History

Sept. 17, birthdays for Phil Jackson, Alexander Ovechkin, Baz Luhrmann, Tomas Berdych

Brooklyn Today

September 17, 2014 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Czech tennis star Tomas Berdych celebrates his birthday today.

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Good afternoon, Brooklyn. Today is the 260th day of the year.

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ON THIS DAY in 1900, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle published an article titled “Ice Prices, Says Croker, Raised By Republicans.” The article focused on a “collusion” between Tammany Hall and the Ice Trust made by the attorney general of the time.

“Mr. Croker asserted that he had made a thorough investigation of the whole matter and found that Republicans in the board of directors of the American Ice Company were responsible for raising the price of ice,” the Eagle reported.

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include tennis player Tomas Berdych, who was born in 1985; former football player Mark Brunell, who was born in 1970; “Friday Night Lights” actor Kyle Chandler, who was born in 1965; U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), who was born in 1933; former basketball coach Philip D. Jackson, who was born in 1945; mixed martial artist Chuck Liddell, who was born in 1969; director of “The Great Gatsby” and “Moulin Rouge” Baz Luhrmann, who was born in 1962; hockey player Alexander Ovechkin, who was born in 1985; Manhattan-born actress Cassandra Peterson, who was born in 1951; comedienne and actress Rita Rudner, who was born in 1956; former associate justice of the U.S. David H. Souter, who was born in 1939; and basketball player Rasheed Wallace, who was born in 1974.

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WARREN E. BURGER, former chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, was born on this day in 1907. Burger was a conservative on criminal matters, but a progressive on social issues. He had the longest tenure from 1969-86 of any chief justice in the 20th century. He was appointed by President Richard Nixon and voted in the majority on Roe v. Wade.

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TODAY IS CONSTITUTION DAY. Annually on constitution day, schools across the nation join a synchronized recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance coast to coast at 2 p.m. Eastern time.

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AN URBAN EDUCATION in three acts, part of the Brooklyn Book Festival’s week of Bookend events, will take place at the Brooklyn Historical Society today at 7 p.m. The discussions include a “Hold Fast to Dreams” talk with authors Joshua Steckel and Beth Zasloff joining educator Deborah Meier and a discussion with teacher Lisa Wilde and two former students performing a spoken word and rap of “Yo, Miss: A Graphic Look at High School.”

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