Brooklyn Today for November 20
Good morning. Today is the 324th day of the year. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle of Nov. 20, 1902, carried the unusual headline, “24-Foot Python Terrorizes Ship’s Crew.” The article explained that Captain Golding of the British ship Alrfidi was “one of the most enthusiastic collectors of specimens of the world’s exotic wildlife.” However, one of his specimens, the aforementioned python, escaped from its cage and was seen climbing the ladder to the bridge, whereupon most of the men ran below deck. The bridge officer killed it with a hammer and cut it into 12 sections to make sure it was dead.
Well-known people who were born today include Vice President Joe Biden, actress Bo Derek (“10,” “Tarzan”), author Nadine Gordimer (“The Pickup,” “July’s People”), actor Richard Masur (“One Day at a Time”), comedian Dick Smothers of the Smothers Brothers and actress Sean Young (“Blade Runner”).