November 10: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
ON THIS DAY IN 1918, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON, NOV. 9 (AP) — The tremendous news from Germany that the Kaiser had decided to abdicate was heard in Washington with scarcely more than a ripple of interest. Everywhere the question was asked, ‘Has the armistice been signed?’ So far as the American government knew late tonight, it had not been signed, and the prevailing belief was that the German answer to Marshal Foch could not be expected before tomorrow. To members of the government and diplomats, who a few short weeks ago would have been amazed and gratified beyond belief, the announcement that William II had bowed before the will of the world was accepted as a thing to be expected. It was accepted as one of the acts in the great tragedy, surprising now only, perhaps, because it was enacted before instead of after the capitulation of the war machine about to be broken to pieces on the western front.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1929, the Eagle reported, “Armistice Day! War over! Peace at hand! No one who saw the delirious crowds on Nov. 11, 1918 can ever forget it. The joy and exultation that peace and victory had come. The sudden deliverance from the fear which lurked in every heart that some loved one was in constant danger at the front. A new day had dawned for the world, a new era had begun. The war to end war had been fought, victory had been achieved and it only remained to express that victory in a treaty of peace that would bring a new hope to humankind. Eleven years have passed since that delirious day when the entire population of New York City seemed to be milling up and down Fifth Avenue, our Avenue of Victory. The mad enthusiasm of that day has gone but the substantial achievement of victory remains. Has the war to end war ended war? Has the peace that was made a decade ago become enduring? These are questions we must ask ourselves on each recurring Armistice Day. It is only by asking them and trying to give the answer that we can remind ourselves of the true purpose of Armistice Day celebration. For in the hearts and minds of the world’s millions, Armistice Day has become Peace Day. It gives us occasion to study and analyze the world’s progress toward the organization and consolidation of world peace.”
Brooklyn Boro
View MoreNew York City’s most populous borough, Brooklyn, is home to nearly 2.6 million residents. If Brooklyn were an independent city it would be the fourth largest city in the United States. While Brooklyn has become the epitome of ‘cool and hip’ in recent years, for those that were born here, raised families here and improved communities over the years, Brooklyn has never been ‘uncool’.