History Brooklyn Boro

November 21, birthdays for Troy Aikman, Carly Rae Jepsen, Bjork

Brooklyn Today

November 21, 2016 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Hall of Fame quarterback and broadcaster Troy Aikman celebrates his birthday today. Photos stylized by August Gibbs

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Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 325th day of the year.

Notable people born on this day include Bjork and Steve Dahl, among others.

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ON THIS DAY IN 1949, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle published an article titled “Macy Parade To Honor 15 Who Fled Reds.”

The article focused on three families who escaped the Iron Curtain and the welcome they were due to receive at the Thanksgiving Day Parade.

“The 15 refugees will be guests of honor at the parade. Their transportation costs will be paid by Macy’s … In addition to the usual floats, animals and balloons, this year’s parade will feature 13 bands from four states, with more than 1,000 musicians,” the Eagle reported.

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include sportscaster and Hall of Fame football player TROY AIKMAN, who was born in 1966; singer and actress BJORK, who was born in 1965; TV producer MARCY CARSEY, who was born in 1944; conductor JAMES DePREIST, who was born in 1936; U.S. Sen. RICHARD J. DURBIN, who was born in 1944; former baseball player GEORGE KENNETH GRIFFEY JR., who was born in 1969; actress GOLDIE HAWN, who was born in 1945; singer CARLY RAE JEPSEN, who was born in 1985; actor LAURENCE LUCKINBILL, who was born in 1934; singer and actress LORNA LUFT, who was born in 1952; actress JULIET MILLS, who was born in 1941; actor SAM PALLADIO, who was born in 1986; actress and dancer CYNTHIA RHODES, who was born in 1956; gymnast NICOLLETTE SHERIDAN, who was born in 1963; and actress MARLO THOMAS, who was born in 1938.

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VOLTAIRE WAS BORN ON THIS DAY in 1694. The French author and philosopher is best known for his philosophical novel “Candide.” He died in Paris in 1778.

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HETTY GREEN WAS BORN ON THIS DAY in 1834. Known as the “Witch of Wall Street,” she was the richest woman in America during her lifetime. She grew her substantial inheritance into a formidable fortune estimated to have been more than $100 million. She died in New York in 1916.

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ELLA FITZGERALD WON THE APOLLO AMATEUR NIGHT on this day in 1934. Dressed in borrowed clothes and men’s shoes, the impoverished and shy teenager made her stage debut in Harlem’s Apollo Theater for Amateur Night. The crowd exploded with applause and she won the contest. Bandleader Benny Carter, whose orchestra was backing the amateurs that night, helped Fitzgerald make music industry connections, and in 1935 she began to find success as a singer.

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HENRY PURCELL died on this day in 1695. The great English composer of the early Baroque period had a tragically short life yet was a prolific composer. His fame rests on the operas “Dido and Aeneas,” and “The Fairy Queen,” ceremonial odes for the court of King Charles II and more than 100 songs. He died in London.

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THE BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY WILL host “Our Pesky Neighbors – Part 3: Rats” tonight at 7 p.m. NYC’s “Rat Czar,” Robert Corrigan, a historian of rats, Robert Sullivan and a biologist specializing in rat genetics, Jason Munshi-South will speak about the city’s most notorious residents and how, despite our extermination efforts, they continue to thrive. The conversation will be moderated by Robin Nagle, anthropologist-in-residence for the New York City Department of Sanitation. For more information, visit brooklynhistory.org.

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

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“I have witnessed the softening of the hardest of hearts by a simple smile.” — Goldie Hawn, who was born on this day in 1945