May 10: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

May 10, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1908, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON, MAY 9 — The debate on the main features of the agricultural appropriation bill was practically concluded by the Senate today. Senator Smoot of Utah spoke at length in advocacy of the forest reserve service. Senators Lodge and Newlands also supported the policy of that service. Senator Clark of Wyoming reviewed at length what he said he regarded as the weakness of the forestry service. He declared that its opponents were not indifferent to the preservation of the timber lands of the nation, but objected to the methods practiced by the bureau of forestry and its present administration. In addition to the attention given to the agricultural bill, the Senate voted to send to the committee on the judiciary the resolution introduced by Senator Burkett of Nebraska, declaring tomorrow to be ‘mothers day,’ and suggesting that senators and employees of the Senate wear a white flower in honor of that day. Senator Kean of New Jersey proposed as a substitute a resolution embodying the fifth commandment: ‘Honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord, thy God, giveth thee.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1936, the Eagle reported, “Any day now the Queens police will be rolling up their sleeves for an annual bit of Spring cleaning that is partially a job of cleaning but mainly one of inspection. With the aid of the city narcotic squad, the Queens force will begin this week a fine-comb survey of all the weed-overrun lots of Queens, particularly those of the North Shore, for the marijuana weed that is used in making doped cigarettes. The annual survey is necessary. Devilishly persistent, like the terrible craving it creates, the weed sometimes defies efforts to remove it permanently. The people of Queens can swell out their chests on the narcotic conditions in their borough, according to Capt. Joseph J. Mooney, head of the city narcotic squad, who goes on to say that these chests would be swiftly deflated if a constant surveillance was not maintained, particularly in the Spring.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1937, the Eagle reported, “LONDON (U.P.) — Henry T. (Dick) Merrill and John S. Lambie, co-pilot, completed the season’s first flight from New York to London today when they landed at Croydon Airport at 6:39 p.m. (1:39 p.m. E.D.T.) after a brief halt at Northweald, Essex, about 20 miles northeast of London. By the stop at Northweald, Merrill just barely missed setting the record of being the first aviator to make a nonstop flight from New York to London. In the misty weather he overshot Croydon and came down at Northweald for bearings. The flight was made in 20 hours 34 minutes … Merrill and Lambie took off from Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, at 4:36 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, yesterday, promising their friends that they would return on Thursday with the first pictures of the coronation of King George VI … Merrill was to have carried newsreel pictures of the dirigible Hindenburg disaster, but at the last minute he was informed that ‘London has banned the films because it doesn’t want a shadow cast over the coronation ceremonies.’ However, he did carry ‘still’ pictures of the tragedy. The pilot, who made the two-way ocean flight last year with Harry Richman, described this trip as the ‘American Goodwill Coronation Flight.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1950, the Eagle reported, “Final plans and specifications for the proposed Brooklyn World War II Memorial have been approved by the War Memorial Committee’s board of directors, the committee announced today. Financed through funds raised by public subscription and designed as a tribute to Brooklyn’s 326,000 men and women who served the nation during the war against the Axis powers, the memorial will be built at a cost of approximately one-half million dollars on a site in the S. Parkes Cadman Plaza area of the Brooklyn Civic Center. The site, located north of Tillary St., between Washington and Fulton Sts., lies between Brooklyn’s century-old Borough Hall and the Brooklyn Bridge. Approval of the plans was voted at a meeting of the directors, who discussed the plans with Borough President [John] Cashmore, the memorial project’s honorary chairman. George V. McLaughlin, president of the Brooklyn War Memorial, Inc., presided.”

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Kenan Thompson
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

Missy Franklin
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Basketball Hall of Famer Jim Calhoun, who was born in 1942; “Airplane!” director Jim Abrahams, who was born in 1944; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Donovan, who was born in 1946; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dave Mason (Traffic), who was born in 1946; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bono (U2), who was born in 1960; supermodel Linda Evangelista, who was born in 1965; “Saturday Night Live” star Kenan Thompson, who was born in 1978; former N.Y. Knicks and Brooklyn Nets forward Wilson Chandler, who was born in 1987; “Prodigal Son” star Halston Sage, who was born in 1993; Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Missy Franklin, who was born in 1995; and Memphis Grizzlies point guard Tyus Jones, who was born in 1996.

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DANCING DAYS: Fred Astaire was born on this day in 1899. The Nebraska native began dancing with his sister Adele and in the 1930s he partnered with Ginger Rogers. After his first Hollywood screen test, a producer noted of him: “Can’t act. Slightly bald. Can dance a little.” Despite this, Astaire starred in more than 40 films, including “Holiday Inn,” “Silk Stockings” and “Easter Parade.” He died in 1987.

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GETTING IN TUNE: Maybelle Carter was born on this day in 1909. The guitar/banjo-playing Virginia native founded the Carter Family — the first country music stars in the U.S. The group combined influences of folk, bluegrass, rural country and gospel. Their hits include “Wabash Cannonball” and “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” Carter died in 1978.

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

Quotable:

“We didn’t have any instruments, so I had to use my guitar.”

— musician Maybelle Carter, who was born on this day in 1909