February 2: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

February 2, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1847, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “The regents of the Smithsonian institute have determined: 1. To offer premiums in money for the best original papers containing positive addition to human knowledge; 2. To pay for making researches in such sciences as they may select for their investigation; 3. To publish the papers that may be accepted, and the results of the researches that may be ordered; 4. To publish popular and brief accounts of the movements of the institute; 5. To establish and pay for free lectures to be delivered on useful subjects; 6. To establish a museum of natural science and the elegant arts, and a library of works in all the departments of human knowledge; 7. To publish a biography of Mr. Smithson, to be written by the vice president of the [United] States; 8. To establish exhibitions of new discoveries in science and the useful arts, to be given by the secretary and his assistant.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1861, the Eagle reprinted an article from the Jan. 18 edition of the London Times, which said, “The news just received from the United States is the most important that has come to us since the beginning of the present troubles. No one could read the intelligence from Washington and the letter of our New York correspondent without feeling that the present month is big with the fate of the American Union. We are almost afraid to give publicity to the apprehensions which prevail. The excessive confidence of the Northerners that all would end well is giving place to sharp anxiety, and, though they seem still to expect the preservation of the Union, it is evident that they look for events which must be most disastrous to American society. In short, if the Union lets South Carolina go, there is no saying what may go with it.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1954, the Eagle reported, “LOS ANGELES (UP) — An attorney said today James Roosevelt is considering suing his wife for divorce rather than separation because she made public the letter he gave her in 1945 detailing alleged marital infidelities. Mrs. Romelle Roosevelt, in her own separation suit, disclosed the contents of a letter signed by the former President’s son in which he listed the names of nine women with whom he allegedly had been intimate. At a press conference, Roosevelt said the infidelities with the women were ‘imaginary’ and the letter had been used by his wife for ‘blackmail.’ He said he signed the letter in an effort to keep his wife from making her ‘suspicions’ public and because he was ‘acutely conscious of the tremendous burden my father was then carrying as President of the United States and the horror of adding another to those burdens seemed to be overwhelming.’ The late President was then drafting the moves to bring World War II to a successful conclusion. Samuel Picone, Roosevelt’s attorney, said he will confer with Roosevelt tomorrow to consider amending his separate maintenance suit to include divorce. ‘My client originally asked only separate maintenance because he wanted to save his marriage,’ the lawyer said. ‘But now there is the possibility we will also ask for a divorce on grounds of mental cruelty. We also have until Monday to answer her separate maintenance suit.’ Lawyer Arthur Schifferman said Mrs. Roosevelt would not comment on Roosevelt’s ‘blackmail’ charge until ‘we have had a chance to discuss it.’ Roosevelt yesterday apologized to the women named in the letter and said, ‘I can emphasize their innocence and ask their forgiveness.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1954, the Eagle reported, “PUNXSUTAWNEY, PA. (U.P.) — The Punxsutawney groundhog made his annual groundhog day appearance today at 8:03 a.m. and cast a shadow three feet two inches long, followers reported after a secrecy-shrouded meeting atop nearby Gobbler’s Knob. Members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club said the ancient woodchuck waddled back into his den to sleep out six more weeks of Winter. According to an old tradition, if the groundhog had cast no shadow, Spring would have been at hand and his Winter-long sleep ended. A club spokesman said the furry coat of the grizzled old prophet had turned almost white since he last was seen months ago. ‘The old boy told us this sleep had been interrupted by atomic explosions which kept shaking his den,’ a club member said.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1963, the Eagle reported, “(UPI) — The New York Mets, bad as they are, still have a fatal fascination for a major chunk of the big town’s baseball fans. Advance ticket sales for ’63 are running well ahead of last season when the Mets drew 922,530 to the Polo Grounds for their inaugural campaign. The Mets will open again at the Polo Grounds but advance ticket buyers already have been informed where their seat locations will be if and when the club switches to the new Flushing Meadows Stadium during the season.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Graham Nash, who was born in 1942; “Star Trek: The Next Generation” star Brent Spiner, who was born in 1949; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Ross Valory (Journey), who was born in 1949; model and actress Christie Brinkley, who was born in 1954; “Guiding Light” star Kim Zimmer, who was born in 1955; “The Pretender” star Michael T. Weiss, who was born in 1962; “Rescue Me” star Adam Ferrara, who was born in 1966; former NBA forward Sean Elliott, who was born in 1968; former NFL wide receiver Donald Driver, who was born in 1975; “Hips Don’t Lie” singer Shakira, who was born in 1977; “Haven” star Emily Rose, who was born in 1981; “Clash of the Titans” star Gemma Arterton, who was born in 1986; and “Girls” star Zosia Mamet, who was born in 1988.