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MILESTONES: April 7, birthdays for Francis Ford Coppola, Jackie Chan, Russell Crowe

April 7, 2020 Brooklyn Eagle History
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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Charlie Thomas, who was born in 1937; former California Gov. Jerry Brown, who was born in 1938; author Iris Johansen, who was born in 1938; filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, who was born in 1939; basketball player Zaid Abdul-Aziz, who was born in Brooklyn in 1946; Chiffons member Patricia Bennett, who was born in 1947; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer John Oates, who was born in 1948; former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who was born in 1949; musician Janis Ian, who was born in 1951; martial artist and filmmaker Jackie Chan, who was born in 1954; Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett, who was born in 1954; former heavyweight champion Buster Douglas, who was born in 1960; actor Russell Crowe, who was born in 1964; and New York Giants great Tiki Barber, who was born in 1975.

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PUT IT IN THE BOOKS: On this day in 451, Atilla the Hun sacked the city of Metz.

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BREW-HAHA: The Cullen-Harrison Act went into effect on this day in 1933. Beginning at 12:01 a.m., people could buy beer that was 3.2 percent alcohol by weight instead of the “near beer” they had suffered with all through Prohibition. The public lined up on “New Beer’s Eve” at breweries in 20 states and Washington, D.C., and purchased 1.5 million barrels. April 7 remains an unofficial holiday celebrating beer in the U.S.

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SPECIAL DELIVERY: Booker T. Washington became the first African-American depicted on a U.S. postage stamp on this day in 1940. Born into slavery in 1856, Washington became an outstanding educator and the co-founder of Alabama’s Tuskegee Institute. As the dominant black leader of his time, he also served as an adviser to several U.S. presidents. He died in 1915.

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

 

Quotable:

 

“Anything you build on a large scale or with intense passion invites chaos.”

— Francis Ford Coppola, who was born on this day in 1939

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