MILESTONES: November 17, birthdays for Danny DeVito, RuPaul, Tom Ellis

Brooklyn Today

November 17, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Danny DeVito. Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

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Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 323rd day of the year.

On this day in 1948, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported that the federal government had intervened in an extended East Coast longshoremen’s strike that was crippling the shipping industry and businesses that depended on it … Other stories on the page covered the borough’s leaders urging that a link be created between Idlewild Airport (now JFK) and the Downtown Aviation Terminal.

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On this day in 1927, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page devoted space to a man named Adolph Klar, a private gentleman of means and Crescent Club member who resided at 130 Montague St. for many years. He then gave up his apartment to move to Paris. The reason, it was revealed in a cable, is that he married Frances Kehoe, widow of a famous Fifth Avenue florist, and that Klar himself was a Russian count!

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A violent tornado in the nation’s capital became front-page news in Brooklyn on Nov. 18, 1927. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported that a twister hitting the eastern portion of Washington, D.C., near the Potomac River killed one person and caused $1 million in damages, including to naval bases in the vicinity. The Red Cross and Salvation Army were assisting victims, and schools were opened for storm refugees.

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On Nov. 18, 1933, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported that President Franklin D. Roosevelt praised the new Soviet Pact as a key to world peace. The Soviets had fought on the Allied side against Imperial Germany, and the U.S. formally recognized Russia … Also on the front page was an item about Brooklynite Robert C. Lee, a Navy rear admiral who was a successful shipping executive, going to Russia to expand his business, American Scantic Line.

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include actor DANNY DeVITO, who was born in 1944; actor TOM ELLIS, who was born in 1978;actress and TV personality DAISY FUENTES, who was born in 1966; singer ISAAC HANSON, who was born in 1980; model and actress LAUREN HUTTON, who was born in 1943; U.S. Sen. JAMES M. INHOFE, who was born in 1934; singer and songwriter GORDON LIGHTFOOT, who was born in 1938; actress SOPHIE MARCEAU, who was born in 1966; actress MARY ELIZABETH MASTRANTONIO, who was born in 1958; producer LORNE MICHAELS, who was born in 1944; TV personality and LGBT icon RuPAUL, who was born in 1960; director MARTIN SCORSESE, who was born in 1942; Hall of Fame baseball player GEORGE TOM SEAVER, who was born in 1944; actor MATTHEW SETTLE, who was born in 1969; U.S. Sen. PAT TOOMEY, who was born in 1961; and actor DYLAN WALSH, who was born in 1963.

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TODAY IS NATIONAL UNFRIEND DAY. Inspired by late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, it is the day for Facebook users to take an honest inventory of their friends list and eliminate all those who aren’t true friends. By making cuts, they will be able to devote more time and energy to the people who really matter in their lives.

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JOHN PETER ZENGER WAS ARRESTED ON THIS DAY IN 1734. The colonial printer and journalist who established the New York Weekly Journal was arrested for libel against the colonial governor but continued to edit his newspaper from jail. Zenger’s acquittal was an important early step toward freedom of the press in America. He died in 1746 in New York.

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TODAY IS WORLD PREMATURITY DAY. Prematurity is the leading killer of America’s newborns and affects 15 million babies worldwide each year. This day, part of the month-long Prematurity Awareness Month, seeks to raise awareness about the seriousness of this problem. For more information, visit marchofdimes.org.

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THE SUEZ CANAL FORMALLY OPENED ON THIS DAY IN 1869. It took 1.5 million men a decade to dig the 100-mile canal, which shortened the sea route from Europe to India by 6,000 miles. An Anglo-French commission ran the canal until 1956, when Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser seized it.

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SOICHIRO HONDA WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1906. Born in Hamamatsu, Japan, Honda was the enterprising auto racer turned businessman who founded the Honda Motor Company, a central part of Japan’s postwar emergence as an economic power. Honda retired in 1973 and died in 1991 in Tokyo.

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THE BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY (BHS) will host “Free Friday: Big Bad Brooklyn” tonight at 5 p.m. From bootleggers to kingpins, mobsters and mafiosos have called Brooklyn their base of operations for decades. Join BHS as they explore the notorious history of organized crime in Brooklyn, and its reflections in pop culture, at this month’s Free Friday. Enjoy free access to the society’s galleries and cold beer. 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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“There are two dilemmas that rattle the human skull: How do you hang on to someone who won’t stay? And how do you get rid of someone who won’t go?” — Danny Devito, who was born on this day in 1944