MILESTONES: July 31, birthdays for J.K. Rowling, Evgeni Malkin, Rico Rodriguez

Brooklyn Today

July 31, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Author J.K. Rowling poses for photographers at the premiere of the film “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” in London on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016. Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP

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ON THIS DAY IN 1913, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle published an article titled “Sons in Court over Mother’s Grave Site.”

The article focused on two brothers who were at odds about their mother’s burial site.

“It was admitted by Samuel Lobsitz that he had the bodies of both his mother and father dug up and placed together in his own plot one day last June, but he argues that this was done in accordance with the express wishes of both, and that he intends to build an expensive mausoleum for the entire family on his new plot,” the Eagle reported.

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include actor DEAN CAIN, who was born in 1966; actress GERALDINE CHAPLIN, who was born in 1944; actress SUSAN FLANNERY, who was born in 1943; Hall of Fame tennis player EVONNE GOOLAGONG, who was born in 1951; singer GARY LEWIS, who was born in 1946; hockey player EVGENI MALKIN, who was born in 1986; actor DON MURRAY, who was born in 1929; actress FRANCE NUYEN, who was born in 1939; former football player JOANTHAN OGDEN, who was born in 1974; actor RICO RODRIGUEZ, who was born in 1998; author J.K. ROWLING, who was born in 1965; and actor WESLEY SNIPES, who was born in 1962.

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FRANCIS SALVADOR WAS BORN ON THIS DAY 1776. He was the first Jewish person to die in the American Revolution and the first elected to office in Colonial America. Salvador was voted a member of the South Carolina Provincial Congress in January 1775. He died a year later in North Carolina.

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MILTON FRIEDMAN WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1912. The Brooklyn-born Nobel Prize-winning economist, teacher and author, Friedman became a professor of economics at the University of Chicago, where he did some of his best-known work. The Chicago School, of which he was a member with like-minded scholars, promulgated influential free-market theories. Friedman died in California in 2006.

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THE U.S. PATENT OFFICE OPENED ON THIS DAY IN 1790. The first patent was issued to Samuel Hopkins of Vermont for a new method of making pearlash and potash. The patent was signed by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

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THE BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY WILL HOST “HOLLYWOOD DOES History … Poorly, Part 1: Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” tonight at 6:30 p.m. From biopics to period dramas, Hollywood has always been fascinated with historical events, but that does not mean accuracy is the priority. In this series, BHS willlook at films that play fast and loose with history, often to absurd effect. Things will kick things off with “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” a classic tale of 1980s slackers sent back in time by a futuristic George Carlin. Rafer Guzman, film critic at Newsday, and Kristen Meinzer of Slate will introduce the film. 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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“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.” — J.K. Rowling, who was born on this day in 1965