June 28: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

June 28, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1865, a Brooklyn Daily Eagle editorial said, “A very destructive fire occurred yesterday afternoon in Philadelphia, caused by an explosion of fireworks, and resulting in a loss of nearly $100,000. The fire originated in the store of Mr. Joseph B. Bussier, importer of fruits, wines, etc., Nos. 109 & 110 Delaware avenue. Mr. Bussier was also a dealer in fireworks, and had a large stock laid in in anticipation of the 4th of July. With such material the fire, of course, made short work of the two buildings … Several adjoining buildings were set on fire and damaged to more or less extent, and injury done by water … At this season of the year such fires are very liable to occur. We notice a number of stores on every block in our business thoroughfare packed with fireworks, which are displayed in the most careless manner, where men are smoking, and a single spark would start a fire that would involve danger to life and limb and the destruction of valuable property. The Fire Wardens would do well to exercise a supervision over such places.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1918, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON, D.C. (A.P.) — According to unconfirmed reports today the Bolshevik Government in Moscow has been overthrown, says a dispatch to the Exchange Telegraph Company from Copenhagen. Moscow, the report adds, has been captured by General Korniloff, supported by German troops. Advices from the same sources assert that Grand Duke Nicholas has been proclaimed emperor. Nikolai Lenine, the Premier, and Leon Trotzky, the Minister of War, are said to have fled to the Murman coast. General Kaledines is said to have co-operated with General Korniloff in the capture of Moscow. The Copenhagen newspapers, the agency dispatch adds, give prominence to a Berlin dispatch quoting the Tages Zeitung of that city as saying it had received a message from its Petrograd correspondent reading as follows: ‘It is believed here (Petrograd) that the Bolshevik Government will soon be overthrown and that Kerensky is the man of the future in Russia.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1929, an Eagle editorial said, “With their vacation plans completed, most of the teachers hail ‘the last day of school,’ June 28, with relief. Most of the boys and girls are hilarious. A million of them will be set loose in this metropolis to work their sweet will on the peace and quiet of their elders. Well-to-do parents will ship their youngsters off to camps as soon as that is practicable. But the major segment of the million have no out-of-town vacation of any length ahead of them and must get all the fun they can out of playgrounds, parks and public streets. ‘Go to it’ is the word passed along the line. The most crotchety adult in town cannot blame the children. If he is a bachelor or she is a spinster, the thought is inevitable that the parents of the pupils suffer most from this release of youth’s dynamic forces. The mother in a tenement house has no rest period. She will be glad when school begins again. As for the community, it has no remedy, but alleviative methods may be sought. One of the alleviative methods is to have every public school playground unlocked and free for play purposes continuously. Waive for the present the much-mooted question as to supervised play. Arguments on both sides are too inviting. Places where children obeying the herd instinct can come together freely will take thousands out of the way of motorcars. Incidentally all needless restrictions and rules about the use of parks and playgrounds should be absolutely abolished during this long summer vacation period.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1950, the Eagle reported, “TOKYO, JUNE 29 (U.P.) — North Korean Communist forces have captured the South Korean capital city of Seoul and are pressing southward in pursuit of South Korean troops reported fleeing in hopeless confusion. Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s headquarters announced ‘successful’ bombings of North Korean troop concentrations, truck convoys and railroad yards in the vicinity of Munsan. The Americans suffered their first plane losses — an F-82 fighter and a B-26 assault bomber destroyed aground by strafing after they made emergency landings south of Seoul. The U.S. air attack was concentrated on Munsan, 22 miles north of Seoul. General MacArthur’s communique said: ‘Units of the Far East air forces struck at targets in southern Korea in support of United Nations sanctioned retaliation opposing the Communist-directed attack from North Korea.’”

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Kathy Bates
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Oscar-winning filmmaker Mel Brooks, who was born in Brooklyn in 1926; Super Bowl V MVP Chuck Howley, who was born in 1936; actor and impressionist John Byner, who was born in 1938; former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who was born in 1938; former N.Y. Yankees pitcher Al Downing, who was born in 1941; “X-Men” star Bruce Davison, who was born in 1946; Oscar-winning actress Kathy Bates, who was born in 1948; “Star Trek: First Contact” star Alice Krige, who was born in 1954; Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway, who was born in 1960; former major league first baseman Mark Grace, who was born in 1964; “Some Kind of Wonderful” star Mary Stuart Masterson, who was born in 1966; “Ally McBeal” star Gil Bellows, who was born in 1967; “All in the Family” star Danielle Brisebois, who was born in Brooklyn in 1969; entrepreneur Elon Musk, who was born in 1971; singer and actress Kellie Pickler, who was born in 1986; and Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal, who was born in 1993.

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A WORLD IN CRISIS: Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie were assassinated in Sarajevo on this day in 1914. The assassination is considered the immediate cause of World War I. The Treaty of Versailles, which ended the war, was signed in 1919 on the fifth anniversary of their deaths.

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FIGHTING BACK: The Stonewall riot began on this day in 1969. Early in the morning, the clientele of a Manhattan gay bar, the Stonewall Inn, rioted after the club was raided by police. The riot was followed by several days of demonstrations. It is recognized today as the start of the gay liberation movement.

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

Quotable:

“Humor is just another defense against the universe.”

— filmmaker Mel Brooks, who was born on this day in 1926