July 11: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

July 11, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1923, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “Seven hundred and twelve people are still receiving financial aid from the Titanic fund, says the public trustee in his annual report. This subscription was raised by public contribution for use as a principal from which annual payments are made to dependents of passengers and members of the crew lost at the time of the sinking of the ship. It amounts to £290,813. The interest is distributed in pension payments to 104 dependents of passengers and 608 dependents of members of the crew.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1936, the Eagle reported, “President [Franklin] Roosevelt dedicated the vast Triborough Bridge today, and in turning the $60,300,000 structure over to the citizens of New York amid impressive celebrations he cited it as a symbol of how government, ‘if it is to survive,’ must recognize change and meet the new and costly needs of a more complex life. Flanked by Governor [Herbert] Lehman, Mayor [Fiorello] LaGuardia, members of the Triborough Bridge Authority, Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes and other officials, the president delivered his address from a platform built on a ramp of the bridge 35 feet above the heads of an audience of close to 3,000 on Randalls Island, the crossroads of the three tentacles reaching to Queens, Manhattan and The Bronx.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1936, the Eagle reported, “American Can has just signed a contract to furnish beer cans for the Anheuser Busch brewery, a similar arrangement having been made recently with the Ruppert brewery. These two brewers are among the largest in the country.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1943, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON, JULY 10 (U.P.) — The appropriate pleasantries had been exchanged, the dinner was over, President Roosevelt threw his napkin on the table, leaned back in his chair and told his guests — a select few — that he had an announcement to make. Turning toward General Henri Honore Giraud, in the place of honor at his right, the president remarked in a conversational voice that he had ‘just had word of the first attack against the soft underbelly of Europe.’ He talked for several minutes. He said that Allied troops had landed in Sicily. For the Axis, he said, ‘tonight is the beginning of the end.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1947, the Eagle reported, “The Public Service Commission today granted the Long Island Rail Road a temporary increase of 20 percent in commutation fares, to remain in effect until July 1, 1948. After that date permanent rates are to be established on the basis of a still-continuing investigation into the company’s finances and services. In addition to the commuter fare boost, the commission ordered increases of 13.63 percent in basic coach rates and 6.06 in Pullman charges. The increases, to go into effect on filing of new tariffs by the railroad, were ordered on the findings in an ‘interim’ opinion by Commissioner George A. Arkwright, which found that the Long Island was in need of additional revenue to meet operating expenses. Arkwright pointed out that the Public Service Commission will expect the Long Island to spend $16,000,000 in the next three years on improvement of its service and facilities. He added that, in his opinion, the ‘intermediate’ increases should be enough to eliminate the present operating deficit and give the company some return.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1953, the Eagle reported, “LONDON (U.P.) — The fall of Secret Police Chief Lavrenti P. Beria appeared today to signify the rise of the Red army. It also indicated that one-man rule of the Soviet Union ended, perhaps forever, with the death of Josef Stalin. A new era in the history of Russian Communism began with the dramatic and sudden ousting of the dreaded Beria, whose pince-nez glasses give him a meek, professional appearance. With Beria awaiting trial and possibly a Russian firing squad, the most important question now is: has the Soviet army taken over the real power — or part power? Unconfirmed reports beginning to filter through diplomatic channels past the Iron Curtain tell of a big troop concentration in and around Moscow on June 27. That was the day the members of the presidium went to the Bolshoi Theater without Beria. This seems to add weight to the suggestion that the army forced Premier Georgi M. Malenkov to purge Beria, top man of the rival secret police.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who was born in 1934; TV host Bill Boggs, who was born in 1941; “Last Exit to Brooklyn” star Stephen Lang, who was born in 1952; “Austin Powers” star Mindy Sterling, who was born in 1953; “Once and Again” star Sela Ward, who was born in 1956; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi), who was born in 1959; “Luka” singer Suzanne Vega, who was born in 1959; “Days of Our Lives” star Lisa Rinna, who was born in 1963; former N.Y. Knicks point guard Rod Strickland, who was born in 1966; “Grey’s Anatomy” star Justin Chambers, who was born in 1970; rapper and TV personality Lil’ Kim, who was born in Brooklyn in 1974; former N.Y. Giants linebacker Brandon Short, who was born in 1977; and tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, who was born in 1990.

Richie Sambora
Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP

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FIGHT TO THE FINISH: One of history’s most famous duels took place in Weehawken, N.J., on this day in 1804. U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr shot former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, who died the next day. Hamilton had insulted Burr and refused to make a public apology. Although Burr returned to Washington, D.C., to execute his duties as vice president, the duel ended his political career.

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LOVE AND MARRIAGE: “The Newlywed Game” premiered on this day in 1966. Four newly married couples competed for prizes on the popular show created by Chuck Barris. The winners were the husband and wife who best predicted each other’s responses. Bob Eubanks served as host for three incarnations of the show.

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

Quotable:

“The essence of style is a simple way of saying something complex.”

— fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who was born on this day in 1934