August 1: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

August 1, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1848, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “DIFFERENT WAYS OF TELLING A STORY. – One of our exchanges says: ‘A large man-eating shark was captured off Cape Cod.’ Another newspaper reports the circumstance as follows: ‘A large man, eating shark, was captured off Cape Cod.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1901, the Eagle reported, “PARIS — Professor Blanchard in a paper read before the Academy of Medicine said the anopheles species of mosquito propagates disease, even leprosy. The Parisian culex mosquito is less terrible. He advised the destruction of the larvae by placing petroleum in stagnant water and sweet oil in drinking water.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1933, the Eagle reported, “HYDE PARK, N.Y. (AP) — President Roosevelt opened a special inquiry into means of battling the kidnaping racket in a conference today with Raymond Moley, intimate adviser and Assistant Secretary of State. The Moley conference follows closely the organization of an enlarged Bureau of Investigation in the Department of Justice. Mr. Roosevelt is determined to give full Federal co-operation to the States in the drive against stealing human beings. Also, there is indication he will suggest shortly to Governors of the States a uniform method of attack against this newest of rackets which is growing at an alarming rate. Observers here were inclined to place double significance to the Moley visit. He has been at odds with Secretary Hull over State Department policies, and persistent rumors have prevailed that Moley is to be given a new assignment. Marvin H. McIntyre, a secretary to the President, was asked what relation Moley’s office as Assistant Secretary of State had to the kidnaping campaign. He replied that Moley was an expert in crime study and had been called on for his advice. He said Moley was continuing as Assistant Secretary of State. There is some speculation here over whether Moley may be given the special assignment of drafting the new Federal legislation desired to aid the Government in fighting kidnaping and that he also will be asked to work out with the State governments the uniform system which the president wants to enable a united attack on the racket.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1939, Eagle columnist Ray Tucker said, “Anti-Rooseveltians who whooped the Hatch bill through Congress have awakened to the morning-after realization that they may have committed political hari-kiri. Although designed to cripple F.D.R.’s control of the 1940 convention — both Vice President Garner and National Chairman Farley backed it — it may have the opposite effect. Under the law only members of Congress and policy-making officials in the Federal Government may take part in politics or make contributions to a political organization. But it so happens that the men who make policies — the exempted class — owe their appointments to the President, while District Attorneys, United States Marshals, WPA Administrators, Internal Revenue Collectors, etc., pay first allegiance to their Senators and Representatives. The latter got them their jobs. Thus Congressional appointees’ hands are tied, whereas F.D.R.’s men can — and will — go the limit. They can still tell their subordinates — in a noble, indirect way, of course — how to vote. The measure also leaves Mayors and Governors free to exercise their patronage influence, and many of this class of officials — notably Mayor Ed Kelley of Chicago and Frank Hague of Jersey City, Governor Lehman of New York and Horner of Illinois — may be lined up in the New Deal camp next year. That’s why, within a few days after its passage, some of the Hatch measure’s sponsors sent private messages to F.D.R. begging him to veto the bill.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1939, the Eagle reported, “A jurisdictional dispute between two international stage unions affiliated with the American Federation of Labor threatened today to tie up the show business in New York City and the movie industry in Hollywood unless settled by the A.F.L. executive council. The dispute, long threatened by the Associated Actors and Artistes of America and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, flared into the open last night when George Browne, international president of the stagehands, gave a charter to Sophie Tucker for the American Federation of Actors, of which she is president. An immediate result was the suspension of Miss Tucker by Ralph Morgan, president of the Screen Actors Guild, who declared in Hollywood that ‘actors will never come under domination of the stagehands’ union.’ Browne’s action was a declaration of war on the A.A.A.A., which expelled Miss Tucker’s union July 14 and recognized the newly-formed American Guild of Variety Actors, headed by Eddie Cantor, in its place. The ouster followed a hearing on charges of misconduct brought by the A.A.A.A., the parent body, against Ralph Whitehead, executive secretary of the A.F.A. Mr. Browne declared last night that the immediate effect of establishment of the A.F.A. as an autonomous ‘performer’ division of the I.A.T.S.E. would be ‘to ensure that agents, employers and producers book only A.F.A. acts in any spot in which there is an I.A.T.S.E. stagehand or operator.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1952, an Eagle editorial said, “Well, we now have it officially from the Air Force that those dishes everybody sees flying around in the sky are harmless and, in fact, non-existent. This comes as somewhat of a disappointment to us. We have been much intrigued by the possibility of a friendly visit from inhabitants of another planet. After all, if there be such creatures so advanced that they have learned how to conquer the vast spaces which still defy mere earthmen, perhaps there would be other things they could teach us, such as how to beat the heat, how to cure a common cold, or how to prevent wars. But the Air Force says that flying saucers are just a ‘natural phenomena,’ a mirage, ‘radar ghosts,’ and or possibly a figment of our war-weary imaginations. Despite this expert information, it’s our guess that the saucer rumors will continue to fly and, when the thing is finally laid to rest, some other fantasy will capture our curious spirits.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include folk singer Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, who was born in Brooklyn in 1931; former U.S. Sen. Al D’Amato, who was born in 1937; “Weekend at Bernie’s” star Terry Kiser, who was born in 1939; “The Seduction of Mimi” star Giancarlo Giannini, who was born in 1942; “Smoking Gun” singer Robert Cray, who was born in 1953; “No Myth” singer Michael Penn, who was born in 1958; former N.Y. Knicks forward Kiki VanDeWeghe, who was born in 1958; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Joe Elliott (Def Leppard), who was born in 1959; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Chuck D (Public Enemy), who was born in 1960; Counting Crows cofounder Adam Duritz, who was born in 1964; Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes, who was born in 1965; Pro Football Hall of Famer Edgerrin James, who was born in 1978; “Game of Thrones” star Jason Momoa, who was born in 1979; and “Foyle’s War” star Honeysuckle Weeks, who was born in 1979.