MILESTONES: December 31 birthdays for Gabby Douglas, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Ian

December 31, 2020 Brooklyn Eagle History

Gabby Douglas. Fernando Frazao/ Wikimedia Commons

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Oscar-winning actor Anthony Hopkins, who was born in 1937; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Andy Summers (The Police), who was born in 1942; Oscar-winning actor Ben Kingsley, who was born in 1943; fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, who was born in 1946; “Animal House” star Tim Matheson, who was born in 1947; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith), who was born in 1951; “V” star Jane Badler, who was born in 1953; “Cheers” star Bebe Neuwirth, who was born in 1958; “Top Gun” star Val Kilmer, who was born in 1959; Replacements co-founder Paul Westerberg, who was born in 1959; former N.Y. Mets pitcher Rick Aguilera, who was born in 1961; Anthrax co-founder Scott Ian, who was born in 1963; “MADtv” star Michael McDonald, who was born in 1964; “The Notebook” author Nicholas Sparks, who was born in 1965; businessman Donald Trump Jr., who was born in 1977; former NFL quarterback Jason Campbell, who was born in 1981; and gymnast and Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas, who was born in 1995.

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ON THE MONEY: The first bank in the U.S. was organized on this day in 1781. The Bank of North America was organized by Robert Morris — a signer of the Declaration of Independence — and received its charter from the Confederation Congress. It began operations in Philadelphia on Jan. 7, 1782.

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FROZEN IN TIME: The coldest game in professional football history took place on this day in 1967 when the Green Bay Packers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 21-17 to win the NFL Championship. Known as the “Ice Bowl,” the game was played in temperatures that reached minus-14 (and minus-44 windchill) in Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.

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

Quotable:

“There is no shortcut to happiness. You have to live your life.”

— Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins, who was born on this day in 1937