MILESTONES: September 8, birthdays for Bernie Sanders, Pink, David Arquette

Brooklyn Today

September 8, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Sen. Bernie Sanders. AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

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On this day in 1919, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported on the resounding welcome that World War I Gen. John J. Pershing received upon returning home from military service. Throngs of people packed City Hall Park in Manhattan to greet him. An overwhelmed Pershing accepted the greeting in the name of “the brave fellows who died.”

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On this day in 1953, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported the unexpected deaths of not one, but three prominent jurists. The banner headline mourned the death of U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson, who died in his hotel room at age 63. His passing marked the first opening of the Supreme Court in President Eisenhower’s administration. Brooklyn also lost Appellate Judge William B. Carswell, who took ill while traveling in Quebec, and State Supreme Court Justice T.J. Cuff, a Brooklynite who died suddenly at his summer home in Southold, Long Island.

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On this day in 1934, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported on the fire aboard the ward liner Morro Castle, in which 300 perished. There were 250 rescued. Capt. Robert R. Willmott, who had to make an agonizing decision about whether to stay with the imperiled ship, was reported to have died of a heart attack, although rumors abounded about his exact cause of death. Meanwhile, Cuba hinted at possible sabotage, since the ship was returning from Havana to New York.

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include actor DAVID ARQUETTE, who was born in 1971; actor ALAN FEINSTEIN, who was born in 1941; actor MARTIN FREEMAN, who was born in 1971; Grammy Award-winning singer PINK, who was born in 1979; former U.S. presidential candidate SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, who was born in Brooklyn in 1941; actor HENRY THOMAS, who was born in 1971; actor JONATHAN TAYLOR THOMAS, who was born in 1981; and former hockey player ROGIE VACHON, who was born in 1945

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“STAR TREK” PREMIERED ON THIS DAY IN 1966. The first of 79 episodes of the TV series “Star Trek” was aired on the NBC network. Although the science fiction show set in the future lasted only a few seasons, it has remained enormously popular through syndication reruns. It has been given new life through many motion pictures, a cartoon TV series and popular spin-off TV series such as “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Enterprise” and others. It has consistently ranked among the biggest titles in the motion picture, television, home video and licensing divisions of Paramount Pictures.

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PETER SELLERS WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1925. The Award-winning British comedian and film star is remembered for his multiple roles in “Dr. Strangelove,” his Oscar-nominated role as Chance the Gardener in “Being There” and his role as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau in the “Pink Panther” films. Sellers died in England in 1980.

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NIXON WAS PARDONED ON THIS DAY IN 1974. Then-president Gerald Ford called for the “full, free and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon, for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from Jan. 20, 1969, through Aug. 9, 1974.”

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PATSY CLINE WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1932. Cline was featured at the Grand Ole Opry and attained the rank of top female country singer. She died in a plane crash in March 1963 along with singers Hawkshaw Hawkins and Cowboy Copas.

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“THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW” PREMIERED ON THIS DAY DAY 1986. The daytime show was the top-rated talk show for years and was the first to be hosted by a black woman. The show finished its run on May 25, 2011. Winfrey is currently the CEO of the Oprah Winfrey Network, a general entertainment television channel.

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

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“Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.” — Oprah Winfrey