The Brooklyn Eagle
The Brooklyn Eagle's Washington bureau office, street view from 1916. |
| Type |
Daily |
| Format |
Tabloid |
| Founded |
October 26, 1841 |
| Language |
English |
| Ceased publication |
March 16, 1955 |
| Headquarters |
Brooklyn |
| Website |
Brooklyn Eagle |
The Brooklyn Eagle, also called The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, was a daily newspaper published in Brooklyn, New York from October 26, 1841 to March 16, 1955, and is also a successor daily newspaper by the same name. It was the most popular afternoon paper in the United States at one point. Walt Whitman was its editor for two years. During the American Civil War it supported the Democratic Party; as such, its mailing privileges were revoked due to a forged letter supposedly sent by President Lincoln. The Eagle played an important role in shaping Brooklyn's civic identity, even after the once-independent city became part of the City of Greater New York in 1898. Among the Eagle’s editors were Walt Whitman, Thomas Kinsella, St. Clair McKelway, Cleveland Rogers, Frank D. Schroth, and Charles Montgomery Skinner. The original Eagle ceased publication following a prolonged strike by The Newspaper Guild. The paper was briefly revived from 1960 to 1963.
The Brooklyn Public Library maintains an online archive of the Eagle through 1902.
Demise of the original Eagle
Frank D. Schroth had bought the newspaper from M. Preston Goodfellow in August 1938. In addition to dropping the word "Daily" from the paper's tile, Schroth increased the paper's profile and readership with more active local coverage.[1] In the face of a strike by The Newspaper Guild, the paper published its last edition on January 29, 1955, and shutdown in March.[2] Thomas N. Schroth, the publisher's son, served as the newspaper's managing editor in the last three years of its existence, before moving on to become editor of Congressional Quarterly and founder of The National Journal.[3]
Revived Brooklyn Daily Eagle
The Brooklyn Daily Bulletin began publishing when the original Eagle folded in 1955. In 1996 it merged with a newly revived Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and now publishes a morning paper five days a week under the Brooklyn Daily Eagle name. The revived Brooklyn Eagle has no relationship with the original Eagle published through 1955 and continued (through acquisition in Bankruptcy court[4]) in 1960 and 1962-63[5]; it adopted the Eagle name (adding it to its Bulletin title) after the Eagle name fell into the public domain, and following a dispute with another Brooklyn publisher over ownership of the Eagle name[6]. It is one of three English-langugage daily newspapers published in Brooklyn (the others are the "New York Daily Challenge"[7] and "Hamodia"[8]). As an homage to the original Eagle it publishes a daily feature called On This Day in History, made up of much material from the original Eagle. It is currently published by J. Dozier Hasty under the auspices of "Everything Brooklyn Media." The Eagle editorial staff has grown to include 25 full-time reporters, writers and photographers. Thus, it has seen an increase in original, locally geared news stories and spot news photographs.
Its coverage has grown to include the Bay Ridge section, where a weekly version of the paper, "The Bay Ridge Eagle," is published.
Its mascot is "Eddie the Eagle."
Hollow Nickel Case
On June 22, 1953, a newspaper boy, collecting for the Brooklyn Eagle, at an apartment building at 3403 Foster Avenue in Brooklyn, was paid with a nickel that felt funny to him. When he dropped it on the ground, it popped open and contained microfilm inside. The microfilm contained a series of numbers. He told the New York City Police Department, who in two days told an FBI agent about the strange nickel. But it wasn't until a KGB agent, Reino Häyhänen, wanted to defect in May, 1957, would the FBI be able to link the nickel to KGB agents, including Vilyam Genrikhovich Fisher (aka Rudolph Ivanovich Abel) in the Hollow Nickel Case. The deciphered message in the nickel turned out to be worthless, a personal message to Häyhänen from the KGB in Moscow welcoming him to the U.S. and instructing him on getting set up.[9]
See also
References
- ^ Staff. "Frank D. Schrnoth, 89, Publisher Of The Brooklyn Eagle, Is Dead; Acclaimed for His Service", The New York Times, June 11, 1974. Accessed August 6, 2009.
- ^ Staff. "NEGOTIATIONS ENDED IN SALE OF EAGLE", The New York Times, June 11, 1955. Accessed August 5, 2009.
- ^ Weber, Bruce. "Thomas N. Schroth, Influential Washington Editor, Is Dead at 88", The New York Times, August 4, 2009. Accessed August 5, 2009.
- ^ http://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F10C1EFE3A5E1A738DDDAA0994D8415B828AF1D3
- ^ http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83031150/
- ^ http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/10-96/10-16-96/l01ae114.htm
- ^ http://www.manta.com/coms2/dnbcompany_dcbyq3
- ^ http://www.hamodia.com/contact.cfm
- ^ Famous Cases: Rudolph Ivanovich Abel (Hollow Nickel Case). - FBI
External links
