MILESTONES: October 3, birthdays for Gwen Stefani, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lena Headey

Brooklyn Today

October 3, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Gwen Stefani. Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

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Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 278th day of the year.

On this day in 1935, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported that Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia declared that the 1939 World’s Fair, slated to take place four years hence, “must be the greatest ever.” The popular mayor said the fair, which was held in Flushing Meadows Park, “would be a complete success, that it would help revive the city’s failing foreign commerce, particularly with South America, and would result in improvement of real estate values, business conditions and the morale of the people.” LaGuardia added that “four years is a short time for planning an exposition of such magnitude.”

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On this day in 1935, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported that France and Great Britain planned a financial boycott of Italy, in the wake of Italian attacks in the Aduwa and Adigrat provinces in Ethiopia, including on the Red Cross Hospital there. Italian forces attacked on three fronts: from the north (Tigre Province) and northeast in Eritrea, and from the southeast, where Ethiopia and the Italian Somaliland shared a border. At the time, Italy and Great Britain each had parcels of the Somaliland. France did also, albeit a much smaller parcel of land. “Eritrea” is the Greek word for Red Sea, which also bordered the Horn of Africa. An arms embargo was also demanded against Italy.

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On this day in 1941, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported that Adolf Hitler broke his silence of 103 days since the outbreak of the German-Russian War by boasting the ability to beat off all foes, and declared that Russia had “had already been beat and would never raise its head again.” However, the world would witness in ensuing years of the war that Russian winters would be more than a match for the German forces, and that the “Reds” would ultimately help the Allies be victorious in World War II … Here in Brooklyn, the weather caused another delay of Game Three of the World Series. The deferment of that game also delayed the first scheduled contest for Ebbets Field, where the champion Dodgers would defend their World Series title. Kenesaw Mountain Landis, whom the Eagle described as “the white-maned baseball czar who has full charge of the World Series competition,” examined the wet field and put off its opening another day. Disappointed fans, many of whom had camped out for more than 24 hours, booed before leaving, except for one intrepid 16-year-old, who found a bleacher seat.

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On this day in 1951, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported another Brooklyn Dodgers contest in the works. Starting pitcher Don Newcombe was set to open Game Three of the National League championship series against the NY Giants. Clem Labine had pitched Game 2 for the Dodgers, which won 10-2. With one victory apiece, each team faced a do-or-die contest that night.

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include singer and songwriter LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM, who was born in 1947; actress NEVE CAMPBELL, who was born in 1973; musician and singer CHUBBY CHECKER, who was born in 1941; golfer FRED COUPLES, who was born in 1959; Hall of Fame baseball player DENNIS ECKERSLEY, who was born in 1954; actress LENA HEADEY, who was born in 1973; soccer player ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC, who was born in 1981; actress JANEL MALONEY, who was born in 1969; actor CLIVE OWEN, who was born in 1964; singer and designer GWEN STEFANI, who was born in 1969; actor JACK P. WAGNER, who was born in 1959; golfer DANNY WILLETT, who was born in 1987; and Hall of Fame baseball player DAVE WINFIELD, who was born in 1951.

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“THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW” PREMIERED ON THIS DAY IN 1960. There were 249 episodes of the series, which was set in rural Mayberry, North Carolina, and starred Griffith as Sheriff Andy Taylor; Ron Howard as his son, Opie; Frances Bavier as Aunt Bee Taylor; and Don Knotts as Deputy Barney Fife. The last episode aired on Sept. 16, 1968.

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HARVEY KURTZMAN WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1902. The cartoonist and founder of Mad magazine was born in Brooklyn. At 14, he had his first cartoon published, and he began his career in comic books in 1943. His career led him to EC (Educational Comics), and with the support of William Gaines, he created Mad, which first appeared in 1952. He died in 1993 in Mount Vernon.

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TODAY IS WORLD HABITAT DAY. The U.N. General Assembly, by a resolution of Dec. 17, 1985, designated the first Monday in October of each year as a day to reflect on the living conditions of human beings and to take action to address the shortcomings of those conditions. The first observance of this day in 1986 marked the 10th anniversary of the first international conference on the subject. For more information, visit un.org.

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THE BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY (BHS) will host “Transparency, Journalism and the White House” tonight at 6:30 p.m. A free press holds powerful institutions accountable. So what does that mean when applied to our executive branch? Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the Washington Post David Fahrenthold and deputy managing editor at ProPublica Eric Umansky will discuss how journalists navigate investigations into the actions and policies of the White House, regardless of who holds the office. The Nation editor Lizzy Ratner will moderate. For more information, visit brooklynhistory.org.

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

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“We relish news of our heroes, forgetting that we are extraordinary to somebody, too.” — Helen Hayes