History Brooklyn Boro

July 29, birthdays for Ken Burns, Tim Gunn, Martina McBride

Brooklyn Today

July 29, 2015 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Ken Burns celebrates his birthday today. Eagle photo by Will Hasty

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Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 210th day of the year.

ON THIS DAY IN 1920, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle published an article titled “Mushrooms in Connecticut, Too.”

The article focused on a Brooklyn man whose summer home in Connecticut was invaded by mushroom growth.

“Yesterday morning Mr. Parker was puzzled to observe a thick growth of strange plants all through his (plant beds),” the Eagle reported. “On closer inspection, he found the intruders to be mushrooms. He gathered a pan full for supper.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include documentary filmmaker KEN BURNS, who was born in New York City in 1953; musician DANGER MOUSE, who was born in 1977; tennis player FERNANDO GONZALEZ, who was born in 1980; fashion consultant TIM GUNN, who was born in 1953; country singer MARTINA MCBRIDE, who was born in 1966; “Baywatch” actress ALEXANDRA PAUL, who was born in New York City in 1963; “How I Met Your Mother” actor JOSH RADNOR, who was born in 1974; singer PATTY SCIALFA, who was born in 1956; dancer PAUL TAYLOR, who was born in 1930; Emmy Award-winning actor DAVID WARNER, who was born in 1941; and “Stand by Me” actor WIL WHEATON, who was born in 1972.

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“THE FELLOWSHIP of the Ring,” the first part of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic “The Lord of the Rings,” was published on this day in 1954. The publishers chose to publish the novel in three parts because it was so long. “The Two Towers” and “The Return of the King” were both published within the following two years.

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