Celebrating Black History Month: Phyllis Mae Dailey, first African American woman commissioned Navy officer

Phyllis Mae Dailey, born March 12, 1919 in New York City, became the first African American woman to serve in the United States Navy and a commissioned Navy officer.  She graduated from the Lincoln School for Nurses in Manhattan, and studied public health at Teachers College, Columbia University.  

When the US entered WWII, she kept applying to the Army Nurse Corps, and the Navy Nurse Corps.  The Navy desegrated its Nurse Corps in January 1945.  On March 8, 1945 Dailey was sworn into the Navy Nurse Corps, becoming the first African American woman to become a commissioned Navy officer.  

She served the Navy after the war until she was discharged May 9, 1951, having earned the rank of lieutenant (junior grade).  She worked as a clinical nursing instructor for the New York City Board of Education.  She died in October 1976 after a short illness.

Happy birthday, Pepe Lepew!

Pepe LePew, everyone's favorite lovestruck skunk, made his debut in Odor-able Kitty, January 6, 1945. He joined the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoon lineup with Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig.

He appeared in 18 shorts from 1945-1962.

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Happy birthday, astronaut James Buchli!

James Buchli, born June 20, 1945 in New Rockford, North Dakota, flew into space four times with NASA's Space Shuttle program.  He graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1967 and received a commission in the US Marine Corps.  He served in the Vietnam War as a Platoon Commander with the 9th Marine Regiment, and then for B Company, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion.  He returned to the US in 1969 and completed his training as a naval flight officer. 

Buchli was chosen as an astronaut in 1979.  His first flight was aboard Discovery (STS-51-C) as mission specialist in January 1985.  The mission was dedicated to the US Department of Defense, and he returned to Earth after just over 3 days in space.

His second mission was aboard Challenger (STS-61-A) as flight engineer in October-November 1985, the last successful mission of the Challenger.  He spent seven days in space.

Buchlil's third mission was aboard Discovery (STS-29) as mission specialist in March 1989 to insert a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) into orbit. He spent almost 5 days in space before returning to Earth.

His fourth and final mission was aboard Discovery (STS-48) as mission specialist in September 1991 to deploy the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS).  He returned to Earth after more than 5 days in space.

Buchli retired from NASA in 1992

Happy birthday, Anni-Frid Lyngstad!

Anni-Frid Lyngstad, born November 15, 1945 in Ballangen, Norway, is one-fourth of the Swedish super-group ABBA. She's the only non-Swedish member of the group.  

She had a moderately successful singing career in Sweden, but it wasn't until she joined ABBA that she reached international fame.  She was married to fellow bandmate Benny Andersson for three years.  ABBA went on to sell 150 million albums and singles world-wide.

Her first solo album following the end of ABBA, Something's Going On, was released in 1982 and reached #1 in Sweden, and the single went to #1 in Belgium and Switzerland.  It is one of the best selling solo album of the ABBA members. 

George Orwell publishes "Animal Farm" 1945

George Orwell first published his satire of the Communist party, Animal Farm, August 17, 1945.  The original title was Animal Farm: A Fairy Story but US publishers dropped the subtitle, but other variations included subtitles like "A Satire" and "A Contemporary Satire".

According to the author, Animal Farm reflects events leading to the Russian Revolution in 1917 and then the introduction of communism into the Soviet Union. 

Time chose it as one of the 100 best English-language novels (1923-2005).

I'm going to let Sparky Sweets, PhD, give his unique perspective and review of Animal Farm below.  Nobody says it like he does.

The Andrews Sisters "Rum And Coca-Cola" reaches #1 1945

Rum and Coca-Cola, composed by Lionel Belasco and lyrics by Lord Invader, was recorded by the Andrews Sisters in 1944 and went to #1 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart, February 10, 1945.  I didn't realize how the song alludes to US soldiers debauching young women on the island of Trinidad.  The song hints at how women prostituted themselves for the soldiers:

Since the Yankee came to Trinidad

They got the young girls all goin' mad

Young girls say they treat 'em nice

Make Trinidad like paradise

The song goes on to say:

From Chicachicaree to Mona's Isle
Native girls all dance and smile
Help soldier celebrate his leave
Make every day like New Year's Eve

The Andrews Sisters were asked about the song's lyrics, but they said they were given the song the day before they recorded it, and didn't have a chance to give the lyrics much thought.  Many radio stations in the US refused to play the song since it mentions 'rum' in the title.  

Despite the boycott, Rum and Coca-Cola stayed at #1 for seven weeks.  

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Gabriela Mistral, first Latina to win the Nobel Prize in Literature

Lucila Godoy Alcayaga, born April 7, 1889 in Chile, is best known by her pseudonym Gabriela Mistral, and is the first Latin-American to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.  When she was 15, she published her first poems in a local newspaper.  

Following several personal tragedies, Mistral channeled her grief into her writing and she produced her first literary work, which was placed first in a national literary contest in Santiago, Chile.  

She released her first book, Desolacion, with aid from Frederico de Onis, the Director of Hispanic Institute of New York in 1922. 

In November 1945, she became the first Latin American and fifth woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Gabriela passed away from pancreatic cancer in New York City in January 1957.

Official end to World War II 1945

Representatives of Japan formally surrendered to the United States and its allies when it signed the official surrender document September 2, 1945, ending World War II.  The event took place on board the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Japan.  

On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito announced Japan accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, or Proclamation for Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender.

This day is known as Victory over Japan Day or V-J Day.

Happy birthday, Star Trek actress Tanya Lemani!

Tanya Lemani, born March 17, 1945 in Iran, appeared in the original series of Star Trek.  She played Kara, the belly dancer, who is found stabbed several times in the episode Wolf In The Fold, the 14th episode of the second season.  This is one of my favorite episode.  It was written by Robert Bloch, who wrote Psycho.  

Chekov and Uhura do not appear in this episode.  

She has also appeared in the video Star Trek: Of Gods and Men.  

Chief Wilma Mankiller, first female chief of the Cherokee Nation, born 1945

Wilma Mankiller, born November 18, 1945 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, was the first woman to serve as Chief of the Cherokee Nation.  When she was 11, her family was relocated to San Francisco by the federal government as part of an "urbanization" of Native Americans.  

She returned to Oklahoma in 1976 and was hired by the Cherokee Nation as an economic stimulus coordinator.  Principal Chief Ross Swimmer invited her to run as his deputy in the 1983 elections.  Despite fierce opposition based on her gender, she and Swimmer won, becoming the first woman elected as Deputy Chief of the Cherokee Nation.  In 1985, Swimmer took a position with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Mankiller became the first woman to serve as Principal Chief, serving until 1995, when health problems led to her retirement.  

She passed away in April 2010.

"And Then There Were None" released 1945

And Then There Were None, the movie based on Agatha Christie's masterpiece novel, was released October 31, 1945.  It is the first in a number of adaptions of the one of the best selling novels of all time.  As usual though, there are a number of deviations from the book, which was published in 1939.

It has a rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.  

Dame Judith Anderson is the only performer I'm familiar with in the cast.  She played Emily Brent.

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Happy birthday, Helen Mirren!

Helen Mirren, born July 26, 1945 in London, is one of the most prolific and honored actresses of our time.  She has won an Academy Award (out of four nominations), won four Primetime Emmys, (out of eleven nominations ), two Golden Globes (out of eight nominations) and one Tony Award (out of three nominations).  Dame Mirren has won numerous other acting awards.  She is the only actress to portray three different British queens.

She became Dame Helen Mirren in 2003 for her services to drama.  She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Brewster Shaw!

Brewster Shaw, born May 16, 1945 in Cass City, Michigan, is a veteran of three space shuttle missions.

His first flight was aboard Columbia (STS-9) as pilot in November-December 1983.  It was the first flight of the Spacelab laboratory module.

His second flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-61-B) as commander November-December 1985.  The mission deployed three communications satellites.

His third and final mission was aboard Columbia (STS-28) as commander in August 1989.  The mission carried a payload for the Dept of Defense in to orbit.

Shaw was inducted into the US Astronaut Hall of Fame in May 2006.

Challenger astronaut Michael J. Smith born 1945

Michael J. Smith, born April 30, 1945 in Beaumont, North Carolina, was pilot for the ill-fated Challenger mission (STS-51-L) when it exploded 73 seconds after take-off in January 1986.

He had previously flown combat missions in the Vietnam War as a pilot for the US Navy.

Happy birthday, Victoria Winters!

Alexandra Molke Isles, born February 11, 1945 in Stockholm, Sweden, is best known for her role as the beleagured Victoria Winters on the cult classic Dark Shadows.  She married Phillip Isles in 1967 and left Dark Shadows when she became pregnant.

In the late 1970s, she was the mistress of Claus von Bulow, who stood trial for the attempted murder of his wife, Sunny.

Happy birthday, Italian astronaut Franco Malerba!

Franco Malerba, born October 10, 1945, went into space aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-46) as payload specialist in July-August 1992.  He is the first Italian citizen in space.  He was part of the Tethered Satellite System project, which was a joint effort between NASA and the Italian Space Agency.  However the satellite could not be deployed due to a tangled tether line and the project was scrubbed until STS-75 in 1996.

Happy birthday, Icelandic astronaut Bjarni Tryggvason!

Bjarni Tryggvason, born September 21, 1945 in Reykjavik, Iceland, is an astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency and went into space on the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-85) as payload specialist in August 1997.  Although born in Iceland, he grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia.

During the mission, his primary role was performing fluid dynamics experiments to examine sensitivity to spacecraft vibrations using the Microgravity Vibration Isolation Mount (MIM).  The experiments were to study the effects of vibrations on the experiments performed on the International Space Station.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Mike Mullane!

Richard "Mike" Mullane, born September 10, 1945 in Wichita Falls, Texas, is a veteran of three space shuttle flights and has spent over 2 weeks in space.  As a colonel in the Air Force, he flew combat missions in the Vietnam War in 1969.  He was chosen by NASA to become an astronaut in 1978. 

His first mission was aboard Discovery (STS-41-D) as mission specialist in August-September 1984.  During this flight, three commercial communications satellites were deployed.

His second flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-27) as mission specialist in December 1988.  During lift-off, the heat shield was damaged and impacted the right wing.  They managed to complete the mission successfully and land on December 6 without incident.  However, this same scenario proved fatal for the crew of Columbia 15 years later.

Mullane's third and final flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-36) as mission specialist February-March 1990.  It carried a classified payload for the Department of Defense, like his previous mission.

After retiring from NASA, he wrote a book, Riding Rockets:  The Outrageous Tales of a  Space Shuttle Astronaut, which describes his experiences as a space shuttle astronaut.

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Leonid Popov!

Leonid Popov, born August 31, 1945 in the Ukraine in the former Soviet Union, is a veteran of three Soyuz flights.  Selected as a cosmonaut in 1970, he flew his first mission on Soyuz 35 as commander in June 1980 to Salyut 6.  He returned to Earth on Soyuz 37 in October 1980.

His second flight was aboard Soyuz 40 as commander in May 1981 to Salyut 6.  It was a cooperation between the Soviet Union and Romania, with cosmonaut Dumitru Prunariu.  It was also the last flight of that type Soyuz spacecraft.

His third and final flight was as commander aboard Soyuz T-7 launched in August 1982 to Salyut 7.  Svetlana Savitskaya, the second woman in space, was also on board.  He returned to Earth on Soyuz T-5 later that month.

He has logged over 200 days in space.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Ronald Grabe!

Ronald John Grabe, born June 13, 1945 in New York City, New York, is a veteran of four space shuttle flights.  In 1969 he was assigned as F-100 pilot in Vietnam where he flew 200 combat missions.

He became an astronaut in 1981 and his first flight into space was aboard the maiden voyage of Atlantis (STS-51-J) as pilot in October 1985.  It was the second shuttle mission dedicated completely to the Department of Defense.

His second flight was back aboard Atlantis (STS-30) as pilot in May 1989. The crew deployed the Magellan probe, to study Venus.

His third flight was as commander aboard Discovery (STS-42) in January 1992.  This mission carried Canada's first female astronaut Roberta Bondar. 

Grabe's last flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-57) as commander June-July 1993. 

He retired from NASA in 1994.