October 19: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

October 19, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1877, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “One of Chester’s Patent Fire Alarm Telegraph instruments has been placed in the office of the Eagle establishment. It is the first one of the kind put up in this city, and it works admirably. The simplicity of its construction makes danger of disorder very small. In a few weeks the Fire Commissioners expect to have these instruments throughout Brooklyn. Should any one of our neighbors desire to send out an alarm, they can do so, either day or night, from the Eagle office.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1912, the Eagle reported, “The inventor of the dictagraph wants his device placed in the offices of public officials. ‘Talking to the dictagraph’ would then be talking to the galleries. A stream of pure-minded politics would fill the notebook of the stenographer at the other end, and genuine trading would take place at the luncheon club or elsewhere. The only way in which it would be practicable to use the dictagraph in public offices would be to perfect a hypnotizing attachment which would exhale upon the suspected subject the proper exorcism to quiet his consciousness and permit his subliminal crooked personality to give him away. In time we may come to this, and when we do the dictagraph will be as useful in a bank as is an adding machine.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1925, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON — The first year’s operation of the 1924 Immigration Act, with its stringent quota provisions, has slashed the number of aliens coming to live in America in half. Immigration has been reduced during the last fiscal year from 706,896 newcomers to 294,314, a study of the official figures prepared by the Department of Labor reveals. Except for the war period, there are fewer aliens entering the United States today than at any period since 1848. The new immigration law, in the opinion of Labor Department officials, has done all that its sponsors predicted in the way of shutting down on the inward flow of foreigners to America.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1946, the Eagle reported, “Floyd Bennett Field was officially in the hands of the city today and the navy was in the process of moving out of the Administration Building and into the former Waves quarters at the south end of the area. Capt. Carlos Wieber, commanding the naval air station, yesterday signed a lease, drawn in general terms without mentioning any financial arrangements, which surrenders the field to the city on a temporary basis. The understanding is that the charge will be only $1 a year. Although no city officials were present at the signing, Capt. Wieber said that the permit authorizing the transfer would be forwarded to the City Council. A formal lease will be drawn up later. The present document allows the city to enter and prepare the field for commercial use.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1948, the Eagle reported, “PARIS (U.P.) — The United Nations Security Council today ordered both Arabs and Jews to accept an immediate cease-fire in the six-day-old battle of the Negeb. A report to the Council on the Palestine situation was marked by a bitter exchange between Dr. Ralph Bunche, acting Palestine mediator, and Aubrey Eban, Israeli representative. Eban charged that Bunche had not given the Security Council a complete and accurate report of the situation that led to the outbreak of fighting last Friday. Eban claimed that Israel accepted and Egypt rejected the truce commission’s proposal for United Nations supervision of Israeli supply convoys to Jewish settlements in the Negeb. The fighting started when Egyptian forces attacked a Jewish convoy Friday. Israeli sources claimed that their attack was in retaliation. Bunche in his report said the major blame for the fighting was on the Jews because they were too well prepared. Bunche, rebutting Eban’s claim that Israel accepted convoy supervision, charged that Israeli commanders in the field ignored agreements in principle reached between the Israeli government and the U.N. Truce Commission. This, Bunche said, was the crux of the new outbreak of fighting. He reiterated his charge that the Jews refused to accept convoy supervision. Local authorities failed to implement the agreements made by their government, he said. Bunche also rebutted an intimation by Syrian representative Baris el-Khouri that the Arabs co-operated but that the Jews didn’t. ‘Both sides have been guilty of obstruction,’ he said.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1953, the Eagle reported, “MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (U.P.) — Vice President Richard M. Nixon assured Australians today that isolationism is ‘dead’ in the United States. The touring American ‘good will’ ambassador spoke to members of the Victoria State Parliament at a lunch before flying to the Australian capital of Canberra. Nixon said a great majority of both Democrats and Republicans recognize the necessity for the United States to ‘assume its position of leadership in international affairs.’ ‘There will be no isolationism in America — it is dead,’ he told the legislators. The American Vice President said political differences between parties in the United States are ‘exaggerated.’ ‘In any government, when the rights of minorities are not protected, the days of free government are numbered,’ Nixon said. ‘Our system is like yours — we believe in freedom. Our responsibility is to conduct ourselves so our system of government will continue to represent the people.’ Nixon wound up his weekend stay in Melbourne by inspecting the site of the 1956 Olympics at the Melbourne Cricket Club stadium.”

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Evander Holyfield
Andy Kropa/Invision/AP

Rebecca Ferguson
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “Rock Your Baby” singer George McCrae, who was born in 1944; “3rd Rock from the Sun” star John Lithgow, who was born in 1945; “Harper Valley PTA” singer Jeannie C. Riley, who was born in 1945; political activist Grover Norquist, who was born in 1956; Grammy and Tony winner Jennifer Holliday, who was born in 1960; International Boxing Hall of Famer Evander Holyfield, who was born in 1962; “The Mandalorian” creator Jon Favreau, who was born in 1966; “South Park” co-creator Trey Parker, who was born in 1969; former “Saturday Night Live” star Chris Kattan, who was born in 1970; “Community” star Gillian Jacobs, who was born in 1982; and “Doctor Sleep” star Rebecca Ferguson, who was born in 1983.