April 7: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

April 7, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1871, a Brooklyn Daily Eagle editorial said, “GOOD FRIDAY. This holy-day of Passion week is rapidly becoming one of our regular days of holy observance, especially among the dutifully inclined of the High Church Episcopalian people. With the Roman Catholic population it always has been a holy-day. In England, Good Friday ranks almost with Christmas in regard to its strict religious observance, all business being suspended in Great Britain on that day.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1895, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON, D.C., APRIL 6 — The sensation of the hour in this city is the premature publication of the decision of the supreme court in the income tax matter. To say that the honorable justices of the highest court of law in this country were scandalized and shocked when they learned that a Western newspaper this morning had published the decision that they expected to render on Monday would be to describe their feelings in the mildest possible manner. The justices are simply wild with anger, particularly as this publication follows so closely upon direct charges recently made in the Eagle and other papers that there was a serious leak somewhere in the court. In this case, however, it appears that no one connected with the court is responsible, for there is good reason to believe that the decision published in Chicago this morning was purchased in this city by the paper in question from a man connected with the firm that has charge of printing the decisions of the supreme court.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1923, the Eagle reported, “When Jack Butler and Miss Ruth Malleck of Brooklyn stopped dancing at 10 o’clock today in Roseland they had established a new world’s record of 36 hours and 13 minutes’ consecutive dancing. The record of 33 hours established several days ago by Jean Besulterosy, the French art student, in Luna Park, Paris, was shattered by 3 hours and 13 minutes. The Brooklyn couple broke the French record at 6:46 a.m., but continued dancing in order to set a mark which would be almost impossible to equal. When they stopped dancing they did not faint or collapse, but sat talking comfortably.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1929, the Eagle reported, “Rebel attacks on Naco, straddling the Arizona-Sonora border, Saturday resulted in the wounding of four persons north of the international line. The insurgents gained a temporary foothold in a cemetery on the edge of the Mexican town but at a reported cost of many casualties. The War Department ordered 18 airplanes to Naco to prevent further bombings. The State Department asked that the rebel commander be sharply rebuked. The Navy sent a destroyer from San Diego to protect Americans in Sinaloa. For three hours Naco, Arizona, heard the whine of rifle and machine gun bullets. Citizens had been aroused before daybreak by an explosion which prefaced the attack. A reinforcement of 290 Federals arrived at Naco by train from El Paso, and joined their comrades in the trenches during the hottest part of the fighting. They were permitted to go by train from El Paso and to cross the border, apparently under orders from Washington. The Federal Army on the west coast occupied Culiacan, capital of the State of Sinaloa, without resistance. General Cardenas reported to Mexico City that the rebels were retreating to San Blas, near the Sinaloa-Sonora border.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1963, an Eagle editorial said, “With so much of every day’s news grim and foreboding, any glad tidings are doubly welcome. It is therefore a little surprising that the press has not paid much mind to some encouraging and important stories out of Formosa, the Chinese Nationalist stronghold. The news proves that foreign aid, when coupled with a will to succeed, can be valuable. Without that will, it is a waste of money. When President Chiang Kai-shek’s forces were driven from the Chinese mainland, it was a common prediction among the smart boys at the State Department that Formosa (Taiwan) would be a perpetual drain on the U.S. Treasury — and that corruption would destroy any possibility of economic improvement. As usual, the State Department’s pundits were wrong. For Formosa and the Chinese Nationalist regime there have become a kind of showcase of prosperity and efficiency in southeast Asia.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include former California Gov. Jerry Brown, who was born in 1938; author Iris Johansen, who was born in 1938; Oscar-winning filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, who was born in 1939; basketball player Zaid Abdul-Aziz, who was born in Brooklyn in 1946; Chiffons member Patricia Bennett, who was born in 1947; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer John Oates, who was born in 1948; former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who was born in 1949; “At Seventeen” singer Janis Ian, who was born in 1951; martial artist and filmmaker Jackie Chan, who was born in 1954; Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett, who was born in 1954; former heavyweight champion Buster Douglas, who was born in 1960; Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe, who was born in 1964; and former N.Y. Giants running back Tiki Barber, who was born in 1975.

Francis Ford Coppola
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

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PUT IT IN THE BOOKS: On this day in 451, Atilla the Hun sacked the city of Metz.

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BREW-HAHA: The Cullen-Harrison Act went into effect on this day in 1933. Beginning at 12:01 a.m., people could buy beer that was 3.2 percent alcohol by weight instead of the “near beer” they suffered with all through Prohibition. The public lined up on “New Beer’s Eve” at breweries in 20 states and Washington, D.C., and purchased 1.5 million barrels. April 7 remains an unofficial holiday celebrating beer in the U.S.

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SPECIAL DELIVERY: On this day in 1940, Booker T. Washington became the first African-American person depicted on a U.S. postage stamp. Born into slavery in 1856, Washington was an outstanding educator and the co-founder of Alabama’s Tuskegee Institute. As the dominant black leader of his time, he also served as an adviser to several U.S. presidents. He died in 1915.

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

Quotable:

“Anything you build on a large scale or with intense passion invites chaos.”

— filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, who was born on this day in 1939