February 3: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

February 3, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1913, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON — An income tax is now one of the provisions of the Constitution of the United States. Wyoming’s ratification today of the income tax amendment — the sixteenth change in the Constitution and the first since the reconstruction — completed a list of thirty-six states — three-fourths of this Union, which have approved the provision. Congress now will enact a law to levy the tax, and it probably will become effective during the extraordinary session to be called by President-elect [Woodrow] Wilson in March. The tax itself, its provisions and its limitations are all left to Congress. The new law probably would supersede the corporation tax and provide for a tax on all incomes above $5,000, although there has been some sentiment in favor of making the limit as low as $4,000. Congressional leaders who have been preparing for the final ratification by the states estimate an income tax would bring in about $160,000,000 a year to the government.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1923, the Eagle reported, “Assemblyman Alfred J. Kennedy of the Flushing district said today that upon his return to Albany next week he will introduce a bill in the Legislature legalizing the playing of football games on Sunday with a paid admission. Former Assemblyman Joseph H.S. Thomas of the Fourth District, Queens, introduced a similar measure last year but it died in committee.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1941, the Eagle reported, “Continuation of its drive for a higher rapid transit fare to place the city’s unified system on a self-sustaining basis and thereby relieve the budget of a subway deficit approximating $30,000,000 a year was announced today by the Citizens Budget Commission in its annual report. The commission charged in its report, which was signed by Maj. Gen. Dennis E. Nolan (retired), chairman, that the heavy subway deficits are a burden ‘the people can no longer bear. Our rapid transit system is city-owned and operated. It can and must be self-sustaining if the city’s finances are to be placed on a sound basis.’ Last year the commission proposed a 7-cent fare.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1947, the Eagle reported, “In what will be the biggest mass promotion in city police history, 91 members of the Police Department will receive promotions in ceremonies at the police gymnasium on Wednesday. Six more members, bringing the list to 97, may also receive promotions at the same ceremony. George P. Mitchell will be named chief of detectives. Two other top level promotions are expected to come from the ranks. These promotions will fill the vacancies created by the scheduled retirements of 3rd Deputy Police Commissioner Lyons and Deputy Commissioner O’Leary. Both Lyons and O’Leary are expected to retire Thursday. Emmanuel Klein will be promoted to the rank of acting captain, becoming the first Negro to reach that level in the department.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1961, the Bay Ridge Home Reporter said, “Five Bay Ridge elementary schools have been recommended as the ‘best’ in a listing of schools for Negro and Puerto Rican children to transfer into next year. The recommendation was made by a ‘Workshop for Equality’ being conducted at Siloan Presbyterian Church, 260 Jefferson Ave., for 350 parents of transferring elementary school students. The schools listed as ‘best’ are: P.S. 102, 211 72nd St.; P.S. 104, 92nd St. and Fifth Ave.; P.S. 127, 78th St. and Seventh Ave.; P.S. 170, 71st St. and Sixth Ave.; and P.S. 185, 8601 Ridge Blvd. On the junior high school level, P.S. 259, at 73rd St. and Ft. Hamilton Pkwy., was recommended. The ‘best’ classifications are based upon city-wide achievement tests which rate schools according to the reading level of grades, a ‘Workshop’ spokesman said. For free bus service (the point on which the transfer plan hinges) to transport elementary students to schools outside their neighborhood, the Board of Education said that the trip to school from the neighborhood must (1) take less than one-half hour; (2) be less than five miles or (3) involve more than 11 students. Parents would have to pay half of the cost of transportation if these qualifications are not met, according to the Board of Education.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1963, the Eagle reported, “SAIGON — The young West Point captain stood in the shade of a palm tree and watched the Vietnamese troops splash through the flooded rice field. ‘Sometimes I think people back home don’t know there is a war on in Viet Nam,’ he said. ‘My wife’s neighbors don’t even know where Viet Nam is.’ The comment was typical of the lonely, often frustrating and always intensely personal kind of war which U.S. fighting men are waging in Southeast Asia. There are now 12,000 American soldiers, sailors and airmen in Viet Nam. About 4,000 of these — field advisers, helicopter and airplane crews, pilots and special forces teams — have almost daily contact with the enemy.”

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Morgan Fairchild
Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Pro Football Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton, who was born in 1940; “Brighton Beach Memoirs” star Blythe Danner, who was born in 1943; Pro Football Hall of Famer Bob Griese, who was born in 1945; “Flamingo Road” star Morgan Fairchild, who was born in 1950; former major league outfielder Fred Lynn, who was born in 1952; “The Birdcage” star Nathan Lane, who was born in 1956; “ER” star Maura Tierney, who was born in 1965; World Golf Hall of Famer Retief Goosen, who was born in 1969; “Willow” star Warwick Davis, who was born in 1970; “The Great Gatsby” star Isla Fisher, who was born in 1976; “Despacito” singer Daddy Yankee, who was born in 1977; former N.Y. Mets first baseman Lucas Duda, who was born in 1986; and “Beautiful Girls” singer Sean Kingston, who was born in 1990.

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MAKING AMENDS: The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified on this day in 1870, granting that the right of citizens to vote shall not be denied on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude.

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SOUNDS OF SILENCE: On this day in 1959, rock stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson were killed in a plane crash near Mason City, Iowa. The tragedy was immortalized as “the day the music died” in Don McLean’s 1971 song “American Pie.”

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

Quotable:

“It’s perfectly OK to want to quit — as long as you don’t.”

— Pro Football Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton, who was born on this day in 1940