MILESTONES: February 12, birthdays for Judy Blume, Bill Russell, Darren Aronofsky

February 12, 2020 Brooklyn Eagle History

Judy Blume. Katy Winn/AP

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include NBA legend Bill Russell, who was born in 1934; author Judy Blume, who was born in 1938; economist David D. Friedman, who was born in 1945; musician Michael McDonald, who was born in 1952; “Growing Pains” star Joanna Kearns, who was born in 1953; entertainer Arsenio Hall, who was born in 1956; actress Christine Elise, who was born in 1965; actor Josh Brolin, who was born in 1968; musician Chynna Phillips, who was born in 1968; director Darren Aronofsky, who was born in Brooklyn in 1969; actress Christina Ricci, who was born in 1980; and football player Robert Griffin III, who was born in 1990.

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THE UNION IS PRESERVED: Peter Cooper was born in New York City on this day in 1791. A successful industrialist and inventor, he designed and built the first steam locomotive in the U.S. In 1859, he founded Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in Manhattan. On Feb. 27, 1860, Abraham Lincoln delivered an address in the school’s Great Hall. Many believe it was this speech that propelled Lincoln to the Republican Party’s nomination for president.

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LINCOLN’S BIRTHDAY: Lincoln LaPaz was born on this day in 1897. A noted astronomer, he was also a research mathematician at the New Mexico Proving Ground during World War II. After the war, he founded the Institute of Meteoritics at the University of New Mexico, serving as its director until 1966. He also became involved in UFO investigations, including the Roswell incident in 1947. He died in 1985.

Quotable:

“There is no grievance that is a fit object of redress by mob law.”

— Abraham Lincoln, who was born on this day in 1809