February 4: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

"As yet the ice men have been unable to make preparations for the great demand that will be made of them next season for ice. During the Summer the Centennial at Philadelphia will bring thousands of people from all parts of the country to New York and Brooklyn, and ice will be the one luxury that will be indispensable. Unless we should have a very cold spell before the 20th of the present month,"

"Moderation of the cold spell which sent the mercury down to 4 degrees at 8 a.m. yesterday, making the day the coldest Feb. 3 on record in New York, is forecast for today. Today should be fair and warmer, according to the official prognostication. The previous low record for Feb. 3 in New York was five degrees in 1881. Yesterday was the third coldest day this Winter."

Ice suppliers lacked preparations to meet an anticipated surge in demand tied to the Centennial, creating fears of scarcity and higher urban prices. A staging of La Voyage Dans la Lune was scheduled for Niblo's Garden. A wedding between Anna Valentine and James Willets was set for February 14. A 1934 cold snap produced a record low for Feb. 3, compressed packed snow into solid ice that complicated work for 4,100 snow removal workers, and led Salvation Army coffee bars to serve tens of thousands seeking food and coffee. In 1941 professional football appointed Elmer Layden while Notre Dame looked for a new coach.

Read at Brooklyn Eagle