July 1: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

July 1, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1846, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “Yes, the anniversary of American independence is close upon us; and we hope (and feel pretty confident) that it will be commemorated in Brooklyn, with a goodly and patriotic spirit! The military companies are to turn out, and, under the management of the popular Gen. Duryea, the Chief Marshal, we feel sure that the turnout will be large, and well arranged. Also the civic societies of Brooklyn, and its trades and professions, will doubtless be represented in the procession, and on Fort Greene. The selection of the latter place was a most happy one! So closely identified with revolutionary reminiscences — identified with the Battle of Long Island, the first battle where Washington took command of the American army in person — the hundreds of martyrs from the Old Jersey Prison ship, and from the British prisons in New York , who were buried at the very base of the bill – is it not indeed the place of places, for a celebration of the 4th of July?”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1912, the Eagle published the following letter from E. Bridger, the mayor of Godalming, England: “As it may not be generally known that the fellow-townsmen of the late ‘Jack’ Phillips, the Marconi operator on board the Titanic, intend erecting a suitable memorial in Godalming, his native place, to commemorate his noble self-sacrifice in the discharge of his duties, may I ask if you will be good enough to insert this letter, giving notice of that fact, in your widely read paper? I think there may be many members of the public who would like to subscribe to the memorial, and, in particular, I feel sure that among the 780 odd persons whose lives were directly saved by the plucky way in which Jack Phillips stuck to his post, there must be many who would not like the memorial to be erected without having an opportunity of showing their appreciation of his conduct. Any subscriptions should be sent to the Town Clerk, Godalming, Surrey.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1918, the Eagle reported, “LONDON (A.P.) — Grand Duke Michael is reported to have issued a manifesto, stating that he considered it his duty to restore order and regenerate the Russian people, says an Exchange Telegraph dispatch from Moscow under the date of June 25. He calls upon the people to overthrow the present government. The Grand Duke’s appeal for the ousting of the Bolshevik government is based upon the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly, which was called to decide upon Russia’s form of government, the Bolshevik act resulting in the disintegration of Russia, the manifesto declares. Amnesty for past offenses will be granted all who take part in the revolution, the Grand Duke promises.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1948, the Eagle reported, “The five-cent fare is history. With no more fanfare than that attendant on the turning of a screwdriver, the counting of the last nickels and the handing over of a paper transfer, the 54-year-old nickel ride on rapid transit lines at midnight went into the pages which have recorded the fate of the horsecar, 20-cent-a-pound steak and other vestiges of ‘the good old days.’ First reports on this morning’s rush hour, the crucial test of the complicated new system of transfers, indicated the 1,150,000 persons who normally ride between 7 and 10 a.m. daily were taking the new arrangements more or less in stride. There was spot confusion, particularly when all the turnstiles at the IND Church Ave. station went out of order at once at the height of the rush hour. But transit employees pitched in, collecting fares by hand, and the crowds surged through open gates without more than a couple of minutes’ delay. In all, more than 100 of the IND turnstiles quit throughout the city, the Board of Transportation reported. Trouble developed when it was found the converted turnstiles won’t take two dimes at once. The second dime jammed the machines every time. Repairmen were rushed out and most of the machines were back in service in a few minutes.”

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Andre Braugher
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “An American in Paris” star Leslie Caron, who was born in 1931; “M*A*S*H” star Jamie Farr, who was born in 1934; Famous Amos founder Wally Amos, who was born in 1936; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Debbie Harry (Blondie), who was born in 1945; original “Saturday Night Live” star Dan Aykroyd, who was born in 1952; “Shame” singer Evelyn “Champagne” King, who was born in 1960; “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” star Andre Braugher, who was born in 1962; Faith No More co-founder Roddy Bottum, who was born in 1963; “Baywatch” star Pamela Anderson, who was born in 1967; rapper and producer Missy Elliott, who was born in 1971; “One Tree Hill” star Hilarie Burton, who was born in 1982; “Have Mercy” singer Chloe Bailey, who was born in 1998; and “It” star Chosen Jacobs, who was born in 2001.

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STAMP OF APPROVAL: The U.S. Postal Service issued its first stamps on this day in 1847, honoring Benjamin Franklin on the five-cent stamp and George Washington on the 10-cent stamp. Stamps had been issued by private postal services in the U.S. prior to this date.

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LIVE FROM NEW YORK: The first scheduled TV broadcast took place on this day in 1941 when NBC broadcast its signal from the Empire State Building. The FCC granted the first commercial TV licenses to 10 stations on May 2, 1941.

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

Quotable:

“The past, the present and the future are really one: they are today.”

— author Harriet Beecher Stowe, who died on this day in 1896