ON THIS DAY IN 1898The Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported: “As soon as Colonel Theodore Roosevelt arrives at Montauk Point with his regiment of Rough Riders, he will be met by a committee of the Independent Republican Organization of Manhattan, headed by Colonel Lovell Jerome, and will be asked to consent to use his name as a candidate for the nomination for governor. It is expected that the Manhattan organization will be joined by a delegation representing the Republicans of this county, who wish to see the Colonel of the Rough Riders at the head of the state ballot. If he consents to be a candidate, an election campaign will be opened which will dwarf anything expected in this state. Close friends of Mr. Roosevelt say that he will consent to be a candidate if he is convinced that there is a demand for his nomination.”

***

ON THIS DAY IN 1927The eagle reported: “There can only be harmony in the purpose of the Mount Rushmore memorial in the Black Hills, a work officially dedicated yesterday by President Coolidge in a fitting and dignified address. The memorial will commemorate Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt. Washington never physically or definitively crossed the Mississippi; Jefferson never saw it, but he extended our territory over a large area beyond the river; Lincoln helped to make the country one from end to end, but he spent his life east of the great river. Roosevelt was the only one of the four who knew and loved the country beyond the river intimately. Yet it is fitting that the West should have within its interior a place dedicated to the glory of these four. They belong to the whole country, not just to the East.”

***

ON THIS DAY IN 1941The eagle reported: “TOKYO (UP) — Japan was preparing for war on the economic front today, while the press reported that the United States was “determinedly” prepared to meet any emergency in the Pacific. The increasing tension of the diplomatic and economic tug-of-war in the Far East was reflected in developments on a vast front from Siberia to the Dutch East Indies. 1. Approval of four decrees to the Japanese general mobilization act designed to put the country on a full war footing economically and financially; 2. A statement by Kaname Wakasugi, the Japanese envoy in Washington, who is now in Los Angeles, that the United States is very concerned about the future position of Thailand and that the Americans “seem to be determinedly prepared” after ordering the enforcement of “gradual countermeasures” against any action by Japan; 3. A report in the newspaper Highly that the United States had proposed that America and Russia should take joint defensive action should a “third power” attack the Dutch East Indies; 4. Reports, denied by an official government spokesman, that Japan had indicated it would refuse to allow American war supplies destined for Russia to be sent to Vladivostok on the grounds that they might be destined for China. (Dispatches from China reported that a Chinese guerrilla offensive had been launched in the Yellow River area to tie down Japanese troops that would otherwise have been deployed to operations in Siberia or the South Pacific.) 5. Dispatches from Japanese-occupied Saigon reported that the bulk of the Japanese expeditionary force in French Indochina had been sent to the province of Cambodia, bordering Thailand (Siam).”

***

ON THIS DAY IN (1945The eagle reported: “WASHINGTON, AUGUST 10 (UP) — The world received an assurance from President Truman today that the secret of the atomic bomb will remain under lock and key until control methods are found to protect mankind ‘from the danger of total annihilation.’ ‘The atomic bomb is too dangerous to be left loose in a lawless world,’ Mr. Truman said in his radio address last night.”

***

ON THIS DAY IN 1954The eagle reported: “PHILADELPHIA (UP) — Directors of the impoverished Philadelphia Athletics today studied the latest plan by a local syndicate to prevent the club from moving to Kansas City, Missouri, or any other city. Details of the plan, described by a syndicate spokesman as ‘the basis for saving the club,’ were not disclosed but were carefully considered by the A’s five-man board of directors, headed by Connie, Earle and Roy Mack.”

***

Notable people born on this day including FedEx founder Frederick W. Smithborn 1944; “Star Wars” star Ian McDiarmidborn 1944, journalist and author Marilyn vos Savantborn 1946; co-founder of Apple Inc. Steve Wozniakborn 1950; member of the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame Hulk Hoganborn 1953; Oscar-winning actress Viola Davisborn 1965; comedian and podcast host Joe Roganborn 1967; “Hotel Rwanda” star Sophie Okonedoborn 1968; star of “Life and Me” Will Friedleborn 1976; “Thor” star Chris Hemsworthborn 1983; former outfielder of the NY Yankees Melky Cabreraborn 1984, political commentator and television presenter Tomi Lahrenborn in 1992.

***

STARMAKER: American Graffiti premiered on this day in 1973. Written and directed by George Lucas, the coming-of-age comedy documented the cruising culture of the early 1960s and featured a large ensemble cast of future stars, including Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Cindy Williams and Suzanne Somers. The film was made on a budget of less than a million dollars, but grossed more than $50 million on its initial release and gave Lucas the clout to tackle another project, the Star Wars saga.

***

GOLD STANDARD: On this day in 1984, Carl Lewis rose to Olympic fame. In Los Angeles, the 23-year-old became the second athlete to win four gold medals at a single Olympic Games, equaling Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals in Berlin in 1936. Lewis even won gold in the same events: the men’s 400-meter relay, 100-meter dash, long jump and 200-meter dash.

***

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

Quote:

“What is the essence of America? Finding and maintaining the perfect, delicate balance between freedom ‘to’ and freedom ‘from.'”

— Author Marilyn vos Savant, who was born on this day in 1946