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MILESTONES: October 17, birthdays for Eminem, Norm Macdonald, Felicity Jones

October 17, 2019 Brooklyn Eagle History
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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include engineer, physician and former astronaut Mae Jemison, who was born in 1956; artist Kerry James Marshall, who was born in 1955; actress Felicity Jones, who was born in 1983; rapper Eminem, who was born in 1972; actor, comedian and musician Michael McKean, who was born in 1947; columnist and film critic Richard Roeper, who was born in 1959; actor and comedian George Wendt, who was born in 1948; comedian and actor Norm Macdonald, who was born in 1959; New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich, who was born in 1971; and golfer Ernie Els, who was born in 1969. 

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IT’S BLACK POETRY DAY, which celebrates black poets and their work. The date honors Jupiter Hammon, who was born on this day in 1711 and who was the first black poet to publish verse in North America. Hammon was born into slavery in Long Island, New York and became a preacher and bookkeeper, circulating early 18th-century poetry by black writers. He died in or just before 1806. 

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AMERICAN IMPRESSIONIST PAINTER Childe Hassam was born on this day in 1859. Hassam helped bring Impressionism to the U.S. and was known for his landscapes and depictions of everyday life, especially those of New York City and the New England coast. He died on Aug. 27, 1935 in East Hampton, New York. 

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A DAY FOR OUR CHILDREN’S FUTURE: Today is the United Nations’ International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The U.N.’s General Assembly established this date in 1992. This year’s theme is “Acting Together to Empower Children, their Families and Communities to End Poverty,” which recognizes the right of children worldwide to live in an environment adequate for their healthy development. 

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

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“The difference between science and the arts is not that they are different sides of the same coin even, or even different parts of the same continuum, but rather, they are manifestations of the same thing. The arts and sciences are avatars of human creativity.” — Mae Jemison, who was born in this day in 1956

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