
January 15: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

ON THIS DAY IN 1886, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “PARIS ― M. de Lesseps expects to remain two weeks in Panama from which place he is to start on the 28th inst. He declares that the task of constructing the Panama Canal is far easier than the work on the Suez Canal and predicts that it will be completed by the end of 1888.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1893, the Eagle reported, “Lieutenant Peary’s first lecture at the Academy of Music on ‘The Exploration of Northern Greenland’ on next Saturday evening, January 21, will probably be an event of unusual interest. The proceeds of the lecture, and also of those on the evenings of January 26 and 28, will go toward defraying the expenses of the next expedition. The first lecture will be illustrated by a new series of views of the Arctic regions, selected from the 2,300 taken by Lieutenant Peary himself during his second expedition.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1915, the Eagle reported, “ALBANY ― Prompt action for the development and utilization of the undeveloped water power of New York State is urged in a report made to the Legislature today by the Conservation Commission. The majority report urges that the State construct and operate storage reservoirs to conserve the flood waters and for the regulation of streams. This report, concurred in by Chairman George H. VanKennen and Commissioner John D. Moore, says that a storage reservoir would increase the water power of the Hudson River below Hadley approximately 62,000 horsepower at developed sites and about 53,000 horsepower at undeveloped sites. Commissioner Patrick E. McCabe filed a minority report, in which he termed the water power question as a ‘business proposition’ and argued against the State going into the business of developing water power.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1924, the Eagle reported, “SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― Man and lightning share equal responsibility in the fact that forest fires in California were more destructive during the past year than in any other State, according to a report issued by the United States forest service here. More fires were started in national forests of California than in any year since 1917. In a total of 1,367 fires nearly 50 percent were attributed to lightning, the rest to human carelessness.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1925, the Eagle reported, “The U.S. Steel Corporation has withdrawn from the pig iron market as a seller. This action was taken because of the great increase in steel making activities of the corporation, which require larger quantities of pig iron. Although the corporation has been relighting furnaces for several months, operation of the steel mills have expanded to such an extent that all the additional pig iron can be consumed in its own plants.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1926, the Eagle reported, “OTTAWA (AP) ― Victory perched on the banner of the Mackenzie King Government early this morning, when the House of Commons by the narrow majority of three votes gave it a vote of confidence. On a Conservative amendment of non-confidence the ballot showed 123 votes for the Liberal Government as against 120 for the Conservatives.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1945, the Eagle reported, “PARIS (U.P.) ― The American 1st and 3rd Armies linked up in a solid front with British 2nd Army forces in Belgium west of Houffalize today and threw an armored ring around that German turntable at the center of the collapsing Ardennes salient. Vanguards of the three armies were barely two to four miles from Houffalize early today and closing in from all sides at a speed that foreshadowed its capture within a matter of hours. Strong German rear guards covering the town were reported trying desperately to flee over secondary roads to St. Vith, 18 miles to the northeast, where Marshal Karl von Rundstedt was rallying the remnants of his battered armies for another stand. St. Vith itself, the last German stronghold on Belgian soil, was menaced by American 1st Army columns fighting slowly down across the northeastern shoulder of the salient from the Malmedy-Stavelot area. Field dispatches said the 1st Army troops had captured Ligneau, a highway junction slightly more than six miles north-northwest of St. Vith, and fought their way into Thirimont, seven miles north of St. Vith. Half of Thirimont was reported in American hands this morning after a day and night of savage fighting, with German tanks and infantry still counterattacking in force.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1947, the Eagle reported, “Numerous complaints of inconvenience from motorists prompted police officials to abandon an experiment to relieve Brooklyn-bound traffic congestion by making the Brooklyn Bridge a one-way thoroughfare during the evening rush hours, it was announced today. In addition to the motorists’ protests, traffic experts decided to drop the one-way bridge experiment when congestion increased on the Manhattan Bridge, particularly the Brooklyn approaches. The traffic test was inaugurated last Nov. 4 when the Brooklyn Bridge was closed to Manhattan-bound automobiles between 5:30 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. Both of the span’s roadways were open during the evening rush hours to Brooklyn-bound traffic only; and all cars heading for Manhattan were detoured to the Manhattan Bridge. Some confusion resulted among the motorists who had difficulty detouring to the Manhattan Bridge, it was pointed out. Also, the increase in traffic over the Manhattan Bridge caused too much congestion at the Brooklyn plaza, in as much as only one lower level was open to Manhattan traffic. Now the Brooklyn Bridge is open to two-way traffic at all times. However, some traffic modifications are utilized on the sister-span. During the morning hours both upper levels of the Manhattan Bridge are one way going to Manhattan and in the evening rush period the upper levels carry only Brooklyn-bound traffic.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1954, the Eagle reported, “The 1954 golden jubilee National Motor Boat show opens at the Kingsbridge Armory, Jerome Ave. and Kingsbridge Road, Bronx, this evening, Jan. 15, at 7 p.m., and will be open for nine days, including Sun., Jan. 17 through Jan. 23. For the first time, the show is arrayed in a composite panorama on a single exhibition floor. Displays include inboard and outboard cruisers, inboard and outboard runabouts, sailboats, boat kits, inboard gasoline and diesel marine engines, outboard motors and thousands of items of boating accessories and equipment.”
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sagindie/Wikimedia Commons

Eva Rinaldi/Wikimedia Commons
NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Oscar-winning actress Margaret O’Brien, who was born in 1937; “SCTV” star Andrea Martin, who was born in 1947; Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy White, who was born in 1953; former N.Y. Jets defensive tackle Marty Lyons, who was born in 1957; “New Jack City” director Mario Van Peebles, who was born in 1957; Oscar-winning actress Regina King, who was born in 1971; former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who was born in 1979; rapper and producer Pitbull, who was born in 1981; author and political commentator Ben Shapiro, who was born in 1984; “Liv and Maddie” star Dove Cameron, who was born in 1996; and singer and actress Grace VanderWaal, who was born in 2004.

MTV International/Wikimedia Commons
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BIRTH OF A DREAM: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on this day in 1929. The black civil rights leader and minister was an advocate of nonviolence and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn., on April 4, 1968. After his death, many states and territories observed his birthday as a holiday. HR 3706, which was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1983, set aside the third Monday in January for the observance of King’s birthday.
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BLUE PERIOD: “Hill Street Blues” premiered on this day in 1981. The immensely popular NBC cop drama, created by Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll, focused more on police officers than on crime and was applauded for its realism. It won numerous Emmys and spawned the catchphrase, “Let’s be careful out there.” The series ended on May 19, 1987.
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Special thanks to “Chase’s Calendar of Events” and Brooklyn Public Library.
Quotable:
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
— Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was born on this day in 1929
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