May 22: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
ON THIS DAY IN 1872, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “The allegations of bribery against Senators Pomeroy and Caldwell, of Kansas, are to receive immediate investigation, the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections taking initiative proceedings yesterday. Senator Pomeroy’s case will first receive attention, but the ‘richness’ which fraud hunters expect to light on is in Caldwell’s case.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1879, the Eagle reported, “The name of Gillmore’s Garden, New York, has been changed to Madison Square Garden, and its appearance is to be so altered as to make it unrecognizable to old frequenters. Dodworth’s Band will give Summer concerts there, the music to be of the light, folly variety.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1911, the Eagle reported, “INDIANAPOLIS, IND. — Highly ‘tuned’ and mechanically as perfect as the skill of the modern motor car maker can produce, forty-six of the fastest racing automobiles ever assembled are at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway awaiting the elimination trials next Friday which will determine whether they are eligible to start in the 500-mile international sweepstake race on Memorial Day, May 30. Every car must show speed of seventy-five miles an hour to qualify for one of the greatest races in the history of the motor contest sport. When the entries to this event were closed May 1, there were forty-six cars entered, manned by a list of drivers which includes every well-known pilot in America, as well as several who made their reputations in Europe before coming to the United States. It has been nine months since the initial announcement of this contest was made by the promoters, and each month has witnessed an increase of interest on the part of the public as well as the manufacturer.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1922, the Eagle reported, “Long Island yesterday paid its tribute to the memory of the men of the nation who died that their country might live. Veterans of the days of ’61, veterans of the days of Dewey and Schley, and veterans who were with Pershing and Alexander marched side by side in the numerous celebrations to do honor to their comrades … Every village and hamlet of the Island glowed with patriotic fervor as orators spoke of the men who held death cheaper than the defeat of their country. Acting Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt spoke at Oyster Bay, Freeport, Queens Village and other Memorial Day celebrations.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1946, the Eagle reported, “U.N. HEADQUARTERS (U.P.) — Iranian Ambassador Hussein Ala told the United Nations Security Council today that the latest official report from his government does not show conclusively that all Soviet troops have evacuated Iran. He told the Council flatly that the Iranian Government ‘has no authority in Azerbaijan Province’ — the area to which it sent a commission to determine whether the Red Army had left. The Azerbaijan army, he charged, was trained, equipped and uniformed by Soviet officers and agents. Ala’s statement was made shortly after he was called to the Council table to attempt to clarify the Iranian situation which is confused by a series of conflicting statements by Ala and the Iranian Government in Tehran. Because of this confusion and suspicion that all Russian troops have not left all of Iran, U.S. delegate Edward R. Stettinius Jr. opened today’s meeting by suggesting the Council keep Iran on its agenda. These developments came rapidly on the heels of an official statement by Iranian Premier Ahmad Ghavam Es-Sultaneh that there was no trace of Soviet troops or equipment in Azerbaijan — the northern Iranian Province where the greatest concentration of Russian troops had been. The U.S. request for keeping Iran on the agenda was somewhat a surprise because the Americans had favored getting rid of the case if Iran would say Russia had left the country.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1952, the Eagle reported, “LONDON (U.P.) — Prince Charles, the Duke of Cornwall, at last is happy in his new home, Buckingham Palace. He’s got his pet white rabbit back. The rabbit had been left behind at Clarence House when the three-year-old Prince moved to the palace with his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and her consort, the Duke of Edinburgh. Attendants found the Prince wandering through the huge palace gardens in tears, looking for the rabbit he used to feed and pet in the Clarence House gardens. An official message was sent to Clarence House from the palace. ‘The Duke of Cornwall is crying. He cannot find his rabbit.’ A royal car quickly brought the pet rabbit from Clarence House, only a few hundred yards away. A big white angora, the rabbit is one of the few presents accepted by the Queen for her son from the public.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1964, the Brooklyn Record reported, “A forceful Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce today stepped up its campaign to save historic Brooklyn Navy Yard, the world’s best known shipyard, from threatened oblivion. Manned by experienced technicians — over 10,000 families in the civilian force alone who have made ship construction and maintenance a family art — the Yard is faced with drastic cuts because of a lack of work. As the Chamber changes command with John C. Hilly replacing Walter R. Miller as President, Howard Swain, Executive Vice President, is coordinating all the forces at the business world’s command to hurl a thunderbolt of public opinion in lightning speed at Washington. The threat to the Navy Yard’s existence and companion impact on borough economy has pressed into action forces of the Chamber hitherto unseen by the public. Observers on the scene report this as its greatest effort and most certain to gain the public’s respect.”
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Richard Drew/AP
Jeff Christensen/AP
NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “Westworld” star Richard Benjamin, who was born in 1938; “Peyton Place” star Barbara Parkins, who was born in 1942; former N.Y. Yankees pitcher Tommy John, who was born in 1943; Songwriters Hall of Famer Bernie Taupin, who was born in 1950; U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who was born in 1957; The Smiths founder Morrissey, who was born in 1959; New Edition member Johnny Gill, who was born in 1966; supermodel Naomi Campbell, who was born in 1970; “World War Z” author Max Brooks, who was born in 1972; “Big Love” star Ginnifer Goodwin, who was born in 1978; “Nikita” star Maggie Q, who was born in 1979; speed skater and Olympic gold medalist Apolo Ohno, who was born in 1982; Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, who was born in 1984; and “Gotham” star Camren Bicondova, who was born in 1999.
Arthur Mola/Invision/AP
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Special thanks to “Chase’s Calendar of Events” and Brooklyn Public Library.
Quotable:
“The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.”
— writer Arthur Conan Doyle, who was born on this day in 1859
Brooklyn Boro
View MoreNew York City’s most populous borough, Brooklyn, is home to nearly 2.6 million residents. If Brooklyn were an independent city it would be the fourth largest city in the United States. While Brooklyn has become the epitome of ‘cool and hip’ in recent years, for those that were born here, raised families here and improved communities over the years, Brooklyn has never been ‘uncool’.