October 13: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

October 13, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1889, a Brooklyn Daily Eagle editorial said, “It is gratifying to observe that the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which has been and will for a long time be busy in strengthening the warlike arm of the republic, spares time to contribute also to the peaceful work of science. The Maine, nor any of her coming or already completed associates in the service, will depart on a more interesting voyage than that for which the Pensacola is now preparing. She is a wooden vessel and was a formidable belligerent in her day, although she would be readily knocked out of water by the weakest of the new comers. But her latest duty is not the least significant, as she carries the United States astronomical delegation to the eclipse of the sun. As this phenomenon will not come to us, and is visible nowhere in this country, we must go to it — at least those of us who wish to see it. The destination of the Pensacola is the western coast of Africa, and it is hoped that the company of professors and officers will secure complete success. Eclipses no longer frighten anybody, but they are of constantly increasing concern as the astronomers study them more closely and draw broader and original conclusions from their features.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1907, the Eagle reported, “Seated in the big flower trimmed winter garden of the Maison Delenne in West Seventeenth street, Manhattan, the Thirteen Club last night formally voted the big steamship Lusitania the official vessel of the club. Considering the vessel’s initial voyage a triumph over legendary nautical superstition by arriving here on Friday the 13th, with 313 first class cabin passengers and then docking at the foot of Thirteenth street, the Thirteen Club decided it was up to it to give a ‘Lusitania dinner.’ It was intended to have Captain Watts, the vessel’s commander, as the principal guest and a Marconigram of 113 words was forwarded to the ship, inviting him, but a previous engagement made thirteen days ago kept him away. Several of the ship’s minor officers attended, however, to represent him. Thirteen tables of thirteen each were filled and the diners sat down after the customary raising of umbrellas, spilling of salt, walking under ladders and other stunts sacred to the Thirteens, at exactly 7:13 to a dinner of thirteen courses, with thirteen cheers for the club’s speedy vessel. Colonel John Hobbs, chief ruler of the club, presided. Addresses were made by Captain Charles Campbell, an ‘old salt,’ who told of the superstitions of the sea, and Alderman Doull, who next told of the superstitions imaginary and real that visit the New York politician. George H. McAdam, George W. Stake, J.R. Abarbanell and others told all kinds of superstitions until exactly 12:13, which brought it around to the morning of the 13th, when the feast concluded with thirteen cheers.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1923, the Eagle reported, “‘The race is not always to the swift,’ according to St. Paul, and he might have added that the ball game is not always to the better pitcher. When the New York Giants beat the New York Yankees by 1 to 0 at Yankee Stadium yesterday afternoon before 62,407 cash customers, and thereby made the World’s Series to date stand two games to one in favor of the Giants, Sam Jones, the Yankee right-hander, pitched better than Artie Nehf, the Giant southpaw, as observation and the records clearly prove, but the Giants won because Charles D. (‘Casey’) Stengel crashed a home run into the right field bleachers off Jones in the seventh inning off a slow ball. … One swallow does not make a summer, but one hit may make a baseball winter, and the hit of C.D. (C.) Stengel yesterday was a case in point. When all is said and done, a home run is largely a matter of fortuitous circumstance, even when the batter is addicted to homers, as is Stengel or Babe Ruth. A man with a good eye and a lusty swing who seeks a homer hits a ball as hard as he can, and the rest is on the knees of the gods, hence we have never paid serious attention to homers as material from which to form an opinion of a pitcher’s ability.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1945, the Eagle reported, “Paramount, inaugurating an intensive program of original-story development, has put 10 original-story projects in work in the last two weeks. Anticipating a shortage in the story market in the transition from war to peace conditions, Henry Ginsberg, studio head, has started development of stories which will fit into the film-production program for late 1946. These projects, combined with novels and plays owned by Paramount or under consideration, will form a story pool larger than any in the history of the company. In the book field, Paramount is stimulating creative writing for screen use by commissioning authors in advance of the inception of story material.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1947, the Eagle reported, “JERUSALEM (U.P.) — A bomb exploded in the compound of the United States Consulate in Jerusalem today, slightly injuring two employes, and police blamed it on the Arab underground organization Jihad. As the bomb exploded, more than 2,000 Arabs of the Syrian-Lebanese Armies, including armored units, were reported to be maneuvering along the northern border of Palestine. The Jewish defense army Hagana alerted its men as far south as the center of Palestine. Police suspected the Jihad bombed the U.S. consulate in reprisal for the United States’ announcement of its support on Saturday of a proposal before the United Nations to partition Palestine into Arab and Jewish states. The Polish embassy was bombed yesterday — a few windows were broken — and the police blamed the Jihad and said the motive was the same. A few windows also were broken in the U.S. consulate and the consul-general’s dining room was slightly damaged. The two injured employes were cut by flying glass. Both of the injured employes were Palestinian women. Consul William Porter said 60 or 65 staff members were in the building when the bomb went off.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include disc jockey Bruce Morrow, who was born in Brooklyn in 1935; Gospel Music Hall of Famer Shirley Caesar, who was born in 1938; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Paul Simon, who was born in 1941; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Sammy Hagar (Van Halen), who was born in 1947; “The X-Files” creator Chris Carter, who was born in 1956; singer and actress Marie Osmond, who was born in 1959; Anthrax singer Joey Belladonna, who was born in 1960; former NBA head coach Doc Rivers, who was born in 1961; “In Living Color” star T’Keyah Crystal Keymah, who was born in 1962; Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, who was born in 1962; “Borat” star Sacha Baron Cohen, who was born in 1971; singer and actress Ashanti, who was born in 1980; U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who was born in 1989; “Stranger Things” star Caleb McLaughlin, who was born in 2001; and Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Cam Thomas, who was born in 2001.