July 5: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
ON THIS DAY IN 1848, a Brooklyn Daily Eagle editorial said, “FORT GREENE — The scene in Washington Park last evening was one of the most stirring and interesting that we ever witnessed on a similar occasion. The promised display of fireworks collected some twenty thousand persons of all ages, countries, sexes and callings. There was no brawling, no drunkenness, no expressions of dissatisfaction or disappointment, but all seemed to enjoy the display, or at any rate, the fine, cool air and the splendid view which was presented to the eye from every side. The dark horizon which rose above New York was illuminated by thousands of rockets which were sent up from every part of the broad expanse and could be distinctly seen, as they blazed along the sky. The earth and air were filled with sounds of rejoicing. The immense auditory which had assembled on the Green remained until the last piece emblazoned the liberty of 1776, and then swept down the hill in vast waves, still cheerful and happy, and went to their homes to finish up the day’s pleasures by exhausting the private stock of pyrotechnics which they had laid in for the occasion.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1947, the Eagle reported, “SEATTLE (U.P.) — Coast Guardsman Frank Ryman, 27, had a picture today snapped from the front porch of his home which authorities hoped would clear up the mystery of the flying saucers. Ryman said an enlargement of the shot made yesterday at the north end of Lake Washington showed a ‘white saucer’ that was neither an airplane, a cloud nor a silver balloon. He promised to release the picture today. Authorities were still skeptical that the mystery missiles were any sort of new aircraft as they checked scores of reports of the fast-moving shiny disks zipping through the sky over a large area of the Northwest yesterday. The pilot and co-pilot of a United Airlines passenger plane said they turned their craft off its course near Boise, Idaho, and chased a ‘strange object’ for 15 miles before it outdistanced them or disintegrated in the dusk. Capt. R.J. Smith and Second Officer R.E. Stevens, both of Seattle, said ‘we can definitely say that what we saw was not smoke, not a cloud, and not another airplane.’ Portland police in two radio cars three miles apart reported seeing a group of strange objects weaving in a ‘playful manner’ 10,000 feet above the ground over the southern suburbs of Portland.”
Brooklyn Boro
View MoreNew York City’s most populous borough, Brooklyn, is home to nearly 2.6 million residents. If Brooklyn were an independent city it would be the fourth largest city in the United States. While Brooklyn has become the epitome of ‘cool and hip’ in recent years, for those that were born here, raised families here and improved communities over the years, Brooklyn has never been ‘uncool’.