ON THIS DAY IN 1937, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “A proclamation designating Oct. 12 as Columbus Day was made public by President Roosevelt yesterday. The proclamation reads in part: ‘Whereas Public Resolution 21, 73rd Congress, approved April 30, 1934, provides: That the President of the United States is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation designating Oct. 12 of each year as Columbus Day. Now, therefore, I, Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States of America, under and by virtue of the authority vested in me by the aforesaid public resolution, do by this proclamation designate Oct. 12, 1937, as Columbus Day, and do direct that on that day the flag of the United States be displayed on all Government buildings; and further, I do invite the people of the United States to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies in schools and churches, or other suitable places.’”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1944, the Eagle reported, “HONOLULU, SEPT. 22 (U.P.) — Paced by the masterful four-hit pitching of Virgil (Fire) Trucks, former Detroit mound ace, the Navy All-Star baseball team defeated the Seventh A.A.F. 5-0, today before 20,000 service men in the first game of the Army-Navy ‘World Series.’ The seven-game series, which probably will offer as good or better baseball than will be played in the real World Series this year because of the host of former major league stars, was started after Admiral Chester W. Nimitz threw in the first ball. Every major league team except the Boston Braves was represented. The Navy built an early lead off 1st Lt. Johnny Beazley, ex-St. Louis Cardinal hurler. Phil Rizzuto, Yankee shortstop from Richmond Hill, L.I., hit three for three to lead the Navy’s nine-hit attack on Beazley, who gave way in the eighth inning to Don Schmidt, who gave up the Navy’s last hit.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1950, the Eagle reported, “The lid blew off the boiling cops-and-bookies investigation today and it was learned authoritatively that Police Commissioner William P. O’Brien, faced with steadily mounting police-graft disclosures, will hand in his resignation Monday or Tuesday. Scheduled to go with O’Brien are two of his top lieutenants, Chief Inspector August W. Flath, head of the uniformed forces, and Chief of Detectives William T. Whalen. The ground was cut from under O’Brien when Acting Mayor Impellitteri pledged the full cooperation of his administration to District Attorney Miles McDonald and revealed he has asked Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas F. Murphy, successful prosecutor of Alger Hiss, to undertake a special probe of police corruption. At the same time, 11 plainclothesmen, one a sergeant, were demoted and transferred without comment, to outlying precincts from Manhattan’s White Light district where, a wiretap by the Brooklyn District Attorney disclosed, a bookie ‘stand-in’ arrest had been made. The O’Brien regime received its fatal blow when ‘Artie’ Karp, described as the police payoff man for big-time bookie Harry Gross, began ‘busting his gut and breaking the case wide open’ before the Brooklyn racket grand jury.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1954, the Eagle reported, “The Broadway play of last season, ‘Sabrina Fair,’ has reached the screen in practically record time, and is now at the Criterion Theater, starring Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart and William Holden. The title of the comedy has been lopped off and is now ‘Sabrina,’ but this is the only abridgement; other changes have been in the direction of expansion of the story. The new Paramount picture runs to an hour and 54 minutes, shorter than some but a bit longer than most. It’s an interesting hour and 54 minutes, though sometimes the story seems to be making a lot of nothing much in the way of episodes. There is a reason to suspect that many situations are set up, not so much to further the plot as to give the characters a chance to show how ingratiating they are, each in his own way, and to get off a string of bright remarks. Such dodges are necessary, in a way, for the plot is only the old Cinderella story, threadbare in itself but handsomely refurbished here. Unfortunately, all the efforts to be lovable, on one level or another, are visible to the audience eye.”
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Anthony Mackie Matt Sayles/Invision/APBruce Springsteen Richard Drew/AP
NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “All of You” singer Julio Iglesias, who was born in 1943; “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” star Mary Kay Place, who was born in 1947; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Neal Smith (Alice Cooper), who was born in 1947; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bruce Springsteen, who was born in 1949; “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” star Rosalind Chao, who was born in 1957; former NFL coach Marvin Lewis, who was born in 1958; “Seinfeld” star Jason Alexander, who was born in 1959; “Boston Public” star Chi McBride, who was born in 1961; former N.Y. Mets pitcher Pete Harnisch, who was born in 1966; singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco, who was born in 1970; “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” star Anthony Mackie, who was born in 1978; and former N.Y. Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain, who was born in 1985.
Julio Iglesias Manu Fernandez/AP
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EIGHTH ROCK FROM THE SUN: Neptune was discovered by German astronomer Johann Galle on this day in 1846. The planet is 2.796 billion miles from the sun and takes 164.8 years to revolve around it. Its diameter is about 31,000 miles, four times the size of Earth.
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SPACE FOR LIVING: “The Jetsons” premiered on ABC on this day in 1962. The cartoon sitcom followed the exploits of George Jetson and his family, who lived in the space age of the mid-21st century. Although it was canceled after one season, its popularity in syndication led to a brief revival in 1985.
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Special thanks to “Chase’s Calendar of Events” and Brooklyn Public Library.
Quotable:
“If you listen, you’ll learn. If you talk over each other, you don’t accomplish anything.”
— Oscar-winning actor Mickey Rooney, who was born in Brooklyn on this day in 1920
SUNSET PARK — “As a resident of Marine Park, one of the great surprises I found biking around Industry City and visiting Japan Village was to discover Bush Terminal Park. I continue to be amazed at the serene hideaways that the city offers in some of the busiest places — and, still, with an iconic view.”
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — ‘A miracle that no one was killed …’ That’s what neighbors are saying about the collapse of the Hotel St. George marquee. Shown in this photograph are workmen beginning the removal and repair of the historic, old neon sign at the corner, referencing a relic of Brooklyn Heights’ past: the St. George Hotel.
ATLANTIC AVENUE — Exhausted shopper with cluster of bags and goods from mall at Boerum Place stops to look at huge construction site across the street. “Is that REALLY going to be a jail??” Her male companion is reassuring, “Nothing like Rikers … this is 21st Century.”
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — Overheard in line at one of most popular pastry outlets on Montague Street: “Hope I can get them into a camp …” A mother with two pre-schoolers in tow was showing a friend the Dodge Y flyer for Healthy Kids Day on Saturday, April 18.
