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MILESTONES: October 17, birthdays for Eminem, Wyclef Jean, Alan Jackson,

October 17, 2018 Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Eminem. Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include golfer ERNIE ELS, who was born in 1969; musician, rapper and actor EMINEM, who was born in 1972; scientist and astronaut MAE JEMISON, who was born in 1956; comedian and actor NORM MACDONALD, who was born in 1959; actor MICHAEL McKEAN, who was born in 1947; sportscaster, football coach, former football player and former professional wrestler STEVE McMICHAEL, who was born in 1957; newspaper columnist and film reviewer RICHARD ROEPER, who was born in 1959; and actor GEORGE WENDT, who was born in 1948.

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ROBERT KNIEVEL, KNOWN BY HIS NICKNAME “EVEL,” WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1938. He gained worldwide fame as a stunt performer, conceiving of and executing a series of increasingly outlandish motorcycle jumps throughout the 1970s that often resulted in crashes and broken bones. Knievel died in 2007.

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TODAY IS BLACK POETRY DAY. It is a day to recognize the contribution of black poets to American life and culture and to honor Jupiter Hammon, the first black person in America to publish his own verse. Hammon was born into slavery, probably in Long Island, N.Y., in 1711. In 1760, Jupiter Hammon, then 49, published the 88-line broadside poem “An Evening Thought” and thus became the first black person in America to publish poetry. Hammon died around 1806 (exact date and place of death unknown).

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ARTHUR MILLER WAS BORN IN HARLEM ON THIS DAY IN 1915. Miller began writing plays in college and also published several novels and collections of short stories. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1949 for “Death of a Salesman,” one of the most significant works in American literature. The play won the Tony Award twice: once in 1949 and again in 1999 when it won for Best Revival. Miller also received a Tony for “The Crucible,” a drama about the Salem witch trials, and a lifetime achievement award in 1999. He was married to actress Marilyn Monroe from 1956 to 1961 and wrote the 1963 play “After the Fall” about their relationship. Much of his writing was done in Brooklyn and focused on the borough. He died in 2005.

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JEAN ARTHUR WAS BORN IN NEW YORK ON THIS DAY IN 1900. American actress Jean Arthur was born Gladys Georgianna Greene in Plattsburg. Her films include “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town,” “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” and “Shane.” She died in 1991 in Calfornia.

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

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“Don’t be seduced into thinking that that which does not make a profit is without value.” — Arthur Miller, who was born on this day in 1915

 

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