December 8: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

December 8, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1936, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “LONDON (A.P.) — Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin reached Fort Belvedere this evening — summoned by his King — presumably to receive the final decision of Edward VIII on renunciation of either his throne or Wallis Warfield Simpson. The Premier hastened over the icy roads from London in an hour and 15 minutes to enter the gates of the royal lodge in the gathering darkness, while suspense hung heavy over London, England and the empire. It generally was believed the decision, even if given tonight at Fort Belvedere, would be withheld from the public until Baldwin has an opportunity to communicate it to Commons. If the answer is abdication, the King might give the tip-off by quick flight from the country. Edward’s youngest brother, the Duke of Kent, was believed to have participated in tonight’s crucial meeting. He drove alone to Fort Belvedere this morning. There also were reports that the motorcar of the Duke of York, Edward’s heir-presumptive, had been seen entering a side entrance of the estate.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1941, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON (U.P.) — Congress today proclaimed existence of a state of war between the United States and the Japanese Empire 33 minutes after the dramatic moment when President [Franklin] Roosevelt stood before a joint session to pledge that we will triumph — ‘so help us, God.’ The Senate acted first, adopting the resolution by a unanimous roll call vote of 82 to 0, within 21 minutes after the President had concluded his speech. The House voted immediately afterward and by 1:13 p.m. a majority of the House had voted ‘Aye.’ The final House vote was announced as 388 to 1. The lone negative vote was cast by Representative Jeannette Rankin (R., Mont.), who also voted against entry into World War I. The resolution now has to be signed by Speaker Sam Rayburn and Vice President [Henry] Wallace before it is sent to the President at the White House. His signature will place the United States formally at war against the Japanese Empire, already an accomplished fact. The resolutions were before both Houses within 15 minutes of the time Mr. Roosevelt ended his seven-minute, 500-word extraordinary message.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1953, the Eagle reported, “President Eisenhower presents the free world’s views on how to deal with problems of the atomic and hydrogen bombs today in an unprecedented address before the United Nations General Assembly. His speech will contain an appeal to Russia to join with the Western Powers in a program to curtail production of the dread weapons and to control the uses of nuclear energy, it is believed. Fresh from the Big 3 conference in Bermuda, the President is expected to arrive in the city at 2 p.m. and go before the 60-nation General Assembly in a televised appearance a few minutes after 4 p.m. While Mr. Eisenhower is making his first formal UN appearance as Chief Executive of the United States, his views on ‘The Perils That Confront the World in This Atomic Age’ will reflect the thinking of Great Britain and France, as well. The speech was given the approval of British Prime Minister Churchill and French Premier Joseph Laniel during the Bermuda conference.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1953, the Eagle reported, “New York subway riders today had the assurance of Maj. Gen. Hugh J. Casey, chairman of the New York Transit Authority, that there would be no increase in the 15-cent fare. ‘The New York City Transit Authority does not propose to spend for any purpose whatsoever any amount of money that in the foreseeable future will necessitate an increase in fare,’ Gen. Casey told the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants last night in the Roosevelt Hotel. ‘We assure the people of New York that the present fare cannot and will not be increased above 15 cents because of the present labor negotiations,’ he declared. Negotiations for a new contract governing wages and working conditions of the 43,500 workers on the city-owned transit lines began yesterday between the Authority and the C.I.O. Transport Workers Union.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jerry Butler (The Impressions), who was born in 1939; Oscar-winning actress Kim Basinger, who was born in 1953; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Phil Collen (Def Leppard), who was born in 1957; political commentator Ann Coulter, who was born in 1961; “Desperate Housewives” star Teri Hatcher, who was born in 1964; “Nothing Compares 2 U” singer Sinead O’Connor, who was born in 1966; former N.Y. Yankees pitcher and Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Mussina, who was born in 1968; “Lost” star Dominic Monaghan, who was born in 1976; “Lost” star Ian Somerhalder, who was born in 1978; singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson, who was born in 1979; former NFL quarterback Philip Rivers, who was born in 1981; rapper and actress Nicki Minaj, who was born in 1982; eight-time NBA All-Star Dwight Howard, who was born in 1985; and “Soul Surfer” star AnnaSophia Robb, who was born in 1993.

AnnaSophia Robb
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

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WILD CHILD: Jim Morrison was born on this day in 1943. As the lead singer of the Doors, he is considered one of the fathers of contemporary rock. Known as “the Lizard King,” he brought avant-garde theatrics to his musical performances and mystical influences to his songs. He died of a drug overdose on July 3, 1971.

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THE END: John Lennon died on this day in 1980. The rock and roll legend was murdered outside his Manhattan apartment building by deranged gunman Mark David Chapman. The death of the international peace activist and former Beatle shocked the world. In 1985, New York City dedicated an area of Central Park frequented by Lennon as “Strawberry Fields.”

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THE ASH HEAP OF HISTORY: The Soviet Union ceased to exist on this day in 1991 when the republics of Russia, Byelorussia and Ukraine signed an agreement creating the Commonwealth of Independent States. The remaining republics, with the exception of Georgia, joined in the new commonwealth as it began the slow and arduous process of removing the yoke of Communism and dealing with strong separatist and nationalistic movements within the various republics.

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

Quotable:

“Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.”

— Rock and Roll Hall of Famer John Lennon, who died on this day in 1980