November 4: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

November 4, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1856, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle said, “As each four years we witness a great revolution in our government — a change of rulers or a change of principles, as the people may demand — we cannot fail to admire more and more the consummate wisdom of those great and good men who framed this wonderful political machinery, and gave to the majority of the people the power to ratify or condemn the conduct of their public officers; to change the whole policy of the government if they see fit, or continue it if its results are satisfactory and meet their approbation. Nowhere outside of this glorious confederacy of independent States can such a sight be seen as that which we witness today.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1924, the Eagle said, “We dare not venture to say that ‘the last of the Forty-niners’ passes in the death of Cornelius Cole, aged 102, in his Los Angeles home. ‘Last’ is a long word. But that of all the early prospectors in the Sacramento Valley Mr. Cole had the most remarkable career is undeniable. Born in Seneca County, New York, a graduate of Wesleyan University, which made him an LL.D. to celebrate his one hundredth birthday, he had heard and answered the gold call from California. He became District Attorney of Sacramento County, a leader in the fight to keep California a free State, he organized the Republican party there, was State chairman and a delegate to the convention that nominated Fremont in 1856. He was a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln. He served six years, from 1867 to 1873, as United States Senator, through the stormiest of reconstructive years. He voted with Wade and Conkling and Morton and Edmunds for the impeachment of Andrew Johnson on May 16, 1868, when the vote was 35 to 19, and the needed two-thirds was not secured because some other Republicans refused to annihilate Johnson. He was a delegate to the convention which nominated Hughes for President in 1916. When almost a centenarian he was in Washington and by invitation addressed the Senate. There seemed to be no weakening of mentality in Mr. Cole’s last years. Various interviews with him show thinking as keen as ever, a full appreciation of our present day problems, and a warm and generous view of life. It is safe to say that American history offers no parallel to this case of energetic longevity.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1924, the Eagle said, “Newspaper publicity as given to candidates during a political campaign is something that cannot be accurately measured. The volume of it may be guessed at in terms of circulation, but even the most trustworthy circulation figures can only approximate the actual number of newspaper readers. Even more immeasurable than newspaper publicity is the publicity of the radio, which had its broadest test last night when President Coolidge and John W. Davis spoke to the American people through a chain of broadcasting stations. Mr. Davis’s speech was a summing up of the issues as he has presented them from platforms in the various States. He discussed principles and ignored details. It was an admirable effort, a fitting close to a campaign conducted with dignity and power. Mr. Coolidge’s address was a nonpartisan dissertation on the duty of every citizen to exercise the franchise and assume his or her share of responsibility for the character of Government. Evidently the President is so well satisfied with the outlook that he did not regard as necessary a final appeal for support. How many people heard these two addresses no one can say, but the total would doubtless run high into the millions. Four years ago radio transmission was not a factor in the Presidential election. This year it has been a factor of overshadowing importance. For the first time in a national campaign innumerable citizens who never saw any of the Presidential candidates, who have never attended a mass meeting, have heard their voices and those of their supporters as plainly as though they sat in the room where the speeches were delivered.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1948, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON (U.P.) — The Congressional election upset carried eight women into the House. In addition, a woman goes to the Senate, Mrs. Margaret Chase Smith, Maine Republican. The first-timers included Reva Beck Bosone (D., Utah), red-haired Salt Lake City Police Judge, who defeated incumbent Republican William A. Dawson. Women re-elected were Mrs. Mary T. Norton (D., N.J.); Helen Gahagan Douglas (D., Cal.); Edith Nourse Rogers (R., Mass.); Frances P. Bolton (R., Oh.), and Katharine St. George (R., N.Y.).

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ON THIS DAY IN 1952, the Eagle reported, “The destiny of a nation was being decided behind the protective curtain of voting booths from New York to California today as America went to the polls to select its 33rd President. In Brooklyn and everywhere, voting was extremely heavy during the morning in districts favoring both major parties. By noon, more than 50 percent of the voters here had already waited patiently in line to make their choice. It was the same in Bay Ridge, expected to go Republican, as in Flatbush and Borough Park, where the Democrats are counting on a large majority. Upstate in some areas the turnout was described as ‘unprecedented,’ in both urban and semi-rural districts, and in New Jersey early balloting was running as much as 20 percent ahead of 1948. Some borough election districts reported that voters were streaming through at the almost fantastic average rate of one a minute. It was unmistakable evidence that there was no indecision in the minds of the citizens exercising their franchise.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1960, the Brooklyn Spectator reported, “Six persons were injured during the visit of Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy to Bay Ridge last Thursday. Joseph Parker, 15, suffered ankle injuries when one of the vehicles in the motorcade ran over his foot at 86th St. and 4th Ave., as he was attempting to secure an autograph from Sen. Kennedy. At 60th St. and 5th Ave., the surging crowd caused the clutch on a police motorcycle to engage, sending it into the crowd.”

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Matthew McConaughey
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “M*A*S*H” star Loretta Swit, who was born in 1937; singer-songwriter Delbert McClinton, who was born in 1940; former First Lady Laura Bush, who was born in 1946; “Cold Mountain” author Charles Frazier, who was born in 1950; former Walt Disney executive Anne Sweeney, who was born in 1957; “Cobra Kai” star Ralph Macchio, who was born in 1961; “Survivor” host Jeff Probst, who was born in 1961; Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey, who was born in 1969; TV personality Bethenny Frankel, who was born in 1970; Pro Football Hall of Famer Orlando Pace, who was born in 1975; and former NFL return specialist Devin Hester, who was born in 1982.

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FOLLOW THE MUMMY: Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered in Luxor, Egypt, on this day in 1922.

“King Tut” became pharaoh at age 9 and died at age 19 in about 1352 B.C. Perhaps the only ancient Egyptian royal tomb to have escaped plundering by grave robbers, it was discovered by English archaeologist Howard Carter, the leader of an expedition financed by Lord Carnarvon. Amid rumors that a curse had been brought upon its discoverers, the tomb became a pop culture phenomenon, inspiring books, films and even a 1978 hit song by comedian Steve Martin.

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TERROR IN TEHRAN: On this day in 1979, approximately 500 Iranians seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took some 90 people captive, including 66 Americans. They vowed to hold the hostages until the former shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi — who was in the U.S. for medical treatments — was returned to Iran for trial. The shah died on July 27, 1980 in an Egyptian military hospital near Cairo. Fourteen Americans were released in 1979 and 1980, but the remaining 52 hostages weren’t released until Jan. 20, 1981, after 444 days in captivity. The release occurred during the hour in which the American presidency was transferred from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan.

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Special thanks to “Chase’s Calendar of Events” and Brooklyn Public Library.

Quotable:

“The power of a book lies in its power to turn a solitary act into a shared vision. As long as we have books, we are not alone.”

— former First Lady Laura Bush, who was born on this day in 1946