MILESTONES: December 21, birthdays for Samuel L. Jackson, Jane Fonda, Steven Yeun

Brooklyn Today

December 21, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Samuel L. Jackson. Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

Share this:

Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 357th day of the year.

On this day in 1937, the daughter of a prominent Brooklyn Dutch family became a debutante. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle featured Mary Van Voorhees in that edition’s Society page. Miss Van Voorhees was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Tracy Van Voorhees of 184 Columbia Heights. According to the New York City Parks Department’s website, Van Voorhees Park was named for her father, Tracy S. Voorhees (1890-1974), an attorney and decorated World War II veteran. The prolific Van Voorhees family has built civic life in Brooklyn since the mid-17th century.

****

On this day in 1912, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page gave a detailed report of the meeting between President-elect Woodrow Wilson and William Jennings Bryan. The Nebraska politician had previously run for the office but was now rumored to be named to a key post in Woodrow’s cabinet. The Eagle report contained details about Bryan’s morning at the New Jersey governor’s mansion (as Wilson was governor of that state before winning the 1912 presidential election). However, neither statesman disclosed at the time the outcome of the almost three-hour meeting. Wilson would later appoint Bryan as his secretary of state.

****

On this day in 1946, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported that Japan, which was still trying to recover from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atom bomb tragedies, was hit this time with a natural disaster. An earthquake and resulting tsunami killed 1,500, destroying about 50 shoreline cities and villages near the Japan Inland Sea. More than 20,000 homes and factories were destroyed, leaving people homeless in bitter cold weather. Both Great Britain and the U.S. had military garrisons in Shikoku, one of the cities hit.

****

On this day in 1950, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported on the growing communist threat. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, who at this point had just become supreme commander of the integrated Atlantic Pact Army, faced decisions on how to halt Josef Stalin’s expanding forces in Eastern Germany, Russia and satellite nations of Poland and the Balkan states (all of what became Yugoslavia, plus Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and the European section of Turkey.) The report gave an assessment of Atlantic Pact strengths, and presented hypothetical scenarios.

****

NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include journalist and editor TINA BROWN, who was born on this day in 1953; actor ANDY DICK, who was born in 1965; former television talk show host PHIL DONAHUE, who was born on this day in 1935; sportscaster and Hall of Fame tennis player CHRIS EVERT, who was born on this day in 1954; Oscar Award-winning actress JANE FONDA, who was born on this day in 1937; actor SAMUEL L. JACKSON, who was born in 1948; actress JANE KACZMAREK, who was born in 1955; actor JACKSON RATHBONE, who was born in 1984; comedian and actor RAY ROMANO, who was born in 1957; actor KIEFER SUTHERLAND, who was born in 1966; conductor, pianist and organist MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS, who was born in 1944; former baseball player ANDY CAN SLYKE, who was born in 1960; golfer KARRIE WEBB, who was born in 1974; and actor STEVEN YEUN, who was born in 1983.

****

FRANK ZAPPA WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1940. The rock musician and composer was noted for his satire and for being a leading advocate against censorship of contemporary music. He formed the group Mothers of Invention. He died in Maryland in 1993.

****

PILGRIMS ABOARD THE MAYFLOWER REACHED PLYMOUTH ON THIS DAY in 1620, according to Gov. William Bradford’s “History of Plymouth Plantation.” Plymouth Rock, the legendary place of landing since it first was “identified” in 1769, nearly 150 years after the landing, has been a historic shrine since. The landing anniversary is observed in much of New England as Forefathers’ Day.

****

APOLLO 8 WAS LAUNCHED ON THIS DAY IN 1968. The first moon voyage launched was manned by Colonel Frank Borman, Capt. James A. Lovell Jr. and Major William A. Anders. The craft orbited the moon on Dec 24 and returned to Earth Dec 27. It marked the first time men orbited the moon and saw the side of the moon away from the Earth.

****

JOE PATERNO WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1926. Born in Brooklyn, Paterno was the head football coach at Pennsylvania State University from 1966 to 2011, leading the program to two national championships and numerous bowl appearances. He led the Nittany Lions to five undefeated seasons and became the winningest coach in NCAA Division I history in 2011. Paterno was admired for his coaching style, which espoused a blend of ethical behavior, concern for academics and respect for the tenets of the game. In 2011, though, he was abruptly fired in the fallout from a child sex-abuse scandal that involved a former staff assistant. In 2012 the NCAA vacated 111 Penn State wins dating back to 1998. But in January 2015, those wins were reinstated, giving Paterno a record 409 wins. He died in 2012 in Pennsylvania.

****

ELVIS PRESLEY MET PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON ON THIS DAY IN 1971. After writing President Richard M. Nixon offering to be a “Federal Agent-at-Large” to fight drug abuse and the drug culture, Elvis Presley met with Nixon at the White House. Presley was not made a federal agent, but the two men had a cordial meeting. The photograph of them shaking hands is the most requested reproduction from the National Archives (more than the Bill of Rights or the U.S. Constitution).

****

TODAY IS THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST CROSSWORD PUZZLE. The first crossword puzzle was compiled by Arthur Wynne and published in a supplement to the New York World on this day in 1913.

****

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

****

“There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life.” — Frank Zappa, who was born on this day in 1940