MILESTONES: December 14, birthdays for Vanessa Hudgens, Miranda Hart, Michael Owen

Brooklyn Today

December 14, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Vanessa Hudgens. Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

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Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 351st day of the year.

On this day in 1949, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported on a growing epidemic “infesting” Brooklyn’s schools: an organized crime ring was hiring students to collect wagers from their classmates on athletic games at the amateur and pro levels — that is, hustling lunch money from kids and getting them in the habit of borrowing funds from classmates. An editorial adjacent to this story expressed hope that the exposure of the racketeering activities would galvanize the Board of Education, parents and citizenry to protect the students and evict the gambling rings altogether.

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On this day in 1918, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported on President Woodrow Wilson’s arrival in France, where he was warmly welcomed and given an artillery salute. Wilson, who was the first sitting U.S. president to visit Europe, spoke of the United States’ love for France. During his address, he vowed to punish all those who caused World War I. Another front-page story exposed an erstwhile secret plot to annex the Rhineland to France … And a Senate committee investigating brewers of division and of German propaganda were given a report exposing how German spies tried to stir up a revolt among African-Americans. It focused on the subversive activities of one William Bayard Hale, who served as a double agent to the Hearst newspaper empire and to the Kaiser of Germany.

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On this day in 1927, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported on the anxiety in Washington and Mexico when Col. Charles A. Lindbergh failed to arrive as scheduled in Mexico as part of a goodwill ambassadorial visit. He had last been reported flying over Tampico at 8:50 a.m. local time. (Just months before, in May of 1927, the Lone Eagle, as Lindbergh was nicknamed, had galvanized the world with his successful solo flight from Long Island to Paris in 33 1/2 hours). But the Dec. 15 headline would report a happy conclusion. According to some history reports, but not appearing immediately in the Eagle, a Special Act of Congress, also on Dec. 14 awarded Lindbergh the Medal of Honor, which is usually reserved for heroism in combat. President Calvin Coolidge presented Lindbergh with the award in March 1928.

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On this day in 1939, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported that the League of Nations acted swiftly to expel Soviet Russia because of its invasion of Finland. The vote was unanimous but with four abstentions. Finland abstained to avoid further antagonizing its neighbor foe and to avoid retaliation. The delegations from Iran, Peru and Soviet Russia, however, were absent.

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include Hall of Fame baseball player CRAIG BIGGIO, who was born in 1965; actress JANE BIRKIN, who was born in 1946; Catholic theologian LEONARDO BOFF, who was born in 1938; former baseball player BILL BUCKNER, who was born in 1949; actress MIRANDA HART, who was born in 1972; actress VANESSA HUDGENS, who was born in 1988; actress NATASCHA McELHONE, who was born 1969; English soccer legend MICHAEL OWEN, who was born in 1979; Olympic gymnast SAMANTHA PESZEK, who was born in 1991; and actress DEE WALLACE STONE, who was born in 1948.

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THE SOUTH POLE WAS DISCOVERED ON THIS DAY IN 1911. The elusive object of many expeditions dating from the 17th century, the South Pole was located and visited by Roald Amundsen with four companions and 52 sled dogs. All five men and 12 dogs returned to basecamp safely. Next to visit the South Pole in 1912 was a party of five led by Capt. Robert F. Scott, all of whom perished during the return trip. A search party found their frozen bodies 11 months later.

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HALCYON DAYS BEGIN TODAY. Traditionally, they are the seven days before and the seven days after the winter solstice. To the ancients, it was a time when the halcyon, a fabled bird, calmed the wind and waves — a time of calm and tranquility.

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ERNIE DAVIS WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1939. The football running back was born at New Salem, PA, and grew up in Elmira, NY. Playing for Syracuse University, the “Elmira Express” became the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy in 1961. Drafted by the Cleveland Browns, he never played a game as he succumbed to leukemia at age 23. Davis died May 18, 1963, at Cleveland, OH.

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SHIRLEY JACKSON WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1916. The author was infamous for her 1948 short story “The Lottery,” which was published in The New Yorker. The story about a sinister force at work in small-town America brought controversy, threats and finally praise — as well as an O. Henry Prize. Jackson also wrote the influential horror novel “The Haunting of Hill House.” She died in Vermont in 1965.

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PRESIDENT GEORGE WASHINGTON DIED ON THIS DAY IN 1799. The first president of the U.S. died at his home in Mount Vernon shortly before midnight. He had battled a sudden acute respiratory infection and had been bled four times. “I die hard, but I am not afraid to go” were his famous near-dying words. After he confirmed his own burial plans, Washington’s actual last words were, “’Tis well.” He was mourned throughout the U.S. and Europe.

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NOSTRADAMUS WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1503. The French physician, best remembered for his astrological predictions (written in rhymed quatrains), was born in France. Many believed that his book of prophecies actually foretold the future. Nostradamus died in Salon, France, in 1566.

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

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“I delight in what I fear.” Shirley Jackson, who was born on this day in 1916