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MILESTONES: August 10, birthdays for Antonio Banderas, Betsey Johnson, Dr. Carla Hayden

August 10, 2018 Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Antonio Banderas. Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
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Greetings, Brooklyn.  Today is the 222nd day of the year.

ON THIS DAY IN 1910, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “Life at College Point has been almost unbearable for the last few days, occasioned by the stench wafted over the water from Rikers Island. Residents have been obliged to keep their windows closed, and when friends meet on the street it is the topic of discussion. A west wind last night made the odors particularly strong. The matter has been taken up with the city authorities by the local taxpayers association. The board of health has also been notified of existing conditions … The stench, according to the city authorities, is from the garbage which is mixed with the ashes used in filling in on the island. Some of the local physicians have advised against swimming in the waters off College Point, owing to the presence of garbage.

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ON THIS DAY IN 1902, the Eagle reported, “The crowning of King Edward VII in London yesterday was celebrated at Manhattan Beach by a royal salute at 12 o’clock, when the royal standard was hoisted on the top of the amphitheater. After the picture of ‘Ancient Rome’ last night, there was a sumptuous display of fireworks — set pieces and aerial — to make glad the hearts of residents of the United States, whether British born or of British descent. It was a night of nights for all those who rejoice in close sympathy between the English-speaking nations.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1945, the Eagle reported, “Washington, Aug. 10 (U.P.) — The world had President [Harry] Truman’s assurance today that the secret of the atomic bomb will remain under lock and key until control methods are found to protect mankind ‘from the danger of total destruction.’ ‘The atomic bomb is too dangerous to be loose in lawless world,’ Mr. Truman said in his radio address last night.”

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ON AUG. 11, 1927, the Eagle reported, “With the purpose of the Mount Rushmore monument in the Black Hills, a work formally initiated yesterday by President [Calvin] Coolidge in a fitting and dignified address, there can be only harmony. The monument will commemorate Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt. Washington never crossed the Mississippi either physically or definitely; Jefferson never beheld it, but he extended our territory over a great area beyond it; Lincoln helped make the country one from end to end, but lived his life east of the great river. Roosevelt alone of the four closely knew and loved the country beyond it. Yet it is an appropriate thing that the West should have within its expanse a place dedicated to the fame of these four. They belong to the whole country, not to the East alone.”

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ON AUG. 11, 1932, the Eagle published an Associated Press story which read, “Hollywood — The famous German police dog actor, Rin Tin Tin, credited with saving Warner Brothers from possible bankruptcy before the movie concern gave the world talking pictures, is dead after more than 13 years in the films … Popular the world over among moviegoers, the clever animal star, which earned a fortune in his career, died Tuesday morning at the home of his trainer, Lee Duncan, in nearby Westwoodian … Mascot Pictures announced Rin Tin Tin Jr. will immediately step into his father’s tracks, starting in a few days on a picture which was to have starred the elder dog.”

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ON AUG. 12, 1847, the Eagle reported, “Zanesville, Ohio, Aug 11 … Messrs. Shaw and Bolden arrived at St. Louis on the 5th inst. Direct from Oregon. They met but little difficulty on the route. They left Frontier settlement on the 5th of May. The emigrants to California and Oregon were making rapid progress. The party met Davidson’s company at Big Sandy and two others at Green River. The Mormons were met at the forks of Platte with a large train of wagons on their way to California, and the twelve apostles were met at Fort Bridges. The Mormons would proceed only to Salt Lake this season.”

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ON AUG. 12, 1920, the Eagle reported from Boston, “Charles Ponzi, whose spectacular career as an investment banker was cut short by the authorities, today surrendered to the United States Marshal and was placed under arrest. He was charged with having used the mails in a plan to defraud. With state action against him expected, the young Italian financier turned a trick by putting himself in the custody of the federal authorities at the moment that the state police were petitioning a municipal court judge to issue a warrant for his arrest. Ponzi apparently was alive to what was imminent and, leaving his Lexington Ave. home early this afternoon, hurried to the office of the marshal and asked to be taken into custody.”

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include musician IAN ANDERSON, who was born in 1947; actress ROSANNA ARQUETTE, who was born in 1959; actor ANTONIO BANDERAS, who was born in 1960; Hall of Fame boxer RIDDICK BOWE, who was born in Brooklyn in 1967; actress ANGIE HARMON, who was born in 1972; Librarian of Congress Dr. CARLA HAYDEN, who was born in 1952; fashion designer BETSEY JOHNSON, who was born in 1942; and singer RONNIE SPECTOR, who was born in 1943.

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HERBERT CLARK HOOVER WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1874. The 31st president of the U.S. was the first president born west of the Mississippi River and the first to have a telephone on his desk. “Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die,” he said in Chicago at the Republican National Convention in 1944. Hoover died in New York in 1964.

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SON OF SAM WAS ARRESTED ON THIS DAY IN 1977. Postal employee David Berkowitz was arrested in Yonkers, N.Y. and accused of being Son of Sam, the gunman who killed six people and wounded seven others in the New York City area. Berkowitz is serving six consecutive 25-years-to-life sentences.

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HENRI NESTLÉ WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1814. The inventor of infant formula first trained as a pharmacist. In 1867, perhaps spurred on by the high infant mortality among his siblings, he created farine lactée, a substitute breast milk for infants unable to nurse. By the 1870s he was distributing the formula worldwide. Nestlé sold the Nestlé company in 1875, but the company retained his name, which means “little nest” and only later expanded its business to include chocolate and condensed milk. He died in 1890 in Switzerland.

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“CANDID CAMERA” PREMIERED ON THIS DAY IN 1948. The show — which appeared at various times on the big three TV networks and in syndication — was created and hosted by Allen Funt. It was initially an Armed Forces Radio program based on Funt’s success in recording and broadcasting soldiers’ gripes. The show’s modus operandi was to catch people unawares on camera — either as part of a practical joke or just being themselves. It spawned numerous imitators.

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TODAY IS NATIONAL S’MORES DAY. The gooey, messy, chocolaty campfire treat is traditionally made with roasted marshmallows, a slab of chocolate and an enclosing sandwich of graham crackers. Girl Scout Loretta Scott Crew is credited with creating the sandwich: her recipe for “Some Mores” was published in Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts in 1927.

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

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“There is no adequate defense, except stupidity, against the impact of a new idea.” — scientist Percy Williams Bridgeman

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