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The writer Pete Hamill (1935-2020) was the eldest of nine kids growing up in Brooklyn. Image may be NSFW.
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His mother, Anne Devlin who loved Manhattan, told him as a young boy as they walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, it was like going to Oz, a sentiment he repeats in both of his books…Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Downtown: My Manhattan (2004)…
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Clik here to view. A Drinking Life (1994), a memoir.
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Clik here to view. One-third of the soldiers who fought for the Union Army in the American Civil War were immigrants, and one in ten African Americans. Image may be NSFW.
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Clik here to view. In 1865, The home For Little Wanderers was established in Boston, Massachusetts to care for children left orphaned after the Civil War. It’s still going strong today with affiliates all over the country, including one here, in the Bronx, proving good works have staying power. Image may be NSFW.
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Clik here to view. The actor Christopher Walken was once a lion tamer in the circus.
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Clik here to view. His father Paul, in 1931, opened a bakery in Astoria, Queens called Walken’s Bake Shop, long gone, now a hardware store; from pastry to pliers.
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Clik here to view. Broadway star, Tommy Tune at 6’7″ is considered the tallest dancer in America. Image may be NSFW.
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Clik here to view. Vladimir Putin is a die-hard Beatles fan.
Donald Trump prefers the band Third Reich. Image may be NSFW.
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No, I didn’t make that up.
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Clik here to view. Heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson has owned three tigers as pets called Kenya, Storm and Boris he bought while serving prison time for a rape charge.
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Clik here to view. George Washington
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John F. Kennedy
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Jimmy Carter
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Barack Obama
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Donald Trump and…
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Joseph Biden were all published authors before becoming President.
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I have a dream...taken from Martin Luther King’s iconic speech given at the March on Washington in front of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963, is considered one of the greatest quotes of all time.
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In 1731, Benjamin Franklin founded the first Lending Library in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The first Library of Congress in Washington was burnt to the ground during the War of 1812. Image may be NSFW.
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In 1815, Congress bought Thomas Jefferson’s vast collection of 6, 487 books to begin anew;
208 years later, it now claims over 39 million books.
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“With a book in my hands, and a soft light,” she said, “I’m never alone.” Pete Hamill, Tabloid City (2011) Image may be NSFW.
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May the wind be always at your back…
An Irish farewell.
SB