MILESTONES: August 1, birthdays for Chuck D, Adam Jones, Coolio

Brooklyn Today

August 1, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Chuck D (left), and Tim Commerford perform during Prophets of Rage, Make America Rage Again Tour at Barclays Center on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016, in New York. Photo by Michael Zorn/Invision/AP

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ON THIS DAY IN 1923, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle published a front-page article titled “Brooklyn Traffic Court Conditions are ‘Disgraceful.’”

The article focused on the poor conditions at the Brooklyn Traffic Court detention pens at 182 Clermont Ave.

“There is only a small room for the detention of prisoners, with a decent capacity of not more than 10. At times, there are as many as 40 men crowded into this place, a condition which cannot be characterized as anything but disgraceful,” the Eagle reported.

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include actor DEMIAN BICHIR, who was born in 1963; talk show host and actress TEMPESTT BLEDSOE, who was born in 1973; rapper COOLIO, who was born in 1963; rapper and producer 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 1954; soccer manager and player DAVID JAMES, who was born in 1970; baseball All-Star ADAM JONES, whowas born in 1985; Oscar Award-winning stage and film director SAM MENDES, who was born in 1965; and actor JACK O’CONNELL, who was born in 1990.

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MARIA MITCHELL WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1818. An interest in her father’s hobby and an ability for mathematics resulted in Mitchell becoming the first female professional astronomer. In 1847, while assisting her father in a survey of the sky for the U.S. Coast Guard, Mitchell discovered a new comet and determined its orbit. She received many honors for her work, including being elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as its first woman. Mitchell joined the staff at Vassar Female College in 1865 as the first U.S. female astronomy professor and in 1873, was a cofounder of the Association for the Advancement of Women. Mitchell died in 1889 in Massachusetts.

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FIRST U.S. CENSUS WAS TAKEN ON THIS DAY IN 1790. The census revealed that there were 3,939,326 citizens in the 16 states and the Ohio Territory. The U.S. has taken a census every 10 years since 1790.

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FRANCIS SCOTT KEY WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1779. The American attorney, social worker and poet is best known as the author of the U.S. national anthem. While on a legal mission, Key was detained on a ship off Baltimore during the British bombardment of Fort McHenry on the night of Sept. 13-14, 1814. Thrilled to see the American flag still flying over the fort at daybreak, Key wrote the poem “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Printed in the Baltimore American in 1814, it was soon popularly sung to the music of an old English tune “Anacreon in Heaven.” It did not become the official U.S. national anthem until 117 years later when, in 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed into law an act for that purpose. Key died in Baltimore in 1843.

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MTV PREMIERED ON THIS DAY IN 1981. The all-music video channel debuted on this date. VH1, another music channel owned by MTV Networks that is aimed at older pop music fans, premiered in 1985.

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HERMAN MELVILLE WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1819. The American author and poet is best known for his epic novel “Moby-Dick.” Its first sentence — “Call me Ishmael.” — is one of the most famous in literature. Melville died in 1891 in New York.

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

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“Do not look at stars as bright spots only. Try to take in the vastness of the universe.” — astronomer Maria Mitchell, who was born on this day in 1818