December 11: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

December 11, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1923, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “HILO, HAWAII — Observation of the activities of the Hawaiian volcanoes has convinced Thomas A. Jaggar, volcanologist in charge of the Hawaii volcano observatory of the United States Weather Bureau, that an earthquake as severe as the shocks which caused the recent disaster in Japan will occur somewhere in the world within the next six months. Dr. Jaggar pointed out that in 1889 an earthquake about eight times as severe as the recent Nippon shocks raised the coastline of Alaska for miles and lowered other parts, so that a sound 300 miles long was formed, behind which rose the great Mount St. Elias range. According to Dr. Jaggar, who has just returned from a tour of the Tokio and Yokohama devastated areas, statistics show that a violent earth tremor occurs on an average of once every six months, and in the last 20 years there have been several monstrous disasters when the quake happened in a thickly populated district. Dr. Jaggar declared that in his opinion the loss of life and property in the Japanese disaster has been underestimated. He warned the people of Hawaii that the urban centers must never be allowed to approach the congested conditions existing in Tokio at the time of the calamity.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1936, the Eagle reported, “LONDON (AP) — The greatest empire on earth gave up Edward VIII as King today and placed his oldest brother, Albert Frederick Arthur George, on its throne. In three swift hours, the Houses of Commons and Lords approved the abdication of the 325-day sovereign who chose marriage to a twice-divorced American instead of his ancient crown. Then, with quick precision, a royal commission gave royal assent to the act. At 1:52 p.m. (8:52, E.S.T.) Edward the Eighth ceased to reign. At that very moment the quite Duke of York became King of England and the Dominions beyond the seas, Empire of India, Defender of the Faith … York, probably as George VI, will be proclaimed King at 2 o’clock tomorrow afternoon, with medieval pageantry, first at St. James Palace, later at the Temple Bar and Royal Exchange. But he will be King the moment Edward VIII signs ‘Edward R.I.’ to the abdication bill tonight … The Countess of Strathmore, mother of the new Queen, visited her daughter. Ten-year-old Princess Elizabeth, the new heir to the throne, accompanied her grandmother to a garden gate in the rear of the house when she left.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1946, the Eagle reported, “The Boys’ Club of New York, century-old organization helping east-side youth, will collect the proceeds of a special presentation of Liberty Films’ RKO Radio-released feature, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ on Friday, Dec. 20, at the Globe Theater. The presentation will be followed on Saturday by the world premiere engagement of the Frank Capra production which co-stars James Stewart and Donna Reed.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1954, the Eagle reported, “INDIANA, PA. (U.P.) — Jimmy Stewart, film actor, plays a ‘supporting’ role today at the wedding of his 82-year-old father to a Canadian widow in a home-town ceremony before about 40 friends. The lanky cinema star plans to be best man for his octogenarian father, Alexander Stewart, a widower who owns and operates the town’s hardware store. Stewart, a life-long resident of this small western Pennsylvania mountain community, will wed Mrs. J.J. Stothart of St. James, New Brunswick, at the home of Mrs. Robert Dingman, a next-door neighbor, and a niece of the bride-to-be. The elder Stewart was reported by his family to be ‘bursting with excitement’ over the impending ceremony. His famous son arrived after an overnight train ride from New York, accompanied by his wife, former model Gloria McLean. Stewart was first married in 1906 to Elizabeth Ruth Stewart, Jimmy’s mother. She was the daughter of a Civil War veteran and steel company founder. She died here Aug. 2, 1953.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1962, the Eagle reported, “The first joint meeting of striking printers and publishers since the start of the New York City newspaper strike broke up in less than an hour today and federal mediators sent both sides to do ‘serious homework’ on their respective positions. ‘They are far apart,’ said Stephen I. Schlossberg of the stands by the Publishers Association of New York and Local 6, International Typographical Union … The printers went on strike Saturday, leading to the closing of nine New York City dailies — which published one-tenth of the nation’s daily newspapers. The shutdown led to fears on both sides that the walkout would kill one or more of the metropolitan papers.” … After the joint meeting, Bertram S. Powers, president of Local 6, said: ‘We made the last proposal to the publishers, and today they proposed a retrogradation to extend the contract. That is a step backward.’ Powers charged the New York Times was using ‘strikebreakers’ to perforate tape for transmission to the West Coast and Paris for publication of editions in both areas … Amory Bradford, chairman of the publishers’ negotiating committee, disputed Powers’ strikebreakers charge. ‘This is not correct as far as I know,’ he said. ‘I would assume the Times is doing all necessary work in those parts of its operation not affected by the strike.’”

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Hailee Steinfeld
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Oscar-winning actress Rita Moreno, who was born in 1931; “Knots Landing” star Donna Mills, who was born in 1940; former Secretary of State John Kerry, who was born in 1943; “Mission: Impossible” star Lynda Day George, who was born in 1944; “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” singer Brenda Lee, who was born in 1944; “My So-Called Life” star Bess Armstrong, who was born in 1953; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jermaine Jackson (The Jackson 5), who was born in 1954; Motley Crue co-founder Nikki Sixx, who was born in 1958; Oscar-winning actress Mo’Nique, who was born in 1967; “The Italian Job” star Mos Def, who was born in Brooklyn in 1973; “Boy Meets World” star Rider Strong, who was born in 1979; and “True Grit” star Hailee Steinfeld, who was born in 1996.

Rider Strong
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

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STOPPING THE SPREAD: Robert Koch was born on this day in 1843. The great German physician and biologist discovered the bacilli that cause tuberculosis, cholera and anthrax. For his important work on tuberculosis, Koch received the 1905 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. He died in 1910.

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LITTLE BIG MAN: Fiorello La Guardia was born on this day in 1882. Known as the “Little Flower,” he served three terms as mayor of New York City (1934-45), leading it through the Great Depression and World War II. During a newspaper strike, he famously read the “funnies” to radio listeners. He died in 1947.

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

Quotable:

“It makes no difference if I burn my bridges behind me — I never retreat.”

— former New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, who was born on this day in 1882