October 28: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

October 28, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle History

Share this:

ON THIS DAY IN 1904, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “The subway is the consummation of years of study of the transportation problem on Manhattan Island, and marks the completion of the first stage of what will be the most comprehensive system of rapid transit in the world. Considering the peculiar difficulties faced by its builders, the subway stands unique as a feat of engineering and construction.”

***

ON THIS DAY IN 1922, the Eagle reported, “ROME (A.P.) — The Cabinet Council has been in session since midnight in order to receive reports from the provinces where the Fascist movement has taken a subversive direction and to adopt necessary measures to meet the situation. The Cabinet decided first to issue a proclamation declaring a state of siege in all the provinces beginning at noon today, but later this decision was modified and a proclamation was issued urging the public to maintain order in the face of insurrectionary attempts: ‘Seditious movements having manifested themselves in certain provinces of Italy, having as their object the interruption of the normal functions of the State’s powers and calculated to plunge the country into grave trouble, the government has, as far as possible, tried every means of conciliation in the hope of re-establishing peace and reaching a peaceful solution of the crisis. In the face of such insurrectionary attempts, it is the duty of the retiring government, by all means, at whatever cost, to maintain law and order, and this duty it will carry out to the full in order to safeguard the citizens and free constitutional institutions. It is the government’s expectation that the citizens will remain calm and have confidence in the measures taken for their safety. Long live Italy! Long live the King!’”

***

ON THIS DAY IN 1928, the Eagle reported, “UTICA, N.Y., OCT. 27 — After two weeks on the road up-state, where they have made one-night stands and pleaded their respective cases in the hope of persuading men and women of the opposite political faith to change their minds, the gubernatorial candidates and their troupes of speakers and advisers are back in the city this week, both equally confident that the goals they sought when they left New York had been won. And to a certain extent that is true, for Franklin D. Roosevelt has been enthusiastically received by the farmers in the Republican belt; he has withstood the rigors of the trip and thus proved that he is physically able to stand long hours and hard work, and he has convinced the people that he will carry on where Governor [Al] Smith will leave off. And by the same token, Attorney General Albert Ottinger has received his share of applause in the counties above the Bronx that are for the most part normally Republican, but which were reported to be leaning to Roosevelt.”

***

ON THIS DAY IN 1945, the Eagle reported, “President Harry S. Truman told the nation in an historic Navy Day address yesterday that the United States, while retaining possession of the atomic bomb as ‘a sacred trust,’ intends to maintain its armed might to preserve world peace as the only sure method of making this country’s own freedom secure … Facing an audience estimated at more than 1,000,000 persons in Central Park and speaking over combined nation-wide radio networks, the president outlined a 12-point foreign policy, in his administration’s behalf, which highlighted the declarations that the United States, seeking no territorial expansion or selfish advantage for itself, will ‘refuse’ to recognize any government imposed upon any nation by the force of any foreign power.’ ‘We believe,’ he declared in ringing tones, ‘that all peoples who are prepared for self-government should be permitted to choose their own form of government by their own freely expressed choice, without interference from any foreign power.’ While the president’s remarks were construed by many among his listeners as a broad suggestion to Soviet Russia to alter its policy in setting up puppet regimes among her European neighbors, Mr. Truman went on: ‘That is true in Europe, in Asia, in Africa, as well as in the Western Hemisphere.’”

***

Julia Roberts
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Basketball Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens, who was born in Brooklyn in 1937; “Soap” creator Susan Harris, who was born in 1940; “NYPD Blue” star Dennis Franz, who was born in 1944; “Family Matters” star Telma Hopkins, who was born in 1948; Songwriters Hall of Famer Desmond Child, who was born in 1953; Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who was born in 1955; “The Talk” co-host Sheryl Underwood, who was born in 1963; “Still Standing” star Jami Gertz, who was born in 1965; Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Atwater, who was born in 1966; blogger and activist Matt Drudge, who was born in 1966; Oscar-winner Julia Roberts, who was born in 1967; Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix, who was born in 1974; “Ratched” star Finn Wittrock, who was born in 1984; and “Modern Family” star Nolan Gould, who was born in 1998.

***

LITERARY LANDMARK: “Gulliver’s Travels” was published on this day in 1726. Jonathan Swift’s masterpiece, set in such exotic locales as “Lilliput,” “Brobdingnag” and “Laputa,” was a satirical look at current events and human nature. The adventures of Lemuel Gulliver have been adapted numerous times for radio, TV and film.

***

MEDICAL MARVEL: Dr. Jonas Salk was born in New York City on this day in 1914. The Salk vaccine, which was introduced in 1955, was instrumental in the fight against the scourge of polio, one of the most feared diseases of the 20th century. Salk received the Medal of Freedom from President Jimmy Carter in 1977. He died in 1995.

***

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

Quotable:

“The American dream, to me, means having the opportunity to achieve, because I don’t think you should be guaranteed anything other than opportunity.”

— Basketball Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens, who was born on this day in 1937