MILESTONES: June 19 birthdays for Jacob deGrom, Salman Rushdie, Paula Abdul

June 19, 2020 Brooklyn Eagle History

Jacob deGrom. Jeff Roberson/AP

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Tommy DeVito (The Four Seasons), who was born in 1928; Oscar-winner Gena Rowlands, who was born in 1930; “Midnight’s Children” author Salman Rushdie, who was born in 1947; “A Raisin in the Sun” star Phylicia Rashad, who was born in 1948; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Ann Wilson (Heart), who was born in 1950; “Peggy Sue Got Married” star Kathleen Turner, who was born in 1954; pop star and original “American Idol” judge Paula Abdul, who was born in 1962; radio and TV host Laura Ingraham, who was born in 1963; British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was born in 1964; “Unforgettable” star Poppy Montgomery, who was born in 1972; “The Mentalist” star Robin Tunney, who was born in 1972; “Guardians of the Galaxy” star Zoe Saldana, who was born in 1978; and New York Mets ace and two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom, who was born in 1988.

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AT LAST: Today is Juneteenth. On this day in 1865 in Galveston, Texas, Union general and commander of the Dept. of Texas Gordon Granger issued Order Number 3, which informed 250,000 slaves in the state of the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 that freed them. ‘This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor.” Although it took months for all Texas slaves to hear the news, the date of Granger’s alert became a statewide date of celebration that continues nationwide today.

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IRON MAN: Lou Gehrig was born on this day in 1903. The New York City native made his debut with the New York Yankees in 1923. Together with Babe Ruth, the slugging first baseman personified the powerful Yankees lineup known as “Murderers’ Row.” He earned the nickname “The Iron Horse” for playing in 2,130 consecutive games, a streak stopped by illness. Stricken with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — later known as Lou Gehrig’s disease — he retired in May 1939 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame the same year by special election. He died on June 2, 1941.

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

Quotable:

“What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.”

— Salman Rushdie, who was born on this day in 1947