September 1: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
ON THIS DAY IN 1887, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “The Parade Committee of the Central Labor Union held a meeting last evening at O’Brien’s Hall, on Myrtle Avenue, corner of Spencer Street, for the purpose of carrying on to completion their arrangements for an appropriate celebration of Labor day. A significant part of the proceedings was the determination of the committee to have no speechmaking at the park. They were guided in deciding this question from the position assumed by the three labor parties toward each other. The committee believed that the pleasures of the day would be interfered with if they allowed orators to inject into the festivities speeches of a political character.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1937, the Eagle reported, “Consolidated Edison of New York, parent company of the Brooklyn Edison and numerous other utilities, plans to lay out more than $50,000,000 for expansion during the next 12 months, Chairman Floyd L. Carlisle revealed today. Testifying before the Public Service Commission, Mr. Carlisle said the expansion program would necessitate the issuance of approximately $30,000,000 of additional securities. A spokesman for the company explained later that the money was to be used for many projects throughout the vast Consolidated Edison system. The largest item, he said, was the construction of two new boilers and a new generator in one of the Manhattan stations. Mr. Carlisle told the commission that $31,000,000 is now available, of which $15,000,000 would be spent during the remainder of this year and $15,000,000 during the first six months of 1938. This leaves an additional $20,000,000 to be raised to complete the construction program for 1938, he said.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1940, the Eagle reported, “Science now tells us that one pound of isotope ‘235’ of uranium, when immersed in water, will produce as much steam as can be produced by 2,500 tons of coal. At that rate, Queen Elizabeth, when she emerges from limbo, may be able to resume voyages with empty bunkers on a mere hatful of U 235. If what science has proved possible may be demonstrated in terms of practical commercial success, the use of coal and other fuels for steam power will become obsolete. Therein lies the rub. The trouble with commercial extraction and use of the isotope is one of time and cost. The methods thus far used have been for scientific experimentation only and with great expense of time and money for a minimum of output. Industrial engineers are busily trying to find methods for speedy and economic production and safe utilization. We are told that the next few years hold the key to the future of this revolutionary source of power.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1945, the Eagle reported, “TOKYO (U.P.) — Representatives of Emperor Hirohito, the Japanese Government and the imperial general staff will sign Allied surrender terms aboard the battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay between 9 and 9:30 a.m. tomorrow (8 and 8:30 p.m. Brooklyn time today). The entire surrender ceremony formalizing Japan’s first defeat in modern history will last only about a half-hour. However, censorship will not permit the publication of descriptions of the ceremony until 11 a.m. (10 p.m. today, Brooklyn time), an hour and a half after it is scheduled to end. In Washington, the White House announced that the surrender ceremony would be broadcast, and President Truman would go on the air immediately afterward to proclaim VJ-Day.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1953, the Eagle reported, “Mrs. Rosa Collazo, whose husband, Oscar, took part in the 1950 assassination attempt on President Truman, was among 11 women who faced disorderly conduct charges today because they refused to break up a picket line at the United Nations Building, in Manhattan. The 11 women identified themselves as members of the ‘Women’s Committee for the Release of the Political Prisoners of Puerto Rico.’ Police said the group blocked doorways of shops in a street adjacent to the U.N. building and ignored an order to move their picket line to another location. They pleaded innocent in Night Court and were ordered to appear for a hearing Sept. 21. Mrs. Collazo’s husband, a Puerto Rican Nationalist, is serving a life term for his part in the attempt on Mr. Truman’s life. He originally was sentenced to be executed, but the President commuted the sentence.”
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Photo: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
Photo: Greg Allen/Invision/AP
NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “Grace and Frankie” star Lily Tomlin, who was born in 1939; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Barry Gibb (Bee Gees), who was born in 1946; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Greg Errico (Sly and the Family Stone), who was born in 1948; TV personality and author Phil McGraw, who was born in 1950; two-time NBA champion Vinnie Johnson, who was born in Brooklyn in 1956; Songwriters Hall of Famer Gloria Estefan, who was born in 1957; five-time NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway, who was born in 1966; “Top Chef” host Padma Lakshmi, who was born in 1970; Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, who was born in 1974; “Felicity” star Scott Speedman, who was born in 1975; former N.Y. Rangers right winger Mats Zuccarello, who was born in 1987; Miss America 2016 Betty Maxwell, who was born in 1994; and “Euphoria” star Zendaya, who was born in 1996.
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
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FISH STORY: “The Old Man and the Sea” was published on this day in 1952. Ernest Hemingway’s novel about a Cuban fisherman’s battle with a giant marlin won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953 and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954.
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BURIED TREASURE: The Titanic was found on this day in 1985. Seventy-three years after it sank in the North Atlantic after striking an iceberg, the luxury liner was located by an American-French expedition force led by marine geologist Dr. Robert Ballard. The ship was resting on the ocean floor 12,500 feet down — about 250 miles southeast of Newfoundland, Canada. In July 1986, Ballard returned with an expedition aboard the Atlantis II to explore the ship with underwater robots. Two memorial bronze plaques were left on the deck.
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Special thanks to “Chase’s Calendar of Events” and Brooklyn Public Library.
Quotable:
“As an immigrant, I appreciate, far more than the average American, the liberties we have in this country.”
— singer Gloria Estefan, who was born on this day in 1957
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