February 28: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

February 28, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1896, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reprinted the following editorial from the Phillipsburg (Montana) Mail: “This is leap year and the Phillipsburg maidens who are bent on matrimony (and which one of them isn’t?) may take the reins in their own hands and do the proposing themselves. During the past four years there have been a good many marriages, all happy, so far as the Mail knows; but the cold and undisputed fact still remains that there is a large number of pretty and buxom girls in this part of Montana who would undoubtedly make excellent wives for as many young men who will persist in remaining single. The question whether the young men are too bashful to ask the pretty girls, whether they have asked them and got it in the neck or have other reasons for not wanting to take upon themselves a better half is, of course, undetermined. But this being leap year, the true status of affairs may in a manner become known. This is the time when the pretty maiden may woo and propose to the man of her choice without fear of any derogatory criticism. It is her right, and time will tell to what extent she will take advantage of it.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1909, the Eagle reported, “President Roosevelt will say farewell to the Washington newspaper correspondents at the White House next Monday morning. The reception was arranged by the standing committee of correspondents of the press gallery.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1917, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON — With an overt act committed by Germany against American citizens and the Administration more sorely in need than ever of employing drastic measures to safeguard American rights, Congress is today in a whirl of confusion over the question of granting the President power to arm ships and take other necessary means to put American commerce back on the high seas. The Foreign Affairs Committee of the House has reported the Flood bill — which seeks to give the President power to protect the lives of American citizens and ships — after striking out the words ‘other instrumentalities’ and amending it so as to prohibit Government war insurance for ships carrying munitions of war. Although it is strongly probable that some kind of bill giving power to the President will pass, there is even an element of uncertainty as to that. The Senate filibuster, headed by [Robert] La Follette of Wisconsin, looms formidably. La Follette is prepared not only to bring about the defeat of appropriations bills, but to directly compass the defeat of the armed ship bill. Several pacifists are reported to be ready to follow his lead. A group of four or five could talk things to death in the Senate from now until Sunday noon.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1919, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON — Senator William M. Calder today made the following statement concerning the efforts of farmers of the country to repeal the daylight saving law: ‘I want to thank the Eagle and the other newspapers of the country for their splendid support of the Daylight Saving law, and for the effective way in which they have brought home to those interested in it the danger of its repeal. There is no doubt that the opposition to Daylight Saving is due entirely to the failure on the part of the farmer to adjust himself to changed conditions brought about by the enactment of this law last year, which has to a considerable degree inconvenienced some farmers; but it has been a tremendous benefit to the country as a whole, and should be continued.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1935, the Eagle reported, “ALBANY — Tammany Leader James J. Dooling was on the spot today as Governor Lehman called the State’s Democratic chieftains together at the Executive Mansion for a showdown on whether the 1935 Legislature will put through reapportionment. Unless the State’s legislative and congressional districts are revamped and inequalities in sectional representation eliminated this session, the Constitution bars such action until after the 1940 census. Postmaster General Farley and Vincent J. Dailey, his right-hand man in State politics, were on hand to help the Governor rub out intro-party opposition to redistricting, springing chiefly from Dooling’s camp. Unless Tammany agrees to the loss of seven Assembly seats, due to the shift in population in recent years from Manhattan, no Democratic reapportionment bill can be passed. So far Tammany has refused to go along, despite pressure brought by the Governor at a New York City conference last Sunday. Leaders have dropped the alternate plan of reapportionment, under which Tammany would lose only five seats, with Albany losing one and Monroe two. Leaders from the latter two counties will not stand for that proposition. Democrats from Queens County, which has been under-represented in the Legislature for years, are angered by the suggestion that there may be no reapportionment this year. There is a strong possibility that the Queens Senators and Assemblymen will go along with a Republican reapportionment bill, provided it gives the county the representation to which it is entitled. Some of the legislators from Kings and Bronx also might go along with a G.O.P. bill under those terms. This threat is one of the chief arguments to be laid before the Tammany district leaders. They will be told that the loss of seats under a Democratic reapportionment plan is more desirable than the same loss under a Republican setup, which will prevent the Democrats from breaking further into G.O.P. up-State territory.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1954, the Eagle reported, “Senator Homer Ferguson of Michigan has introduced into the Senate a resolution proposing an amendment to the pledge of allegiance to the flag, by inserting the words ‘under God’ in that pledge. The amended pledge would read: ‘I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, under God, with liberty and justice for all.’”

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Bernadette Peters
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include architect Frank Gehry, who was born in 1929; actor and director Tommy Tune, who was born in 1939; International Motorsports Hall of Famer Mario Andretti, who was born in 1940; “Gilmore Girls” star Kelly Bishop, who was born in 1944; “The Jerk” star Bernadette Peters, who was born in 1948; Oscar-winning actress Mercedes Ruehl, who was born in 1948; “The Bronx is Burning” star John Turturro, who was born in Brooklyn in 1957; “The Color Purple” star Rae Dawn Chong, who was born in 1961; “House” star Robert Sean Leonard, who was born in 1969; Hockey Hall of Famer Eric Lindros, who was born in 1973; “Heroes” star Ali Larter, who was born in 1976; “Anger Management” star Noureen DeWulf, who was born in 1984; former N.Y. Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman, who was born in 1988; and former Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Carlos Dunlap, who was born in 1989.