November 23: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
ON THIS DAY IN 1890, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “Thanksgiving day, in the natural course of events, is due on Thursday. So is the great American bird, the turkey, and the greatest of all promoters of indigestion, mince pie. The horrors of the old-time nightmare which antediluvian tales tells us about are strangers to modern times, when balls, parties and other equally nice things are invented to make a fitting climax to the great holiday. There is almost as much patriotism manifested on Thanksgiving day as on the Fourth of July. Many courageous small boys go so far as to ring in fireworks and whistles and bells. Others observe it with a reverence corresponding to that on Christmas, and parade the streets in as grotesque a fashion as possible, soliciting gifts — or prizes, as they are called — to be eaten at night. All the factories are closed, the business places shut their doors, the busy wharves are deserted, the city officials take a day off, and the bulls and bears on Wall street let up on lamb and subsist on fowl for a short period. All spend the day in enjoyment. Some go to theaters, others visit their country relatives and those who are less fortunate go to the outskirts of the city. The sport loving people see various outdoor games and there are any number of them. A certain class is not so lucky. These are the unfortunate car conductors and drivers, who never get a holiday. They have their turkey, nevertheless; everybody gets that.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1898, the Eagle reported, “Unless there is a marked change in the weather during the next twenty-four hours, Poly and High School will play their annual foot ball game in Washington Park tomorrow under very disagreeable conditions. The presence of rain and mud makes comparatively little difference to the players, used as they are to exposure, but it is frequently more than a side consideration with the prospective spectator and it remains to be seen whether the ardor of the local rooter on Thanksgiving Day will stand the test of a storm. It is, of course, by no means certain that bad weather will prevail tomorrow, as the precedents of the last five years all favor sunshine, so despite the dubious signs, the first Thanksgiving Day game at New Washington Park may be played on a dry gridiron after all. If not, it will be the first time since 1892 that rain has placed a handicap upon the Poly-High School game. Yesterday the employees of the Brooklyn Baseball Club began work on the big field, but whatever lines were completed will have to be touched up anew before the match, as no lime can withstand a soaking like today’s and still preserve its freshness.”
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’.