Looking Back: August 31, 2012
100 Years Ago
1912 The two young men who were arrested in Albany under the suspicion that they were wanted murderers “Lefty Louie” Rosenberg and Harry “Gyp the Blood” Horowitz are expected to be freed soon. The men are actually peddlers in the Albany area. District Attorney Charles Whitman had claimed that Rosenberg would be brought in, so now police are eager to find someone who fits the bill. They have no leads as to where Rosenberg might be, but they are looking for Horowitz in Harlem, where he used to live.
75 Years Ago
1937 Nazi prizefighter Max Schmeling was asked to appear before the New York State Athletic Commission, which is investigating the charge that the boxer insulted Governor Herbert Lehman. Schmeling was quoted in a German newspaper, saying, “The Jew Governor, Lehman, convinced the boxing commission to deny me a fight with the champ, Braddock.” The strange thing is, it was the commission that suspended Braddock for refusing to fight Schmeling, not the other way around. In fact, Braddock’s refusal to fight had to do with the powerful anti-Nazi boycott movement. At the hearing, Schmeling denied making the statement, claiming that a correspondent from a Nazi newspaper made it up.
50 Years Ago
1962 Israeli general Tzvi Tzur said there is an increased security risk from the Jewish state’s Arab neighbors, a result of the growing number of advanced weapons sent by the Soviet Union. If Israel does not maintain a technological edge, Tzur said, the very existence of the country will be in danger. The danger stems not only from the Arab military buildup in order to attack Israel in a traditional war, but also from any small incident that could explode into a major conflict.
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