MILESTONES: March 13, birthdays for William H. Macy, Tristan Thompson, Common

March 13, 2019 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

William H. Macy. Photo by Vince Bucci/Invision/AP

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include golfer Andy Bean, who was born in 1953; basketball player Caron Butler, who was born in 1980; musician Adam Clayton, who was born in 1960; rapper and actor Common, who was born in 1972; actress Dana Delany, who was born in 1956; actor Emile Hirsch, who was born in 1985; U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, who was born in 1957; actor William H. Macy, who was born in 1950; singer and songwriter Neil Sedaka, who was born in Brooklyn in 1939; and basketball player Tristan Thompson, who was born in 1991.

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PERCIVAL LOWELL WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1855. The American astronomer and founder of the Lowell Observatory initiated the search that resulted (25 years after the search began and 14 years after his death) in the discovery of Pluto. The discovery was announced on Lowell’s birthday in 1930 by the observatory. He died in Arizona in 1916.

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RON HUBBARD WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1911. The science fiction writer, recluse and founder of the Church of Scientology was born in Tilden, Nebraska. His best-known book was “Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.” Hubbard died in 1986 in California.

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WALTER ANNENBERG WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1908. The publisher, philanthropist and ambassador inherited the Philadelphia Inquirer from his father and built the newspaper into the cornerstone of a publishing empire that included newspapers, magazines and radio and TV stations. He founded many enduring publications, including Seventeen and TV Guide. He served as U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1969-1976. As a philanthropist, Annenberg gave billions to charities. He died in Pennsylvania in 2002.

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JOSEPH PRIESTLEY WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1733. Best-known for discovering oxygen, the English clergyman and scientist narrowly escaped an angry mob attacking his home in 1791 because of his controversial religious and political views. He and his family moved to the U.S. in 1794. Priestley died in Pennsylvania in 1804.

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THE BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY (BHS) will host “Book Talk: The Woman’s Hour: The Last Furious Fight to Win the Vote” tonight at 6:30 p.m. Author Elaine Weiss will discuss her new book, which tells the nail-biting tale of one of the greatest political battles in American history: the ratification of the constitutional amendment that granted women the right to vote. For more information, visit brooklynhistory.org.

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

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“Don’t worry about it. Babe Ruth struck out on occasion, too.” — publisher and philanthropist Walter Annenberg, who was born on this day in 1908