February 26: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

February 26, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1942, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON (U.P.) — As many as 15 aircraft, ‘probably commercial planes operated by enemy agents,’ caused the air-raid alarm early yesterday in the Los Angeles area, Secretary of War [Henry L.] Stimson said today. Stimson asserted at a press conference that on the basis of reports received by Gen. George C. Marshall, Army Chief of Staff, the planes over Los Angeles were ‘other than American army or navy planes.’ He disclosed that anti-aircraft batteries fired 1,430 rounds of ammunition at them. He said, however, he had no information on the 13-minute alert in the District of Columbia early today. Secretary of Navy [Frank] Knox said yesterday his information was that the Los Angeles air raid warning was a ‘false alarm.’ Authorities on the coast denied that, however. Stimson said none of the planes over Los Angeles was shot down, no bombs were dropped, there were no casualties among members of the U.S. military forces, and no American planes went into action. He read a report from Army headquarters in that area, which said ‘an investigation is continuing.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1949, the Eagle reported, “WHITE SANDS, N.M. (U.P.) — The altitude record of 250 miles set by a ‘two stage’ rocket traveling at 5,000 miles an hour put mankind one step nearer the time when manmade satellites will be shot into outer space to circle the earth forever, experts said today. The rocket, a German V-2 with a 700-pound ‘Wac Corporal’ rocket in its warhead, was shot into the sky over the White Sands proving ground and officials said ‘for all practical purposes’ it soared beyond the earth’s atmosphere … Military experts have agreed that the first nation to post satellites in the heavens could rule the earth.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1954, the Eagle reported, “The mad scramble for subway seats is expected to take on the aspect of a free-for-all in the near future. The City Transit Authority announced yesterday that the hard rattan seats used in subway cars since the 1880s will be replaced with plastic-covered foam rubber cushions.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1954, the Brooklyn Record reported, “World Day of Prayer, which had its origin in Brooklyn 67 years ago, will be observed on March 3, the first Friday in Lent. At every moment of that day, prayers will arise somewhere among 118 countries around the world and in 19,000 communities of the United States. Sponsored in this borough by the Brooklyn Council of Church Women, services will be held in churches, hospitals, released time schools, homes for the aged, and private schools. The service this year was written by the late Sarah Chakko, Christian Indian leader.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1960, the Record reported, “Continuing his ‘war on weapons,’ State Senator Frank J. Pino, D-B’klyn, has introduced a bill which would license all dealers in shotguns, rifles and ammunition, and require them to keep accurate records of all sales. Support for this measure was announced by State Supreme Court Justice John E. Cone, chairman of the State-wide Committee to Ban Teen-Age Weapons. Senator Pino, who serves on the weapons committee, said that today all types of guns are sold indiscriminately by dealers. The weapons fall into the hands of youngsters and are frequently involved in crimes of violence. By licensing the dealers, they will be quite reluctant to sell the guns to minors for fear of losing their license. It will exert a good control over the weapons. Also, by requiring them to record the names of purchasers, we add another safety factor, Pino said. He was joined in his demands by Assemblyman Irwin Brownstein, D-B’klyn.”

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Corinne Bailey Rae
Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP

Marta Kristen
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include actor and producer Bill Duke, who was born in 1943; businessman and activist Ronald Lauder, who was born in 1944; “Lost in Space” actress Marta Kristen, who was born in 1945; musician Mitch Ryder, who was born in 1945; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jonathan Cain (Journey), who was born in 1950; musician Michael Bolton, who was born in 1953; astronaut Susan Helms, who was born in 1958; U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, who was born in 1958; “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” actress Chase Masterson, who was born in 1963; singer-songwriter Erykah Badu, who was born in 1971; Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk, who was born in 1973; singer-songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae, who was born in 1979; and Olympic gold medal-winning skier Hannah Kearney, who was born in 1986.

Jonathan Cain
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

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HOW SWEET IT IS: Jackie Gleason was born in Brooklyn on this day in 1916. The musician, comedian and actor is best known for his role as Ralph Kramden in the TV comedy series “The Honeymooners.” He is also known for playing Minnesota Fats in “The Hustler” — which earned him an Oscar nomination — and Sheriff Buford T. Justice in the “Smokey and the Bandit” franchise. He died in 1987.

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A WAKE-UP CALL: The World Trade Center was attacked on this day in 1993. A 1,210-pound bomb packed in a van exploded in the underground parking garage of the North Tower, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000. The blast left a crater 200 feet wide and several stories deep. The fundamentalist Muslim cleric Sheik Omar Abdul Rahman and 14 of his followers were indicted for the bombing. Rahman was given a life sentence, and the others received prison terms of up to 240 years each.

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

Quotable

“The second day of a diet is always easier than the first. By the second day you’re off it.”

— actor Jackie Gleason, who was born in Brooklyn on this day in 1916