Brooklyn Today for Jan. 29

January 28, 2013 Brooklyn Daily Eagle
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Good morning. Today is the 29th day of the year. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle of Jan. 29, 1900, carried an article, “Warrant Is Out for Pool Room Men.” In 1900, a “pool room” meant a room where gambling on horses and sporting events took place. While they were waiting for the results, many of the gamblers played billiards, and eventually the game itself became known as “pool.”

The article alleged that corrupt police charged pool room operators $75 a month in protection money, and that “within a stone’s throw of Borough Hall, there are half-a-dozen pool rooms. Fifth Avenue is infested with them, many are found on Fulton Street, and one particularly well-known pool room can be found at Fulton Street and Franklin Avenue.”

Well-known people who were born today include feminist author Germaine Greer (“The Female Eunuch”), TV personality Adam Lambert (“American Idol”), actress Katherine Ross (“The Graduate”), actor Tom Selelck (“Three Men and a Baby,” “Mr. Baseball”), actor Nick Turturro (NYPD Blue”) and TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey.

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