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MILESTONES: July 12, birthdays for Bill Cosby, Malala Yousafzai, Brock Lesnar

Brooklyn Today

July 12, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Actor Bill Cosby celebrates his birthday today. AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File
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Greetings, Brooklyn.  Today is the 193rd day of the year.

Notable people born on this day include Malala Yousafzai and Richard Simmons, among others.

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ON THIS DAY IN 1927, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle published a front-page article titled “Bandits Let Cops Go By, Then They Rob Chain Store.”

The article focused on two thieves who robbed a Brooklyn store of $1,000.

“It was further revealed that, only a minute or two before the pair entered the Butler store today, a touring car filled with Classon Avenue detectives cruising the precinct for the presence of bandits had passed in front of the Myrtle Avenue shop. The pair had been lost in the traffic, however, before the sleuths could return to pick up their trail,” the Eagle reported.

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include actress LISA NICOLE CARSON, who was born in Brooklyn in 1969; Emmy Award-winning actor BILL COSBY, who was born in 1938; actress ANNA FRIEL, who was born in 1976; actress MEL HARRIS, who was born in 1957; actress CHERYL LADD, who was born in 1952; WWE wrestler BROCK LESNAR, who was born in 1977; singer and musician CHRISTINE McVIE, who was born in 1943; actress DENISE NICHOLAS, who was born in 1945; actor JAMEY SHERIDAN, who was born in 1951; TV personality RICHARD SIMMONS, who was born in 1948; actor ERIK PER SULLIVAN, who was born in 1991; talk show host ROLANDA WATTS, who was born in 1959; Olympic gymnast JORDYN WEIBER, who was born in 1995; Olympic figure skater KRISTI TSUYA YAMAGUCHI, who was born in 1971; and Nobel Prize recipient and activist MALALA YOUSAFZAI, who was born in 1997.

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HENRY DAVID THOREAU WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1817. The American author, teacher and philosopher was a major figure of the transcendentalism movement. He is best known for his influential masterpiece “Walden.” Thoreau died in Massachusetts in 1862.

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“FAMILY FEUD” PREMIERED ON THIS DAY IN 1976.  From the production team of Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, the game show sets two families against each other to accumulate the greater number of points. The contestants have to predict the most common answers to a given survey question. Richard Dawson (TV’s famous kissing host), Ray Combs, Louie Anderson, Richard Karn, John O’Hurley and Steve Harvey have been hosts.

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ANDREW WYETH WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1917. The American realist artist is best known for “Christina’s World” and the “Helga” paintings. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal and the National Medal of Arts, among other accolades. Wyeth died in 2009 in Pennsylvania.

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PHOBOS 2 WAS LAUNCHED ON THIS DAY IN 1988. The Soviet craft sent back the first close-up photos of Phobos, one of Mars’ two moons.

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“CURLY” JOE DeRITA WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1909. The American comedian was the last surviving member of the Three Stooges comedy team. He joined the team in 1959 after Joe Besser left. He appeared in “Have Rocket, Will Travel,” “Snow White and the Three Stooges” and “The Outlaw Is Coming.” DeRita died in California in 1993.

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VAN CLIBURN WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1934. The internationally acclaimed pianist’s musical genius briefly thawed the cold war after he won the first Tchaikovsky Competition in 1958. Cliburn was taught piano by his mother as a child and made his concert debut in 1947. He thrilled Muscovites with his interpretation of the romantics at the Tchaikovsky Competition, and surprised competition officials asked Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev’s permission before awarding an American first prize. Cliburn subsequently embarked on a successful concert career and founded the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition to aid young pianists. Cliburn died in 2013 in Texas.

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

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“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.” — Henry David Thoreau, who was born on this day in 1817

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