MILESTONES: February 22 birthdays for Julius Erving, Jeri Ryan, Lea Salonga
NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Basketball Hall of Famer Chet Walker, who was born in 1940; Basketball Hall of Famer Julius Erving, who was born in 1950; “Little Shop of Horrors” star Ellen Greene, who was born in Brooklyn in 1951; “Twin Peaks” star Kyle McLachlan, who was born in 1959; Loudness guitarist Akira Takasaki, who was born in 1961; World Golf Hall of Famer Vijay Singh, who was born in 1963; former Knicks and Nets center Chris Dudley, who was born in 1965; Hockey Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine, who was born in 1965; former “Saturday Night Live” star Rachel Dratch, who was born in 1966; “Star Trek: Voyager” star Jeri Ryan, who was born in 1968; “The Mist” star Thomas Jane, who was born in 1969; “Aladdin” star Lea Salonga, who was born in 1971; International Tennis Hall of Famer Michael Chang, who was born in 1972; “Charlie’s Angels” star Drew Barrymore, who was born in 1975; Blaque singer Shamari Fears, who was born in 1980; and Atlanta Hawks guard Rajon Rondo, who was born in 1986.
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COME BACK TO THE FIVE AND DIME: The first Woolworth’s opened in Utica, N.Y., on this day in 1879. By the time of the company’s 100th anniversary it was the largest department store chain in the world, but by 1997 it had closed all its stores.
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’.