MILESTONES: October 28, birthdays for Joaquin Phoenix, Julia Roberts, Bill Gates

October 28, 2019 Brooklyn Eagle History

Joaquin Phoenix. AP Photo/Richard Hartog

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include country music legend Charlie Daniels, who was born in 1936; Basketball Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens, who was born in Brooklyn in 1937; actor Dennis Franz, who was born in 1944; singer and actress Telma Hopkins, who was born in 1948; songwriter Desmond Child, who was born in 1953; Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who was born in 1955; actress Sheryl Underwood, who was born in 1963; former football player Steve Atwater, who was born in 1966; actress Julia Roberts, who was born in 1967; and actor Joaquin Phoenix, who was born in 1974.

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LITERARY LANDMARK: “Gulliver’s Travels” was published on this day in 1726. Jonathan Swift’s masterpiece, set in such exotic locales as “Lilliput,” “Brobdingnag” and “Laputa,” was a satirical look at current events and human nature. The adventures of Lemuel Gulliver have been adapted numerous times for radio, television and film.

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MEDICAL MARVEL: Dr. Jonas Salk was born in New York City on this day in 1914. The Salk vaccine, which was introduced in 1955, was instrumental in the fight against the scourge of polio, one of the most feared diseases of the 20th century. He received the Medal of Freedom from President Jimmy Carter in 1977. He died in 1995.

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COLD WAR CALAMITY: The Cuban Missile Crisis came to an end on this day in 1962 — to the relief of the entire world. Nearly two weeks earlier, the U.S. discovered that the U.S.S.R. had installed ballistic missile bases on the communist island of Cuba, 90 miles off the coast of Florida. President John F. Kennedy sent the U.S. Navy to blockade the island. After a tense standoff that threatened to turn into World War III, Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev negotiated an agreement that resulted in the dismantling of the missile bases in exchange for concessions from the U.S.