February 21: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

February 21, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1885, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON (AP) — With the mercury down almost to zero, and with a northerly breeze which bore stinging suggestions of its Arctic origin, the sprinkling of ticket bearers who began to fill up the seats of the grand stand at the base of the Washington Monument at 10 o’clock this morning did not appear to be bent upon pleasure, but with their upturned collars, muffled chins and quick, nervous movements, they seemed as if inspired by a stern sense of duty alone. A rough board shed bedecked with bunting opened upon a snow covered field. The first distinguished arrival was an old gentleman with long white hair whose firm clear cut features betrayed a possible relationship to the Father of his Country. ‘Ticket, sir.’ ‘I am one of the Washington kindred, but I will show my ticket.’ It was Ebenezer Burgess Ball, of Loudoun County, Va. ‘My grandmother,’ he said to a reporter, ‘was George Washington’s niece. My Grandfather Ball was of the family of General Washington’s mother, Mary Ball.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1886, the Eagle reported, “The one hundredth anniversary of the birthday of Carl Wilhelm Grimm, the famous writer, will occur on the 24th inst. In honor of the occasion 100,000 marks have been subscribed toward the construction of a monument for the brothers Grimm, which will be erected in Hanau.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1895, the Eagle reported, “The sudden death of Frederick Douglass was appropriately noticed in the assembly this morning by a resolution offered by Mr. O’Grady of Rochester, where Mr. Douglass was for a long time a resident. The resolution was adopted by a rising vote.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1923, the Eagle reported, “The population of the continental United States on Jan. 1, 1923, was approximately 110,000,000, according to a preliminary estimate made by the National Bureau of Economic Research of this city and given out today. This shows an estimated gain of 4,500,000 since the date of the last Government census.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1951, the Eagle reported, “PITTSBURGH (U.P.) — County commissioners ordered two-thirds of the elm trees surrounding Joyce Kilmer’s memorial at South Park chopped down today so passersby could read, inscribed on a plaque, his famous lines: ‘I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1954, Eagle sportswriter Dave Anderson said, “Walter Alston, who so far seems unperturbed at the thought that he will manage the Dodgers this season, runs right into reality Wednesday when Spring training begins at the club’s base at Vero Beach, Florida. But the new manager will be supervising a financially contented group of players. The last unsigned veterans, Gil Hodges and Bobby Morgan, came to terms with Vice President Buzzy Bavasi yesterday at Vero Beach. Hodges received a $3,000 raise to $26,000, Morgan was increased $2,000 to $12,000. Only three of the 46 players on the Dodger roster are still unsigned and all are rookies — outfielders Sandy Amoros and Gino Cimoli and third baseman Jim Baxes. No holdout trouble is anticipated. Rookies always sign. So Alston won’t be troubled by any malcontents. All his regulars and heavy-duty pitchers will be on hand for the first workout except shortstop Pee Wee Reese and man-in-motion Jackie Robinson, not due until March 1. Actually, only pitchers and catchers are expected to be in uniform Wednesday. But the club invited all the other players to the early workouts and all but captain Reese and Robinson, who respect their ages, responded. Alston was prompted to succeed the departed Charley Dressen after winning the Little World Series last year at Montreal. Now Alston’s target is the World Series and a third straight National League pennant, in inverse order. Both would be new club records.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1956, the Bay Ridge Home Reporter said, “Negotiations between the Army and the Port of New York and Triborough Bridge Authorities are ‘nearly completed at the local level,’ Robert Moses said this week in reporting on the status of the proposed Narrows Bridge which he wants to build over military property at Fort Hamilton. The agreements, which will presumably involve shuffling some structures and facilities at Fort Hamilton to accommodate the needs of the bridge, will then be forwarded to Washington. Mr. Moses pointed out that ‘granting of a permit by the Army for construction of the bridge approaches on its properties is a prerequisite’ to building of the bridge. After the set-back suffered by the bridge people when the voters rejected a $750 million bond issue in November, Mr. Moses reported new reason to hope that Congress will provide the needed funds so that the work can begin. In a slap at critics of his efforts, Mr. Moses declared in his annual Triborough Authority report that ‘the prosperity of our people will be seriously affected’ if ‘destructive do-nothingness’ takes the place of ‘indispensable road-building.’”

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Jennifer Love Hewitt
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include music producer David Geffen, who was born in Brooklyn in 1943; “Cagney & Lacey” star Tyne Daly, who was born in 1946; “Star Wars” star Anthony Daniels, who was born in 1946; sportswriter Bob Ryan, who was born in 1946; former U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, who was born in 1947; “Sullivan & Son” star Christine Ebersole, who was born in 1953; “CSI” star William Petersen, who was born in 1953; “Frasier” star Kelsey Grammer, who was born in 1955; “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her” singer Mary Chapin Carpenter, who was born in 1958; Baseball Hall of Famer Alan Trammell, who was born in 1958; “Backdraft” star William Baldwin, who was born in 1963; astronauts Mark and Scott Kelly, who were born in 1964; “Ghost Whisperer” star Jennifer Love Hewitt, who was born in 1979; Oscar-winning filmmaker Jordan Peele, who was born in 1979; “Juno” star Elliot Page, who was born in 1987; and “Game of Thrones” star Sophie Turner, who was born in 1996.