September 17: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

September 17, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1923, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “The Yankees cannot lose the American League race. They may be tied for first place if Cleveland wins every game and they lose every one. But one more victory clinches their title to first place and a chance at the World’s Series. They won a doubleheader yesterday from the Indians, 4 to 2 and 3 to 2, before 60,331 cash customers — one of the largest crowds that ever cheered the home team to victory. Babe Ruth made his 37th homer of the season, and tied Cy Williams for the clouting lead. The Giants subdued the Cubs in Chicago, winning 10 to 6, despite a shower of pop bottles from the stands and bleachers. Barney Friberg of the Chicago team was the only man injured. He was struck on the shoulder by a bottle. The teams were even at the end of the sixth, but the Giants opened up in the lucky frame and put across four in a row.” (Editor’s note: On Oct. 15, 1923, the Yankees won the first of their 27 championships by defeating the N.Y. Giants in the sixth game of the World Series.)

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ON THIS DAY IN 1945, the Eagle reported, “DETROIT (U.P.) — The powerful C.I.O. United Auto Workers today gave the far-flung General Motors empire until tomorrow to grant a 30 percent payroll boost or face a strike vote in its 135 plants from coast to coast. Walter P. Reuther, U.A.W. vice president, said the union would wait until tomorrow before petitioning for a strike vote among G.M.’s 350,000 workers. It warned Ford Motor Company and Chrysler — the other two thirds of the auto industry’s Big Three — strike votes were slated for their sprawling systems next week unless the blanket boost was granted. Ford closed down its plants here and in other cities last Friday because of a strike at the Kelsey-Hayes Wheel Company, a Ford supplier. The U.A.W. tried unsuccessfully to end the wildcat Kelsey-Hayes walkout over the weekend. The U.A.W. executive board named Percy Llewellyn, co-director of the U.A.W.’s 1A region, as special administrator of the Kelsey-Hayes local. The strikers refused to obey Lllewellyn’s order to return to work. Less than 350 of the 4,500 strikers attended a meeting presided over by Llewellyn yesterday. They took no action on his request that they end the walkout which followed dismissal of 12 men for allegedly ejecting two foremen from plant departments. ‘The situation looks unfavorable,’ Llewellyn said, ‘but my job is to stay and try to get the workers back.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1950, the Eagle reported, “This Summer season appears to have broken all records for the number of visitors coming into Mexico. Young men and maidens, old men and children have poured in by plane, train and road, even by sea, and hotels everywhere are booked to capacity. The beautiful Pacific Coast resort of Acapulco is more popular than ever, and it is advisable to make sure of rooms by advance reservation, both there and in Mexico City itself. One of the reasons for this bumper crop of tourists is undoubtedly the very favorable rate of exchange, with the peso at 8.65 to the dollar. Prices have remained unchanged and a few dollars go a long way. As an instance of this, a taxi ride in Mexico City is still one of the best buys anywhere in the world, and a libre, or cab, can be hired for as little as 30 cents (U.S.) to almost anywhere in the city. Another reason for the immense popularity of Mexico is the ease with which it can be reached from almost any point in the United States; customs and immigration regulations have been reduced to a bare minimum, and the country begins to exert its exquisite charm from the moment of crossing the border.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1951, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON (U.P.) — President Truman described Soviet Russia today as the most dreadful tyranny the world has ever known. He said modern weapons, communications and propaganda methods make the power of the Kremlin ‘more effective, more violent and more far-reaching’ than any of the tyrants of the past. ‘The evils which Communism brought back into the world — the evils of political persecution and unrestrained state power — have grown and flourished and become much more terrible than they ever were before,’ he said. Mr. Truman spoke at the Library of Congress at ceremonies in which the originals of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were sealed in new cases which will protect the precious documents against further ravages of time.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Gemini astronaut Thomas P. Stafford, who was born in 1930; Baseball Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda, who was born in 1937; former U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter, who was born in 1939; Basketball Hall of Famer Phil Jackson, who was born in 1945; TV horror hostess Cassandra Peterson, who was born in 1951; comedian Rita Rudner, who was born in 1953; former N.Y. Mets closer John Franco, who was born in Brooklyn in 1960; “Friday Night Lights” star Kyle Chandler, who was born in 1965; rapper and producer Doug E. Fresh, who was born in 1966; “New York Undercover” star Malik Yoba, who was born in 1967; “MADtv” star Bobby Lee, who was born in 1971; former N.Y. Knicks forward Rasheed Wallace, who was born in 1974; Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin, who was born in 1985; and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was born in 1995.