MILESTONES: December 21, birthdays for Samuel L. Jackson, Jane Fonda, Steven Yeun

December 21, 2018 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Samuel L. Jackson Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include actor Andy Dick who was born in 1965; former television talk show host Phil Donahue, who was born on this day in 1935; sportscaster and Hall of Fame tennis player Chris Evert, who was born on this day in 1954; Oscar Award-winning actress Jane Fonda, who was born on this day in 1937; actor Samuel L. Jackson, who was born in 1948; actress Jane Kaczmarek, who was born in 1955; comedian and actor Ray Romano, who was born in 1957; actor Kiefer Sutherland, who was born in 1966; conductor, pianist and organist Michael Tilson Thomas, who was born in 1944; former baseball player Andy Van Slyke, who was born in 1960; golfer Karrie Webb, who was born in 1974; and actor Steven Yeun, who was born in 1983.

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FRANK ZAPPA WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1940. The rock musician and composer was noted for his satire and for being a leading advocate against censorship of contemporary music. He formed the group Mothers of Invention. He died in Maryland in 1993.

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PILGRIMS ABOARD THE MAYFLOWER REACHED PLYMOUTH ON THIS DAY in 1620, according to Gov. William Bradford’s “History of Plymouth Plantation.” Plymouth Rock, the legendary place of landing since it first was “identified” in 1769, nearly 150 years after the landing, has been a historic shrine since. The landing anniversary is observed in much of New England as Forefathers’ Day.

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APOLLO 8 WAS LAUNCHED ON THIS DAY IN 1968. The first moon voyage launched was manned by Colonel Frank Borman, Capt. James A. Lovell Jr. and Major William A. Anders. The craft orbited the moon on Dec 24 and returned to Earth Dec 27. It marked the first time men orbited the moon and saw the side of the moon away from the Earth.

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ELVIS PRESLEY MET PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON ON THIS DAY IN 1971. After writing President Richard M. Nixon offering to be a “Federal Agent-at-Large” to fight drug abuse and the drug culture, Elvis Presley met with Nixon at the White House. Presley was not made a federal agent, but the two men had a cordial meeting. The photograph of them shaking hands is the most requested reproduction from the National Archives (more than the Bill of Rights or the U.S. Constitution).

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TODAY IS THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST CROSSWORD PUZZLE. The first crossword puzzle was compiled by Arthur Wynne and published in a supplement to the New York World on this day in 1913.

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

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“There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life.” — Frank Zappa, who was born on this day in 1940