MILESTONES: August 11 birthdays for Viola Davis, Tomi Lahren, Joe Rogan
NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “Journey to the Center of the Earth” star Arlene Dahl, who was born in 1925; FedEx founder Frederick W. Smith, who was born in 1944; “Star Wars” star Ian McDiarmid, who was born in 1944; columnist and author Marilyn vos Savant, who was born in 1946; “All by Myself” singer Eric Carmen, who was born in 1949; Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak, who was born in 1950; World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan, who was born in 1953; Oscar-winner Viola Davis, who was born in 1965; comedian and podcast host Joe Rogan, who was born in 1967; “Hotel Rwanda” star Sophie Okonedo, who was born in 1968; “Boy Meets World” star Will Friedle, who was born in 1976; “Thor” star Chris Hemsworth, who was born in 1983; former Yankees outfielder Melky Cabrera, who was born in 1984; and political commentator and TV host Tomi Lahren, who was born in 1992.
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STAR MAKER: “American Graffiti” premiered on this day in 1973. Written and directed by George Lucas, the coming-of-age comedy documented the cruising culture of the early 1960s. It featured a large ensemble of future stars including Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Cindy Williams and Suzanne Somers. Made on a budget of less than $1 million, it earned more than $50 million in its initial release and gave Lucas the clout to go ahead with another project, the “Star Wars” saga.
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GOLD STANDARD: Carl Lewis attained Olympic glory on this day in 1984. In Los Angeles, the 23-year-old became the second track-and-field athlete to win four gold medals in a single Olympics, equaling Jesse Owens’ performance in the 1936 Games in Berlin. Lewis even took the gold in the same events: the men’s 400m relay, the 100m dash, the long jump and the 200m dash.
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Special thanks to “Chase’s Calendar of Events” and Brooklyn Public Library.
Quotable:
“What is the essence of America? Finding and maintaining that perfect, delicate balance between freedom ‘to’ and freedom ‘from.’”
— Marilyn vos Savant, who was born on this day in 1946