March 12: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

March 12, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1874, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “The funeral of ex-President [Millard] Fillmore took place at 1:30 P.M. yesterday at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Buffalo, and the body lay in state from 9 A.M. till that hour.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1893, the Eagle reported, “The total eclipse of the sun, which occurs on the 16th inst., is exciting a good deal of attention among astronomers and is being looked forward to with more than usual interest. As far as this country is concerned there is nothing to anticipate in the way of sight seeing, as no portion of the eclipse will be visible here. The interest in the event is purely of a scientific character, but much is expected of it for several reasons which can be appreciated by the general public.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1905, the Eagle reported, “It looks as if the old Deadwood coach and its successors are doomed to utter extermination, the knell of these romantic vehicles having been sounded by the automobile manufacturers. The puff, puff of the internal combustion engine will soon be heard on the old coach roads of the Western mountains, instead of the hoof blows of six-horse teams and the reverberating crack of the driver’s whip. An automobile service is about to be inaugurated through the mining camps of Colorado and Utah. This innovation will be tried by the Uintah Railway Company and the coaches will make regular trips over the rough roads of that country, one of the routes laid out covering sixty miles.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1912, the Eagle reported, “ATLANTA, GA. — Despite the fact that the rain almost interfered, the Highlanders yesterday had the best workout since their arrival here, going through two hours of practice in the morning and lining up for a game in the afternoon. The Yannigans [rookies] and the Regulars had a five inning session, which was the first of the season. It resulted in a victory for the Yannigans by a score of 5 to 3. The drizzling rain that fell throughout the contest was accompanied by a raw wind that prevented the pitchers from using much speed.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1923, the Eagle reported, “Confirmation of the report that the 14th Infantry had received Federal recognition as a unit of the National Guard in the United States was received yesterday. The theory that the abolishment of the old New York Guard by Adjutant General Charles W. Berry would mean speedy federalization of the 14th was advanced by the Eagle more than a month ago when the general order was issued at Albany. The federalization of the regiment, of which Col. Frederick W. Baldwin is commander, has been a slow process. Red tape and delays in official channels was the cause of the tieup in the order. The outfit was given Federal recognition, company by company, until nothing remained to be federalized but the field and staff. Former United States Senator William M. Calder has been active in the movement. He declared at a review of the regiment last fall that he would not rest until he was sure that the 14th would receive Federal recognition. The ‘Fighting 14th’ has an enviable service record, having participated in the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, the Mexican border trouble and the World War. In the latter the 14th gave more than 1,300 officers and men to help form the 106th along with the old 23rd. Just recently the regiment was authorized by the Government to place the battle rings for World War service on its flags. The 14th henceforth will be known as 14th Infantry, New York National Guard.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1933, the Eagle reported, “Mae West once again has crossed the Brooklyn Bridge to play the local Paramount Theater, and in so doing has created history by being the only attraction to date to play both Paramount houses for five consecutive weeks. Miss West is appearing in her own original revue on the stage, and in her first starring picture, ‘She Done Him Wrong,’ on the screen. Georges Metaxa, star of ‘The Cat and the Fiddle,’ appears in the stage show, which features a cast of 50. Cary Grant, Owen Moore, Noah Beery, Gilbert Roland and David Landau support the star in ‘She Done Him Wrong.’ Although nearly one hundred thousand people saw Mae West at the Brooklyn Paramount during her previous engagement, during the week of February 24, so numerous were the requests for a return engagement that Manager Robert M. Weitman was obliged to recall her.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1947, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON (U.P.) — President Truman today appealed to Congress to provide $400,000,000 of financial and material aid — and military advisers — to bolster Greece and Turkey against threatened spread of Russian totalitarianism in the Middle East. He directly charged that Communists are trying to undermine the Greek government. The President put the historic decision up to Congress in a personal appearance before a solemn joint session of the House and Senate. Without directly mentioning Russia, Mr. Truman accused her of violating the Yalta agreement by forcing totalitarian regimes upon Poland, Romania and Bulgaria. To forestall a similar fate for Greece and Turkey ‘in this fateful hour,’ he said, the United States should take ‘immediate and resolute action.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1947, the Eagle reported, “HOLLYWOOD (U.P.) — The public still could buy a few seats today to watch film stars receive Oscars tomorrow night at the most lavish Academy Awards presentation in history. Hollywood’s number one production is open to the public for the first time this year, but despite a publicity barrage the 10,200-seat Shrine auditorium still was not sold out. The public was allotted 3,500 gallery seats for $3.60 and $4.80. Members of the movie industry can sit downstairs for $12.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1948, the Eagle reported, “DUBLIN (U.P.) — Drawings in the Irish Hospitals’ Sweepstakes continued today, and officials announced that Americans will not be able to participate in the June stakes. Sweepstakes officials said tickets for the next stakes will be withheld from sale in the United States for the first time in history. The decision was made because of currency restrictions which make conversion of prize money into American dollars difficult, it was said.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “Get Smart” star Barbara Feldon, who was born in 1933; International Motorsports Hall of Famer Johnny Rutherford, who was born in 1938; Oscar-winning actress Liza Minnelli, who was born in 1946; voice actor and singer Frank Welker, who was born in 1946; U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney, who was born in 1947; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer James Taylor, who was born in 1948; Iron Maiden founder Steve Harris, who was born in 1956; former Atlanta Braves outfielder Dale Murphy, who was born in 1956; “Lovecraft Country” star Courtney B. Vance, who was born in 1960; former N.Y. Mets and Yankees outfielder Darryl Strawberry, who was born in 1962; “Brooklyn South” star Titus Welliver, who was born in 1962; U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who was born in 1968; swimmer and Olympic gold medalist Jessica Hardy, who was born in 1987; and Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman, who was born in 1998.

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Special thanks to “Chase’s Calendar of Events” and Brooklyn Public Library.

Quotable:

“I’ve always thought ‘space station’ is a great name. It should be like a gas station where we go for service and supplies before heading further out.”

— Mercury Seven astronaut Wally Schirra, who was born on this day in 1923