April 23: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

April 23, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1935, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON — A powerful group of Republicans, probably the most effective coalition that could be formed from the remnants of the party that took a preliminary trimming in 1932 and a complete rout in 1934, has sent the following message to Herbert Hoover in no uncertain terms: ‘State publicly that you are not a candidate for the G.O.P. nomination in 1936 and we will work with you to defeat President Roosevelt and the New Deal. We will not co-operate with you in the slightest respect and will fight you to the last ditch unless you make a statement that is final and takes you completely out of the picture as a possibility against Roosevelt next year.’ This is the clear-cut message that has been given to Mr. Hoover in his so-called Paul Revere tour of the East and Middle West in the interests of revitalizing the party. It is one if by land and two if by sea, but none if by Hoover. He found the Republicans, despite their wounds, eager for battle against the Democrats, but, with the exception of a few loyal survivors of the ’32 earthquake, they were all for a new face at the head of the ticket.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1937, the Eagle reported, “LONDON (U.P.) — The Duke of Windsor, thoroughly angry after months of critical and intimate discussion of his life in British publications, has demanded withdrawal of the newest best seller about him. The senior partner of the Duke’s solicitors, Allen and Overy, told the United Press that they had demanded that the leading publishing firm of William Heinemann, Ltd., publishers of ‘Coronation Commentary,’ by Geoffrey Dennis, withdraw the book from circulation and publish a suitable apology on the ground that it libels the Duke. ‘Coronation Commentary’ will be published in the United States Monday and the publishers, Dodd, Mead & Co., of New York, said today they had received no protest from London regarding its release. Copies have been distributed to book sellers, the publishers said, and there was no plan to recall them.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1949, the Eagle reported, “HOLLYWOOD (U.P.) — Shirley Temple turned 21 today — but it didn’t make any difference in her bank book. She came into all those millions she earned as a baby star three years ago. How many there are exactly she isn’t telling. She thinks it’s bad taste. But people who know say it could be anywhere up to $5,000,000. ‘But nothing’s going to be changed,’ she said. ‘I didn’t turn into a millionairess overnight. It’ll be the same as it was when I was little.’ Legally, Shirley’s been in control of her millions ever since she turned 18. She’d been Mrs. John Agar for seven months by that time, and in California, a girl is considered ‘of age’ if she’s married and 18. ‘So Shirley’s had her money all this time,’ her mother, Mrs. George Temple, explained. ‘All those people who think she suddenly comes into it now that she’s 21 are three years behind time.’ ‘Actually my father and I handle my investments together,’ Shirley said. ‘He advises me and I make up my mind. He’s a business manager and a good one. I have no intention of firing him.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1963, Eagle columnist Steve Solomon wrote, “Brooklyn’s Gil Hodges had a short reign as the National League’s top right-handed home run hitter of all time. Gil, who earned the distinction late last season when he poled his 370th round tripper to pass the 369 home run total of Ralph Kiner, was sitting on the Met bench last week when Willie Mays hit number 371. The wondrous Willie seems destined to hold the reign for quite a while. In fact, among the active right-hand swingers, only two, Hank Aaron and Ernie Banks, are within striking range.”

Gigi Hadid. AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File

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Dev Patel. Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “The Six Million Dollar Man” star Lee Majors, who was born in 1939; “Fringe” star Blair Brown, who was born in 1946; “One Day at a Time” star Valerie Bertinelli, who was born in 1960; actor and comedian George Lopez, who was born in 1961; windsurfing legend Robby Naish, who was born in 1963; “Providence” star Melina Kanakaredes, who was born in 1967; “House” star Kal Penn, who was born in 1977; “Hart of Dixie” star Jaime King, who was born in 1979; “Slumdog Millionaire” star Dev Patel, who was born in 1990; “American Idol” winner Caleb Johnson, was born in 1991; and supermodel Gigi Hadid, who was born in 1995.

Valerie Bertinelli. Photo by Katy Winn/Invision/AP, File

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THE WHEEL IS COME FULL CIRCLE: William Shakespeare was born on this day in 1564 … and died on this day in 1616. In between, he wrote some of the world’s greatest literature, including “Hamlet,” “Henry V,” “Othello,” “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Tempest.” He contributed thousands of words to the English language and expanded the dramatic possibilities of blank verse, making it mimic the rhythm of speech even as he elevated speech to poetry.

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ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE: The first movie theater opened on this day in 1896 when a screen was installed in Koster and Bials Music Hall in Manhattan. Up until this time, people saw films individually by looking into a kinescope, a boxlike “peep show.”

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

Quotable:

“I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph.”

— actress Shirley Temple, who was born on this day in 1928