History Brooklyn Boro

April 7, birthdays for Russell Crowe, Jackie Chan, Jerry Brown

Brooklyn Today

April 7, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Actor Russell Crowe celebrates his birthday today. Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

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Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 97th day of the year.

Notable people born on this day include Jackie Chan and Russell Crowe, among others.

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ON THIS DAY IN 1954, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle published an article titled “Wife No. 2 Tells of Wife No. 3 as Wife No.1 Seeks Divorce.”

The article focused on a Brooklyn man who was indicted for bigamy.

“A young Brooklyn matron appeared as a witness in a Supreme Court divorce action here, testifying that she was married to the same man as the plaintiff. What’s more, the two women told Official Referee Francis G. Hooley, the defendant, William McKay, is also married to a third woman in Putnam County,” the Eagle reported.

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include California Gov. JERRY BROWN, who was born in 1938; TV and newspaper journalist HODDING CARTER III, who was born in 1935; actor JACKIE CHAN, who was born in 1954; filmmaker FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA, who was born in 1939; Oscar Award-winning actor RUSSELL CROWE, who was born in 1964; Hall of Fame football player TONY DORSETT, who was born in 1954; author DANIEL ELLSBERG, who was born in 1931; singer JOHN OATES, who was born in 1938; Oscar Award-winning costume designer SANDY POWELL, who was born in 1960; and former Chancellor of Germany GERHARD SCHROEDER, who was born in 1944.

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BILLIE HOLIDAY WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1915. Considered by many critics to have been the greatest jazz singer ever recorded, she never received formal training. During her 26-year career, she demonstrated a unique style with sophisticated and dramatic phrasing. Among her best-known songs are “Lover Man,” “God Bless the Child,” “Don’t Explain” and “Strange Fruit.” Holiday died in New York in 1959.

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RAVI SHANKAR WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1920. The sitar player and composer is credited for introducing Indian music to the Western world. He began performing music as a child and was soon recognized and trained by the head musician of the Maihar court. A key figure in the movement to bring world music to the attention of mass audiences, he toured extensively and taught around the world, influencing such musicians as George Harrison, John Coltrane and Philip Glass. Shankar also used his music to bring attention to the plight of the poor around the world, especially in Bangladesh. He died in 2012 in California.

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JOHN McGRAW WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1873. The Baseball Hall of Fame third baseman and manager is generally regarded as the best manager ever. McGraw ran the New York Giants with an iron fist from 1902 to 1932. A scrappy ballplayer with the Baltimore Orioles in the 1890s, he demanded and got total effort from his players. He died in New York in 1934 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1937.

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TODAY IS NATIONAL BEER DAY. When the Cullen-Harrison Act went into effect at 12:01 a.m. on this day in 1933, thirsty customers could buy a beer that was 3.2 percent alcohol by weight instead of the “near beer” they had suffered with all through Prohibition. The public lined up on “New Beer’s Eve” at breweries in 20 states and Washington, D.C., and purchased 1.5 million barrels. April 7 has remained an unofficial holiday celebrating beer in the U.S.

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

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“Sometimes it’s worse to win a fight than to lose.” — singer Billie Holiday, who was born on this day in 1915