Robert Garcia, born December 2, 1977 in Lima, Peru, is the first fully Latino and LGBT member of US Congress. He immigrated to the US with his mother at the age of 5. He attended California State University, Long Beach and later got his master's Degree at University of Southern California.
In 2009, he was elected to the Long Beach City Council. In 2012, he was unanimously elected to Vice Mayor of Long Beach, becoming the first Latino Vice Mayor and youngest in Long Beach's history.
Garcia ran for mayor in 2015 and was reelected in April 2018.
He announced his candidacy for California's 42nd congressional district in the US House of Representatives.
The first film adaption of Agatha Christie's novel Death on the Nile was released into US theaters September 29, 1978. It boasted a stellar cast: Peter Ustinov (as Hercule Poirot), Angela Lansbury, Bette Davis, Maggie Smith, George Kennedy, and David Niven.
It won a Academy Award for Best Costume Design for Anthony Powell, who won the BAFTA Film Award for Best Costume design as well. Angela Lansbury won a National Board of Review award for Best Supporting Actress.
The 2022 version by Kenneth Branagh is a great adaption as well, even though Branagh changed it up a little.
Albert Paulsen, born in Ecuador December 13, 1925, became the first Latin American actor to win a Primetime Emmy. Other Latin actors had been nominated before, but Paulsen's was the first win. He won the award in 1964 for Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actor for his portrayal as Lt. Volkoval in Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, in the episode One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.
He also appeared in The Manchurian Candidate with Angela Lansbury! He also appeared in Eyewitness with Signourney Weaver!
I couldn't find a clip of his Emmy-winning role, but here is a clip from when he appeared on the Odd Couple with Roy Clark.
The po'o-uli, or black-faced honeycreeper, is an endemic bird on Maui in Hawai'i, was declared extinct September 29, 2021. The last known two birds were sighted in 2004.
The po'o-uli was discovered in 1973. Its diet consisted of snail, insects and spiders, but invasive species of plants and animals, such as hogs, cats, and rats, contributed to its decline. When they were first discovered, there were only 76 birds per square kilometer. By 1985, the number slipped to only 8 per km2.
Hawai'i established Hanawi Natural Area Reserve to protect endangered flora and fauna, but only 3 birds existed by 1997. US Fish and Wildlife Service declared the po'o-uli extinct, September 29, 2021.
Soyuz MS-22 crew (Top-Bottom): Dimitry Petelin, Frank Rubio, Sergey Prokopyev
Soyuz MS-23, which launched back in February 2023, returned to Earth safely yesterday with the crew of Soyuz MS-22, which launched September 21, 2022. The crew consisted of Sergey Prokopyev (Commander), Dimitry Petelin, and Francisco Rubio (NASA).
While aboard the International Space Station, they participated in Expeditions 67-69.
Rubio has spent more than 370 days in space, making him the first American to spend more than a full year in space, breaking Mark Vande Hei's record.
I had to do some checking on this one, because I was confused. Eleuterio "Joe" Marquez is the first Hispanic recipient of the Navy Cross. Frederick Riefkohl is the first Puerto Rican recipient of the Navy Cross.
Marquez was born in Los Angeles and was just 19. He had been in the navy for just a year before he was part of the force that landed on the island of Peleliu during WWII, in September 1944. At the time, he was Pharmacist's Mate Third Class. The force took heavy casualties and 59 corpsmen were kill in action. Marquez established a station where he could administer first aid and plasma, and send wounded troops back to the ships.
In October 1944, Marquez and his unit climbed Bloody Nose Ridge to oust the Japanese from their fortifications. One night, they came under heavy fire and Marquez was severely wounded, but he managed to start tending wounded. He worked through the night to tend to all of wounded.
There is apparently a paranormal slant to this story but I won't expand on it. Yet.
Marquez was awarded the Navy Cross, the first American of Mexican descent to receive the honor. He passed away in 2015.
Luis Castro, born November 25, 1876 in Colombia, is the first Latin American to play for Major League Baseball. He played only one season with the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1902 season, as a second baseman and a right-handed batter. The Athletics went on to win the American League championship.
Castro passed away in New York City at 64 in September 1941.
The first episode of the long-running series The Beverly Hillbillies aired September 26, 1962. It starred Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer as a poor family living in rural Missouri, who discover oil on their land. The backwoods folks become instant millionaires and move to Beverly Hills. Although critics panned the series, it became one of the most-watched programs for eight of its nine seasons. It was nominated for 7 Primetime Emmys, including one for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy for Nancy Kulp.
The king of cult movies, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, was released into US theaters September 26, 1975, after opening in the UK the month prior. Written by Jim Sharman and Richard O'Brien, who played Riff-Raff, the movie is based on the 1973 musical stage production about an engaged couple whose car breaks down near a spooky castle. They go there to call for help and strange antics ensue.
The movie starred Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, and Meat Loaf. It was a failure when it was initially released, but over the years has grown into one of the largest movie franchises. It is still shown around the country at midnight showings, making it the longest theatrical release in history.
In 2005, it was selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
NASA's first asteroid retrieval mission has been successfully completed with the sample return capsule from OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security - Regolith Explorer), which landed in the Utah desert near Salt Lake City yesterday.
The craft returned about 250 g of asteroid material, collected from asteroid Bennu in October 2020. The capsule and its contents have been secured in a cleanroom facility, awaiting analysis. Although a small amount, it will provide material for years of research to come.
After releasing its sample capsule, OSIRIS-REx became OSIRIS-APEX (APophis Explorer)and will go on a mission to observe 99942 Apophis, a near-Earth asteroid and potentially dangerous object in April 2029, when the asteroid makes a very close pass to Earth on the 13th.
Annie Menz became the first Latina elected to serve in the Oklahoma House of Representatives January 2023. She is a Democrat representing District 43 which covers parts of Norman, south of Oklahoma City. Her mother is an immigrant, and her grandparents came from Mexico. Her grandfather was a US Army veteran that served in WWII.
Mezn and Jessica Garvin (first Latina elected to Oklahoma State Senate) will serve on the Latino Caucus, which has been established to focus on issues that affect Oklahoma Latinos.
Luna 16, launched by the Soviet Union September 12, 1970, was the first probe to land on the moon and then return a sample of the lunar soil to Earth. It landed in the Sea of Fertility (Mare Fecunditatis) at night September 20, becoming the first night landing. A drill pierced the lunar surface and obtained a sample of about 101 g. On September 21, the upper stage blasted off from the moon and returned to Earth three days later.
Eight years ago, I posted a link about NASA entering into a partnership with Arx Pax, inventor of hover engine technology, to develop a tractor beam, which have been a part of science fiction for decades. It seemed as if it was to become reality. I wanted to see how far they have come along, but the original link I posted to Arx Pax's website does not work any more. A search of NASA's website yields no results for 'Arx Pax'.
NASA is now starting a program Planetary Defense Strategy and Action Plan, to deal with the threat of near Earth objects (NEO). The program includes tasks for identifying NEOs and determining which ones might pose a danger to Earth. Its Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) last year demonstrated that NASA can alter the trajectory of an asteroid. They plan to develop 'gravity tractors' but I haven't been able to find any research on this.
I did find an article on-line about a group at University of Colorado at Boulder that is working on a tractor beam in an effort to clean up space debris. There is a lot of space junk in orbit up there and collisions create more junk. They are basing their research on the Coulombe force, where objects of opposite charges attract each other, and objects with the same charge repel each other.
Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and Star Trek: Voyager each won 3 Primetime Emmys at the 47th annual ceremony held September 10, 1995. My girl Cyndi Lauper won for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her work in Mad About You. Babylon 5 won Outstanding Individual Achievement in Makeup for a Series for Acts of Sacrifice. Angela Lansbury was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her work in Murder, She Wrote. The X-Files received 7 nominations, four of which were for the episode Duane Barry. Mystery Science Theater 3000 was nominated for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Variety or Music Program. CCH Pounder was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her performance in The X-Files.
DS9 won:
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Makeup for a Series for Distant Voices
Outstanding Individual Achievement – Special Visual Effects for The Jem’Hadar Outstanding Individual Achievement in Hairstyling for a Series for Improbable Cause
Voyager won:
Outstanding Individual Achievement – Special Visual Effects for Caretaker Outstanding Individual Achievement in Main Title Theme Music for Jerry Goldsmith Outstanding Individual Achievement in Makeup for a Series for Faces
Voyager was nominated for:
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Cinematography for a Series for Heroes and Demons Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costume Design for a Series for Caretaker Outstanding Individual Achievement in Graphic Design and Title Sequences Outstanding Individual Achievement in Hairstyling for a Series for Caretaker Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) for Caretaker Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) for Heroes & Demons
X-Files was nominated for:
Outstanding Drama Series Outstanding Individual Achievement in Cinematography for a Series for One Breath Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Series – Single Camera Production for Sleepless Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Series – Single Camera Production for Duane Barry Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series for Duane Barry Outstanding Writing for a Drama for Duane Barry
Murder, She Wrote was also nominated for Nominated for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Art Direction for a Series for Death ‘N’ Denial Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costuming for a Series for Murder A La Mode Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) for Murder in High C
Talk about two hours of my life I'll never get back. Battle Beyond the Stars has got to be one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Clearly an effort to cash in on the Star Wars success, Roger Corman directed this train wreck, which was unleashed on the populace September 8, 1980. Its only redeeming qualities are John Saxon and Robert Vaughn. It also stars a poorly cast Richard Thomas as the Skywalker-type hero, and although George Peppard is a great actor, he doesn't sell the cowboy image.
Thomas plays Shad, who is trying to recruit allies against the evil forces threatening his planet. Along the way, he meets a number of colorful characters. It was produced on a low budget and the quality of the "special effects" shows it.
The movie did help with the careers of James Cameron, who worked on the special effects, and Bill Paxton, who worked on movie sets as a carpenter and painter.
One of the first of its kind, OSIRIS-REx, Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer) is a NASA spacecraft sent to study the asteroid Bennu and return a sample to Earth.
It was launched September 8, 2016 and landed on Bennu in October 2020. It lifted off from the asteroid's surface in early April 2021 and in May, began its journey back to Earth. It is expected the storage container of samples of Bennu will touchdown September 23 of this year.
Mega-star Patsy Cline, born September 8, 1932 in Winchester, Virginia, is one of the most influential vocalists and one of the most successful country artists ever. She began performing on a radio station when she was fifteen, which led to more appearances. She made her first national television appearance on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, where she performed Walkin' After Midnight, her first big hit.
Her first single to reach #1 was I Fall to Pieces in 1961.
She was killed in a plane crash in 1963.
In 1973, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the first female artist to be included. In 1995, Cline received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Her hits I Fall to Pieces and Crazy have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame,
The X-Files won five Primetime Emmys at the untelevised portion of the ceremony held September 7, 1996. It had been nominated for three more.
Two episodes won two awards each. Episode Nisei won Outstanding Sound Editing for a Drama Series, and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Series. Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose won for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for Peter Boyle, and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series.
Episode Grotesque won for Outstanding Cinematography.
The X-Files were nominated for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Gillian Anderson. Episode Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space' was nominated for Outstanding Art Direction for a Drama Series.
Chandrayaan-2, Indian Space Research Oganisation (ISRO)'s second lunar mission, crashed onto the surface of the moon September 6, 2019. It doesn't seem that the exact cause of the crash has been determined but ISRO has reported it was a software glitch.
The Vikram lander and Pragyan rover were lost in the crash. The orbiter continues to operate and is expected to complete its seven-year mission.
Fortunately for the ISRO, their third lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed on the moon August 23, 2023.
Yulia Peresild, born September 5, 1984 in the former Soviet Union, is an actress and astronaut. She went into space aboard Soyuz MS-19, launched October 5, 2021 to the International Space Station. She traveled with her producer/director Klim Shipenko. They stayed aboard the ISS for over 11 days, filming scenes for the Russian movie The Challenge. She had to train to be a cosmonaut in order to do the movie.
She returned to Earth on Soyuz MS-18 October 17, 2021.
Sergey Korsakov, born September 1, 1984 in the former Soviet Union, went into space aboard Soyuz MS-21 as a flight engineer to the International Space Station in March 2022. He participated in Expeditions 66 and 67 while on board. He returned to Earth in September after spending almost 195 days in space.
