November 30: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

November 30, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1890, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “Old Fort Putnam and the rounded top of Crow’s Nest looked down upon an unwonted spectacle at West Point yesterday afternoon, one which had never come to pass in the history of the military academy. It was a game of football between the West Pointers and a team from the naval academy in Annapolis. Never before had a visiting team played within the sacred precincts of West Point, and never before had the two schools tried conclusions against each other in the athletic arena. It was, therefore, a remarkable occasion, and one long to be remembered by the cadets themselves, and by the crowd of visitors who witnessed the contest. This first meeting of the embryonic army and navy had been widely heralded by the alumni of Annapolis, who were mainly instrumental in bringing about the innovation, and in consequence an extended interest in the contest was aroused.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1928, the Eagle reported, “The fifth annual Christmas Pageant of R.H. Macy & Co. delighted more than 100,000 children yesterday as it slowly moved down Broadway led by the 71st Regt. Band. Balloons in the shape of a blue elephant 40 feet long and a 60-foot tiger and other grotesque animal figures were released and fitted with slow leaks to keep them aloft for a week. A reward of $100 will be paid to the persons finding the balloons. ‘The Red Star Princess’ was the crowning feature of the parade, which ended at the Macy store, where the children enjoyed the unveiling of the Christmas window and an animated marionette Columbus story.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1935, the Eagle reported, “A giant United States Coast Guard air base is to be constructed at Floyd Bennett Field if Mayor LaGuardia and the Board of Estimate approve plans to that effect. The City of New York has been asked by the Coast Guard to deed a part of the Floyd Bennett Field airport to the Treasury Department for the establishment of a New York Division air base, it was definitely learned. Commissioner of Docks John McKenzie has had the request in his hands since late October but as yet has made no reply. Coast Guard officials refused to reveal details of the specifications, but complete blueprint drawings of hangars and other buildings and a specific suggestion of a certain amount of land for landing and ramp purposes accompanied the request of the Dock Commissioner. It is known the plans include construction of a hangar, quarters for about 50 enlisted men and a duty officer, facilities for pilots and visiting pilots and a small garage for station trucks.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1950, the Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON (U.P.) — President Truman said today that the United States has under consideration use of the atomic bomb in connection with the war in Korea. He said at a news conference that use of this country’s greatest weapon has been under consideration for some time, but he added prayerfully that he hoped it would not be necessary. The Chief Executive said he soon would ask Congress for money to substantially increase the ‘size and effectiveness of our armed forces.’ The President will meet tomorrow with Democratic and Republican Congressional leaders to discuss the request for supplemental appropriations for the armed forces and the Atomic Energy Commission. Meanwhile, in a statement reviewing the situation in Korea, the President said that the new offensive by Chinese Communist forces did not mean for one minute that this country would pull out of Korea. ‘The forces of the United Nations have no intention of abandoning their mission in Korea,’ the President said. He still expressed hope that the march of the Chinese Communists would be halted by action in the Security Council of the United Nations.”

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Chrissy Teigen
Dan Steinberg/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “Sesame Street” creator Joan Ganz Cooney, who was born in 1929; Oscar-winning filmmaker Woody Allen, who was born in Brooklyn in 1935; “Alien” director Ridley Scott, who was born in 1937; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Roger Glover (Deep Purple), who was born in 1945; Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet, who was born in 1947; “The Princess Bride” star Mandy Patinkin, who was born in 1952; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer David Sancious (E Street Band), who was born in 1953; “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” star Colin Mochrie, who was born in 1957; Runaways lead singer Cherie Currie, who was born in 1959; former baseball and football player Bo Jackson, who was born in 1962; “Zoolander” star Ben Stiller, who was born in 1965; “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” star Walter Emanuel Jones, who was born in 1970; singer and TV personality Clay Aiken, who was born in 1978; “24” star Elisha Cuthbert, who was born in 1982; “The Big Bang Theory” star Kaley Cuoco, who was born in 1985; and model and TV personality Chrissy Teigen, who was born in 1985.

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TRAILBLAZER: Shirley Chisholm was born in Brooklyn on this day in 1924. The first African-American woman elected to the House of Representatives, she represented Bedford-Stuyvesant as a Democrat from 1969 to 1983. In 1972, she became the first African-American candidate for a major party’s presidential nomination. She died in 2005.

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RECIPE FOR SUCCESS: “The Joy of Cooking” was published on this day in 1931. America’s favorite all-purpose cookbook, self-published by Irma Rombauer (1877-1962), was a comforting voice for cooks during the Depression. The first commercial edition of the book appeared in 1936 and offered a revolutionary “action format” (chronologically ordered ingredients followed by instructions) now commonplace in cookbooks.

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UNCHARTED TERRITORY: “Thriller” was released on this day in 1982. Michael Jackson’s sixth studio album is one of the most popular records of all time, charting seven songs in the top 10 and selling more than 110 million copies. It broke pop charts wide open for black artists, who had often been relegated to R&B charts.

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

Quotable:

“I’d like them to say that Shirley Chisholm had guts. That’s how I’d like to be remembered.”

— U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm, who was born on this day in 1924