May 30: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
ON THIS DAY IN 1844, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle said, “Baltimore convention. Glorious news! The work is done! The difficulties are reconciled, and James K. Polk, of Tennessee, and Silas Wright, of New York, are the candidates of the Democratic Party for the offices of President and Vice President of the United States! We have barely time to announce this result, and to congratulate our readers upon it. The name of James K. Polk is dear to every true republican in the land, and the nomination of Silas Wright will be cordially responded to throughout the whole length and breadth of the nation. Honor to the men who, in this hour of peril, have waived their individual preferences, and taken up such firm and tried champions of the good cause. We accept these nominations most cheerfully.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1909, the Eagle reported, “PITTSBURGH, MAY 29 — Away from the cares of state at Washington, away from the tariff and the task of filling Federal offices, President Taft thoroughly enjoyed himself today through fifteen hours of play and continuing excitement. He made four speeches at as many different places, rode many miles by automobile and special trains, played pitcher in a game of ball at the Allegheny Country Club in the early afternoon, and then, returning to town, sat through the eleven innings of the contest between the Pittsburgh and Chicago teams of the National League. The President assisted at the dedication of a fountain in Arsenal Park, attended a business meeting of the Associated Western Yale Clubs, had luncheon at Sewickley Heights, fourteen miles out of the city, and tonight was the principal speaker at the brilliant banquet which brought to a close the annual sessions of the Western Yale Clubs. Pittsburgh’s welcome to the President was a continuous ovation. Wherever he went he was met by crowds of cheering thousands. The streets through which he passed were fairly blocked with humanity. After the ball game, while the President’s automobile was threading its way through Sixth street, there was at one time a seemingly impassable human barrier across the thoroughfare. The police finally opened a way, however, and the President’s car passed safely through.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1924, the Eagle reported, “CHICAGO — Nathan E. Leopold Jr., 19-year-old son of a millionaire manufacturer, university honor student, and connected with some of Chicago’s wealthiest families, was questioned all night by Robert E. Crowe, States Attorney, after an optical company’s records revealed that he had been sold a pair of spectacles identical with those found near the body of Robert Franks, 14-year-old kidnaper’s victim. Early today when questioning was suspended until 1 p.m., young Leopold still maintained that he was not the owner of the spectacles, although he was familiar with the terrain of the wild country on the far south side where the body was found a week ago, and had visited the spot as recently as a few days before the Franks boy’s nude body was found. The youth explained that he had visited the scene possibly 50 times with classes and companions interested in ornithology. A score or more persons have been arrested since Franks was killed, but Mr. Crowe and the detectives had made it plain that they placed their chief reliance upon finding the owner of the glasses. Toward that end hundreds of opticians and their clerks have been examining records. ‘Maybe they are, but I do not think so,’ the youth was quoted as having replied when asked if he owned the glasses. He said that he had purchased them to relieve headaches, but had discarded them some time ago. At the county building, he said he thought his glasses were at his home, but a detective search there was reported to have revealed only the case bearing the name of the firm which had reported the sale of spectacles to Leopold.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1926, the Eagle reported, “Tomorrow the 25th anniversary of Long Island’s real estate boom will be celebrated by the Harmon National Real Estate Corporation, W. Burke Harmon announced yesterday. Mr. Harmon, whose latest development is Nassau Shores, at Amityville, L.I., will present appropriate recognitions of services to those salesmen who have been in the service of the Harmon corporation for periods ranging from 10 to 25 years. In addition, ground will be broken for Nassau Shores’ $100,000 yachting and golf club, designed by Grosvenor Atterbury, architect, who planned Forest Hills. The first shovelful of earth will be turned by Lewis H. Pounds, Treasure of the State of New York, with a silver plated spade, following which Mr. Pounds will make the dedicatory address. ‘Twenty-five years ago,’ said Mr. Harmon, ‘Long Island was just making ready to awaken to its future. Its only transit contact with New York had been by trolley over the bridge: Brooklyn was practically a village. It was at this time in 1901 that William E. Harmon, my father, who had in 1886 originated the partial payment plan in real estate, saw the Long Island opportunity and started investing there in acreage. The following year, on Sept. 11, 1902, contracts were signed for the building of the first East River tunnel to Brooklyn. From the time of the building of the rapid transit tunnel the future of Long Island was assured.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1954, the Eagle reported, “MT. MCKINLEY PARK, ALASKA, MAY 29 (U.P.) — Rescue teams battled a fierce ‘Summer blizzard’ today in a race with death up the icy slopes of the nation’s tallest mountain in an effort to reach a young climber from Brooklyn, N.Y., who fractured his hip nearly two weeks ago in a fall. Raging winds whipped up deep snow drifts which slowed the progress of the two four-man crews trying to find Pfc. George W. Argus Jr., 25, of Central Ave., Brooklyn, a soldier. Latest radioed reports from the rescue parties said they hoped to reach Argus’ tiny tent on the edge of Muldrow Glacier sometime today but would not be able to start down with Argus until tomorrow. Argus and three fellow climbers fell 1,000 feet down the side of Mt. McKinley on May 16. They were descending after conquering the 20,269-foot peak by a new route. One of the party, Elton Thayer, a ranger at McKinley Park, was killed in the fall. Argus suffered a broken hip. The other two, Morton Wood, 31, of Freeport, Me., and Leslie Viereck, 24, New Bedford, Mass., were not seriously injured. Wood and Viereck spent a week with Argus and then had to leave him behind after bringing him part way down the mountain. ‘I think he is still alive’ Viereck said. ‘But rescue must come soon. He may have run out of food by now.’ Argus was wrapped in an inflated rubber mattress, given all the rations the climbers had and left at the 11,000-foot level. One of the rescue parties radioed that 18 inches of new snow had blotted out the trail they planned to follow to reach Argus and evacuate him to the 7,000-foot level where a helicopter could fly him out to a hospital.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1954, the Eagle reported, “NEW DELHI, INDIA, MAY 29 (U.P.) — Sir Edmund Hillary, who conquered Mount Everest exactly one year ago, fought for his life today on the slopes of another Himalayan mountain. Precisely a year after he climbed the world’s highest mountain, Hillary was being carried down from the 22,500-foot heights of the Great Barun Glacier with a broken rib and pneumonia.”
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Andy Kropa/Invision/AP
Peter Barreras/Invision/AP
NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include real estate developer Larry Silverstein, who was born in Brooklyn in 1931; “2001: A Space Odyssey” star Keir Dullea, who was born in 1936; former N.Y. Rangers goalie Gilles Villemure, who was born in 1940; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Lenny Davidson (the Dave Clark Five), who was born in 1944; former Brooklyn Nets coach P.J. Carlesimo, who was born in 1949; “Groundhog Day” actor Stephen Tobolowsky, who was born in 1951; “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” star Colm Meaney, who was born in 1953; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Topper Headon (the Clash), who was born in 1955; “Revenge of the Nerds” star Ted McGinley, who was born in 1958; “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” co-creator Kevin Eastman, who was born in 1962; Tony-winning actress Tonya Pinkins, who was born in 1962; Country Music Hall of Famer Wynonna Judd, who was born in 1964; Pavement co-founder Stephen Malkmus, who was born in 1966; Charlatans singer Tim Burgess, who was born in 1967; Tony-winning actress Idina Menzel, who was born in 1971; and businesswoman and investor Marissa Mayer, who was born in 1975.
Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP
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Special thanks to “Chase’s Calendar of Events” and Brooklyn Public Library.
Quotable:
“I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow.”
— businesswoman Marissa Mayer, who was born on this day in 1975
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’.