MILESTONES: June 30 birthdays for Lizzy Caplan, David Alan Grier, Ron Swoboda
NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Paul Berg, who was born in Brooklyn in 1926; International Tennis Hall of Famer Shirley Fry Irvin, who was born in 1927; “Too Close for Comfort” star Nancy Dussault, who was born in 1936; N.Y. Mets World Series hero Ron Swoboda, who was born in 1944; “Married … With Children” star David Garrison, who was born in 1952; “In Living Color” star David Alan Grier, who was born in 1956; “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” star Vincent D’Onofrio, who was born in Brooklyn in 1959; guitar legend Yngwie Malmsteen, who was born in 1963; International Boxing Hall of Famer Mike Tyson, who was born in Brooklyn in 1966; “Along Came a Spider” star Monica Potter, who was born in 1971; “Castle Rock” star Lizzie Caplan, who was born in 1982; and “American Idol” champion Fantasia Barrino, who was born in 1984;
***
LEADING LADY: Lena Horne was born on this day in 1917. The native of Bedford-Stuyvesant began singing with the chorus line at the Cotton Club in Harlem at age 16. A career on Broadway and in Hollywood followed in rapid succession and she soon became the symbol for African-American actors and singers trying to break the color barrier. She found success with both black and white audiences, although she did face her share of racial prejudice throughout her lifetime. She died in 2010. A forever stamp depicting her was issued in 2018.
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’.