MILESTONES: November 21, birthdays for Carly Rae Jepsen, Björk, Goldie Hawn

Brooklyn Today

November 21, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Carly Rae Jepsen. Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP

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Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 327th day of the year.

On this day in 1954, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported that the U.S. and France had rejected the Soviet Union’s bid to delay ratification of an agreement that would re-arm Germany, with the goal of building Western Unity. The Soviets had called for a Nov. 9 peace conference, and feared that the ratification of the re-armament would cause Germany to again become a threat.

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On this day in 1918, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported that the German sea fleet surrendered to the Allies near the Firth of Forth estuary within the United Kingdom’s boundaries. During a handing-over ceremony, the Allied Grand Fleet received from the Germans almost 400,000 tons of battleships and battle cruisers. Though reported to be sullen, the Germans were characteristically prompt for the ceremony … During this era, the Brooklyn Eagle regularly published the lists of Brooklyn troops who had been injured or killed. The Nov. 21 edition published the list of Brooklyn soldiers who were reported to be safe and well.

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On this day in 1938, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported that British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, with assistance from U.N. Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy, revealed plans to earmark 10,000 square miles in British Guyana to settle Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. British Guyana, then a colony of the United Kingdom, was on the northeastern coast of South America, where that continent meets the Caribbean Sea … Also in this edition was a story that reported relations between the Catholic Church in Germany and the Nazis were further strained when Bishop Konrad von Preysing issued a plea to Catholic parents to resist Nazi efforts to lure their children from Catholic schools.

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On this day in 1942, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported that the British bombed Turin, Italy, in one of the most massive air strikes on the country. Damage was extensive, particularly to the war factories, which were the targets. The British were also aiming toward Tunisia on the North African coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Warnings were issued that all Mediterranean waters beyond Spanish territorial limits were now deemed dangerous. Meanwhile, the Allied forces were building mines to cut Spain off from the Axis.

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include sportscaster and Hall of Fame football player TROY AIKMAN, who was born in 1966; singer BJORK, who was born in 1965; TV producer MARCY CARSEY, who was born in 1944; U.S. Sen. RICHARD J. DURBIN, who was born in 1944; former baseball player KEN GRIFFEY JR., who was born in 1969; actress GOLDIE HAWN, who was born in 1945; singer CARLY RAE JEPSEN, who was born in 1985; actor LAURENCE LUCKINBILL, who was born in 1934; singer and actress LORNA LUFT, who was born in 1952; actress JULIET MILLS, who was born in 1941; actor SAM PALLADIO, who was born in 1986; actress and dancer CYNTHIA RHODES, who was born in 1956; actress NICOLLETTE SHERIDAN, who was born in 1963; and actress MARLO THOMAS, who was born in 1937.

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TODAY IS WORLD TELEVISION DAY. In December 1996, the U.N. General Assembly proclaimed this day as World Television Day, commemorating the date in 1996 on which the first World Television Forum was held at the U.N.

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VOLTAIRE WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1694. The French author and philosopher is best known for his philosophical novel “Candide.” He died in Paris in 1778.

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HETTY GREEN WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1834. Known as the “Witch of Wall Street,” she was the richest woman in America during her lifetime. She grew her substantial inheritance into a formidable fortune estimated to have been more than $100 million. She died in New York in 1916.

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ELLA FITZGERALD WON THE APOLLO AMATEUR NIGHT ON THIS DAY IN 1934. Dressed in borrowed clothes and men’s shoes, the impoverished and shy teenager made her stage debut in Harlem’s Apollo Theater for Amateur Night. The crowd exploded with applause and she won the contest. Bandleader Benny Carter, whose orchestra was backing the amateurs that night, helped Fitzgerald make music industry connections, and in 1935 she began to find success as a singer.

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HENRY PURCELL DIED ON THIS DAY IN 1695. The great English composer of the early Baroque period, born in 1659 in London, had a tragically short life yet was a prolific composer. His fame rests on the proto-operas “Dido and Aeneas” and “The Fairy Queen” (which was based on Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer-Night’s Dream”), ceremonial odes for the court of King Charles II and more than 100 songs. The holder of various court musical positions, Purcell died in London.

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

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“To hold a pen is to be at war.” — Voltaire, who was born on this day in 1694