MILESTONES: March 18 birthdays for Adam Levine, Queen Latifah, Sutton Foster

March 18, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle History

Adam Levine. Mark J. Terrill/AP

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include composer John Kander, who was born in 1927; musician Charley Pride, who was born in 1934; Hockey Hall of Famer Guy Lapointe, who was born in 1948; actor Brad Dourif, who was born in 1950; Ben & Jerry’s founder Ben Cohen, who was born in Brooklyn in 1951; musician and actress Irene Cara, who was born in 1962; speed skater and Olympic gold medalist Bonnie Blair, who was born in 1964; Alice in Chains founder Jerry Cantrell, who was born in 1966; musician and actress Queen Latifah, who was born in 1970; actress and singer Sutton Foster, who was born in 1975; football player and broadcaster Brian Griese, who was born in 1975; Maroon 5 founder Adam Levine, who was born in 1979; and swimmer and Olympic gold medalist Rebecca Soni, who was born in 1987.

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FOREVER IN THEIR DEBT: American Express was founded on this day in 1850 with the merger of companies owned by Henry Wells, William G. Fargo and John Warren Butterfield. Originally an express mail business based in Buffalo, it introduced the American Express Traveler’s Cheque in 1891 and issued its first credit cards in 1958. Today, the company has approximately 114 million cards in force, including 55 million in the U.S.

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THE GOAL STANDARD: The Stanley Cup was commissioned on this day in 1892. Awarded annually to the winner of the NHL playoffs, it was the brainchild of Lord Stanley of Preston, who served as the governor general of Canada from 1888 to 1893. Stanley, who was also known as the 16th Earl of Derby, died in 1908 and was one of the first inductees of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945.

Quotable:

“My first-grade teacher told me I was the dumbest student she ever had. She did me a favor. If she told me I was very smart, I wouldn’t have tried to improve.”

— businessman and philanthropist Ernest Gallo, who was born on this day in 1909