August 1, birthdays for Chuck D, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Coolio

Brooklyn Today

August 1, 2016 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Chuck D of the band Public Enemy perform at the O2 Arena in London on June 16. Photo by Mark Allan/Invision/AP

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Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 214th day of the year.

ON THIS DAY IN 1916, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle published an article titled “Stinging Jellyfish Attacks Swimmer in Greenport Bay.”

The article focused on a man who was swimming off Long Island and had a terrifying encounter with a jellyfish.

“‘The turning movement of my body had brought the jellyfish right on top of me, with his tentacles trailing along my rights side,’” the Eagle reported the man as saying. “‘The pain was excruciating. I tried to fight him off, and as I had nothing but my hands to do it with, there was nothing to do but tear the fish to pieces in handfuls, which I wrenched off and flung away.’”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include actor DEMIAN BECHIR, who was born in 1963; talk show host and actress TEMPESTT BLEDSOE, who was born in 1973; San Francisco Giants pitcher MADISON BUMGARNER, who was born in 1989; rapper COOLIO, who was born in 1963; producer and Public Enemy member CHUCK D, who was born in 1960; singer, guitarist and songwriter ROBERT CRAY, who was born in 1953; actor GIANCARLO GIANNINI, who was born in 1942; author and journalist JAMES GLEICK, who was born in New York City in 1954; soccer manager and former player DAVID JAMES, who was born in 1970; Oscar Award-winning stage and film director SAM MENDES, who was born in 1965; actor JACK O’CONNELL, who was born in 1990; and German soccer star BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER, who was born in 1984.

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JERRY GARCIA was born on this day in 1942. The country, bluegrass and folk musician was a remarkable guitar player and was the leading force behind the legendary Grateful Dead. The band sustained a veritable industry for its legion of followers. Garcia died in 1995, ending a musical career that spanned more than three decades.

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FRANCIS SCOTT KEY was born on this day in 1779. The American attorney, social worker poet and author of the U.S. national anthem wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the British bombardment of Fort McHenry on the night of Sept. 13, 1814. In 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed into law an act to make the poem (set to the music of “Anacreon in Heaven”) the official national anthem. Key died in 1843.

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HERMAN MELVILLE was born in New York City on this day in 1819. The American author and poet is best known for his work “Moby-Dick.” Its first sentence — “Call me Ishmael” — is one of the most famous lines in literature. Melville died in 1891.

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THE WORLD WIDE Web was created on this day in 1990. The idea was suggested by Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics in Switzerland. By October of that year, they had designed a prototype Web browser. They also introduced HTML and the URL. By early 1992, there were 50 Web servers worldwide.

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BROOKLYN BRIDGE Park will host Idra Novey to read and discuss her latest book “Ways to Disappear” tonight at 7 p.m. at Granite Prospect as part of its Books Beneath the Bridge series. Rebecca Schiff will join Novey and read from her debut book of stories “The Bed Moved.” For more information, visit brooklynbridgepark.org.

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

“Constantly choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil.” — The late Jerry Garcia, who was born on this day in 1942.

“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.” — The late Herman Melville, who was born in New York City on this day in 1819.