MILESTONES: May 20 birthdays for Cher, David Wells, David Paterson
NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Pro Football Hall of Famer Bud Grant, who was born in 1927; “General Hospital” star Constance Towers, who was born in 1933; Japanese home run king Sadaharu Oh, who was born in 1940; Oscar-winner Cher, who was born in 1946; “SCTV” star Dave Thomas, who was born in 1949; former New York Gov. David Paterson, who was born in Brooklyn in 1954; “Relic” author Douglas Preston, who was born in 1956; The Go-Go’s founder Jane Wiedlin, who was born in 1958; “Scandal” star Tony Goldwyn, who was born in 1960; former Yankees pitcher and 1998 ALCS MVP David Wells, who was born in 1963; “Deadwood” star Timothy Olyphant, who was born in 1968; NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart, who was born in 1971; 12-time Grammy nominee Busta Rhymes, who was born in Brooklyn in 1972; and “Fight Song” singer Rachel Platten, who was born in 1981.
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THE GREAT OUTDOORS: The Homestead Act was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on this day in 1862. It opened millions of acres of government-owned land in the West to settlers, or “homesteaders,” who had to reside on the land and cultivate it for five years.
Brooklyn Boro
View MoreNew York City’s most populous borough, Brooklyn, is home to nearly 2.6 million residents. If Brooklyn were an independent city it would be the fourth largest city in the United States. While Brooklyn has become the epitome of ‘cool and hip’ in recent years, for those that were born here, raised families here and improved communities over the years, Brooklyn has never been ‘uncool’.