October 26: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

October 26, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1867, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “A New York paper calls attention to a local nuisance, which infests this city as well. The juvenile part of the population is active to the point of enthusiasm in the prosecution of manly outdoor sports. This is in the highest degree commendable, so long as the noble realization of the noble ambition does not interfere with the public use of the thoroughfares. But the practice of base ball, by junior improvised clubs, is getting to be an actual obstruction of the streets. If the game be played on the carriageway, not only are the limbs of both nines endangered, but travel is impeded. If the bases be located on the sidewalk, the pedestrian is in peril of nose by a twist ball from the pitcher, or of eye by a heavy stroke straight from the bat. If he escape these risks, his legs may be entangled among small boys making the several bases, until he is compelled to retreat hastily to the cobblestones. We suppose this is hardly a matter for the consideration of the National Association of Ball Players. It rather comes within the province of the police.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1918, the Eagle reported, “The soldiers who are passing through here on their way from homes in the Southwest where there is no frost rave over the autumnal foliage on Long Island. These globe trotters will find nothing to match it in the Louvre.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1943, the Eagle reported, “MOSCOW (U.P.) — Tens of thousands of Germans fled for their lives from the Dnieper bend today as powerful Russian armies crumbled the whole Axis southern Ukrainian front and smashed forward at a pace that gave promise of rolling the enemy back to Rumania and Poland by the end of the year. The German retreat in some sectors became panicky as demoralized troops abandoned tanks, guns and other arms in wholesale lots in their haste to escape through the steadily-closing jaws of a Soviet pincers that already was slashing through the mining center of Krivoi Rog in the north and probing the approaches to the Crimea in the south. Military experts in London believed the Germans have a 50-50 chance of saving at least half of their 600,000 men in the Dnieper bend if they launch a major counterattack. If they are unable to muster sufficient reserves for such a large-scale countereffort, their chances of extricating even 300,000 men were regarded as considerably less than even. The Nazi Paris radio said that all fronts in Russia had flared into battles of almost unparalleled violence with the Dnieper battle assuming ‘colossal proportions.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1945, the Eagle reported, “DETROIT (U.P.) — General Motors resumed its wage discussions with the United Automobile Workers (C.I.O.) today amid signs of growing Government pressure for general wage increases. The giant automobile manufacturing company stood firm on its refusal to set a precedent for industry by granting the wage increases, which, its officials said, would result in a mad upward spiral of prices. C.E. Wilson, president of General Motors, said the 30 percent wage increase demanded by the C.I.O. in major industries would ‘inevitably lead to inflation,’ which would prove ‘disastrous for sound economy.’ Walter P. Reuther, U.A.W. vice president, resumed the presentation of his ‘economic brief’ before General Motors officials at today’s conference, backed by a 70,853 to 12,438 vote by employes to tie up G.M.’s efforts to reach the market with a 1946 automobile with a strike if necessary to force their demands for a share of the profits. A similar overwhelming indorsement was expected from the counting of votes from a strike ballot taken among Chrysler employes yesterday. Mr. Reuther said the G.M. vote left him no alternative but to fight for the full 30 percent demanded by the union. Harry W. Anderson, G.M. vice president, said the current discussions would accomplish nothing ‘unless the union stops mixing talk about profits, which are not their business, with wages.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1945, the Eagle reported, “LONDON (U.P.) — An official source said today that an agreement between President Truman and Premier Attlee on the Arab-Jewish controversy in Palestine probably will be announced next week. From Cairo, meanwhile, came a roundabout report that King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia has summoned an American representative to Jedda and informed him that the Saudi Government will cancel American oil concessions if Mr. Truman continued an ‘anti-Arab’ stand. Arab sources in both Cairo and London had nothing to support the report, but said such a move would not surprise them. One Arab spokesman said that Saudi Arabia might break diplomatic relations with the United States if the President continues to favor the Jews. In predicting an early announcement of Anglo-American agreement on the Palestine question, the official London informant said Mr. Truman and Mr. Attlee had been in close contact on the matter for some time. The spokesman said Mr. Attlee would make a full statement on the purported agreement in Commons within the next few days. The statement first was scheduled to be made this week, but probably was delayed by the fact that Mr. Truman must agree on the date of the announcement. No details of the supposed agreement were known here. However, the diplomatic correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph said Britain may appeal to the United Nations to acknowledge that the Palestine problem was one which concerns them all. Britain’s attitude was said to be that Jewish immigration to Palestine was a question which affected Jews all over the world. Therefore, the Britons contended, all nations should contribute to the solution of the problem. A spokesman for the Jewish agency said it was standing firmly by its demands for abrogation of the British white paper limiting immigration to Palestine and for admission of 100,000 European Jews to the Holy Land. Parliamentary circles believed Mr. Attlee would not perpetuate the white paper, although his statement may announce only a temporary solution of the problem. There was no official confirmation of reports he might permit 25,000 Jews to enter Palestine.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1952, the Eagle reported, “The professional basketball season opened locally last night as the New York Knickerbockers faced the College All-Stars at Madison Square Garden. In the first game of the double-header, two National Basketball Association teams played, with the Boston Celtics defeating the Rochester Royals, 80-74. Bob Cousy of St. Albans, former Holy Cross College star, scored 22 points to pace the Celtics, who held a 35-33 lead at the half. Bob Wanzer also totaled 22 points for the Royals while the Celtics’ Ed Macauley and Rochester’s Odie Spears each tallied 12 points.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include jazz musician Eddie Henderson, who was born in 1940; “Charlie’s Angels” star Jaclyn Smith, who was born in 1945; “Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak, who was born in 1946; former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was born in 1947; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bootsy Collins (Parliament-Funkadelic), who was born in 1951; artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel, who was born in 1951; “Grey’s Anatomy” star James Pickens Jr., who was born in 1954; actress and producer Rita Wilson, who was born in 1956; “The Practice” star Dylan McDermott, who was born in 1961; “The Princess Bride” star Cary Elwes, who was born in 1962; singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant, who was born in 1963; “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane, who was born in 1973; “Napoleon Dynamite” star John Heder, who was born in 1977; former N.Y. Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce, who was born in 1978; and figure skater and Olympic medalist Sasha Cohen, who was born in 1984.