MILESTONES: November 16, birthdays for Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gemma Atkinson, Amar’e Stoudemire

Brooklyn Today

November 16, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Maggie Gyllenhaal. Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP

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Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 322nd day of the year.

On this day in 1923, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported on the adamant protest of Dorothy Schulze, when local school board president Lloyd Tuthill reprimanded her for wearing pants, smoking and for other “unladylike” activities. Schulze, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Barnard College and Latin and French teacher, told a Brooklyn Eagle reporter, “A teacher has as much right to smoke as any other woman … Yes, I smoke and I wear knickerbockers and I took motor rides with my pupils … What of it?” Of course, Schulze also — perhaps shrewdly — made sure the reporter, hosted at her aunt’s house, found her baking pies. She apparently was also a scholar of culinary arts.

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On this day in 1938, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported that the U.S. and Great Britain were considering a plan in which the latter would provide land in its colonies to Jewish refugees from Germany. The U.S. and other nations would provide the funds and transportation needed to implement the plan. These two nations would join France, the Netherlands and Brazil in London for a “Five-Power Parley” to discuss the refugee crisis. U.N. Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy, father of the future President John F. Kennedy, was working on behalf of refugees. In view of this and President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s condemnation of Nazi attacks, it was believed that the U.S. would welcome the opportunity to help Germany’s 700,000 Jews.

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On this day in 1941, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported that the United Mine Workers Union, under the umbrella of the College of Industrial Organizations, were closing the coal mines in the midst of a union shop dispute. Those mines were essential in the war effort because they supplied the steel mills … The paper also announced an alarming development from France: During a state dinner, French authorities in Vichy emphasized a stronger bond between French Marshal Philippe Petain’s government and the Nazi Party.

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On this day in 1954, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported that Secretary of State John Foster Dulles warned communist China (the mainland) that any move to conquer Formosa would result in war with the U.S. Formosa was later renamed Taiwan. Prompting Dulles’ warning was the sinking of a ship off the Tachen Islands … And on this day, the patriarch of the Barrymore theatre family died of a heart attack at age 76. Lionel Barrymore’s last words were from William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”: “The way to dusty death.” Among his memorable roles — both from Frank Capra films — were Martin Vanderhof from “You Can’t Take it With You” and the cruel curmudgeonly banker Henry F. Potter from “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include model GEMMA ATKINSON, who was born in 1984; Olympic figure skater OKSANA BAIUL, who was born in 1977; actress LISA BONET, who was born in 1967; author SUSANNA CLARKE, who was born in 1959; journalist ELIZABETH DREW, who was born in 1935; former basketball player DWIGHT EUGENE GOODEN, who was born in 1964; actress MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL, who was born in 1977; actress MARG HELGENBERGER, who was born in 1958; jazz singer DIANA KRALL, who was born in 1964; actress MARTHA PLIMPTON, who was born in 1970; former soccer player PAUL SCHOLES, who was born in 1974; and basketball player AMAR’E STOUDEMIRE, who was born in 1982.

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TODAY IS THE UNITED NATIONS’ INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR TOLERANCE. The General Assembly established this day in 1996 to commemorate the adoption by UNESCO member states of the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance. For more information, visit un.org.

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WILLIAM CHRISTOPHER HANDY WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1873. Considered the father of the blues, the American bandleader and composer was born in Alabama and died in New York in 1958.

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GEORGE S. KAUFMAN WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1889. Working collaboratively on Broadway and in Hollywood from the 1920s through the 1950s, the director, producer and critic’s credits include “The Cocaonuts,” ” You Can’t Take It with You” and “Guys and Dolls.” He died in New York in 1961.

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TODAY IS WORLD PHILOSOPHY DAY. First observed in 2008, it is a day to celebrate the importance of philosophical reflection and encourages people all over the world to share their philosophical heritage with each other. For UNESCO, philosophy provides the conceptual bases of principles and values on which world peace depends: democracy, human rights, justice and equality. Philosophy helps consolidate these authentic foundations of peaceful coexistence.

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THE BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY (BHS) will host “We Won’t Back Down: What Will Be Different for Yemeni Americans?” tonight at 6:30 p.m. Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has approved partial implementation of the travel ban and the evolving policy is the subject of fierce litigation and debate, what are the consequences for those Americans who are among its targets? What does it mean to be American when your ethnic identity has been co-branded with terrorism? Join BHS for a discussion with community activist Rabyaah Althaibani; filmmaker and photographer Rooj Alwazir; Women’s Advocacy, Arab American Association of NY program manager Somia El-Rowmeim; Yemeni American Merchants Association Vice President Zaid Nagi; and moderator Dr. Debbie Almontaser, Muslim Community Network president, to explore what the travel ban — and the narratives at its core — mean for the targeted communities and for all of us. 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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“Office hours are from 12 to 1 with an hour off for lunch.” — George S. Kaufman, who was born on this day in 1889