February 6: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

February 6, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1936, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON (A.P.) — Representative [William] Sirovich (D., N.Y.) charged before the House Merchant Marine Committee today that Japanese craft operating off the coast of Alaska, ostensibly in fishing operations, are acting for military purposes. ‘These Japanese vessels,’ Sirovich said, ‘are taking soundings, exploring water depths, taking photographs of the coast line and spotting possible airplane landing fields and submarine bases. The New Yorker said Japan’s purpose ‘is to grab Alaska, in the event of war, to provide a food supply for the Japanese, a fish-eating people.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1947, the Eagle reported, “Sex education must begin early in childhood and continue through life, Dr. Alice Crow, assistant professor of education at Brooklyn College, declared yesterday before the American Social Hygiene Association. In calling for more adequate sex education in the schools, at home, in church and in social agencies, Dr. Crow declared, ‘Failure in marriage is more than likely to be failure in the sex relations between the husband and wife.’ Dr. Crow said that while there is a growing realization of the need for proper sex education, too much emphasis is often given today to sex abnormalities and sex delinquency among adolescents and children. She called for a more adequate control of the presentation of undesirable sex material in newspapers, magazines, on the radio and in the motion pictures. The prudishness of the Victorian era has given way to uninhibited behavior today among some people, Dr. Crow said. She added, however, that society is beginning to realize that ‘an intelligent understanding of sex and a desirable control of the urge must be substituted for either repression or the complete discarding of all inhibitions.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1952, the Eagle reported, “LONDON (UP) — King George VI died peacefully in his sleep early today and 25-year-old Princess Elizabeth became reigning sovereign of the British Commonwealth and empire. The new Queen, who will reign over one-quarter of the world’s surface and population, was vacationing in Nairobi, Kenya, an African colony, when the death of her 56-year-old father suddenly elevated her to the throne. She departed for London at once with her husband and prince consort, Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. They had been scheduled to sail from Africa tomorrow for a royal tour of Ceylon, Australia and New Zealand … Death came to the King at the same estate where he was born Dec. 14, 1895. He had reigned through 15 of Britain’s most momentous years. He succeeded to the throne Dec. 11, 1936, when his brother, Edward VIII, abdicated for the ‘woman I love.’ Edward became the Duke of Windsor.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1953, the Eagle reported, “PHILADELPHIA (U.P.) — The Government’s anti-trust suit against the National Football League went into a weekend recess today until Monday when Gordon McLendon, founder of the Liberty Broadcasting System, is scheduled to resume testimony. McLendon, marking his second straight day as a Government witness yesterday, told Federal Judge Allan K. Grim that his 400-station network went bankrupt partly because of major league baseball and professional football restrictions. He said the limitations so reduced his revenue and programming that he had to abandon the network last year. He has filed a $12,000,000 suit against organized baseball.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1954, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON (U.P.) — The Administration’s plan to boost postal rates $240,000,000 a year today appeared headed for a tough fight and a doubtful fate in the House. Republican leaders, aware that some members of their own party oppose the bill, shied away from predicting the measure would pass. Representative John W. McCormack (D., Mass.), the Democratic whip, said flatly, ‘It doesn’t have a chance.’ The House Post Office Committee, by a reported vote of 13 to 7, approved the postal increase bill yesterday. The committee was said to have acted under heavy White House pressure. The measure would boost by one cent the present three-cent stamp for out-of-town first-class letters and the present six-cent air mail stamp. It also proposes increases in postage rates for newspapers, magazines, circulars and other types of mail. President Eisenhower had asked for the increase to help meet an anticipated postal deficit of $307,000,000 for the fiscal year beginning July 1.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “Untamed Youth” star Mamie Van Doren, who was born in 1931; “M*A*S*H” star Mike Farrell, who was born in 1939; news anchor Tom Brokaw, who was born in 1940; “Tiger” singer Fabian Forte, who was born in 1943; “L.A. Law” star Michael Tucker, who was born in 1944; Archbishop of New York Timothy Cardinal Dolan, who was born in 1950; “The Five Heartbeats” director Robert Townsend, who was born in 1957; “Millennium” star Megan Gallagher, who was born in 1960; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Axl Rose, who was born in 1962; “Together Forever” singer Rick Astley, who was born in 1966; former N.Y. Yankees pitcher Bob Wickman, who was born in 1969; “Dirt” star Josh Stewart, who was born in 1977; “Iron Fist” star Alice Eve, who was born in 1982; former Brooklyn Nets forward Kris Humphries, who was born in 1985; former N.Y. Jets wide receiver Jermaine Kearse, who was born in 1990; and singer and actress Tinashe, who was born in 1993.

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THE KING OF NEW YORK: Babe Ruth was born on this day in 1895. The Baltimore native was one of baseball’s greatest heroes and a bigger-than-life character. The “Sultan of Swat” hit 714 home runs across 22 seasons, played in 10 World Series, and still holds the career record for slugging percentage. He began his career with the Boston Red Sox but is best known for his 14 years with the N.Y. Yankees. He retired in 1935 and was inducted as a charter member of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. He died in 1948.

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THE MAN FROM ILLINOIS: Ronald Reagan was born on this day in 1911. The Illinois native was a sportscaster and film actor before he entered politics. He served two terms as the Republican governor of California (1967-74) and two terms as president of the U.S. (1981-89). The “Great Communicator” ushered in a decade of conservative policies and was an indefatigable critic of Communist states, famously challenging Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall” at the Berlin Wall in 1987. He died in 2004.

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

Quotable:

“Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.”

— President Ronald Reagan, who was born on this day in 1911