History Brooklyn Boro

November 17, birthdays for RuPaul, Danny DeVito, Martin Scorsese

Brooklyn Today

November 17, 2016 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Television host RuPaul celebrates his birthday today. Photos stylized by August Gibbs

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Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 322nd day of the year.

Notable people born on this day include Danny DeVito and Gordon Lightfoot, among others.

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ON THIS DAY IN 1949, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle published an article titled “He Makes Visions of Fairyland Dance Gaily in Their Minds.”

The article focused on Spencer G. Shaw, a Brooklyn Library story-teller.

“Shaw’s job is a new one with the library. In addition to telling stories with his own particular knack, he gives talks on children’s literature for schools, clubs and churches, prepares book lists and does book reviews,” the Eagle reported.

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include actor DANNY DeVITO, who was born in 1944; actress and TV personality DAISY FUENTES, who was born in 1966; singer ISAAC HANSON, who was born in 1980; model and actress LAUREN HUTTON, who was born in 1944; U.S. Sen. JAMES M. INHOFE, who was born in 1934; singer and songwriter GORDON LIGHTFOOT, who was born in 1938; actress SOPHIE MARCEAU, who was born in 1966; actress MARY ELIZABETH MASTRANTONIO, who was born in 1958; producer LORNE MICHAELS, who was born in 1944; model and actor RuPAUL, who was born in 1960; director MARTIN SCORSESE, who was born in 1942; Hall of Fame baseball player GEORGE “TOM” SEAVER, who was born in 1944; actor MATTHEW SETTLE, who was born in 1969; U.S. Sen. PAT TOOMEY, who was born in 1961; and actor DYLAN WALSH, who was born in 1963.

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TODAY IS WORLD PHILOSOPHY DAY. This day celebrates the importance of philosophical reflection and encourages people all over the world to share their philosophical heritage with each other. For UNESCO, philosophy provides the conceptual bases of principles and values on which world peace depends: democracy, human rights, justice and equality. For more information, visit unesco.org.

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JOHN PETER ZENGER WAS arrested on this day in 1734. The Colonial printer and journalist who established the New York Weekly Journal was arrested for libel against the colonial governor but continued to edit his newspaper from jail. Zenger’s acquittal was an important early step toward freedom of the press in America. He died in 1746 in New York.

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TODAY IS WORLD PREMATURITY DAY. Prematurity is the leading killer of America’s newborns and affects 15 million babies worldwide each year. This day, part of the month-long Prematurity Awareness Month, seeks to raise awareness about the seriousness of this problem. For more information, visit marchofdimes.org.

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SOICHIRO HONDA WAS born on this day in 1906. Born in Hamamatsu, Japan, he was the enterprising auto-racer-turned-businessman who founded the Honda Motor Company, a central part of the country’s postwar emergence as an economic power. He died in 1991 in Tokyo.

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THE FOOD BOOK FAIR will host “Food Book Party: ‘Food Anatomy’” at West Elm Dumbo at 2 Main St. “Food Anatomy” author and illustrator Julia Rothman and contributor Rachel Wharton will chat with Joshua David Stein about the book. For more information, visit eventbrite.com/e/food-book-party-food-anatomy-tickets-28586077728.

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THE BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY will host “Unscripted Dialogue: Cynthia Nixon, Sarah Ruhl and Lynn Nottage in Conversation” tonight at 6:30 p.m. The MacArthur-winning, Brooklyn-based playwrights will explore the themes of their work, from forbidden stories to finding the profound in the mundane, with Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress Nixon.

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

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“If you plan to face tomorrow, do it soon.” — Gordon Lightfoot, who was born on this day in 1938