History Brooklyn Boro

May 3, birthdays for Desiigner, Eric Church, Dule Hill

Brooklyn Today

May 3, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Rapper Desiigner celebrates his birthday today. Photo by Rick Kern/Invision for UMG/AP Images

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Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 122nd day of the year.

Notable people born on this day include Bobby Cannavale and Frankie Valli, among others.

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ON THIS DAY IN 1952, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle published an article titled “2 Shot in Brawl Over Dice Game.”

The article focused on two men who were shot in South Brooklyn during a late-night dice game.

“According to police, the game ended in a brawl and one of the participants, who was hit in the mouth, came to the apartment, at 264 Bergen St., and started shooting. Claude Hiley, 29, of 318 Atlantic Ave., fell with a bullet in the right thigh and David Gulman, 42, of 559 Warren St. was wounded in the left thigh, ” the Eagle reported.

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include football player JOSEPH ADDAI, who was born in 1983; actor BOBBY CANNAVALE, who was born in 1970; country music singer ERIC CHURCH, who was born in 1977; TV personality and sportscaster GREG GUMBEL, who was born in 1946; rapper DESIIGNER, who was born in 1997; actress CHRISTINA HENDRICKS, who was born in 1975; actor DULÉ HILL, who was born in 1974; singer ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK, who was born in 1936; U.S. Sen. JIM RISCH, who was born in 1941; singer FRANKIE VALLI, who was born in 1937; U.S. Sen. DAVID VITTER, who was born in 1961; and U.S. Sen. RON RYDEN, who was born in 1949.

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JAMES BROWN WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1933. The singer and songwriter began singing gospel while in reform school. He quickly moved into pop music and by the early 1960s was a hugely successful performer. Transcending musical genres, he called himself the “Godfather of Soul” but was equally prominent in rock, gospel and rhythm and blues. He was a spectacular dancer and showman, known for outlandish costumes and energy-filled performances. The “hardest-working man in show business” died in 2006 in Georgia.

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NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1469. The Italian writer and statesman was the author of “The Prince,” a book of advice for a ruler that prescribes strong, absolute government. Machiavelli died in Italy in 1527.

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PETE SEEGER WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1919. The legendary American folk singer and songwriter and political activist is credited with saving folk music from obscurity. His notable works include “If I Had a Hammer” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone.” A social justice activist, he popularized “We Shall Overcome,” which later became the civil rights movement’s anthem. Seeger was blacklisted for decades for a McCarthy-era conviction of contempt of Congress, which was eventually overturned. He was later awarded the National Medal of Arts (1994), inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1996) and received two Grammys before his death in 2014 in New York City.

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“CBS EVENING NEWS” PREMIERED ON THIS DAY IN 1948. The news program began as a 15-minute telecast with Douglas Edwards as anchor. Walter Cronkite succeeded him in 1962 and expanded the show to 30 minutes. Dan Rather anchored the newscasts upon Cronkite’s retirement from 1981 to 2005. Katie Couric assumed the anchor seat in 2006 and Scott Pelley, who currently serves as its host, came to the helm in 2011.

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WILLIAM INGE WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1913. The award-winning American playwright is best known for “Come Back, Little Sheba” (1950), “Picnic” (1953) and “Bus Stop” (1955). Inge received a Pulitizer Prize for “Picnic” and an Oscar for his original screenplay of “Splendor in the Grass” (1960). Inge committed suicide in California in 1973.

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

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“The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.” — Niccolò Machiavelli, who was born on this day in 1469