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MILESTONES: July 18, birthdays for Priyanka Chopra, Kristen Bell, Nick Faldo

Brooklyn Today

July 18, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Actress and former Miss World Priyanka Chopra celebrates her birthday today. Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Actress and former Miss World Priyanka Chopra celebrates her birthday today. Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
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Greetings, Brooklyn.  Today is the 199th day of the year.

Notable people born on this day include Steve Forbes and John Glenn, among others.

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ON THIS DAY IN 1952, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle published a front-page article titled “Campus Slayer Sent to Bellevue for Sanity Tests.”

The article focused on a self-proclaimed electronics expert who murdered a young woman who worked as a secretary at Columbia University the school rejected to publish a book he wrote.

“Peakes was put into a squad car with two detectives outside the court building for the trip to Bellevue. As the car pulled away, Peakes managed a return of his earlier grinning attitude toward reporters and declared, ‘I guess they’ll hang me up by my feet,’” the Eagle reported.

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include actress KRISTEN BELL, who was born in 1980; Emmy Award-winning actor JAMES BROLIN, who was born in 1941; sportscaster and Olympic figure skater DICK BUTTON, who was born in 1929; actress and former Miss World PRIYANKA CHOPRA, who was born in 1982; actor CHACE CRAWFORD, who was born in 1985; actor VIN DIESEL, who was born in 1967; singer DION DiMUCCI, who was born in 1939; golfer NICK FLADO, who was born in 1957; publisher STEVE FORBES, who was born in 1947; astronaut and former U.S. Sen. JOHN GLENN, who was born in 1921; former basketball player PENNY HARDAWAY, who was born in 1972; actress MARGO MARTINDALE, who was born in 1951; actress ELIZABETH McGOVERN, who was born in 1961; singer MARTHA REEVES, who was born in 1941; guitarist RICKY SKAGGS, who was born in 1954; baseball executive and former manager and player JOE TORRE, who was born in 1940; and poet YEVGENY YEVTUSHENKO, who was born in 1933.

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HUNTER S. THOMPSON WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1939.  The journalist and author was one of the first practitioners of Gonzo journalism, a style that featured first-person accounts and scathing criticism of contemporary American society. His most famous work, “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” published in Rolling Stone magazine in 1972, featured an alter-ego character in search of the American Dream via use of hallucinogenic drugs. Other works include “Hell’s Angels,” and “The Great Shark Hunt.” Long hailed as a hero of counterculture, Thompson committed suicide at his home in Colorado in 2005.

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NELSON MANDELA WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1918. The former South African president was born to a Tembu tribal chieftain in Qunu, near Umtata, in the Transkei territory of South Africa. Giving up his hereditary rights, Mandela chose to become a lawyer and earned his degree at the University of South Africa. He joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944, eventually becoming deputy national president in 1952. His activities in the struggle against apartheid resulted in his conviction for sabotage in 1964. During his 28 years in jail, Mandela remained a symbol of hope to South Africa’s nonwhite majority and the demand for his release was a rallying cry for civil rights activists. That release finally came in 1990. He was the 1993 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1994, Mandela was elected president of South Africa in the first all-race election there. He died in 2013 in South Africa.

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CLIFFORD ODETS WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1906. The playwright began his writing career as a poet before turning to acting and helped found the Group Theatre in 1931. In 1935, he returned to writing with works for the Group Theatre such as “Waiting for Lefty” and “Awake and Sing.” His working-class views helped make him a popular playwright during the Depression years. Odets died in California in 1963.

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THE BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY WILL HOST “THE NEW CROWN Heights? A Neighborhood and its Future” tonight at 6:30 p.m. What historical connections exist between the Crown Heights of today and of its past? What is the future of Crown Heights? This conversation, moderated by MSNBC host and author Joy-Ann Reid, will feature people living and working in Crown Heights and their varied views on neighborhood change and transformation. For more information, visit brooklynhistory.org.

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

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“I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours.” — Hunter S. Thompson, who was born on this day in 1939


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