MILESTONES: December 5, birthdays for Keri Hilson, Margaret Cho, Lauren London

Brooklyn Today

December 5, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Keri Hilson. Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP

Share this:

Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 342nd day of the year.

On this day in 1913, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page featured the obituary of prominent Brooklyn Heights (Remsen Street) lawyer William C. DeWitt. A major force in the legal and political circles for more than half a century, DeWitt also been a drafter of the 1898 charter of the Great Consolidation of New York and was a former Corporation Counsel of Brooklyn.

****

On this day in 1933, Prohibition ended with the passage of the 21st Amendment. The amendment essentially repealed the 18th Amendment — passed in 1919 — which established Prohibition and criminalized the consumption or import of alcohol. Utah, headquarters of the anti-alcohol Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons), ironically became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page carried several stories related to Prohibition, including the Utah delegation’s change of heart; New York City’s planned raid and closure of more than 8,000 “illicit” speakeasies; and the federal government’s decision to start importing rye and bourbon. The coming year — 2018—will mark the 85th anniversary of Prohibition’s repeal.

****

On this day in 1945, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported that the labor movement was violently opposed to President Harry Truman’s labor-management peace program. The House of Representatives’ Labor Committee was set to approve Truman’s plan, which provided for Congress to appoint fact-finding bodies to investigate and resolve major labor disputes. But Philip Murray, the Congress of Industrial Organizations’ head, denounced the plan in strong terms calling the administration “anti-labor.”

****

On this day in 1952, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported that President-elect Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower had made a top-secret, three-day tour to Korea. Eisenhower, a five-star general who was about to become commander in chief, wanted to get a “feel” for the war. He met with leading commanders and ate with GIs within range of the battle lines. Eisenhower said that increased American support was needed in South Korea but that it was important to prevent the war from spreading. His visit was so secret that it was not disclosed to the press until after he had already left the Korean peninsula.

****

NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include actress MORGAN BRITTANY, who was born in 1950; opera singer and one of the “Three Tenors” JOSÈ CARRERAS, who was born in 1946; actress and comedian MARGARET CHO, who was born in 1968; author and journalist JOAN DIDION, who was born in 1934; singer KERI HILSON, who was born in 1982; actor JEROEN KRABBE, who was born in 1944; singer LITTLE RICHARD, who was born in 1935; actress LAUREN LONDON, who was born in 1984; singer and songwriter JIM MESSINA, who was born in 1947; singer CHAD MITCHELL, who was born in 1936; Hall of Fame football player ART MONK, who was born in 1957; actor FRANKIE MUNIZ, who was born in 1985; actress PAULA PATTON, who was born in 1975; and author CALVIN TRILLIN, who was born in 1935.

****

WALT DISNEY WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1901. The innovative animator, filmmaker, producer, studio head and theme park developer is best known for his creation of Mickey Mouse. He received a record-breaking 22 Academy Awards in competitive categories, as well as three honorary Oscars and the Irving Thalberg Award. He died in Los Angeles in 1966.

****

PRESIDENT MARTIN VAN BUREN WAS BORN ON THIS DAY in 1782. He served as the eighth president of the U.S. from 1837 to 1841 and was the first president to have been born an American citizen. His term was troubled by bank and business failures, depression and unemployment. He was born in New York and died there in 1862.

****

FRITZ LANG WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1890. The Austrian filmmaker achieved critical success with his Expressionism-influenced 1927 silent film “Metropolis” and his first sound film “M”, both of which pit individuals against a corrupt society in a malignant, mechanistic world. Other works include “You Only Live Once” and “The Big Heat.” He died in Beverly Hills in 1976.

****

GEORGE ARMSTRONG CUSTER WAS BORN ON THIS DAY in 1839. He was a cavalry officer in the U.S. Civil War whose courage and leadership brought him admiration and fame. He later spent 10 years on the Great Plains fighting in the Indian Wars and leading a successful Black Hills expedition in 1874 to find gold. During a campaign to move the Lakota Sioux onto reservations to make way for the gold rush, Custer attacked an encampment of Sioux and Cheyenne in 1876. Outnumbered, he and about 215 of his men were quickly killed at the Battle of Little Bighorn — now considered one of the biggest military fiascoes in U.S. history.

****

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

****

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” — Walt Disney, who was born on this day in 1901