May 8: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

May 8, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1941, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “On the heels of a report from Washington, D.C., that July 1 has been selected as the date for registration of approximately 1,000,000 men who have become 21 years old since the first selective service enrollment last October, an official at New York City’s selective service headquarters said today that another ‘gold-fish bowl drawing’ would take place shortly after that date. It is understood that the results of the new drawing would not affect the status of those now subject to call. If the order number of the new registrant is the same as that of a man selected as a result of last year’s registration, a letter will be merely added to one of the numbers and both men will be subject to call at the same time. The new registration will take place at the headquarters of the 6,500 local draft boards now functioning in the country and authorities said it would be a simpler job than the registration last year when 16,500,000 men, 21 to 35 years of age, signed up. The date for the new registration will be formally fixed in a proclamation by President Roosevelt.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1942, the Eagle reported, “Brooklyn has gone far beyond other parts of the city and state in organizing its civil defense services, Mary E. Dillon, chairman of the borough’s Civilian Defense Volunteer Office, declared last night at ceremonies opening headquarters for the Civilian Defense Council of the 71st Precinct at 322 Empire Boulevard. City Court Justice Edward I. Kelly, chairman of the local council, presided at the meeting attended by about 200 representatives of civic, fraternal and religious organizations.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1943, the Eagle reported, “ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, NORTH AFRICA (U.P.) – Triumphant American, British and French forces fanned out from newly-captured Tunis and Bizerte today to clamp a stranglehold on fleeing remnants of the Axis African armies, paving the way for an invasion of Southern Europe. In the climactic showdown, the arrogant German and Italian forces — battered and beaten by savage Allied onslaughts — surrendered or fled without attempting a real last-ditch defense of either Bizerte or Tunis.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1944, the Eagle reported, “LONDON (U.P.) — A 2,000-plane American air fleet struck the second stunning blow at Berlin in 24 hours and hit Brunswick today after battling through massed German fighters which tried out all the tactics in the book, including ramming the U.S. bombers. A thousand heavy bombers escorted by an equal number of fighters smashed through the blazing Nazi defense shield to drop 2,000 tons of explosives through clouds over Berlin, maintaining the unprecedented pitch of the pre-invasion bombardment on the first day of its fourth week.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1945, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON (U.P.) — This is President Truman’s 61st birthday. The president planned nothing elaborate. Just ending the war with Germany, a worldwide radio broadcast and a dozen or so conferences with government leaders. In the late afternoon he will go over to his residential quarters in the White House and have a birthday dinner with his wife, daughter and some close friends. Maybe after dinner he will play a few favorite tunes on the piano. This was actually the president’s first full day in the White House. The Trumans moved into the redecorated White House late yesterday. He made one of the most historic broadcasts ever given by a president at 9 a.m., announcing the official end of the war with Germany.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1945, the Eagle reported, “GI sons and daughters may not be able to send Mother’s Day greetings Sunday, but they’ve wrapped up the most important present they can give — victory over Nazi Germany and a running start in the Pacific war. The mother of 1945 has helped make some of the sensational headlines crowding in on this Mother’s Day. If she’s not actively serving the war effort in a defense job, she’s rolling bandages several hours a day, selling bonds and stamps or serving with the C.D.V.O. or the A.W.V.S.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “Gravity’s Rainbow” author Thomas Pynchon, who was born in 1937; Grammy-winner Toni Tennille, who was born in 1940; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Philip Bailey (Earth, Wind & Fire), who was born in 1951; former N.Y. Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni, who was born in 1951; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Alex Van Halen, who was born in 1953; Pro Football Hall of Famer Bill Cowher, who was born in 1957; football coach Lovie Smith, who was born in 1958; Pro Football Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, who was born in 1959; former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who was born in 1961; “Little House on the Prairie” star Melissa Gilbert, who was born in 1964; “King of Latin Pop” Enrique Iglesias, who was born in 1975; four-time NBA All-Star Kemba Walker, who was born in 1990; and actress and model Olivia Culpo, who was born in 1992.

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THE WEST IS WON: Germany surrendered to Allied forces on this day in 1945. Representatives signed the surrender document at Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s headquarters in Reims, France. President Harry Truman, in his proclamation, said, “Our armies of liberation have restored freedom to these suffering peoples whose spirit and will the oppressors could never enslave.”

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KINGS OF THE CITY: The Knicks won their first championship on this day in 1970, defeating the L.A. Lakers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. Willis Reed, who was injured in Game 5, inspired his teammates by starting the game and was named MVP of the series. He died at age 80 on March 21, 2023.

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

Quotable:

“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”

— novelist Thomas Pynchon, who was born on this day in 1937