December 31: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

December 31, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1841, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “In accordance with the usual custom, and in order that all in our office may enjoy the festivities of New Year’s Day, we shall not issue our paper to-morrow.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1845, the Eagle reported, “A message was received from the House stating that the President had signed the Joint Resolutions for the admission of Texas into the Union. The Senate went into Executive session.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1864, the Eagle reported, “PHILADELPHIA — Hon. George M. Dallas, ex-vice president of the United States, died at his residence at 9 o’clock this morning. Mr. Dallas was well enough to be about yesterday.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1918, an Eagle editorial said, “As the Old Year ends and the New Year begins the American people stand at the threshold of an era of high endeavor, vast sacrifice and great hope. To look forward is better than to look backward, but we do not forget that our hopes and our aspirations for the morrow are founded upon what has been done in the past, we do not forget that the promise of 1918 rests upon the achievements and commitments of 1917. This year has seen the United States engage in a conflict which had its origin in Old World ambitions and jealousies. The last shred of the policy of isolation for which the Fathers of the Republic contended has disappeared. We are allied with democratic Europe in a life and death struggle with autocratic Europe; yet as a nation we realize that the alliance was essential to our own security as a free people, that we accepted the ideals of the free peoples across the seas because those ideals were as vital to us as to them, that the President was absolutely right when he said ‘the day has come when America is privileged to spend her blood and her might for the principles that gave her birth and happiness and the peace which she has treasured.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1933, the Eagle reported, “‘Hello 1934’ is the new burlesque at Billy Minsky’s Brooklyn Theater this week. A trio of versatile players have joined the ranks of Minsky’s Brooklyn cast. They are Dolores Dawson, Jack Greeman and Lou Costello. A chorus of 24 will be seen in dance routines, staged by Paul Brandeau. A drastic reduction of prices for orchestra seats will go into effect on Tuesday.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1940, the Eagle reported, “Musical revolution in radio will begin promptly at midnight tonight when the contract between 648 radio stations throughout the country and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, which controls a catalogue of 1,500,000 songs, expires. The traditional New Year’s Eve songs, including ‘Auld Lang Syne,’ ‘For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow’ and ‘Hail, Hail, the Gang’s All Here,’ will be available on all stations, however, because they have gone into the public domain due to copyright expiration. Broadcasting stations which have banned A.S.C.A.P. songs will fall back on 600,000 tunes controlled by Broadcast Music, Inc., an organization which grew up out of the radio music row. By twirling his radio dial, however, the average listener may make available to himself the songs of both catalogues.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1954, the Brooklyn Record reported, “A new wrinkle in commuting — coffee and doughnuts served at your seat as you ride to work — is being tested on the Long Island Rail Road. The experiment, which is being undertaken by the Union News Company through special arrangements with the LIRR, was limited at the outset to the 7:15 a.m. train out of Babylon (No. 111), which arrives at Pennsylvania Station at 8:26 a.m. after stops en route at Amityville, Massapequa, Merrick, Freeport and Rockville Centre. Union News vendors will serve coffee (at 15 cents a cup) and doughnuts (also 15 cents) to passengers at their seats during the 39-mile run. If, after a trial period of a week or two on the Babylon train, the innovation proves successful, it will be expanded to other trains, Union News Company officials said. In printed announcements which were placed in each seat of the Babylon train, Union News invites commuters to have ‘a light breakfast aboard the train rather than in your own home,’ then points out: ‘There are a lot of problems involved, and it may not work out. If it does, we plan to expand the service to other selected Long Island trains. If it doesn’t — well, we at least tried.’ The announcement, which carried the heading, ‘Want to Sleep a Little Later?’ also warns passengers: ‘Much as we’d like to give you a choice, we’ll be forced to serve the coffee pre-mixed with sugar and cream (which is the way the majority of coffee-drinkers seem to prefer it anyhow).’”

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Gabby Douglas
Fernando Frazao/Wikimedia Commons

Anthony Hopkins
gdcgraphics/Wikimedia Commons

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Oscar-winning actor Anthony Hopkins, who was born in 1937; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Andy Summers (The Pollice), who was born in 1942; Oscar-winning actor Ben Kingsley, who was born in 1943; fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, who was born in 1946; “Animal House” star Tim Matheson, who was born in 1947; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith), who was born in 1951; “V” star Jane Badler, who was born in 1953; “Cheers” star Bebe Neuwirth, who was born in 1958; “Top Gun” star Val Kilmer, who was born in 1959; Replacements co-founder Paul Westerberg, who was born in 1959; former N.Y. Mets pitcher Rick Aguilera, who was born in 1961; Anthrax co-founder Scott Ian, who was born in 1963; “MADtv” star Michael McDonald, who was born in 1964; “The Notebook” author Nicholas Sparks, who was born in 1965; businessman Donald Trump Jr., who was born in 1977; former NFL quarterback Jason Campbell, who was born in 1981; and gymnast and Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas, who was born in 1995.