ON THIS DAY IN 1937, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “From a possibility to a menace — War Admiral. In two weeks’ time the brown son of Man o’ War moved out of the sidelines into the front closeup of the Kentucky Derby. In similar style, but not quite so impressive, Chicolorado won his two starts within a week, as did War Admiral. But truth to tell, it was the performances of War Admiral that were the most brilliant. Saturday furnished in turn a camera’s eye and a blank wall to many of the students of form who were striving to peer into the future — to find the winner of the Kentucky classic. On that day several aspirants for the Derby ran races that gave color, more or less, to their chances.” 

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ON THIS DAY IN 1949, the Eagle reported, “DAYTON (A.P.) — The only airman who ever got near a flying saucer crashed and died before he could describe it, the Dayton Journal-Herald said today. The newspaper printed a lengthy dispatch on the mysterious flying discs, based, it said, on hitherto unpublished reports assembled at the Wright-Patterson Air Force base. The Air Force investigation has proved that the flying saucers ‘are not a joke.’ Neither ‘are they a cause for alarm,’ the newspaper said. The closest any airman came to the mystery discs was on Jan. 7, 1948, when one was sighted over Fort Knox, Ky., the dispatch said. Four fighter planes were sent aloft to intercept it, but only Capt. Thomas F. Mantell was able to get close. ‘I’m closing in to take a good look,’ the newspaper quoted him as reporting by radio. ‘It looks metallic and of tremendous size. It’s going up now as fast as I am. That’s 360 miles an hour. I’m going up after it. At 20,000 feet, if I’m no closer, I’ll abandon chase.’ Mantell’s plane crashed a few minutes later and he was killed. The possibility that the discs are aircraft of a foreign country has been considered, but discounted, the newspaper said.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1950, the Eagle reported, “Mayor O’Dwyer today took a slap at teachers who ‘encourage’ the students’ strikes as the Board of Education voted to add $150 and $250 annual raises for teachers to the city’s record-breaking 1950-1951 budget. To a spokesman on behalf of the teachers, the Mayor retorted that far from ‘getting less than day laborers,’ as she had charged, the city’s teachers were getting from $13 to $29 a day. School principals are getting $55 a day, he said. He declared that elementary school teachers have had $1,528 in pay increases, including the $150 just voted them, since Jan. 1, 1946, while high school teachers in the same period have had their pay checks upped by $1,592. ‘What are they screaming about?’ he asked. Teachers, he added, have a responsible job in that they share with parents the ‘responsibility for molding children’s character,’ but he pointed out that he saw no evidence of any great character on the part of school children during ‘the last two days.’ He cited destruction of railings around City Hall by student demonstrators, the throwing of firecrackers in front of policemen’s horses and noises in front of hospitals.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1956, the Brooklyn Spectator reported, “The Census Bureau reports that more Americans own their own homes than ever before. A survey made in February indicates that 60% of the nation’s families own their own homes. This compares with 55% in April 1950, when the last census of houses was conducted.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1963, the Eagle reported, “Barbra Streisand, now only 20, is a singer who’s definitely on the rise. She has a big, clear voice with an ability to really put a song across, be it slow or swingy, torchy or funny. In this, her debut album, she’s been given an extremely broad range of music to sing. It’s a rather strange assortment, too, running the gamut from ‘Cry Me a River,’ ‘A

Lizzo. Photo: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Sleepin’ Bee’ and ‘A Taste of Honey’ to ‘Keepin’ Out of Mischief Now’ and — of all things! — ‘Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf.’”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include drumming legend Jim Keltner, who was born in 1942; B-52’s founder Kate Pierson, who was born in 1948; radio host Larry Elder, who was born in 1952; Basketball Hall of Famer George Gervin, who was born in 1952; former N.Y. Jets coach Herman Edwards, who was born in 1954; “Morning Train” singer Sheena Easton, who was born in 1959; U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, who was born in 1969; “Doctor Who” star Jenna Coleman, who was

Jenna Coleman. Photo: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

born in 1986; “The Chronicles of Narnia” star William Moseley, who was born in 1987; “Truth Hurts” singer Lizzo, who was born in 1988; and 2020 World Series MVP Corey Seager, who was born in 1994.

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INSTANT MESSAGE: Samuel Morse was born on this day in 1791. The American artist and inventor conceived the idea of the electromagnetic telegraph in 1832. With financial assistance approved by Congress, the first telegraph line in the U.S. was constructed between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Md. The first message Morse tapped out from the Supreme Court chamber at the U.S. Capitol on May 24, 1844 was, ‘What hath God wrought?’”

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PAWS FOR EFFECT: Today is National Little Pampered Dog Day, a day to remember that it’s OK to

Sheena Easton. Photo: djnaquin/Wikimedia Commons

pamper your loved ones — including your dog. The day was created to celebrate those owners who truly care for and love their dogs, but also to bring attention to the fact that not all dogs are so lucky. Visit nationallittlepampereddogday.com.

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

Quotable:

“In every battle, there comes a time when both sides consider themselves beaten. Then he who continues the attack wins.” — Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, who was born on this day in 1822.