rate of $10,300,000,000 this fiscal year.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1953, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON (U.P.) — The nation’s schools, faced with a record enrollment of nearly 30,000,000 children, will be more overcrowded this fall than ever before. Most of the youngsters will find their classrooms jam-packed and will have to study in shifts. About 6,000,000 will get their lessons in buildings classed as firetraps. Despite the stepped-up rate of school construction in the last two years, federal and private education officials said today crowded conditions are getting worse. This is due mainly to the post World War II baby crop which is now reaching school age. Total school enrollment this fall is expected to exceed last year by 1,500,000, with the vast majority of the new pupils entering the already bulging elementary grades. To make matters worse, most schools are handicapped by a serious shortage of teachers, especially in the lower grades.”

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Dave Chappelle
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “Classical Gas” composer Mason Williams, who was born in 1938; “Fatal Attraction” star Anne Archer, who was born in 1947; “Ender’s Game” author Orson Scott Card, who was born in 1951; former NFL head coach Mike Shanahan, who was born in 1952; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who was born in 1955; former heavyweight boxer Gerry Cooney, who was born in 1956; “Three Men and a Baby” star Steve Guttenberg, who was born in Brooklyn in 1958; Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr., who was born in 1960; Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin, who was born in 1965; Basketball Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, who was born in 1965; “Selma” director Ava DuVernay, who was born in 1972; “Chappelle’s Show” star Dave Chappelle, who was born in 1973; “One Tree Hill” star Chad Michael Murray, who was born in 1981; former N.Y. Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, who was born in 1983; and “Harry Potter” star Rupert Grint, who was born in 1988.

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FIRE IN THE SKY: Mount Vesuvius erupted on this day in A.D. 79. The volcano in southern Italy destroyed the cities of Pompeii, Stabiae and Herculaneum. Pliny the Younger, who escaped the disaster, wrote of it to the historian Tacitus: “Black and horrible clouds, broken by sinuous shapes of flaming winds, were opening with long tongues of fire.”

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ANARCHY IN THE U.S.A.: British forces briefly invaded and raided Washington, D.C., on this day in 1814. The soldiers burned the White House, the Capitol and most other public buildings. President James Madison and other high U.S. government officials fled to safety until the invaders departed the city two days later.

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IT’S A SMALL WORLD, AFTER ALL: On this day in 2006, at the annual International Astronomical Union meeting at Prague, Czech Republic, 424 astronomers voted to demote Pluto from planet status. They determined that Pluto is instead a dwarf planet.

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

Quotable:

“If your dream is only about you, it’s too small.”

— filmmaker Ava DuVernay, who was born on this day in 1972