April 26: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

April 26, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1854, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “The Senate in executive session, yesterday, ratified the Gadsden treaty with amendments by a close vote. The treaty, as ratified, gives Mexico $10,000,000; reduces the extent of territory, and abolishes the eleventh article of the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo; ignores the Garay and all other private claims, but extends protection and security to the inter-oceanic grant of the 5th February, 1853 (Sloo) and embraced in the Conklin treaty. The President will sign it.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1854, the Eagle reported, “Fall River has added herself to the cities in Massachusetts. On Saturday last, the city charter was accepted by a vote of 529 to 247; a large number of electors not voting at all. The number of inhabitants exceeds twelve thousand.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1906, the Eagle reported, “SAN FRANCISCO — Sixteen thousand persons are now being cared for at the Presidio, most of them in tents. All the available tents are in use, but a supply of about 50,000 is expected in a day or two, when every one needing shelter will be provided for. There is no contagious disease in or around the Presidio grounds. For the first time since the earthquake, street lights will be burning in San Francisco tonight. The lighting company has been hard at work for the past several days with a large force of workmen installing a system of arc lights for street lighting purposes on three different routes, and the lighting committee announces that the company will be prepared to turn on the current this evening. Coroner Walsh had a gang of men at work yesterday removing the bodies which had been buried in front of the Hall of Justice, in Portsmouth Square, on the first day of the fire. Thirty bodies were taken out and transferred to Laurel Hill Cemetery or given to the undertakers upon request of relatives. In the afternoon the Coroner and his assistants went to Washington Square and finished their task of removing the bodies that had received temporary burial during the fire. With the completion of this work, another danger to health has been done away with.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1928, the Eagle reported, “QUEBEC, QUE. (AP) — Canada gave a hero’s farewell today to Floyd Bennett as his body was started toward its resting place in the National Cemetery of the United States. Circling airplanes, dipping in salute above the cortege, honored the man whose exploits had brought the science of flying fresh laurels, while slowly through the tortuous streets of the ancient city rumbled the gun carriage bearing the body. The Royal 22nd Regt. was his escort and his tribute came with the tears of the men, women and children who with bowed heads quietly took their places in the ever-lengthening procession as it moved toward the waiting train. A small group had assembled in the small chapel of the Jeffery Hale Hospital, where the aviator who had conquered the frozen North in the first flight to the Pole died yesterday. There, the Very Rev. Archdeacon Scott conducted the simple service of the Anglican Church. The widow of the aviator and his beloved chief, Commander Richard E. Byrd, who were with him when he died, the American Consul and Vice Consul at Quebec and their wives, and provincial and municipal officials were among the privileged few who stood about the body of the gallant flier who had been stricken while bringing relief to fellow aviators.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1950, the Eagle reported, “TRENTON — The New Jersey Turnpike Authority, through Chairman Paul L. Troast of Passaic, yesterday announced that condemnation proceedings will not be started to secure land for the proposed 118-mile turnpike from north to south Jersey until all possibilities of acquiring the properties by negotiation are exhausted. There is nothing in the foreseeable future to stop completion of the turnpike late in 1951 on schedule, he added.

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ON THIS DAY IN 1963, the Eagle reported, “CHICAGO (UPI) — Casey Stengel, a financier as well as baseball manger, offered yesterday to dip into his own till if necessary to help the owner of the New York Mets, Mrs. Joan Whitney Payson, purchase his rookie second baseman, Ron Hunt. Hunt, obtained on a conditional purchase from the Milwaukee Braves, hit his first major league home run Wednesday to help the Mets to their fifth win in the last six games, 2-0 over the Chicago Cubs, and Stengel sparkled in comment on his fielding as well as his hitting. ‘I don’t know how much — the actual dollar figures — we’re supposed to pay him,’ he said, ‘but I would recommend his purchase, and I feel sure that Mr. George Weiss (President of the Mets) will be able to find the money. If Mrs. Payson doesn’t have it, I’d go down to my bank and loan her a little.’”

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Giancarlo Esposito
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include actress and comedian Carol Burnett, who was born in 1933; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Duane Eddy, who was born in 1938; “Father of Disco” Giorgio Moroder, who was born in 1940; “Better Call Saul” star Giancarlo Esposito, who was born in 1958; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Roger Taylor (Duran Duran), who was born in 1960; “The Last Emperor” star Joan Chen, who was born in 1961; “Mad TV” star Debra Wilson, who was born in 1962; “The King of Queens” star Kevin James, who was born in 1965; former First Lady Melania Trump, who was born in 1970; “Smallville” star Tom Welling, who was born in 1977; “Castle” star Stana Katic, who was born in 1978; “The Fast and the Furious” star Jordana Brewster, who was born in 1980; “G.I. Joe” star Channing Tatum, who was born in 1980; and N.Y. Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, who was born in 1992.