MILESTONES: January 25, birthdays for Alicia Keys, Michael Trevino, Jack Fowler

Brooklyn Today

January 25, 2018 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Alicia Keys. Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Share this:

Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 25th day of the year.

On this day in 1948, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported on a blizzard that had hit New York City the previous night, and on the city’s preparedness and mobilization campaign. Mayor William O’Dwyer appealed the citizens to help in the storm recovery efforts by clearing the areas around the fire hydrants and removing cars from the streets so they could be opened for essential traffic.

****

On this day in 1919, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported on the Paris Peace Conference’s ongoing work. Also called the Versailles Peace Conference, this parley was a meeting of the victorious Allied Powers — primarily Britain, France and Russia — following the end of World War I, for the purpose of establishing the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers. The Allied nations included Belgium and some of the Balkan states. President Woodrow Wilson represented the United States. His views and those of British Prime Minister David Lloyd-George seemed to be in accord. They discussed forming the League of Nations, which became one of the conference’s main fruits.

****

On this day in 1939, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page carried coverage of the Spanish Civil War and of Gen. Francisco Franco’s rebel forces taking the city of Barcelona. A map showed the regions of Spain that were still loyalist — limited to a portion on the southeast part of the country. Franco’s forces had formed a ring around Barcelona, and a full invasion was expected by nightfall. Meanwhile, 15 Americans who were in Barcelona at the time of the siege had to dodge a gauntlet of bombs before reaching safety on two U.S. warships monitoring the area. The Badger and the Omaha gave the Americans refuge and fired on the rebel aircraft.

****

On this day in 1955, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page carried a statement from publisher Frank Schroth about an impending Newspaper Guild strike that coming Friday. About 315 Guild members planned to strike, demanding that the Eagle follow the “Manhattan wage pattern.” Schroth pointed out that it was “financially impossible” to meet these demands. He said also that the contracts between the Eagle and 10 other craft unions would remain undisturbed. If these workers stayed on the job, the Eagle could continue. But if they chose not to cross the picket lines, the Eagle would have to suspend operation. He pointed out that by demanding Manhattan standards for a Brooklyn newspaper, “the Guild is willing to sink the Eagle to strengthen the union units on Manhattan newspapers … They would sacrifice the Eagle for this union objective.” Schroth declared, “In these circumstances we have a sobering awareness of our responsibility to the community that the Eagle has served for over 113 years without missing one issue.”

****

NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include former hockey player CHRIS CHELIOS, who was born in 1962; guitarist JACK FOWLER, who was born in 1992; musician and singer ALICIA KEYS, who was born in 1981; Tony Award-winning actress DINAH MANOFF, who was born in 1958; actress ANA ORTIZ, who was born in 1971; actor MICHAEL TREVINO, who was born in 1985; actress LEIGH TAYLOR-YOUNG, who was born in 1945; and soccer player XAVI, who was born in 1980.

****

VIRGINIA WOOLF WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1882. The modernist writer, critic and member of the Bloomsbury artistic circle wrote “Mrs. Dalloway,” “Orlando” and “To the Lighthouse.” After completing her last novel “Between the Acts,” she collapsed under the strain and drowned herself in the River Ouse near Rodmell, England in 1941.

****

“ROBOT” ENTERED THE WORLD LEXICON ON THIS DAY IN 1921. The play “R.U.R.” premiered at the National Theater in Prague, Czechoslovakia, whose title stands for “Rossum’s Universal Robots.” It focused on artificial human workers who rebel against their human masters. Czech dramatist Karel Capek and his brother Josef Capek derived “robot” from the Czech noun “robota,” which means “labor” and “servitude.” As the play became a hit worldwide (with an English translation published in 1923), the concept of the robot took hold. Capek’s robots were chemically created; today’s real and fictional robots are metallic machines.

****

FLORENCE MILLS WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1896. The leading black American singer and dancer of the Jazz Age and the Harlem Renaissance appeared in Noble Sissle and Eubic Blake’s “Shuffle Along” in 1921 and “Plantation Review” on Broadway in 1922, and then at the London Pavilion in “Dover Street to Dixie” in 1923. Offered a spot in the Ziegfeld Follies, she turned it down and joined in creating a rival show with an all-black cast. Mills was the first black woman to appear as a headliner at the Palace Theatre. She was so revered for her efforts to create opportunities for black entertainers and to bring the unique culture of blacks to Broadway that more than 150,000 people filled the streets of Harlem to mourn her when she died in New York City in 1927.

****

NELLIE BLY TRAVELED AROUND THE WORLD IN 72 DAYS ON THIS DAY IN 1890. Newspaper reporter Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman (whose pen name was Nellie Bly) set off from Hoboken, N.J. in 1889 to attempt to break Jules Verne’s imaginary hero Phileas Fogg’s record of voyaging around the world in 80 days. She did beat Fogg’s record, taking 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes and 14 seconds to make the trip, arriving back in New Jersey in 1890.

****

THE BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY (BHS) will host “Book Talk: Happiness Is a Choice You Make: Lessons from a Year Among the Oldest Old” tonight at 6:30 p.m. At a crossroads in his own life, New York Times journalist John Leland found himself connecting with some of New York City’s oldest residents in order to understand the experience of aging during the “twilight years.” What he learned was a joyful surprise, lending credence to why this stage of life is often called the “golden years.” Leland shares the wisdom, insights and resilience of elders that inspired his latest book in a conversation with fellow journalist Julie Scelfo. For more information, visit brooklynhistory.org.

****

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

****

“Arrange whatever pieces come your way.” — writer Virginia Woolf, who was born on this day in 1882