April 28: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

April 28, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1902, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “Rear Admiral Arent Schuyler Crowninshield will hoist his flag on the battleship Illinois at the Navy Yard tomorrow and on Wednesday will sail for Europe to assume command of the European station. The Illinois has been at the local yard for two months and has been fitted up with palatial quarters for the flag officer. It is the newest and one of the biggest and most formidable battleships of the United States Navy. Admiral Crowninshield assumes his flag rank under most favorable circumstances. His is the choicest of assignments on sea duty, and to him has been given the choice of ships. He is to represent the United States at the coronation of King Edward, and will take a conspicuous part in the naval demonstrations incident to that event. The admiral’s wishes have all been respected, and his sea duty will be as pleasant as naval authorities can make it.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1930, the Eagle reported, “CHICAGO (AP) — The astral body ferreted out of the skies by the Lowell Observatory at Flagstaff, Ariz., is not a planet, in the opinion of Dr. William D. MacMillan, professor of mathematical astronomy at the University of Chicago, but a comet that countless eons ago may have been part of another solar system. The heralded ninth planet, Dr. MacMillan believes, will disappear within a few years and will not be visible again until the year 5000 A.D. ‘Astronomers in general have had the feeling that the Planet X, though highly interesting, is not a planet and has no connection with Lowell’s prediction,’ the astronomer said, referring to the forecast of a new planet made by the late Percival Lowell, of Harvard University.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1948, the Eagle reported, “LOUISVILLE, KY. (U.P.) — The Citation-Coaltown entry may be scaring away the owners of other three-year-olds, but today it began drawing what may be a record crowd of racing fans for next Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. The annual boom struck this town as the advance guard of fans descended on hotels and rooming houses in search of hard-to-get quarters. It was freely predicted that the crowd would swell to 100,000 or more by post time on Saturday. But there was no noticeable increase in the number of owners willing to challenge Citation and Coaltown. In the wake of Citation’s romping victory in yesterday’s Derby Trial at the Downs it appeared likely that the Calumet Farm ‘double dynamite’ entry might go to the post as the shortest favorite in Derby history. That would be less than the 2-to-5 prices on victorious Whirlaway in 1941 and losing Bimelech in 1940. Citation scored easily over three rivals in the Trial, finishing more than a length ahead of William L. Brann’s Escadru, with Howard Wells’ Eagle Look third and E.A. O’Neil’s Galedo last. Ridden by Eddie Arcaro, the Calumet colt covered the mile in 1:37 2/5 and paid $2.20 to win. There was no place or show betting.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1951, the Eagle reported, “VIENNA (U.P.) — Communist Hungary today freed Robert A. Vogeler, American industrialist serving a 15-year prison sentence as a Western spy, and announced that the U.S. had granted four major concessions to gain his release. Vogeler, pale and gaunt from 17 months in prison, crossed the frontier into Austria at 11:25 a.m. (5:25 a.m. Brooklyn time) and two hours later rejoined his jubilant wife in a tearful reunion in Vienna. At the same time, Hungary announced that the U.S. had agreed to grant these Hungarian demands in return for Vogeler’s release: 1 – Reopening of Hungarian consulates in New York and Cleveland; 2 – Lifting of Washington’s ban on travel by American citizens in Hungary; 3 – Restoration of Hungarian property recovered in the U.S. zone of Germany; 4 – Alteration of the wavelength of the ‘Voice of America’ relay transmitter in Munich, Germany, so as not to conflict with Radio Budapest’s frequency. There was no immediate indication whether the restoration of Hungarian property recovered by U.S. occupation troops in Germany will include the Hungarian crown jewels and the historic Crown of St. Stephen. Hungarian secret police turned Vogeler over to Arthur F. Tower, U.S. Consul-General for Austria, at Nickelsdorf on the border between Hungary and the Soviet zone of Austria. ‘I’m the happiest man in the world,’ he shouted to newsmen.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include former Secretary of State James Baker, who was born in 1930; former N.Y. Yankees closer Pedro Ramos, who was born in 1935; “Viva Las Vegas” star Ann-Margret, who was born in 1941; comedian and talk show host Jay Leno, who was born in 1950; former Allman Brothers Band keyboardist Chuck Leavell, who was born in 1952; “Battlestar Galactica” star Mary McDonnell, who was born in 1952; Sonic Youth founder Kim Gordon, who was born in 1953; U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, who was born in 1960; Baseball Hall of Famer Barry Larkin, who was born in 1964; “Lost” star Jorge Garcia, who was born in 1973; Oscar-winning actress Penelope Cruz, who was born in 1974; “Sin City” star Jessica Alba, who was born in 1981; and former NFL quarterback Blake Bortles, who was born in 1992.

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FOUNDER’S DAY: James Monroe was born on this day in 1758. The fifth U.S. president (1817-1825) was born in Virginia and fought in the American Revolution. Monrovia, the capital city of Liberia, is named after him, as is the Monroe Doctrine, which opposes further European colonialism in the Americas. He died in 1831 and was, along with John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, one of three presidents to die on Independence Day. He was also the last president to never be photographed.

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SOUTHERN CHARM: Harper Lee was born on this day in 1926. The Alabama native wrote the 1961 Pulitzer Prize-winner “To Kill A Mockingbird,” one of the most beloved novels of all time. The film version, starring Gregory Peck as the heroic Atticus Finch, won three Academy Awards. Lee’s only other novel, “Go Set a Watchman,” was released in 2015. She died in 2016.

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

Quote:

“The right of self-defense never ceases. It is among the most sacred, and alike necessary to nations and to individuals.”

— U.S. President James Monroe, who was born on this day in 1758