March 6: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

March 6, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1890, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “The nineteenth annual masquerade civic ball of the Hebrew Benevolent Association of Brooklyn, Western District, was held at Saengerbund Hall last night. It was for sweet charity’s sake and proved one of the most successful held by the organization … The event last night was really a celebration of Purim, which is made a day of great rejoicing among Hebrews throughout the world, as it commemorates the deliverance of the Jews from annihilation through the good offices of Esther.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1909, the Eagle reported, “There is a feeling among the advocates of the Fourth avenue subway that the committee of the Board of Estimate to which this much discussed matter was referred will vote in favor of approving all six sections at once, at the meeting which will be held Monday. It is claimed that President McGowan of the Board of Aldermen is in favor of the proposition and that Borough President Ahearn of Manhattan will vote for South Brooklyn if the courts leave him with a vote, and with the Brooklyn officials who are in favor of it, this will give a majority in the committee.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1953, the Eagle reported, “MOSCOW (UP) — Moscow’s millions swarmed to the Trade Union Building in the center of the city today to view the body of Josef Stalin as it lay in state awaiting the greatest funeral in Russian history. V.M. Molotov, Senior Vice Premier, appears to be in control of the government temporarily, but there is no assurance he will become Stalin’s successor. Georgi M. Malenkov, Communist party Secretary and former private secretary to Stalin, seems to have the most likely chance to emerge as the strong man. Meanwhile, in worldwide speculation of Stalin’s successor, it was recalled that Stalin, as successor to Lenin, delivered his funeral oration. It was contended in some quarters that Stalin’s successor might be disclosed similarly. But most speculation on a successor centered at the moment on Malenkov.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1954, the Eagle reported, “SAN JUAN (UP) — Police besieged Nationalist leader Pedro Albizu Campos in his home today, while authorities elsewhere on the island began a roundup of 37 other ‘dangerous’ members of the fanatic minority party that shot up the U.S. Congress last Monday. A police squad led by Capt. Benigno Soto went to Albizu’s home before dawn to arrest him and was met by a burst of gunfire. No one was hit, but Soto ordered his men back out of the field of fire and settled down to take further action later. Police Chief Salvador T. Roig said the other 37 Nationalists were being rounded up in raids ‘all over’ this U.S. island. It was not certain how many actually had been arrested … Albizu is president of the party that staged an abortive revolt here in October 1950, tried to assassinate President [Harry] Truman early in November of that year, and injured five members of the U.S. House of Representatives in a terrorist attack Monday.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1963, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON (UPI) — Health, Education and Welfare Secretary Anthony J. Celebrezze yesterday urged Congress to embark on a ‘bold and imaginative’ new mental health program. It is time, he said, for the nation to quit crowding mentally ill persons into antiquated 19th century state mental hospitals. He called for establishment of community centers that would not isolate patients from their friends and relatives. Celebrezze testified before a Senate subcommittee which opened hearings on President Kennedy’s mental health program. Committee Chairman Lister Hill, D.-Ala., sponsor of the administration bills, predicted Congress will pass them. ‘At long last,’ Hill said, ‘we’re going to really move in and wage a battle on behalf of mental illness and retardation.’ One bill would provide federal assistance of up to 75 percent of the total cost for construction of community mental health centers which would gradually replace statewide mental hospitals. It also would provide federal aid for staffing the institutions for the first four years of their operation.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include former CIA Director William H. Webster, who was born in 1924; former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, who was born in 1926; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), who was born in 1946; “Amen” star Anna Maria Horsford, who was born in 1947; “Stand by Me” director Rob Reiner, who was born in 1947; author and journalist John Stossel, who was born in 1947; Oscar-winning composer Stephen Schwartz, who was born in 1948; actor and comedian D.L. Hughley, who was born in 1963; “Friday Night Lights” star Connie Britton, who was born in 1967; “The Cutting Edge” star Moira Kelly, who was born in 1968; Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, who was born in 1972; and “Dead Like Me” star Ellen Muth, who was born in 1981.

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FIGHT TO THE FINISH: The Battle of the Alamo ended on this day in 1836. The siege, led by Mexican Gen. Santa Anna, began on Feb. 23 and reached its climax on March 6 when the last of the compound’s defenders were slain. Texans, under Gen. Sam Houston, rallied with the war cry “Remember the Alamo” and, at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, defeated and captured Santa Anna, who signed a treaty recognizing Texan independence.

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DAY OF DREAD: The Dred Scott decision was handed down on this day in 1857. Scott, a slave, had successfully petitioned for his freedom based on his previous residence in a free state and territory. The Supreme Court, however, ruled against him, with Chief Justice Roger Taney writing that slaves were property, not citizens, and that Congress had no power to restrict slavery in the territories.

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

Quotable:

“I’m tired of hearing about money, money, money, money, money. I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, wear Reebok.”

— NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, who was born on this day in 1972