July 25: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

July 25, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1901, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “The Brooklyn Bridge, which sagged several inches on the north side of its middle section yesterday afternoon, will not be repaired and opened for regular traffic for two or three days. Acting Chief Engineer Samuel R. Probasco of the Bridge Department announced this morning that he expected to replace the broken suspension rods within forty-eight or sixty hours, but he didn’t know that he would be able to do this. In fact, he acknowledged that he didn’t know anything about it. Despite the efforts of the bridge officials to belittle the incident, it is undoubtedly a serious one, and one that gives an alarming warning to a weakness in the bridge structure. Probasco says the accident is trivial and amounts to nothing, but to any observer it seems plain that when a whole row of the suspension rods that support the bridge are broken the situation is anything but trivial. Twelve of the rods that support the bridge structure are snapped. Seven of these rods are pulled right out of the nuts into which they have been screwed at their lower ends; three are snapped just above the nuts and the two other breaks are of the bands around the big cable and not of the rods themselves.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1929, the Eagle reported, “A sound film record — said to be the first ever taken of a wedding ceremony — will be made Saturday of the Hollywood nuptials of Harry Langdon. Langdon, who is now making dialogue comedies for Hal Roach, will be married to Miss Helen Walton, a Toledo, Ohio girl. The stipulation was made by Mr. Roach, who will loan the sound apparatus, that the comedian must be responsible for any damage to the light valve if he puts too much volume into his ‘I do.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1942, the Eagle reported, “BEND, ORE. (U.P.) — Approximately 250 central Oregon high school boys stand ready to protect the Deschutes national forest in event of fire. Rangers have started preliminary instruction of the corps, and the student fire fighters will ‘graduate’ about April in order to be ready for the Summer season.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1953, the Eagle reported, “PANMUNJOM (U.P.) — The two-year-old Korean truce negotiations apparently ended tonight and the date for the signing of an armistice was expected to be announced shortly by Gen. Mark W. Clark. Allied and Communist liaison officers held four suspense-packed meetings in the truce hut, adjourning finally at 6:30 p.m. (5:30 a.m. Brooklyn time). A brief official announcement said there would be no further meetings tomorrow, indicating that the business had been finished and the important announcement the whole world has been waiting for for more than two years would come from the highest military levels. The liaison officers, during today’s meetings, made final arrangements for signing the truce, which may take place tomorrow, either here or in separate quarters of the Allied and Red commanders.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1954, the Eagle reported, “Mr. and Mrs. George Skakel of Lake Ave., Greenwich, Conn., announce the betrothal of their daughter, Miss Ann Skakel, to John Henry McCooey, son of Mrs. John N. Gennerich of Bronxville, N.Y., formerly of Brooklyn, and the late Herbert McCooey. Miss Skakel graduated from the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich, and attended Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart. Miss Skakel’s sisters are Mrs. John J. Dowdle 3rd of Greenwich, Conn.; Mrs. Luan P. Cuffe of Dublin, Ireland, and Mrs. Robert F. Kennedy of Washington, D.C. and Hyannisport, Mass. Miss Skakel’s father is Chairman of the Board of Great Lakes Carbon Corporation. Mr. McCooey was graduated from Brooklyn Preparatory School and from Georgetown University in 1950. He is associated with McCarthy & McCooey, Incorporated. He is a grandson of the late John Henry McCooey. A fall wedding is planned.”

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D.B. Woodside
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jim McCarty (The Yardbirds), who was born in 1943; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Verdine White (Earth, Wind & Fire), who was born in 1951; Red Rider cofounder Ken Greer, who was born in 1954; model and actress Iman, who was born in 1955; Sonic Youth cofounder Thurston Moore, who was born in 1958; celebrity chef Geoffrey Zakarian, who was born in 1959; former N.Y. Yankees pitcher Doug Drabek, who was born in 1962; former N.Y Rangers left winger Tony Granato, who was born in 1964; “Friends” star Matt LeBlanc, who was born in 1967; “24” star D.B. Woodside, who was born in 1969; former N.Y. Mets pitcher Billy Wagner, who was born in 1971; former N.Y. Yankees pitcher Javier Vazquez, who was born in 1976; former NBA forward Kenny Thomas, who was born in 1977; and “One Tree Hill” star James Lafferty, who was born in 1985.