Saturday, March 2, 2024

Rosetta, first spacecraft to land on a comet, launched 2004



Rosetta, launched March 2, 2004 by the European Space Agency, is the first spacecraft to orbit a comet and then deploy a lander. It reached comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in August 2014 and entered actual orbit in September.  The Philae lander detached from Rosetta in November and landed, bouncing twice before coming to a rest.

As the comet traveled further from the sun, light reaching the solar panels decreased.  A decision was made to end the mission by impacting Rosetta onto the comet surface. The impact maneuver began on September 29, 2016 and was completed the next day.

Thursday, February 29, 2024

The 5th Dimension's "Up, Up and Away" win 6 Grammy Awards 1968



The 5th Dimension's 1967 recording of Up, Up and Away took home 6 Grammy Awards at the 10th annual ceremony held February 29, 1968.  Producers Johnny Rivers and Marc Gordon took home Record of the Year.  Jimmy Webb, songwriter, received Song of the Year.  The 5th Dimension won Best Performance by a Vocal Group, Best Performance by a Chorus, Best Contemporary Group Performance (Vocal or Instrumental), and Best Contemporary Single. 

Boris Karloff (horror movie icon) won a Grammy for Best Recording for Children, for his work on Dr. Seuss: How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Elvis Presley won Best Sacred Performance for his recording of How Great Thou Art.

The Beatles won 4 Grammys for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: Album of the Year; Best Album Cover, Graphic Arts; Best Contemporary Album; and Best Engineered Recording - Non-Classical. 

"Gone With the Wind" wins a record 8 Academy Awards 1940



Gone With the Wind, Victor Fleming's epic and now iconic WWII film, set several records at the 12th Academy Awards ceremony February 27, 1940.  Some of the records have been broken but at the time, they were significant.  

Gone With the Wind was nominated for 13 awards and won 8 of them. The biggest win was Hattie McDaniel for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mammy.  She is the first African American actor to receive an Oscar, beating the likes of Olivia de Havilland and Geraldine Fitzgerald.

Gone With the Wind won Outstanding Production (Best Picture) and Best Director for Victor Fleming.  Vivien Leigh won Best Actress, beating Bette Davis, Great Garbo, and Greer Garson.  Sidney Howard was posthumously awarded Best Screenplay.  Lyle R. Wheeler won Best Art Direction.  Best Film Editing went to Hal C. Kern and James E. Newcom. Best Cinematography, Color went to Ernest Haller and Rennahan. It was the first year the cinematography category had been split into Color and Black and White.

The film was nominated for Best Actor for Clark Gable.  Olivia de Havilland was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.  Max Steiner was nominated for Best Original Score.  This was the first year an award for Best Special Effects was given, and Gone With the Wind was nominated for that Category but lost to The Rains Came.

William Cameron Menzies was given an honorary award for his outstanding achievement in the use of color for the enhancement of dramatic mood in the production of Gone With the Wind.

The Wizard of Oz came up with 6 nominations and took home only two.  Herbert Stothart won for Best Original Score.  Over the Rainbow, written by Yip Harburg and music by Harold Arlen, won Best Song.

It was nominated for Outstanding Production, Best Art Direction and Best Special Effects. Judy Garland was given the Academy Juvenile Award.  

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Celebrating Black History Month: Granville T. Woods, inventor


Granville T. Woods, born April 23, 1856 in Columbus, Ohio, was an African American inventor who held over 50 US patents.  He had to leave school at age 10 to work to help support his poor family.  He worked in a machine shop, where he learned machining and blacksmithing.  

In 1872, he worked as a fireman for the Danville and Southern Railroad in Missouri. In 1874, he moved to Springfield, Illinois where he worked at a rolling mill.  He studied mechanical and electrical engineering in college but there is no evidence he received a college degree.

Among his inventions are a egg incubator, an automatic brake, a steam boiler furnace, and a patented Synchronous Multiplex Railway telegraphs, which allowed communications between train stations from moving trains.  

Thomas Edison filed a claim to ownership of this invention, saying he had created it first.  He took Woods to court twice, but Woods prevailed both time. Woods spent a lot of time defending his inventions from others who claimed they were the ones who invented them.

Woods died of a cerebral hemorrhage in New York City, January 30, 1910.  In 2006, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

"Doctor Zhivago" wins 5 Golden Globes 1965



David Lean's historical-romance drama Doctor Zhivago, set during WWI and the Russian Civil War, took home five Golden Globes at the 23rd annual ceremony February 28, 1965.  It won all categories for which it was nominated. It was by far the biggest winner of the night.

Doctor Zhivago won Best Picture - Drama.  Omar Sharif won Best Actor for his work in the titular role.  David Lean won Best Director.  Maurice Jarre won for Best Original Score, beating Henry Mancini for his work on The Great Race. Robert Bolt won for Best Screenplay.  

The only other movie to win more than one award was The Sound of Music, who won two of four nominations.  It won Best Film - Musical or Comedy and Julie Andrews won Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.  Robert Wise was nominated for Best Director but lost to Lean.  Peggy Wood was nominated for Best Supporting Actress but lost to Ruth Gordon.  

The Great Race, one of my favorites, received four nominations, but failed to win any awards. 

Twilight Zone episode "Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" airs 1964



A bit of a departure from the usual Twilight Zone fare, Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge was a short film presented at a French film festival, in which Rod Serling was in attendance. It is reported that he hunted down the producers and bought it for a one-time showing on the Twilight Zone.  The film is based on a short story written by Ambrose Bierce, originally published in 1890. The film won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject.

The story, set during the Civil War, a Confederate prisoner is due to be hanged.  French actor Roger Jacquet plays the prisoner Peyton Farquhar.  The Twilight Zone episode aired February 28, 1964. 

I've only seen it a couple of times but it is one of my favorites.

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Celebrating Black History Month: Michael Langley first Black four-star general in USMC



Michael Langley, born in Shreveport, Louisiana, became the first black four-star general in the United States Marine Corps in history.

He graduated from University of Texas at Arlington with a degree in information systems analysis.  He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marines.  Since then he has served in Afghanistan, served as commander of the US Marine Forces-Europe and Africa, deputy commander of the Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic.

In June 2022, Langley was nominated for promotion to general and assignment as commander of the US Africa Command, and was confirmed by the Senate in August 2022, making him the first black 4-star general in the 246-year history of the USMC.