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MILESTONES: May 19, birthdays for Sam Smith, Andrea Pirlo, Yo Gotti

Brooklyn Today

May 19, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Pop superstar Sam Smith celebrates his birthday today. Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP

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Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 138th day of the year.

Notable people born on this day include Grace Jones and Pete Townshend, among others.

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ON THIS DAY IN 1952, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle published an article titled “3 in Family Hurt as Auto Crashes into Living Room.”

The article focused on a man who drove into a Bed-Stuy family’s living room.

“The driver of the car, Josiah Lovell, 56, of 164 Macon St., told police he was cleaning his windshield when he accidentally stepped on the accelerator and the car spurted ahead and mounted the curb. Police took no action against him,” the Eagle reported.

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include actor JAMES FOX, who was born in 1939; basketball player KEVIN GARNETT, who was born in 1976; rapper YO GOTTI, who was born in 1981; broadcaster and journalist DAVID HARTMAN, who was born in 1937; model, singer and actress GRACE JONES, who was born in 1952; former basketball player and coach BILL LAIMBEER JR., who was born in 1957; journalist, political analyst and former anchor JIM LEHRER, who was born in 1934; actor ERIC LLOYD, who was born in 1986; former football player ARCHIE MANNING, who was born in 1949; NYCFC soccer player ANDREA PIRLO, who was born in 1979; singer and songwriter SAM SMITH, who was born in 1992; and musician PETE TOWNSHEND, who was born in 1945.

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MALCOLM X WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1925. The black nationalist and civil rights activist resolved to transform his life while serving a prison term. Upon his release in 1952, he changed his name to Malcolm X and worked for the Nation of Islam until he was suspended by Black Muslim leader Elijah Muhammad in 1963. Malcolm X later made the pilgrimage to Mecca and became an orthodox Muslim. He was assassinated as he spoke at a meeting at the Audubon Ballroom in New York in 1965.

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TODAY IS ENDANGERED SPECIES DAY. It was first proclaimed by the U.S. Congress in 2006 to celebrate the nation’s wildlife and wild places. It is also an opportunity for people to learn about the importance of protecting endangered species, as well as everyday actions they can take to help protect them.

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ANNE BOLEYN WAS EXECUTED ON THIS DAY IN 1536. After capturing the eye of England’s King Henry VIII in 1527, she demanded that he make her a wife, not a mistress. This caused the married Henry’s break with the Catholic Church (which didn’t allow divorce), which in turn led to decades of religious turmoil in England. Henry had his marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled and wed Boleyn in 1533. Boleyn’s inability to bear a male heir (although her daughter with Henry was the future Queen Elizabeth I) and court intrigue caused her arrest on charges of adultery. She was executed by sword at the Tower of London in 1536.

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CARL AKELEY WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1864. The “father of modern taxidermy” was unhappy with the “upholsterer’s method of mounting animals” and spent his life elevating taxidermy to a science. Akeley’s research led to many inventions and innovations that benefited museums worldwide. Akeley survived a leopard attack, charging rhinos and an elephant stampede during his many African expeditions to collect specimens, many of which are still on display in the naturalistic settings he created. Regret over killing a mountain gorilla led him to petition King Albert I of Belgium to create a sanctuary, later Africa’s first national park. Akeley died in 1926 in Congo.

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

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“If you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything.” — Malcolm X, who was born on this day in 1925