January 4: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

January 4, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1849, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “A writer in the Buffalo Advertiser expresses the conjecture that Col. [John C.] Fremont, who recently resigned his position in the army and left St. Louis with a numerous and carefully picked party for California, on his own resources, was well aware of the immense gold deposits on his route, and goes with the intention of enriching himself and his party therefrom.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1896, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON, D.C. — The President at 10 o’clock this morning signed the proclamation admitting Utah to statehood.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1904, the Eagle reported, “COLUMBUS, OHIO — The seventy-sixth general assembly convened today in biennial session. The Senate was called to order by Lieutenant Governor Harry L. Gordon, whose term does not expire until next Monday, when Warren G. Harding will be inaugurated.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1910, Eagle columnist William Bullock said, “One of our most enterprising monthlies proudly announces it has discovered a second O. Henry in a youth named P.G. Wodehouse. This is as good as discovering a second Buffalo Bill in Lord Dundreary, for Wodehouse happens to be more English than Punch, or Yorkshire pudding. Just the same, it is doubtful if a more interesting child of the pen has dropped in on us since Kipling came a raw youngster nineteen summers ago and gave a token of his mettle in his interview with Mark Twain, the famous occasion when the creator of Mulvaney almost made off with Twain’s corncob pipe. A second O. Henry, indeed! Henry, physically and mentally, is as much of an American product as our Western world of letters has ever given forth. He breathes, lives American life; he knows nothing but America, whether North or South, while the stripling who is said to resemble him grew up in the tea rooms of London and plays cricket on the ‘Authors Team’ with James M. Barrie, Conan Doyle and Anthony Hope.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1946, the Brooklyn Spectator reported, “While all New York listened attentively on New Year’s day to the radio transmission of the inauguration ceremonies at City Hall of Mayor William O’Dwyer, Bay Ridge had a special interest, as the Mayor has been for many years a resident of this section … Mayor O’Dwyer had arrived on schedule at 11 o’clock and had been greeted by former Mayor LaGuardia on the steps of City Hall and escorted to his office at the southwest corner of the building. There the government of the city was turned over to him, with wishes from Mr. LaGuardia for the best of luck, to which Mayor O’Dwyer responded that he hoped he would do as well as Mr. LaGuardia had done.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1946, the Spectator reported, “Tires came off the ration list Jan. 1, but it may still be some time before there’ll be enough to allow all motorists to get a complete new set. In announcing the end of rationing, OPA and the Civilian Production Administration said total production next year is expected to be about 66,000,000 passenger car tires, that is 13,000,000 more than ever produced in this country in a single year. As of now, however, the supply is not enough to meet all possible requests. The CPA therefore will continue to ban spares on new cars, production of white sidewall tires and tire export. In addition, OPA asked tire dealers to do everything possible to take care of hardship cases first and to distribute tires to a maximum number of motorists. The end of tire rationing left sugar as the only commodity on a ration list.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1950, the Eagle reported, “Georg Lober, secretary of the Municipal Art Commission, has been decorated with the Knight Cross of the Order of Daneborg by King Frederick IX of Denmark. Ambassador Henrik Kaufmann presented the decoration yesterday at the Danish Information Office, 588 5th Ave., Manhattan. It was bestowed in recognition of the artist’s work in promoting cultural relations between the United States and Denmark.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1950, the Eagle reported, “The third man in the radio booth at Ebbets Field this coming season will be a 23-year-old broadcaster from Fordham by the name of Vincent Edward Scully, more recently of the CBS weekly Football Roundup. Scully is even more tawny-haired than Red Barber himself. He graduated from Fordham in June and covered football, basketball and baseball on the air. Upon graduation he joined a station in Washington. He was associated with Barber in Red’s gridiron broadcasting this last Fall and handled the Boston U.-Maryland and the Harvard-Yale games. He received his letter twice in baseball in college. He replaces Ernie Harwell as third man in the booth behind Barber and Connie Desmond. Harwell is going over to the Giants to work with Russ Hodges.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1963, the Eagle reported, “The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is planning a trip soon to tell Europeans about our civil rights efforts. King is expected to be in London, Paris and Rome for major news-making appearances.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “It Came from Outer Space” star Barbara Rush, who was born in 1927; “Heaven Can Wait” star Dyan Cannon, who was born in 1937; historian and commentator Doris Kearns Goodwin, who was born in Brooklyn in 1943; businesswoman and fashion designer Tina Knowles, who was born in 1954; actress and performance artist Ann Magnuson, who was born in 1956; country singer Patty Loveless, who was born in 1957; “Max Headroom” star Matt Frewer, who was born in 1958; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Michael Stipe (R.E.M.), who was born in 1960; former NBA player Sidney Green, who was born in Brooklyn in 1961; “NewsRadio” star Dave Foley, who was born in 1963; “Sabrina” star Julia Ormond, who was born in 1965; country singer Deana Carter, who was born in 1966; former N.Y. Yankees pitcher Ted Lilly, who was born in 1976; and “Sex Education” star Emma Mackey, who was born in 1996.