MILESTONES: January 18, birthdays for Karan Brar, Dave Bautista, Ashleigh Murray

January 18, 2019 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Karan Brar. Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include actor Dave Bautista, who was born in 1969; actor Karan Brar, who was born in 1999; filmmaker John Boorman, who was born in 1933; actor and director Kevin Costner, who was born in 1955; actress Jane Horrocks, who was born in 1964; actor Jesse L. Martin, who was born in 1969; former hockey player Mark Messier, who was born in 1961; actress Ashleigh Murray, who was born in 1988; Oscar Award-winning actor Mark Rylance, who was born in 1960; and actor Jason Segel, who was born in 1980.

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PETER MARK ROGET WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1779. The English physician is best-known as the author of “Roget’s Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases,” first published in 1852. He died in England in 1869.

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THE FIRST BLACK U.S. CABINET MEMBER WAS SWORN IN ON THIS DAY IN 1966. Robert Clifton Weaver was sworn in as secretary of housing and urban development. He was nominated by President Lyndon Johnson.

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CARY GRANT WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1904. Known as a romantic leading actor, Grant was born Archibald Leach in England. For more than three decades, he entertained with his wit, charm, sophistication and personality. His films include “Topper,” “The Awful Truth,” “Bringing Up Baby,” “His Girl Friday,” “North by Northwest” and “Charade.” He died in 1986 in Iowa.

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DANNY KAYE WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1913. The Brooklyn-born American entertainer became a star in films, international stage performances and television. His most notable films are “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” and “Hans Christian Andersen,” as well as the classic “White Christmas.” He hosted the TV show “The Danny Kaye Show” in the 1960s. He also helped to raise millions of dollars for the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and musicians’ pension plans. He died in California in 1987.

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RUBEN DARIO WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1867. The great Nicaraguan poet is known as the leader of the Latin American modernista movement. His work was tremendously influential in all the Spanish-speaking literary world and beyond. His breakthrough book was “Azul…” In his later years, Dario served his native Nicaragua in various diplomatic posts. He died there in 1916.

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CURT FLOOD WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1938. He was one of baseball’s best center fielders in the 1960s, batting .293 over 15 seasons and playing spectacular defense. After the 1969 season, he refused to accept a trade from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Philadelphia Phillies. “I am not a piece of property to be bought and sold irrespective of my wishes,” he said in a letter to Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. The resulting lawsuit went to the Supreme Court, where Flood lost. But his stand, taken because he did not want to switch teams, paved the way for the end of baseball’s reserve clause and the advent of free agency. Flood died in1997 in California.

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

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“Everyone wants to be Cary Grant. Even I want to be Cary Grant.” — Cary Grant, who was born on this day in 1904.