January 2: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

January 2, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle History

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JON THIS DAY IN 1878, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “Mrs. Angelica Van Buren, widow of the late Colonel Abram Van Buren, and daughter of the late Colonel Singleton of South Carolina, died at her residence in New York Saturday. Mrs. Van Buren was ‘Lady of the White House’ during [Martin] Van Buren’s term, and was a very highly accomplished and elegant lady.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1898, the Eagle reported, “Nearly sixty-four years after its incorporation as a city on April 8, 1834, Brooklyn becomes a borough of the enlarged city, adding 65¾ miles to its area and 1,180,000 to its population. No masterpiece of fiction ever possessed a more varied and thrilling interest than the history of this city and county, from its first settlement by the Dutch near the Wallabout in 1623 down to the present time. On June 12, 1646, the little group of colonists organized a village, receiving a Dutch charter in 1653 and an English charter in 1665. This latter grant continued in force throughout the colonial and revolutionary period. By act of March 7, 1788, the Town of Brooklyn was incorporated simultaneously with the Towns of Flatbush, Flatlands, Gravesend, New Utrecht and Bushwick. New Lots was formed from Flatbush, February 12, 1852. The only other town in the county of state creation was Williamsburg, which was incorporated as a village April 14, 1827, and formed into a town from Bushwick in 1840.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1914, the Eagle reported, “Two New Year babies arrived at the Coney Island Hospital yesterday after the stork gave an exciting chase to the ambulance. The bird announced his impending visit to Mrs. Sadie Olinsky of Cropsey avenue, Bath Beach. When Dr. Munkittrick arrived, Mrs. Jacob Rich, who lives in the same house, found that the New Year’s call was intended for her also, and both women went to the hospital. The Olinsky baby was a fine 10-pound boy, and Mrs. Rich’s baby, which arrived later, proved to be a perfect little lady. It is an established rule at the Coney Island Hospital that if the stork is the victor in a race between himself and the ambulance, the doctor must buy dinners for the other doctors. Dr. Munkittrick escaped a double penalty by just a few seconds.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1920, the Eagle reported, “More than 14,000,000 women in suffrage States will be privileged to vote for President this year, even if the Federal suffrage amendment is not carried.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1944, the Eagle reported, “For the past five years Rep. Albert Gore has represented Tennessee’s 4th District in Congress. Therefore he had Congressional immunity from the draft. But he waived his immunity and to make himself eligible for the draft requested a leave of absence, which was duly granted. And so last week the 36-year-old legislator entered the army as a buck private, one of a group of pre-Pearl Harbor fathers inducted at Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1949, the Eagle reported, “NEW DELHI (U.P.) — India and Pakistan formally ended their months-old and indecisive war for the princely state of Kashmir one minute before last midnight. Essentially identical communiques issued here and in Karachi, capital of Pakistan, announced that the two nations had decided to heed a long-ignored United Nations cease fire proposal and devote their energies to arranging a plebiscite to decide which nation Kashmir will join. The Indian announcement said the only difference remaining to be settled was the question of the principles which should govern the Kashmiri plebiscite. If the proclamation proves effective it will end more than a year of a sporadic, seesaw war for the rich, beautiful mountain state whose borders touch both Pakistan and India.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1959, the Brooklyn Record reported, “This is the time of the year when people everywhere are thinking, planning, promising and contemplating ‘new’ resolutions for themselves, their families and their endeavors. For those looking forward to an ‘OPTIMISTIC’ New Year, the following suggestive Creed may be of helpful service, says the Optimist Club of Brooklyn: ‘THE OPTIMIST CREED. Promise yourself to … be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind … talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet … make all your friends feel that there is something in them … look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true … think only of the best, to work only for the best, and expect only the best … be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own … forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greatest achievements of the future .. wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile … give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others … be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1963, the Eagle reported, “LANSING, MICH. (UPI) — George Romney, a dark horse candidate for the 1964 Republican Presidential nomination, asked individual citizens to help him make ‘Michigan again command the confidence of the nation’ as he was inaugurated the state’s 41st governor. The 55-year-old former president and board chairman of the American Motors Corp. took his oath from Justice Leland Carr of the Michigan Supreme Court on the east steps of the capitol before a crowd estimated between 3,500 and 4,500 persons … Romney said, ‘Our troubles have focused the national spotlight on Michigan. Solving these troubles will focus the national spotlight on these solutions.’”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include photographer David Bailey, who was born in 1938; former NFL running back Calvin Hill, who was born in 1947; zoologist Jack Hanna, who was born in 1947; “Beverly Hills, 90210” star Gabrielle Carteris, who was born in 1961; former N.Y. Mets and Yankees pitcher David Cone, who was born in 1963; Baseball Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez, who was born in 1963; “Relic Hunter” star Tia Carrere, who was born in 1967; model Christy Turlington, who was born in 1969; “All-American” star Taye Diggs, who was born in 1971; “Idiocracy” star Dax Shepard, who was born in 1975; “Blue Crush” star Kate Bosworth, who was born in 1983; singer-songwriter and rapper Bryson Tiller, who was born in 1993; and San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr., who was born in 1999.