MILESTONES: March 18, birthdays for Bonnie Blair, Adam Levine, Queen Latifah
NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include Olympic speed skater Bonnie Blair, who was born in 1964; singer and actress Irene Cara, who was born in 1959; comedian and actor Dane Cook, who was born in 1972; the former President of South Africa Frederik Willem de Klerk, who was born in 1936; actor Kevin Dobson, who was born in 1943; actor Brad Dourif, who was born in 1950; composer John Kander, who was born in 1927; singer Adam Levine, who was born in 1979; singer Charley Pride, who was born in 1934; singer and actress Queen Latifah, who was born in 1970; singer and actress Vanessa Williams, who was born in 1963; and figure skater Alexei Yagudin, who was born in 1980.
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WRITER AND EDITOR GEORGE PLIMPTON was born on this day in 1927. Plimpton was perhaps best known for being a “participatory” journalist, training with the Detroit Lions in 1963, for instance, or performing with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. He died in 2003.
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THE FIRST SPACE WALK occurred on this day in 1965, when Soviet Col. Aleksey Leonov exited his space capsule, the Voskhod 2, for 20 minutes in a specially designed spacesuit. The first space walk undertaken by a U.S. astronaut occurred two months later.
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ON THIS DAY IN 1932, American novelist John Updike was born. The author of over 50 books, he is probably best known for the novel, “Rabbit Run.” His novel “Witches of Eastwick” was turned into a film starring Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer. Updike died in 2009.
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AS THE BIRTHDAY OF INVENTOR RUDOLPH DIESEL, March 18 is National Biodiesel Day. Diesel was the inventor of the engine named after him, which was unveiled at the 1900 World’s Fair.
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Special thanks to “Chase’s Calendar of Events” and Brooklyn Public Library.
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“Peace does not fare well where poverty and deprivation reign. It does not flourish where there is ignorance and a lack of education and information.”
— South African statesman Frederik Willem de Klerk, who was born on this day in 1936
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