April 4: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

April 4, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1915, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “Now that it has been decided definitely that the launching of the new battleship Arizona from the Brooklyn Navy Yard will take place 1 o’clock the afternoon of June 19, the workers in the yard are busy making arrangements for a banquet to celebrate the event. At a recent meeting of the men and officers, committees for the affair were selected from the various trades represented in the Brooklyn yard, the guests have been invited, and efforts are now being made to obtain the use of the Twenty-third Regiment Armory for the evening. The banquet is to be entirely in the charge of the workmen themselves, more than a thousand of whom are expected to attend. President Wilson, Vice President Marshall, the Governor of Arizona, who will take part in the launching exercises, and many other national and local officials will be among the invited guests, as will also the officers of the Navy Yard.” (Editor’s note: On Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese sank the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor, killing 1,177 officers and crewmen. Only 334 of the ship’s personnel survived. Lou Conter, the last survivor, died April 1, 2024. He was 102.)

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ON THIS DAY IN 1916, the Eagle reported, “With the opening of the Parade Grounds baseball diamonds in Prospect Park on next Saturday, a new system of issuing permits will be introduced by Park Commissioner Ingersoll for the convenience of baseball teams using the diamonds. Instead of issuing season permits and having the players go to the Parade Grounds on the morning of each day they desire to play and get their assignment to diamonds for the afternoons, all permits will be issued by mail. Requests will have to be made in writing and assignments will be made several days in advance. This will give the managers of teams time to complete arrangements for their games.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1926, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON, APRIL 3 (AP) — One of President Coolidge’s closest companions is a dog — Rob Roy, the snow-white collie which has supplanted the Harding Laddie Boy as canine boss of the White House. During the two years he has had the run of the Executive Mansion, Rob Roy has worked himself into the affections of the President. Frequently when his master returns to his office after luncheon, he trots along to take in a snooze in front of the fireplace, or curl up in a leather chair at the President’s elbow or look out the window, yearning probably for a run around the yard or out into the street with dogs that don’t have to observe White House etiquette.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1930, the Eagle reported, “Three youths who induced three girls to go shoplifting for them were given 90-day workhouse sentences in Minneapolis recently. When the girls were arraigned before the judge they admitted stealing shirts, ties and gloves in a downtown store. The judge asked what had led them to the thievery. ‘Our boy friends told us to do it,’ one of them answered. Then she explained that the youths had even furnished them with the size of their shirts so they wouldn’t take anything that was too large or too small. After hearing this explanation, Judge Fosseen sentenced the girls to 90 days in the workhouse, and then directed the police to round up the youths.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1940, the Eagle reported, “MILWAUKEE (U.P.) — President Roosevelt was assured of 22 delegates to the Democratic nominating convention and District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey of New York of 23 to the Republican convention, almost complete returns from the Wisconsin primary election showed today.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1940, the Eagle reported, “Beginning Tuesday, April 30, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of the President, will be a regular broadcaster on a commercial program over a national network of the National Broadcasting Company. She will be the star of the program, which will be devoted to ‘topics of interest to women,’ according to an announcement by Moe Kleinfeld of the Franklin Buck Advertising Agency, RKO Building, Radio City. Although Mrs. Roosevelt has appeared on commercial programs before this, it was as a guest speaker. Mrs. Roosevelt’s sponsor is to be the Manhattan Soap Company of 441 Lexington Ave., Manhattan, makers of Sweetheart Soap. Mr. Kleinfeld said that she signed a contract for 13 weeks. The program will be heard Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:15 to 1:30 p.m. Asked what Mrs. Roosevelt’s salary would be and whether, as in previous broadcasts, she would turn it over to charity, Mr. Kleinfeld said that the answers would have to come from Mrs. Roosevelt herself.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1947, the Eagle reported, “In a gloomy, narrow little grocery store at 1513 Fulton St., near Throop Ave., at 12:25 a.m. today, a policeman and a burglar opened fire at each other and blazed away until both men were killed. The dead: Patrolman Jack Chason, 34, of 801 Ocean Ave., attached to the Gates Ave. precinct, and Alfonso Pace, 280 or 430 Grand Ave. and, according to police, of Norfolk, Va., where he was wanted for murder. When the shooting ended, the two bullet-pierced bodies were found lying just a few feet apart, on opposite sides of the grocery counter. Beside them on the floor lay two .38-caliber revolvers, the patrolmen’s service gun, from which six shots had been fired, and the burglar’s weapon with five bullets discharged … Patrolman Chason had been on the force for nine years. On Nov. 18 last he received a department citation for exceptional merit for frustrating an attempted holdup at 1496 Fulton St. on June 9 last. On that day, at 12:05 a.m., according to the citation, he saw three men in a struggle, one of them armed. He arrested the armed man, who tried twice to escape. Chason thwarted the attempts by firing a couple of accurate shots after the fugitive. Patrolman Chason was married and recently became a father.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1953, the Eagle reported, “Gil Hodges’ wife, Joan, and their two children will be singing, ‘Happy birthday to you,’ but the popular Dodger first-sacker won’t be at home today for his 29th birthday. Instead he will be ‘celebrating’ at Long Island College Hospital, where he has been confined since Thursday. According to medicos, Gil is suffering from allergies arising out of a penicillin shot, but he is not expected to be bedded long. Hodges heaved a sigh of relief when he learned that suspected arthritis was not the trouble.” (Editor’s note: Baseball Hall of Famer Gil Hodges was born 100 years ago today.)

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Kelly Price
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

Nancy McKeon
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include record producer Clive Davis, who was born in Brooklyn in 1932; World Golf Hall of Famer JoAnne Carner, who was born in 1939; “Poltergeist” star Craig T. Nelson, who was born in 1944; former Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons, who was born in Brooklyn in 1948; “Chicago Hope” star Christine Lahti, who was born in 1950; “Picket Fences” creator David E. Kelley, who was born in 1956; film and voice actor Phil Morris, who was born in 1959; “Captain America” star Hugo Weaving, who was born in 1960; “Arrested Development” star David Cross, who was born in 1964; “Iron Man” star Robert Downey, Jr., who was born in 1965; “The Facts of Life” star Nancy McKeon, who was born in 1966; “Saving Private Ryan” star Barry Pepper, who was born in 1970; “Friend of Mine” singer Kelly Price, who was born in 1973; and “American Pie” star Natasha Lyonne, who was born in 1979.