September 13: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

September 13, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1860, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “The sidewalks were crowded at noon today, by all sorts of folks who were straining their eyes to catch a glimpse of a star which was visible in the firmament. The telescope man on Broadway did a good business, and glasses of all sorts were in great demand. The sidewalks at the corners of streets where a good view could be obtained were crowded so that persons who had business to attend to could scarcely get through. Policemen tried to get them to stand aside, but without success. There is as much interest manifested in the advent of this star as in the expected arrival of the Prince of Wales. What it prognosticates we leave for the astronomers to determine.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1908, the Eagle reported, “LONDON, SEPT. 12 — Winston Spencer Churchill, president of the Board of Trade, was married in this city this afternoon to Clementine, daughter of the late Sir Henry Montague Hozier, who for thirty-two years was secretary for Lloyds. The ceremony occurred at St. Margaret’s Church, the little edifice which stands in the shadow of Westminster Abbey, where so many fashionable weddings have taken place. After the marriage of Miss Jean Reid, daughter of the American ambassador to Great Britain, to the Hon. John Ward, equerry-in-waiting to his majesty the King in June of this year, the wedding of today attracted more attention than any held this season, and there have been many, particularly because of the social and political prominence of Mr. Churchill, who is one of the most discussed men in the United Kingdom … Later in the afternoon the couple took a train for Blenheim Palace. After the visit there they will go to Berlin until the opening of Parliament.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1940, the Eagle reported, “LONDON — German warplanes bombed Buckingham Palace and Downing Street today in unprecedented daylight attacks that for the first time almost paralyzed London life and aroused British fears of a deliberate offensive to drive the King and government from the capital. A Nazi bomber diving at Buckingham Palace dropped five explosives and a shower of incendiary bombs, but King George and Queen Elizabeth, in an underground shelter, escaped injury. Three plumbers working on the south wing were slightly injured, craters were dug in the ground and the royal chapel was wrecked. Other incendiary bombs were showered over Downing Street — residence of Prime Minister Winston Churchill and site of the Foreign Office, Treasury and other government buildings — and nearby areas. (The great Parliament buildings are in this area.) An official statement said slight damage was done in Downing Street. The Air Ministry announced that ‘it is feared that the enemy has succeeded in killing and injuring a number of civilians’ in this morning’s long raid, the Associated Press said.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1953, the Eagle reported, “DONCASTER, ENGLAND, SEPT. 12 (U.P.) — Premonition, 10-1, a stretch-running three-year-old colt, charged to an upset victory today in the historic St. Leger Stakes to the disappointment of Queen Elizabeth II and most of her loyal subjects who rooted for the royal family’s Aureole. Sent postward as the 5-to-4 favorite in the field of 11, Aureole made only a mild bid for victory at the turn for home and then faded to third place, six lengths back of the winner and three lengths behind Northern Light 2nd, a French-owned horse. It was a bitter setback for the Queen, who witnessed the race with her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his wife from the flower-bedecked royal box. Her Majesty had hoped to become the first reigning monarch to send out the winner of this oldest stake race in the world. But not even the work of a ‘human battery,’ hired to calm down the skittish Aureole, and the backing of most of England’s race fans helped the Queen realize her dream. Charles Brook, a 65-year-old self-styled ‘faith healer,’ treated Aureole earlier this week. He claimed he sometimes can quiet horses ‘by just running my hands over them like a human battery.’”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “Mission: Impossible” star Barbara Bain, who was born in 1931; “As the World Turns” star Eileen Fulton, who was born in 1933; “An American Tail” director Don Bluth, who was born in 1937; Blood, Sweat & Tears singer David Clayton-Thomas, who was born in 1941; “Bullitt” star Jacqueline Bisset, who was born in 1944; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Peter Cetera (Chicago), who was born in 1944; “Designing Women” star Jean Smart, who was born in 1951; musician and producer Don Was, who was born in 1952; drumming legend Vinny Appice, who was born in Brooklyn in 1957; Megadeth co-founder Dave Mustaine, who was born in 1961; talk show host Tavis Smiley, who was born in 1964; sprinter and Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson, who was born in 1967; former N.Y. Yankees center fielder Bernie Williams, who was born in 1968; actor and filmmaker Tyler Perry, who was born in 1969; and singer-songwriter Fiona Apple, who was born in 1977.

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START SPREADING THE NEWS: New York City became the U.S. capital on this day in 1788 when Congress relocated the government from Philadelphia. In 1790 the capital moved back to the City of Brotherly Love for 10 years before moving permanently to Washington, D.C.

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KEY MOMENT: “The Star-Spangled Banner” was born on this day in 1814. Francis Scott Key, a lawyer and amateur poet, was on a ship in Baltimore harbor during the British attack on Fort McHenry. Seeing the flag still flying over the fort the next morning inspired him to write the verses that, coupled with the tune of a popular drinking song, became America’s official national anthem in 1931.

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

Quotable:

“Your beginning never dictates your destination.”

— filmmaker Tyler Perry, who was born on this day in 1969