MILESTONES: October 2, birthdays for Sting, Kelly Ripa, Annie Leibovitz

Brooklyn Today

October 2, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Sting. AP Photo/Marco Ugarte

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On this day in 1928, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page covered the exuberant Democratic Convention in Rochester, N.Y., at which Franklin Delano Roosevelt was nominated for governor in a very declamatory manner. Roosevelt was nominated to succeed Gov. Alfred E. Smith, who was the Democratic nominee for president. Initiating the nomination, which took place at noon the day that edition was published, was NYC Mayor Jimmy Walker. Carolyn O’Day, vice chairman of the Democratic State Commission, declared, “Jubilant with the prospect of victory, the Democratic Party offers two happy warriors to the nation and to the state.”

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On this day in 1934, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported that Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia would support NYC Parks Commissioner Robert Moses in his run for governor. Moses, who was perceived as being independent of the G.O.P. Old Guard, declared himself a political liberal and thus independent of any political machine. When asked, however, whether he would commit to making speeches for Moses, LaGuardia said it was too early and the question was therefore not material. During his candidacy, Moses continued full duty to his Parks Department role. Even though Moses lost that election, he went on to have a very successful career, changing the face of New Yorks state in an unprecedented way. He was responsible for building the Triborough Bridge, the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, West Side Highway and Jones Beach State Park, among other ventures. But when he set his sights on Brooklyn, Moses of course gained notoriety among preservationists here, who wanted to protect the Brooklyn Heights from becoming another sprawling suburb. The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and its cantilevered layers below the Promenade were seen as a solution to that threat. When Moses died at age 92 in 1981, he was called the “Master Builder.”

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On this day in 1943, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported that the Allied 5th Army spearheaded a drive toward Rome, making the battered German forces retreat. The Allied forces had “streamed through” Naples on Italy’s west coast, in pursuit of the German Army. Meanwhile, the Red Army (Soviets, also fighting on the Allied side), pierced Nazi lines in White Russia … The Neapolitan community of Torre Annunziata Naples went unapologetically democratic upon the arrived of the Allied Fifth, with one Italian gentleman boasting that he had been sent to jail for listening to New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia’s radio broadcast to Italy. LaGuardia was also of Italian heritage, from the Trieste region that both Italy and Slovenia claimed. According to United Press International, the demonstrator said that the secret police had warned him not to listen to Anglo-American radio broadcasts. When he defied them, he was arrested at a friend’s home while listening to LaGuardia. “He’s my favorite broadcaster,” the jailed demonstrator said.

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include “The Sopranos” actress Lorraine Bracco, who was born in Brooklyn in 1955; fashion designer Donna Karan, who was born in 1948; photographer Annie Leibovitz, who was born in 1949; singer and songwriter Don McLean, who was born in 1945; movie critic Rex Reed, who was born in 1939; actress and TV host Kelly Ripa, who was born in 1970; singer, songwriter and actor Sting, who was born in 1951; and motorcycle designer and TV personality Paul Teutul Jr., who was born in 1974.

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“THE TWILIGHT ZONE” PREMIERED ON THIS DAY IN 1959. The anthology program ran five seasons for 154 installments, with a one-year hiatus between the third and fourth seasons. Created and hosted by Rod Serling, it is now considered to have been one of the best dramas to appear on TV. The last original episode aired on June 15, 1964.

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MAHATMA GANDHI WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1869. The Indian political and spiritual leader achieved world honor and fame for his advocacy of nonviolent resistance as a weapon against tyranny. He was assassinated in the garden of his home in New Delhi in January of 1948. On the anniversary of Gandhi’s birth, thousands gather at the park on the Jumna River where his body was cremated. Hymns are sung; verses from the Gita, the Koran and the Bible are recited; and cotton thread is spun on small pinning wheels (one of Gandhi’s favorite activities).

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“ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS” PREMIERED ON THIS DAY IN 1955. Alfred Hitchcock was already an acclaimed director when he began hosting this mystery anthology series that aired on CBS and NBC for 10 years. Each episode began with an introduction by Hitchcock, the man with the world’s most recognized profile. Hitchcock directed about 22 episodes of the series; Robert Altman also directed. Among the many stars who appeared on the show were Barbara Bel Geddes, Brian Keith, Gena Rowlands, Dick York, Cloris Leachman, Joanne Woodward, Steve McQueen, Peter Lorre, Dick Van Dyke, Robert Redford and Katherine Ross.

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THURGOOD MARSHALL WAS SWORN IN TO SUPREME COURT ON THIS DAY IN 1967. Marshall was sworn in as the first black associate justice to the U.S. Supreme Court. On June 27, 1991, he announced his resignation, effective upon the confirmation of his successor.

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

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“In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.” — Thurgood Marshall