ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

ON THIS DAY IN 1868, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle said, “Napoleon is now reported to be quite poor, and if he should be turned out of his situation as Emperor he would have to work for his living. Poor fellow.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1917, the Eagle reported, “Exercises commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of Prospect Park were held yesterday afternoon at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch in the park plaza. The celebration was held under the auspices of the Brooklyn Civic Club in cooperation with the Department of Parks. An assemblage of 2,500 gathered in front of the arch to participate in the exercises. Mayor Mitchel, United States Senator William M. Calder and David A. Boody, former Mayor of the City of Brooklyn, spoke.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1928, the Eagle reported, “The first woman to make a complete flight across the Atlantic, Amelia Earhart, will head the torchlight parade for ‘Will Rogers for President,’ the broadcasting of which is sponsored by Life Magazine and presented on WOR through the courtesy of the Kolster Radio Corporation at 10 o’clock Wednesday night. The ‘Will Rogers for President’ rally will take the form of a typical political torchlight parade through the Times Square district of New York City. Amelia Earhart has consented to lead the procession and will take an active part in the broadcasting. It is now planned to have the procession pass the stage doors of various theaters and obtain from backstage as many prominent theatrical folk to support Will Rogers for President as possible.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1943, the Eagle reported, “If the football Dodgers don’t gain at least 11 yards against the Bears Sunday at Chicago, Coach Pete Cawthon will return to Ebbets Field with a new nickname ― Wrong Way Cawthon. His young Dodgers, toting the pigskin 109 times in four games, have been running backward faster than Bill Robertson. The National Football League statistics, released today, show the Brooklyn ball carriers in the red with a net loss of 11 yards.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1953, the Eagle reported, “Mayor Impellitteri may toss in the sponge today in his fight to remain on the ballot as an independent candidate for re-election. While Impellitteri is continuing his court battle on the validity of his nominating petitions ― against the advice of his chief advisers ― he may have a change of heart when the case is reconvened later today. Possible concession by the Mayor capped these major political developments: 1. Robert F. Wagner Jr., Democratic Mayoralty candidate, will go into Supreme Court in Manhattan or Albany in an effort to force Governor Dewey to make public the list of persons who interceded with the State Parole Board for convicted labor extortionist Joey Fay; 2. Rudolph Halley, Liberal candidate, injected a second ‘Mr. X’ into the campaign with a charge that one of Wagner’s running mates had once been involved in a State bribery investigation; 3. Harold Riegelman, Republican candidate, accused Wagner supporters in the ranks of union leaders of attempting to browbeat members to support the Democratic slate under threat of $15 fines. For a while early today it appeared that Impellitteri would actually concede that he did not have the required 7,500 valid signatures on his Experience party petitions.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1953, the Eagle reported, “STOCKHOLM (UP) ― Former President Truman is a leading candidate for this year’s Nobel peace prize, well informed sources said today. In Kansas City Mr. Truman said good-naturedly: ‘I certainly could not be expected to comment on that report.’ Canadian Foreign Minister Lester Pearson is reported also to be a candidate. The peace prize committee broke a precedent this year by refusing to name the list of persons being considered for the peace prize. But Chairman Gunnar Jahn told the United Press that Mr. Truman is on the list. He was nominated by President Celal Bayar of Turkey and Premier Field Marshal Alexander Papagos of Greece. No peace prize was awarded for 1952, and there was some belief that the 1952 as well as the 1953 prize may be awarded this year. Papagos, in nominating Mr. Truman, said: ‘His only thought during office was the maintenance of peace.’”

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Kim Kardashian
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Charlotte Caffey
Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include guitarist and singer Manfred Mann, who was born in 1940; U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer and former N.Y Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello, who was born in 1942; judge and TV host Judy Sheindlin, who was born in Brooklyn in 1942; former N.Y. Rangers coach Mike Keenan, who was born in 1949; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was born in 1949; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Charlotte Caffey (The Go-Go’s), who was born in 1953; Toto co-founder Steve Lukather, who was born in 1957; former N.Y. Jets linebacker Mo Lewis, who was born in 1969; “Growing Pains” star Jeremy Miller, who was born in 1976; TV personality Kim Kardashian, who was born in 1980; 2009 American League Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke, who was born in 1983; and former NBA point guard Ricky Rubio, who was born in 1990.

Judge Judy
Evan Agostini/AP

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LET THERE BE LIGHT: On this day in 1879, Thomas Alva Edison demonstrated the first incandescent lamp that could be used economically for domestic purposes. This prototype, developed at Edison’s Menlo Park, N.J., laboratory, could burn for 13 1/2 hours.

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HOLLYWOOD PRINCESS: Carrie Fisher was born on this day in 1956. The actress and writer found overnight stardom as the intrepid and wisecracking Princess Leia in the 1977 film “Star Wars.” As she built an admired body of work with films like “Hannah and Her Sisters” (1986) and “When Harry Met Sally” (1989), she also battled bipolar disorder, substance abuse and a sometimes rocky relationship with her famous mother, Debbie Reynolds, all inspirations for later works: her semi-autobiographical novel “Postcards from the Edge” and the memoirs “Wishful Drinking” and “Shockaholic.” She died in 2016.

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

Quotable:

“Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.”

— actress and author Carrie Fisher, who was born on this day in 1956