August 26: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

August 26, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1917, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “The Battle of Long Island is to be celebrated today at the bandstand in Prospect Park by the citizens of Brooklyn. The Kings County Historical Society will have charge of the meeting, having made all the arrangements. President Charles A. Ditmas of the society will preside. Dr. James Sullivan, the state historian, will deliver an historical address, and Gerhard M. Dahl will deliver a patriotic address calling upon the citizens to do their utmost to win this great war just as our ancestors did in the Revolution. The Rev. Charles William Roeder of the historic Flatlands Dutch Reformed Church will invoke the divine blessing. Dr. Giovanni E. Conterno will direct his celebrated military band in patriotic and classical selections, among which will be a descriptive fantasia written by him for the occasion, and entitled, ‘The Battle of Long Island.’ Over 1,200 especially invited guests are expected to be present.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1943, the Eagle reported, “The 40-odd captains of party-fishing boats normally based at Sheepshead Bay today had no comment on the disclosure that while the OPA fuel ban on their boats continued, Atlantic City fishing boats were getting as much gasoline as they needed. They were not there. The waterfront is monotonously quiet. Following the June ban by the OPA, the Brooklyn skippers either turned their boats over to the government or went into defense work. The only one who could be reached was Capt. Herb Hammer of 2637 E. 23rd St. ‘I’ll say it’s unfair,’ he snapped. ‘If they get any gasoline in Jersey, we should get it here, too.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1948, the Eagle reported, “All registered nurses who are immediately available to care for polio patients were urged today to report to the Brooklyn Red Cross Nursing Service for prompt assignment to communities fighting poliomyelitis. Making the appeal was Louise E. Wilson, director of the nursing service, who said that the chapter had already sent several nurses to the Carolinas but that ‘the need for additional nurses to serve in polio-afflicted areas continues acute.’ She explained that nurses recruited by the Red Cross will be paid salary, maintenance and transportation by the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. While nurses with special polio training are preferred, all graduate nurses available for at least six weeks will be accepted and given on-the-job training. Nurses were asked to visit the Brooklyn Red Cross Nursing Service, 57 Willoughby St., or telephone MAin 4-6001.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1954, an Eagle editorial said, “An invasion of Formosa [Taiwan], which is serving as the refuge of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and his Nationalist Government, would prove to be a far more difficult enterprise than the Chinese Communists have as yet undertaken in carrying out their design of Far Eastern conquest. In Korea and in Indo-China their problem was relatively simple. Their sources of manpower and supplies were close at hand, an advantage of inestimable value. Formosa would call for one of the most hazardous of military operations — an invasion from the sea after a passage of a hundred miles through waters commanded by the Seventh Fleet and superior air power. It is never safe to dismiss Red threats of war lightly but there are nevertheless substantial reasons to believe that Peiping’s talk of an invasion of Formosa is a technique of cold war. The Reds are not rash when they initiate aggression. Prospects of success are calculated carefully and they proceed when they are convinced that the odds are in their favor. In Korea, it is true, they were disillusioned by the prompt and determined intervention of the United States, but in Indo-China their gains were up to expectations. They have been warned in advance what they must expect if they attempt a Formosa invasion. President Eisenhower has served notice that they will have to run over the fleet.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Maureen Tucker (the Velvet Underground), who was born in 1944; former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, who was born in 1945; Songwriters Hall of Famer Valerie Simpson, who was born in 1946; “Joker” star Brett Cullen, who was born in 1956; composer and bandleader Branford Marsalis, who was born in 1960; “Life Goes On” star Chris Burke, who was born in 1965; Garbage singer Shirley Manson, who was born in 1966; “Mike & Molly” star Melissa McCarthy, who was born in 1970; “Home Alone” star Macaulay Culkin, who was born in 1980; “Star Trek” star Chris Pine, who was born in 1980; writer and comedian John Mulaney, who was born in 1982; 2012 American League Cy Young winner David Price, who was born in 1985; former Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden, who was born in 1989; cross-country skier and Olympic gold medalist Jessie Diggins, who was born in 1991; and “Akeelah and the Bee” star Keke Palmer, who was born in 1993.

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AND AWAY WE GO: Joseph Michel Montgolfier was born in France on this day in 1740. In November 1782, he and his brother Jacques Etienne conducted experiments with paper and fabric bags filled with smoke and hot air, which led to the invention of the hot-air balloon and man’s first flight. He died in 1810.

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LIFESAVER: Albert Sabin was born in Poland on this day in 1906. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1930 and earned a medical degree from NYU in 1931. He is best known for his oral vaccine for polio, which replaced Jonas Salk’s injected vaccine because Sabin’s provided lifetime protection. He died in 1993.

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YOU GOTTA HAVE BARK: Today is National Dog Day, which celebrates dogs for all they do in our lives, the joy they bring us and the unconditional love they give us. It’s also a day to highlight the plight of dogs in shelters and the need for adoption as well as spaying and neutering. For more information, visit www.nationaldogday.com.

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

Quotable:

“Without animal research, polio would still be claiming thousands of lives each year.”

— microbiologist Albert Sabin, who was born on this day in 1906