September 7: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

September 7, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1913, a Brooklyn Daily Eagle editorial said, “A short time ago the suggestion was made by Simon F. Rothschild that there should be organized a Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce as ‘the next step forward in the preparation for the great growth in population and business which is about to be realized here, as the result of our coming subway and dock developments.’ Brooklyn has many civic organizations which represent different sections of the borough. The best way to secure borough-wide cooperation in any plan for Brooklyn is to secure the support of all these neighborhood bodies, for, as a rule, that support now is formal rather than enthusiastic. The average men who may be really interested in any movement are left to fight it through with a paper organization behind them. These neighborhood bodies were logical in the past because, until recently, Brooklyn has been a collection of neighborhoods, all of them attached more closely to Manhattan by business relations than to one another. But with the transit development, Brooklyn is growing out of that neighborhood stage. The Brooklyn League and the Manufacturers Association have sought to represent the town as a whole, but the power of each has been merely the power of suggestion, recommendation or approval. In the things they could really do both were sharply limited – both are still sharply limited. Mr. Rothschild’s plan is that these and, perhaps, some other of the hundred or more civic and social organizations of Brooklyn be combined into a Chamber of Commerce which should represent the entire community.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1925, the Eagle reported, “When the doors of the city schools are opened, on Sept. 14, the congestion will be less serious than a year ago, due to the opening of 36 new school buildings, 19 of which are in Brooklyn and Queens. Chief among the new schools to be opened in this boro on Monday next is the James Madison High School, at Bedford Ave. and Avenue P, which was erected at a cost of nearly $3,000,000, and which will provide sittings for 3,338 pupils. A total of 24,549 new sittings will be provided for Brooklyn pupils and 10,002 for Queens pupils. Despite this expansion in school accommodations, part-time conditions will continue to be serious, however, especially in some of the newer communities in Queens. The Board of Education authorities refused to give out estimates on the number of pupils who will be on double sessions and part-time. These figures will be available soon after the registration on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week, when a preliminary report will be made.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1939, the Eagle reported, “CANNES, FRANCE (A.P.) — A spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Windsor announced today that they would leave tomorrow for London, ending almost three years of exile for the former King of England. The exact time of the couple’s departure and the route they will take will be kept secret, it was said. The spokesman said the Duke and Duchess originally decided to return to England last Saturday and summoned a private pilot to fly them over, but adverse weather and the outbreak of the European war interfered with their plans. In the ensuing five days they have been seeking means of transportation.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1954, the Eagle reported, “More than 500 persons died violently over the Labor Day weekend, but the traffic toll was the lowest in six years and fell below pessimistic predictions. At midnight 354 persons had been killed on the highways, compared to the 390 predicted before the holiday by the National Safety Council. This was the lowest Labor Day figure since 1948, when 302 died in traffic. In addition to the highway fatalities, 85 persons drowned, 13 were killed in plane crashes and 59 died in miscellaneous holiday-connected accidents, bringing the total deaths to 511. In New York State 18 persons were killed in traffic accidents. The Safety Council pointed out that 394 died on the roads last year, 439 the year before and 453 in 1951.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, who was born in 1930; “I Will Survive” singer Gloria Gaynor, who was born in 1943; Hockey Hall of Famer Jacques Lemaire, who was born in 1945; N.Y. Yankees broadcaster Suzyn Waldman, who was born in 1946; “The Simpsons” star Julie Kavner, who was born in 1950; author and journalist Peggy Noonan, who was born in Brooklyn in 1950; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders), who was born in 1951; “L.A. Law” star Corbin Bernsen, who was born in 1954; “Lost” star Michael Emerson, who was born in 1954; Songwriters Hall of Famer Diane Warren, who was born in 1956; Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jennifer Egan, who was born in 1962; former “Saturday Night Live” star Leslie Jones, who was born in 1967; International Boxing Hall of Famer Shane Mosley, who was born in 1971; National Soccer Hall of Famer Briana Scurry, who was born in 1971; “American Pie” star Shannon Elizabeth, who was born in 1973; and “Across the Universe” star Evan Rachel Wood, who was born in 1987.

Michael Emerson
Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

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RENAISSANCE WOMAN: Queen Elizabeth I was born on this day in 1533. The daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn ascended the throne in 1558. During her reign, the British defeated the Spanish Armada, the Anglican Church was essentially established and England became a world power. She died in 1603.

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MAIL BONDING: The New York Post Office Building, on Eighth Avenue between 31st and 33rd streets, was opened to the public on this day in 1914. On the front of the building is an inscription that reads: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from their appointed rounds.” This has long been believed to be the motto of the U.S. Post Office and Postal Service. They have, in fact, no motto — but the legend remains.

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

Quotable:

“Democracy involves that old-fashioned thing called working it out.”

— author and journalist Peggy Noonan, who was born in Brooklyn on this day in 1950