September 15: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

September 15, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1922, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “LONDON (AP) — From 1,000 to 2,000 Christians had been massacred in Smyrna by the Turks before the fire which swept the Armenian and other quarters of the Asia Minor seaport recently evacuated by the Greek army, it is charged in semi-official and other Greek messages from Athens received here today. Among the Turkish outrages was the carrying off of many girl pupils of the American Girls College, it is alleged. An American destroyer which has arrived at Piraeus, Greece, reports that the Turks entered the British Consulate at Smyrna and murdered an official there who was assembling the archives, says a Reuters dispatch from Athens today. Postmaster Wilkinson is also said to have been murdered as well as other Englishmen. Sir Harry Lamb, the Consul General, is believed to have escaped on board a warship. The admiral commanding the British squadron at Smyrna has warned the Turkish authorities in the city that if the massacres are continued, the Turkish quarters will be bombarded, says an Exchange Telegraph dispatch from Athens.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1924, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON — Had there been no strikes in the United States this past twenty years there would now be enough surplus wealth in this country to pay the entire American war debt without levying a dollar of taxes on anything but surplus, says a statement issued today by the American Economic Institute. ‘Strikes have doubled the cost of living to every American family. The economic burden of the cessation of industry and production is paid for at every meal at the rate of doubled cost for practically all food. It is paid for in the increased cost of building and renting homes. Men are paying ‘strike toll’ at the rate of $20 to $30 increase on every suit of clothes; these figures being merely examples of what the general public pays for the strikes in this country.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1935, the Eagle reported, “Hundreds of New York children, partially paralyzed from infantile paralysis, are being saved from going through life as cripples by constructive treatment in orthopedic hospitals, it was stated yesterday by David H. McAlpin Pyle, president of the United Hospital Fund. Dr. J.J. Golub, director of the Hospital for Joint Diseases, outlined the work. He explained that infantile paralysis has two stages — the acute and the paralytic. The acute stage lasts from ten to 21 days after the onset of the disease. During this time the patient must be isolated as the mystery of how the disease is transmitted has not yet been solved. The second, or paralytic stage, may involve paralysis of most of the muscles of the arms or legs, or it may involve only one muscle in the body. Corrective treatment consists of application of plaster casts, braces for support of the muscles, followed by physical therapy, consisting of electric stimulation, massage, corrective exercise and hydrotherapy in specially constructed pools.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1942, the Eagle reported, “Herbert Brownell Jr., campaign manager for Thomas E. Dewey, asserted that, barring ‘slipups’ between now and Election Day, the GOP nominee should win by 200,000 votes. He said the Gallup poll, giving Dewey 54 percent of the ballots against 36 percent for [John J.] Bennett and 10 percent for Dean Alfange, American Laborite, was conservative.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1947, the Eagle reported, “When Princess Elizabeth becomes the bride of Lt. Philip Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey Nov. 20, it is expected that the word ‘obey’ will be included in the marriage ceremony. A few days ago H.R.H. the bride went to Canterbury, where she was given a copy of the Book of Common Prayer, which contains two alternative forms of the marriage service of the Church of England. Princess Elizabeth has the privilege of choosing the service which contains the word ‘obey,’ or the service from which that word is omitted. ‘There seems little doubt that she will follow the example of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, who insisted on including the word ‘obey’ at her marriage at the Chapel Royal, St. James’ Palace 90 years ago,’ according to a communication received from the British Information Services, agency of the British government.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Baseball Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry, who was born in 1938; “Bull Durham” director Ron Shelton, who was born in 1945; Oscar-winning actor Tommy Lee Jones, who was born in 1946; Oscar-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone, who was born in 1946; Night Ranger singer Kelly Keagy, who was born in 1952; Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino, who was born in 1961; “The Good Wife” star Josh Charles, who was born in 1971; “Venom” star Tom Hardy, who was born in 1977; former N.Y. Giant and two-time Super Bowl champion David Diehl, who was born in 1980; Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, who was born in 1984; and singer and TV personality Heidi Montag, who was born in 1986.

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BEST OF THE WEST: “The Lone Ranger” premiered on TV on this day in 1949. The character was created for a radio serial in 1933 by George W. Trendle. The famous masked man was the alter ego of John Reid, a Texas Ranger who was the only survivor of an ambush. He was nursed back to health by his Native American friend, Tonto. Both men traveled around the west fighting injustice. The theme music was Rossini’s “William Tell Overture.” The last episode aired Sept. 12, 1957.

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PRESSING ISSUES: USA Today was first published on this day in 1982. Media corporation Gannett introduced a new kind of daily — the “Nation’s Newspaper” — that featured general interest articles for a national audience.

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

Quotable:

“When you go into court, you are putting your fate into the hands of 12 people who weren’t smart enough to get out of jury duty.”

— comedian Norm Crosby, who was born on this day in 1927