MILESTONES: November 9, birthdays for French Montana, Chris Jericho, Nick Lachey

Brooklyn Today

November 9, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

French Montana. Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP

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Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 315th day of the year.

On this day in 1947, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page carried two stories related to buildings and construction in Brooklyn. The first covered the collapse of an abandoned building at 34 State St. in Brooklyn Heights that injured seven people. The collapse tore down the shared wall of an adjoining rowhouse, leaving 17 people homeless. The 34 State St. building, which had already been condemned per eminent domain for the construction of the BQE, collapsed with inauspicious timing: An inspector was approaching for a routine check.

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On this day in 1923, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported that Adolf Hitler and World War I Gen. Erich Ludendorff’s Nationalist putsch — a violent attempt to take over the government — failed. They had staged the takeover at a beer hall in Munich, but it was suppressed. Forces loyal to the German government seized Ludendorff and Hitler. Ernst Poehner, whom the revolutionaries had named as premier, was arrested. Three days after the putsch, on Nov. 11, 1923, Hitler was tried for high treason. Eventually released from prison, he seized opportunities — such as the Great Depression — to exploit the democratic process and gain political power. By 1933, the Nazi Party was the largest in Germany.

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On this day in 1938, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported a wide-scale pogrom — punitive state-sponsored terrorism, loss of life and destruction of thousands of Jewish-owned businesses, homes and 200 synagogues throughout Nazi Germany. Sparking the pogrom was the Nov. 9 death of Ernst vom Rath, secretary of the German Embassy, at the hands of Hershel Grynszpan, a 17-year-old Polish Jew angry about his family’s expulsion from Germany. According to news reports, Hitler and key Nazi party officials were celebrating the anniversary of the Munich putsch (see above) when word reached them about vom Rath’s death.

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On this day in 1952, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported that angry Brooklyn College students were fighting back against accusations of being communist. They channeled this anger constructively, enlisting the help of the Eagle to tell their stories. Brooklyn College Harry Gideonse endorsed this project and the Eagle began an eight-day series on the lives of Brooklyn College students. Brooklyn College, which had been founded in 1930 as New York City’s first co-educational liberal arts college, was so significant a Public Works Administration project that President Franklin D. Roosevelt himself came to Midwood to lay the cornerstone for the gymnasium. The school’s mission was to provide a top-rate free education to the families of immigrants, enabling them to accomplish their dreams.

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include actress NIKKI BLONSKY, who was born in 1988; U.S. Sen. SHERROD BROWN, who was born in 1952; actor ERIC DANE, who was born in 1972; baseball player ADAM DUNN, who was born in 1979; golfer DAVID DUVAL, who was born in 1971; actor LOU FERRIGNO, who was born in 1951; Hall of Fame baseball player BOB GIBSON, who was born in 1935; wrestler CHRIS JERICHO, who was born in 1970; singer and TV personality NICK LACHEY, who was born in 1973; rapper FRENCH MONTANA, who was born in 1984; opera singer THOMAS QUASTHOFF, who was born in 1959; and sportscaster, former golfer, and golf course architect TOM WEISKOPF, who was born in 1942.

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BENJAMIN BANNEKER WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1731. The American astronomer, mathematician, clock maker, surveyor and almanac author was called “first black man of science.” “Banneker’s Almanac” was published during 1792–97. Born in Elliott’s Mills, Maryland, he died in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1806. A fire that started during his funeral destroyed his home, library, notebooks, almanac calculations, clocks and virtually all belongings and documents related to his life.

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THE BERLIN WALL FELL ON THIS DAY IN 1989. Citizens of both sides walked freely through an opening in the barrier as others danced atop the structure to celebrate the Cold War era. The 27.9-mile-long wall was built in 1961 after U.S. President John F. Kennedy had ordered a troop buildup in response to the blockade of West Berlin by the Soviets.

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THE NATIONAL CHILD SAFETY COUNCILWAS FOUNDED ON THIS DAY IN 1955. The National Child Safety Council (NCSC) is the oldest and largest nonprofit organization in the U.S. dedicated solely to child safety. For more information, visit nationalchildsafetycouncil.org.

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THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL STATUE WAS UNVEILED ON THIS DAY IN 1984. The memorial includes the statue Three Servicemen, which was sculpted by Frederick Hart, and a black granite wall designed by artist Maya Lin. The massive wall is inscribed with the names of more than 58,000 Americans who were killed or missing in action in the Vietnam War.

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THE EAST COAST BLACKOUT OCCURRED ON THIS DAY IN 1965. A massive electric power failure starting in western New York state cut electric power to much of northeastern U.S. as well as Ontario and Quebec in Canada. More than 30 million people in an area of 80,000 square miles were affected. The experience provoked studies of the vulnerability of 20th-century technology.

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THE BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY (BHS) will host “Talking Brooklyn with Mimi Sheraton, Moderated by Dana Cowin” tonight at 6:30 p.m. Long before her career as The New York Times’ first female restaurant critic and, later, as food a writer for dozens of distinguished publications, Mimi Sheraton was Miriam Solomon of Brooklyn, New York. She will reflect on her roots and her career in this conversation with Dana Cowin, radio host and former editor-in-chief of Food & Wine magazine. 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’re in very bad trouble if we don’t understand the planet we’re trying to save.” — cosmologist Carl Sagan, who was born in Brooklyn on this day in 1934