History Brooklyn Boro

May 12, birthdays for Rami Malek, Jason Biggs, Cheryl Burke

Brooklyn Today

May 12, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

"Mr. Robot" star Rami Malek celebrates his birthday today. Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

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Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 131st day of the year.

Notable people born on this day include Burt Bacharach and Tony Hawk, among others.

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ON THIS DAY IN 1896, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle published an article titled “Dynamite on Railroad Tracks.”

The article focused on three sticks of dynamite found on a set of Manhattan train tracks.

“It was not known whether the dynamite was placed there with malicious intent. The three sticks were wrapped in parafine paper and on the outside was some sawdust, as if the package had recently been taken from a box containing dynamite,” the Eagle reported.

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include actor MACKENZIE ASTIN, who was born in 1973; composer BURT BACHARACH, who was born in 1929; actor STEPHEN BALDWIN, who was born in 1966; actor JASON BIGGS, who was born in 1978; actress CLARE BOWEN, who was born in 1989; actor BRUCE BOXLEITNER, who was born in 1951; professional dancer and TV personality CHERYL BURKE, who was born in 1984; actor GABRIEL BYRNE, who was born in 1950; actor CHRISTIAN CAMPBELL, who was born in 1972; actress LINDSAY CROUSE, who was born in 1948; actor EMILIO ESTEVEZ, who was born in 1962; actress KIM FIELDS, who was born in 1969; actor DOMHNALL GLEESON, who was born in 1983; actress KIM GREIST, who was born in 1958; skateboarder TONY HAWK, who was born in 1969; actress JAMIE LUNER, who was born in 1971; actor RAMI MALEK, who was born in 1981; actress MILLIE PERKINS, who was born in 1938; actor VING RHAMES, who was born in 1961; artist FRANK STELLA, who was born in 1936; actress EMILY VANCAMP, who was born in 1986; and musician and singer STEVE WINWOOD, who was born in 1948.

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YOGI BERRA WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1925. As a Yankee catcher, the baseball great helped lead his club to 10 World Series victories. After his career as a player ended, he had tumultuous spells managing the Yankees and the Mets. Berra is almost better known for his “Yogi-isms”: humorous non sequiturs that induced head scratching in his listeners, such as, “Ninety percent of the game is half mental.” Berra was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. He died in 2015 in New Jersey.

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TODAY IS LIMERICK DAY. It is observed on the birthday of one of its champions, Edward Lear. The limerick, which dates from the early 18th century, has been described as the “only fixed verse form indigenous to the English language.” It gained its greatest popularity following the publication of Edward Lear’s “Book of Nonsense.”

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KATHARINE HEPBURN WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1907. The American actress was nominated for 12 Oscars over the course of her career and won four times: for 1933’s “Morning Glory,” 1967’s “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” 1968’s “The Lion in Winter” and 1981’s “On Golden Pond.” She is best remembered for her on and offscreen pairing with Spencer Tracy. Together, they made nine films, including “Adam’s Rib” and “Woman of the Year,” and enjoyed a 27-year personal relationship. She died in Connecticut in 2003.

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THE ODOMETER WAS INVENTED ON THIS DAY IN 1847. It was invented by Mormon pioneer William Clayton while crossing the plains in a covered wagon. Previous to this, mileage was calculated by counting the revolutions of a rag tied to a spoke of a wagon wheel.

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

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“If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.” — Katharine Hepburn, who was born on this day in 1907