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MILESTONES: September 22, birthdays for Joan Jett, Scott Baio, Andrea Bocelli

Brooklyn Today

September 22, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Joan Jett. Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP
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Steelworkers’ Strike: On this day in 1919, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported that steel workers had gone on strike against the United States Steel Company, in several American cities, including Chicago, Pittsburgh and Cleveland, which were major centers in the industry. William Z. Foster, secretary of the Steel Workers’ National Committee, provided figures claiming that 284,000 steel workers were on strike throughout the U.S., with 71,000 in Pittsburgh alone. By contrast, employers claimed that many of their plants were still at partial or full operation, and claimed even further that most of the strikers were foreigners. The strike was expected to affect other industries, including here in Brooklyn … Meanwhile, in the borough, the Eagle reported that disaster was averted just in time, when utility workers for the Brooklyn Union Gas Company discovered that gas mains around the Palmetto Tenement Houses had been punctured. Telemetric indicators showed a rise in water throughout the system. Because of the way the mains were networked, the water rise showed up in several parts of Brooklyn, including Flatbush and Newtown. About 900,000 gas subscribers would have been endangered.

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Avenging Death: On this day in 1939, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported that thousands of Romanians who were part of the outlawed Iron Guard were assassinated to avenge the death of Premier Armand Calinescu. These Rumanians were considered to be pro-Nazis … In the United States, President Franklin D. Roosevelt revealed that two foreign submarines had been detected on U.S. waters: off the New England and Alaska coasts, respectively. Military patrols, including of the Coast Guard, stayed in the area, particularly between the Nova Scotia province of Canada and Massachusetts’s Nantucket Island, as the “reported position of the submarines was close enough to the United States to affect this country’s interests.”

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MacArthur Directives and a Tax Break for GI’s: On this day in 1945, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s order to arrest the ousted Japanese governor of Korea, Nobuyuki Abe. MacArthur also demanded a complete financial accounting of the Japanese government … Stateside, Congress showed a practical way of thanking released servicemen for winning Word War II: a significant tax deduction in the coming year. Sen. Walter F. George (D-Ga) of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee offered a proposal that men serving overseas be given tax cuts to compensate for the wages they lost during their tours of duty. Extra tax deductions would be given to those GIs who had served long tours.

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NYPD Shakeup: On this day in 1951, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported on an impending NYPD shakeup, including the elimination of the 400-person plainclothes vice squad. The proposed shakeup was related to Police Commissioner George P. Monaghan’s efforts to revive a case against 18 former and suspended cops in a racketeering probe. They sought evidence against the patrolmen that could hold up on its own, in wake of bookie Harry Gross’ earlier refusal to testify against them … Meanwhile, 12 tanks of oxygen were rushed to Buckingham Palace, as a medical team prepared to operate on one of King George VI’s lungs. The cancer-stricken king would live only for another 4 1/2 months. His daughter Elizabeth II ascended the throne on Feb. 6, 1952. She became Great Britain’s longest-reigning monarch in September 2015, surpassing even Queen Victoria.

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include actor Scott Baio, who was born in Brooklyn in 1961; model Shari Belafonte-Harper who was born in 1954; singer Andrea Bocelli, who was born in 1958; singer Debbie Boone, who was born in 1956; actress Mireille Enos, who was born in 1975; actress Bonnie Hunt, who was born in 1964; singer Joan Jett, who was born in 1960; Hall of Fame baseball player Tommy Lasorda, who was born in 1927; actor Paul Le Mat, who was born in 1945; actress Tatiana Maslany, who was born in 1985; actress Catherine Oxenberg, who was born in 1961; actress Billie Piper, who was born in 1982; former hockey player Mike Richter, who was born in 1966; former soccer player Ronaldo, who was born in 1976; and mountaineer Junko Tabei, who was born in 1939.

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THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION WAS ISSUED ON THIS DAY IN 1862. It is one of the most important presidential proclamations of American history, in which Abraham Lincoln, by executive proclamation, freed the slaves in the rebelling states.

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“FRIENDS” PREMIERED ON THIS DAY IN 1994. The hugely popular NBC comedy brought together six single friends and the issues in their personal lives, ranging from their jobs to their romances. The cast was Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer and Matt Le Blanc. The show concluded its run in 2004, with a finale for which 51.1 million viewers tuned in, making that episode the fifth most-watched TV program finale in history.

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MICHAEL FARADAY WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1791. He studied new compounds of chlorine and carbon, discovered benzene and experimented with the liquefaction of gases. He also developed new kinds of glass intended for optical purposes, an early prototype of the Bunsen burner and worked extensively with electricity and magnetism. Faraday also established the concept of a magnetic field, groundbreaking research in the early days of the study of electricity. He died in England in 1867.

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THE FIRST ALL-FEMALE JURY WAS EMPANELED IN THE BRITISH COLONIES ON THIS DAY IN 1656. The General Provincial Court in Maryland heard the case of Judith Catchpole, who was accused of murdering her child. The defendant claimed she had never even been pregnant, and after all the evidence was heard, the jury acquitted her.

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TODAY IS THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE ICE CREAM CONE. Italo Marchiony emigrated from Italy in the late 1800s and soon went into business in New York with a pushcart selling lemon ice. Success soon led to a small fleet of pushcarts, and the inventive Marchiony was inspired to develop a cone, first made of paper, later of pastry, to hold the tasty delicacy. He patented the cone in 1903.

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

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“If you are losing your leisure, look out; you may be losing your soul.” — author Logan Pearsall Smith

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