Happy birthday, astronaut William Pailes!

William Pailes, born June 26, 1952 in Hackensack, New Jersey, went into space once aboard Atlantis (STS-51-J) as payload specialist in October 1985. He spent four days in space before returning to Earth.

Celebrating Pride Month: Gaysweek, first gay and lesbian weekly publication

 

In 1977, Alan Bell, a black gay publisher, began publishing Gaysweek, the first gay and lesbian newspaper in the US.  It started as an 8-page weekly tabloid, and when it ended in 1979 after 104 issues, it was a 24-page, two-color publication.  

At the time, it was one of only three gay weeklies in the world. 

A portion of the Gaysweek archives are kept at Cornell University Library, Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections. 

Alan Bell short

Alan Parsons Project releases "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" 1976

The Alan Parsons Project released its debut album Tales of Mystery and Imagination June 25, 1976. The songs and music are based upon the writings of Edgar Allan Poe.

It generated two singles (The System of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether, which reached #37 on the Billboard Hot 100, and The Raven, which reached #80. 

Despite its humble beginnings, the album has gained a cult following and has been listed on Classic Rock magazine's 50 Albums That Build Prog Rock.

"Robot Monster" released 1953

Best known for being notoriously bad, Robot Monster was released in theaters across the US June 25, 1953. Produced on a miniscule budget, the movie follows a monster in a gorilla suit and a TV set with antenna, who has eliminated everybody on Earth, except for one family. It seems the Robot Monster had feelings for the family's teenaged daughter.

It has been included on many of the 'worst movie' lists, but has gained a cult following.  

Celebrating Pride Month: University of Michigan, the first LGBT office, 1971

In 1971, the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, established The Spectrum, an LGBT office, the first of its kind in the US.  It continues to provide help for gay and trans students for coming out, but also helps educate cis-gendered.  

Read more here:

https://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2012/08/15/top-10-trans-friendly-colleges-and-universities?page=0,7

"Logan's Run" released 1976

Logan's Run, the Saul David production based on the novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson, was released June 23, 1976. It starred Michael York, Jenny Agutter, Peter Ustinov, and Farrah Fawcett(-Majors) and was directed by Michael Anderson.  

It depicts a utopian, hedonistic society where every wish can be fulfilled, but at a cost.  When a person reaches the age of 30, they are executed.  

Reviews were all over the place when Logan's Run was released.  Roger Ebert gave it 3 out of 4 stars, but Gene Siskel gave it 0 out of 4 stars.  However, it was a success at the box office, earning $2.5M in its first 5 days of release, which was substantial for that time.  

It was nominated for two Academy Awards, Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction.  There were no visual effects nominations that year, because the committee didn't consider any of the movies to attain the level needed for accolades.  The Academy reversed the decision and awarded Special Achievement Awards in Visual Effects to Logan's Run and King Kong.  The visual effects committee resigned in protest.

It won 6 Saturn Awards (see my post from Jan 15, 2025).

Celebrating Pride Month: Robert Duncan, out gay poet

Robert Edward Duncan, born January 7, 1919 in Oakland, California, is a noted openly gay poet, one of the first to acknowledge his homosexuality.  As a sophomore at the University of California at Berkeley in 1938, he began a relationship with grad student Ned Fahs. It ended when Fahs married a woman in 1941, but Duncan continued to write poetry about Fahs for another twenty years. 

He was drafted in 1941 but declared his homosexuality to get discharged.   In 1944. he had a relationship with abstract expressionist painter, Robert De Niro, Sr., father of actor Robert De Niro. Also, in 1944, he wrote an essay "The Homosexual in Society" where he compared the plight of gays with that of African Americans and Jews. It is considered to be a pioneering treatise on the experience of gays in American society.  

Duncan returned to the San Francisco area after WWII, and in 1950, he met artist Jess Collins.  In January 1951, they took marriage vows and moved in together.  They remained together until Duncan passed away 37 years later in February 1988. 

Celebrating Pride Month: Carl Nassib, first active NFL player to come out

Carl Nassib, April 12, 1993 in West Chester, Pennsylvania, became the first active NFL player to come out as gay.  Nassib played football at Pennsylvania State University where he was voted All-American in 2015.  

He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the 2016 NFL draft in the third round, as the 65th pick.  He was waived by the Browns in 2018. 

In September 2018, he was hired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and played two seasons.  He signed a three-year contract with the Las Vegas Raiders in March 2020. 

During the 2021 season opener, the Raiders defeated the Ravens on Monday Night Football and became the first openly gay player in the NFL.  He was released by the Raiders in March 2022.

He signed a one-year deal with the Buccaneers and in September 2023, announced his retirement.

Celebrating Pride Month: Sgt. Leonard Matlovich, first out military service member

Leonard Matlovich, born July 6, 1943 in Savannah, Georgia, was the first service member to out himself to the military to fight their ban on gay people.  He enlisted at the age of 19, and served three tours of duty in Vietnam.  He was seriously wounded when he stepped on a landmine. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.

He taught Air Force Race Relations to fight discrimination in the military after several racial incidents.  He came to realize that gays faced similar discrimination as African Americans.

On March 6, 1975, Matlovich hand-delivered a letter to his commanding officer at Langley AFB, officially professing to be gay.  He was discharged, despite his exemplary military record and tours of duty in Vietnam, he was ruled unfit for service.  He was given an Honorable discharge in October 1975.  

He sued for reinstatement and in September 1980, US District Court Judge Gerhard Gesell stated the Air Force had failed to provide an explanation why Matlovich did not meets its criteria for exception and ordered him to be reinstated.  Matlovich accepted a financial settlement instead, convinced that the military would find some other reason to discharge him.  

He continued to fight for gay rights until his death in 1988. His tombstone reads: 

"A Gay Vietnam Veteran. When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one."

"Hulk" released 2003

Director Ang Lee released his superhero film Hulk in US theaters June 20, 2003, to mixed reviews.  Based on the Marvel Comics character the Incredible Hulk, the movie starred Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, and Nick Nolte.

Although reviews were mixed, it topped the box office in its first weekend beating Finding Nemo, earning $62.1M, making it the 16th highest-ever opening at the time. Roger Ebert gave it a positive review, and he doesn't seem to like anything.

Hulk was nominated for five Saturn Awards, but was up against X2, Return of the King, and Pirates of the Caribbean.  

Happy birthday, astronaut Brian Duffy!

Brian Duffy, born June 20, 1953 in Boston, Massachusetts, has been in space four times. He graduated from the US Air Force Academy in 1975 and was selected by NASA to become an astronaut in June 1985.

His first flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-45) as pilot in March-April 1992.  He spent almost 9 days in space before returning to Earth. 

His second mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-57) as pilot in June-July 1993. He spent 10 days in space before returning to Earth. 

Duffy's third mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-72) as commander January 11-20, 1996. He spent almost 9 days in space before returning to Earth.

His fourth and final mission was aboard Discovery (STS-92) as commander to the International Space Station October 11-24, 2000. He spent 13 days in space before returning to Earth.

Duffy was inducted into the US Astronaut Hall of Fame May 14, 2016.

Groundbreaking for the Svalbard Global Seed Vault 2006

On June 19, 2006, the prime ministers of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland laid the "first stone" of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault on Spitsbergen Island, Norway.  The vault stores seeds from around the world, to provide security for the world's food supply in case of catastrophe, natural disasters, wars, etc.

Spitsbergen Island was chose since it has no tectonic activity and permafrost to help with preservation.  It is maintained at a constant -18° C.  It is constructed to keep seeds for thousands of years.  

The Tasmanian Devil first appearance 1954

The Tasmanian Devil, Taz, beloved Looney Tunes character, made his first appearance in the short Devil May Hare, June 19, 1954. He appeared in only four more shorts before Warner Brothers Cartoons was shut down in 1964.

However, Taz had his own television series Taz-Mania in 1991, which ran for four seasons.  He was to appear in Who framed Roger Rabbit? but for some reason, he wasn't in the movie.

Taz continues to appear in television and movies.

Celebrating Pride Month: Victim, first English-speaking movie to name homosexuality

Victim, released August 31, 1961 in the United Kingdom, is the first English-speaking film to explicitly name homosexuality and deal with it "sympathetically". It helped with changing attitudes towards LGBT persons in Great Britain.  

Dirk Bogarde stars as a successful barrister in London and is blackmailed for being gay. Upon its release, it was considered controversial to the British Board of Film Censors, and the American Motion Picture Production Code refused a seal of approval.  It received critical acclaim and is now considered a British classic.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victim_(1961_film)#Critical_reception

"Jurassic Park" released 1993

Steven Spielberg's blockbuster Jurassic Park was released in US theaters June 11, 1993 and set box-office records across the world. Based on the Michael Crichton novel of the same name, the movie follows a billionaire's attempt to regenerate dinosaurs on an isolated island.  

What could possibly go wrong?

Jurassic Park starred Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jeff Goldblum.  It became the highest grossing film at that time.  It reached $100M in a record nine days. It was the first film to gross over $500M overseas.

Jurassic Park won three Academy Awards: Bet Sound, Best Sound Effects, and Best Visual Effects.  Since it was a mix of science fiction and horror, it could not be nominated for Best Picture or any of the acting awards.  Spielberg won Best Directing but for Schindler's List, a drama film.  

Jurassic Park did not receive any Golden Globe awards because the science fiction adventure did not align "with the types of films that were often nominated" for Golden Globes.

It won four Saturn Awards: Steven Spielberg for Best Direction, Best Science Fiction Film, Best Special Effects, and Best Writing.  Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Wayne Knight, Joseph Mazzello, and Arian Richards were nominated for their work.  John Williams was nominated for Best Music, and Jurassic Park received a nomination for Best Costumes. 

John Williams was also nominated for a Grammy Award for his original score. 

Celebrating Pride Month: Gina Ortiz Jones, first gay mayor of San Antonio

Gina Ortiz Jones won a runoff election on June 7, 2025 and became the first gay mayor of San Antonio.  She is also the first Asian-American female mayor of a major city in Texas, and the first female mayor in Texas to have served in a war.

Jones is a former Air Force officer, and Iraq War veteran, and served as Under Secretary of the Air Force during the Biden Administration.  She defeated a hatemonger Rolando Pablos, an anti-gay advocate.

"The Others" wins three Saturn Awards 2002

The Others, the haunted house movie with Nicole Kidman, won three Saturn Awards out of six nominations, at the annual ceremony held June 10, 2002. I really enjoyed this movie, and consider it to be much better than The Sixth Sense. It's one of my favorite haunted house movies.

The Others won Best Horror Film, and Nicole Kidman won Best Actress for her performance as Grace Stewart.  Fionnula Flanagan won Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Mrs. Mills.

Alejandro Amenabar was nominated for Best Director and for Best Writing, and Alakina Mann was nominated for Best Performance by a Younger Actor.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring also won three awards.  It won Best Fantasy Film.  Ian McKellen won Best Supporting Actor for his work as Gandalf the Grey.  Peter Jackson won Best Director.

Steven Spielberg's A.I. Artificial Intelligence won five Saturn Awards, but I did have not seen it, so I can't comment on it. 

Maggie Smith and Helena Bonham Carter were nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Nikolai Chub!

Nikolai Chub, born June 10, 1984 in the former USSR, went into space aboard Soyuz MS-24 as flight engineer to the International Space Station in September 2023.  He participated in Expeditions 69-71 and conducted two EVAs, for a total of twelve hours, seventeen minutes. 

He returned to Earth aboard Soyuz MS-25 in September 2024 after almost 374 days in space. 

Celebrating Pride Month: Laverne Cox, first transgender nominated for Primetime acting award

Laverne Cox, born May 29, 1972 in Mobile, Alabama, is the first transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category.  She was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance in Orange Is The New Black. She was the first transgender person to win a Daytime Emmy Award in Outstanding Special Class Special for her work as executive producer for Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word.

On June 9, 2014, Cox became the first transgender person to appear on the cover of Time magazine.  She is the first transgender person to have a wax figure in Madame Tussauds.

 

First appearance of Donald Duck 1934

Donald Duck, a cartoon character created by Walt Disney Company, made his first appearance in the short The Wise Little Hen, based on the children's story The Little Red Hen, June 9, 1934. His speech is almost unintelligible and he's usually temperamental.  He has been named one of the 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time by TV Guide.

He has appeared in over 150 animated shorts and features, and continues to appear in Walt Disney productions.

"Star Trek" and "Laugh-In" win Primetime Emmys 1969

Back when television shows were the best, Star Trek, Laugh-in, and Bewitched were nominated for several Primetime Emmys, at the 21st annual ceremony held June 8, 1969. Star Trek and Laugh-In were nominated for the same award: Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction and Scenic Design. Unfortunately, Mission: Impossible took that award.

Laugh-In was also nominated for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy, Variety or Music for Gordon Wiles, Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music, Outstanding Variety or Musical Program, Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy, Variety or Music, and three nominations for Special Classification Achievement-Individuals (Variety Performances) Arte Johnson, Ruth Buzzi (winner) and Goldie Hawn. Laugh-In received two nominations for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Electronic Production and won one.

Leonard Nimoy received a nomination for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series for his role as Spock. Episode Assignment: Earth was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Film Editing.

Episode The Tholian Web won a Special Classification of Outstanding Individual Achievements-Special Photographic Effects.  

"The Goonies" released 1985

Steven Spielberg released The Goonies, directed by Richard Donner June 7, 1985. A group of kids find a pirate map and set out to find the buried treasure. It starred Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Martha Plimpton, and Anne Ramsey, who won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mama Fratelli. Actor Jeff Cohen, who played Chunk, was nominated for a Saturn for Best Performance by a Younger Actor. 

The Goonies was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2017.

Happy birthday, Qui-Gon Jinn!

Liam Neeson, born June 7, 1952 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, is an Oscar nominated actor and played Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (my favorite role of his). He has continued to voice Qui-Gon Jinn in other Star Wars productions.

He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his work in Schindler's List. He's been nominated for 3 Saturn Awards and 3 Golden Globe Awards. He received a Grammy nomination in 2001 for Best Spoken Word Album for Children for The Polar Express. He has also been nominated for two Tony Awards.

He appeared in Excalibur where he met Helen Mirren and began a relationship with her.  He later appeared in Krull in 1983 with Robbie Coltrane. He starred in Suspect with Cher in 1987.  Neeson appeared in Wrath of the Titans with Ralph Feinnes 

Celebrating Gay Pride: Wings one of the first same-sex kiss on screen 1927

Academy Award-winning movie Wings, which premiered May 19, 1927 in San Antonio, Texas, has one of the first on-screen same-sex kiss between two men.  Charles 'Buddy' Rogers played Jack Powell, and Richard Arlen played David Armstrong, two fighter pilots in WWI.  During David's death scene, Jack kisses David on the cheek before David passes away.

Although the two characters are not gay and spend the movie fighting over the same women, the scene is touching with the two men caressing and holding each other in their arms. 

Kristin Chenoweth, Judi Dench win their first Tony Awards 1999

Kristin Chenoweth and Judi Dench each won their first Tony Awards at the 53rd annual ceremony held June 6, 1999.

Kristin won Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Sally Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.

Judi Dench won Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for her role as Esme Allen in Amy's View.  

Bernadette Peters won her second Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for her role as Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun.  

Stockard Channing was nominated for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for her role as Eleanor of Aquitaine in The Lion in Winter. I would have loved to have seen her performance. 

Remembering Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau (1949-2025)

Marc Garneau, born February 23, 1949 in Quebec City, Quebec, passed away today after a brief illness. He was the first Canadian in space when he launched on Challenger (STS-41-G) in October 1984. He went into space twice more, in May 1996 aboard Endeavour (STS-77), and finally in December 2000 aboard Endeavour (STS-97). 

He was appointed executive vice-president of the Canadian Space Agency in 2001, and then he was announced as president in November 2001. He resigned from the CSA in November 2005.

He served as a member of Parliament for Notre-Dame-de-Grace - Westmount from 2008-2023.  During that time, he served as Minister of Transport, and Minister of Foreign Affairs under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

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Celebrating Pride Month: Hazel's Inn raid 1956

February 20, 1956, police raided Hazel's Inn, a gay bar in Pacifica, California. Officers from San Mateo County Sheriff's department raided the bar for "operating a dance without permit" and serving alcohol to minors.  Seventy-seven gay men and ten lesbians were arrested. 

As a result of the Lavender Scare, the anti-gay "moral" panic, resulted in police raids around San Francisco and the Bay area, so people moved south and settled on Hazel's Inn, known to be a tolerant establishment.

As the gay bar attracted more and more people, it attracted the attention of Sheriff Earl Whitmore, who was tipped off by people about 'unusual activity'. Just after midnight on February 20, 1956, Whitmore began his raid with military police, California Highway Patrol officers, and Alcoholic Beverage Control agents.

The arrested individuals were charged with 'lewd vagrancy', a broad brush term in the 1950s to target African Americans, poor people, and homosexuals.  The ACLU represented the defendants and were able to clear twenty-seven.  Two men were found guilty and ordered to pay heavy fines, and were banished from San Mateo County for two years. 

Celebrating Pride Month: Harvey Milk, first openly gay man elected to public office

Harvey Milk, born May 22, 1930 in Woodmere, New York, graduated from New York State College for Teachers in Albany, majoring in mathematics.  He joined the US Navy as a diving officer during the Korean War. He left the Navy in 1955, accepting an "other than honorable" discharge rather than being court-martialed for being gay.

He moved to the Castro area of San Francisco, where many gay men who had been expelled from the military had congregated.  

Amid many scandals and trials, Milk was elected mayor of San Francisco November 8, 1977, winning over 16 other candidates.  His swearing-in made national headlines since he was the first non-incumbent openly gay man in the US to win an election for public office.  

He sponsored a bill that passed by a vote of 11-1 that banned discrimination based on sexual orientation in public accommodations, housing, and employment.  Mayor George Moscone signed it into law.

On November 27, 1978, Milk and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated by Dan White, a disgruntled former city supervisor who cast the only vote against Milk's bill.

"Teenagers from Outer Space" released 1959

Teenagers from Outer Space (or perhaps Attack of the Giant Lobster Silhouette) was inflicted upon US theaters June 3, 1959.  It is considered to be one of the "Z-grade" sci-fi films from the 1950s. 

Written and directed by Tom Graeff, the story follows a young alien played by David Love as a part of a scouting invasion searching for food sources for their giant lobster overlords.  He falls in love with a teenage Earth girl and they work together to prevent his cohorts from carrying out their evil plans.

When Teenagers from Outer Space was released, it was met with negative, but not scathing, reviews.  The silhouette of the giant lobster was described as the least-convincing special effect of the 1950s, but other reviews said "flashes of astonishing sensitivity" "actually quite touching" "the show finds its own humble level of dramatic integrity". 

It was riffed by Joel and the bots on Mystery Science Theater 3000 in June 1992. 

Ray Charles "I Can't Stop Loving You" reaches #1 1962

Ray Charles's cover of Don Gibson's I Can't Stop Loving You reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for five weeks, making it one of the biggest hits of 1962.  It also went to #1 on the Billboard R&B Singles, Adult Contemporary, and the UK Singles Chart.

Billboard ranked it the #2 song for 1962.  Rolling Stone ranked it as #164 of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. CMT ranked it as #49 on the 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music. 

Ray Charles won the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording in 1963.

Venera 15 launched 1983

Venera 15, a Soviet-era spacecraft, launched to Venus June 2, 1983. It reached Venus on October 10, 1983 and mapped the surface using high resolution imaging systems. The last contact was made in January 1985. 

Celebrating Pride Month: Mona's 440 Club, first lesbian bar in US

Mona's opened on Union Street in San Francisco in 1934 to take advantage of the end of prohibition and the city's liberal attitude.  Mona and Jimmie Sargeant moved the bar in 1936 to Columbus Avenue in North Beach and promoted it as a bohemian hangout for writers and artists.

They hired singing waitresses and some of the waitresses dressed in male drag.  It was described as 'bohemian' in the San Francisco Chronicle's 'Cocktailing, Dancing, and Dining' guide, which at the time meant sexually unconventional.  It became the first openly lesbian club and geared toward the local gay community.  Mona's advertised itself as a place 'where girls can be boys'. 

As it grew in popularity, the owners moved the bar to 440 Broadway Street and renamed it Mona's 440 Club.  

In 1941, Babe Scott took control of the club and booked performers that kept the bar popular and popular.  

Ann Dee took over Mona's 440 Club in the mid 1950s and changed the name to Ann's 440 Club.  Although she still employed a lesbian waitstaff and lesbian clientele, its focus was on entertainment and not gay culture.

Happy birthday, astronaut Yi So-yeon!

Yi So-yeon, born June 2, 1978 in Gwangju, South Korea, is the first Korean to go into space. She was selected as a finalist in the Korean Astronaut Program.  She went into space aboard Soyuz TMA-12 to the International Space Station as a participant, launched April 8, 2008. She returned to Earth aboard Soyuz TMA-11 after 10 days in space. 

Celebrating Pride Month: Hot l Baltimore, first show to feature gay couple

Hot l Baltimore (a neon sign Hotel Baltimore with "e" burnt out) premiered January 24, 1975 on ABC.  It was produced by Norman Lear and became the first series to feature a gay couple in a recurring role.  It also included primary characters who were prostitutes, one of whom was an illegal immigrant.  

It starred Lee Bergere and Henry Calvert as a middled-aged gay couple.  James Cromwell was the desk clerk and Conchata Ferrell as a prostitute.  Charlotte Rae appeared as Mrs. Bellotti.

Unfortunately, the series never gained an audience and was canceled after just 13 episodes.