January 31: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

January 31, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1929, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “GENEVA (A.P.) — The so-called American plan for destroying the narcotic evil, under which each country would state its narcotic needs in advance and announce where its purchases were to be made, came up for discussion by the Opium Committee of the League of Nations today. The representatives of the Netherlands and Japan rejected the project as impracticable, while Signor Stefano Cavazzoni of Italy approved it. The committee, in its efforts to fight the flooding of the Far East by narcotics, has decided to publish a ‘black list’ of firms whose products continually figure in narcotics seizures.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1946, the Eagle reported, “CHICAGO (U.P.) — The 10 club owners of the National Football League announced today they have signed 309 players for the coming season and as far as they are concerned the ‘player war’ with the All-America Conference has ended before it started. The N.F.L. did not claim victory in their pen-and-ink showdown with the rival All-America. But in filing their reports to league headquarters here, the pro grid bosses said their contract campaign has been a whopping success.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1949, the Eagle reported, “A snowstorm swirled into New York City today after moving up from Dixieland in a whistling, scythe-like arc that was edged with sleet and freezing temperatures. The Weather Bureau warned that a ‘heavy accumulation’ was to be expected and that the snowfall would last all day. A similar warning last month preceded the third heaviest snow in the city’s history — nearly 20 inches. All airline flights from LaGuardia Airport were canceled when visibility dropped to about 150 feet two hours after the snow began to fall at 5:02 a.m. Temperatures, which will range in the low 30s, will dip down tonight when sleet will be mixed with the snow … A worried Sanitation Commissioner William J. Powell was on the job with his executive staff at midnight, long before the first flakes fell, and ordered 7,500 men to posts throughout the city. They manned 1,200 plows, 400 crosswalk plows, 98 sand spreaders and 50 snow brooms and went into action as the flakes piled up on the streets. At 9 a.m. all bridges were open but traffic had slowed down.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1952, the Eagle reported, “LONDON (U.P.) — Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip kissed their two children goodbye again today and left on their second tour abroad in four months. The royal couple boarded a British Overseas Airways plane for Kenya, British colony in East Africa, to start a five-month tour that will take them to Ceylon, Australia and New Zealand. King George VI, who originally planned to make the trip himself, was at the airport to see the young couple off. With him were Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and other officials, including representatives of the dominions. Prince Charles, 3, and Princess Anne, 17 months, have had two months together with their mother and father since they returned from their tour of Canada. Presumably because of the odd weather, the children did not come to London airport to see their parents off. A blustery wind chilled 500 spectators gathered for the departure.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1964, the Brooklyn Record reported, “The Rat Menace — Shame of New York — where ferocious demons of the slumlord attack helpless children by night and leave the mark of their deadly fangs. While City officials are passing legislation aimed to stamp out the creatures historically which have been ruinous to the world, in Brooklyn at the New York City Community College, the pied pipers are being groomed to practice their craft. The classes — on Rat and Pest Control — have been designed to teach persons already employed in the exterminating industry, or for City employees who are now working in fields related to rat and pest control. Presented in cooperation with the Department of Health, the course includes a study of pest control operations, public health considerations, knowledge of the diseases transmitted by rats and pests, pest control chemicals, rodent control, insecticides, insect control, and proper use of pest control equipment.”

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Kerry Washington
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Justin Timberlake
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include composer Philip Glass, who was born in 1937; Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, who was born in 1947; “A Different World” star Glynn Turman, who was born in 1947; Sex Pistols singer John Lydon, who was born in 1956; swimmer and Olympic gold medalist Shirley Babashoff, who was born in 1957; “Without a Trace” star Anthony LaPaglia, who was born in 1959; “Road House” star Kelly Lynch, who was born in 1959; news host Martha MacCallum, who was born in 1964; “Good Will Hunting” star Minnie Driver, who was born in 1970; “Arrested Development” star Portia de Rossi, who was born in 1973; former N.Y. Knicks forward Othella Harrington, who was born in 1974; “Scandal” star Kerry Washington, who was born in 1977; singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake, who was born in 1981; and singer-songwriter Marcus Mumford, who was born in 1987.

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BEST OF THE WEST: Zane Grey was born in Ohio on this day in 1872. The prolific author of tales of the Old West wrote more than 80 books that were translated into many languages. He is best known for the novel “Riders of the Purple Sage” (1912). He died in 1939.

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SECOND TO NONE: Jackie Robinson was born on this day in 1919. The Georgia native became the first African-American man to play major league baseball in the 20th century when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. He was named Rookie of the Year at the end of the season and was the National League MVP in 1949. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 and died in 1972.

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

Quotable:

“Life is not a spectator sport. If you’re going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you’re wasting your life.

— Baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, who was born on this day in 1919