History Brooklyn Boro

August 15, birthdays for Kerri Walsh Jennings, Jennifer Lawrence, Ben Affleck

Brooklyn Today

August 15, 2016 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

American volleyball Olympian Kerri Walsh Jennings celebrates her birthday today. AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

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Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 228th day of the year.

ON THIS DAY IN 1910, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle published an article titled “Y.W.C.A. Buys Mansion for Home for Girls.”

The article focused on a mansion in Boerum Hill that was to be turned into a boarding home for underprivileged girls.

“The Grosjean house is of red brick, contains more than 30 rooms, and is a fine example of old-fashioned town architecture. It is about a third of a century old,” the Eagle reported. “The house has not been occupied for four or five years, but is in good repair, in spite of its age … the present boarding home, at 370 Union St., will be abandoned in favor of the new one.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include actor, director and Oscar Award-winning screenwriter BEN AFFLECK, who was born in 1972; PRINCESS ANNE of the U.K, who was born in 1950; U.S. Associate Justice STEPHEN G. BREYER, who was born in 1938; actor MIKE CONNORS, who was born in 1925; journalist LINDA ELLERBEE, who was born in 1944; Oscar Award-winning film director and screenwriter ALEJANDRO INARRITU, who was born in 1963; actor ZELJKO IVANEK, who was born in 1957; singer JOE JONAS, who was born in 1989; civil rights leader VERNON JORDAN JR., who was born in 1935; Oscar Award-winning actress JENNIFER LAWRENCE, who was born in 1990; actress DEBRA MESSING, who was born in Brooklyn in 1968; conservative spokeswoman and author PHYLLIS SCHLAFLY, who was born in 1924; and Olympic gold medal-winning beach volleyball player KERRI WALSH JENNINGS, who was born in 1978.

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JULIA CHILD WAS born on this day in 1912. America’s beloved food authority who didn’t take a cooking lesson until she was in her 30s, Child published cookbooks and developed TV shows that encouraged Americans to cook and eat well and be skeptical of food fads and diets. “Cooking is not a chore; it is a joy,” Child said. She died in 2004.

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SIR WALTER SCOTT was born on this day in 1771. In the introduction to “The Fortunes of Nigel,” the famed poet and novelist wrote, “I care not who knows it — I write for the general amusement.” He died in 1832.

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THE WOODSTOCK MUSIC and Art Fair opened on this day in 1969 in an alfalfa field on or near Yasgur’s Farm in Bethel, N.Y. The three-day rock concert featured 24 bands and drew a crowd of more than 400,000 people.

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BROOKLYN HISTORICAL Society will host a screening of “The Warriors” as part of its Brooklyn on Screen series tonight at 7 p.m. at 128 Pierrepont St. Shot almost completely on location in the streets and subways of New York City during the summer of 1978, this cult classic gives a glimpse into Brooklyn’s past. Slate’s Kristen Meinzer and Newsday’s Rafer Guzman will introduce the film. For more information, visit brooklynhistory.org.

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BROOKLYN BRIDGE Park will host Eowyn Ivey, the bestselling author and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, as part of its Books Beneath the Bridge series tonight at 7 p.m. on the Granite Prospect steps. She will read excerpts from her latest work, “The Bright Edge of the World,” an atmospheric, transporting tale of adventure, love and survival. For more information, visit brooklybridgepark.org.

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

“Adversity, if you allow it to, will fortify you and make you the best you can be.” — Kerri Walsh Jennings, who was born on this day in 1978.