Happy birthday, Alex Briley, Village People singer!

Alexander Briley, born April 12, 1947 in Harlem, New York, was the original G.I. in the Village People.  He appeared as a sailor when they recorded In The Navy in 1979.  He retired from the group at 70 after forty years with the Village People. 

Happy birthday, comedienne extraordinaire Andrea Martin!

One of my favorite actresses/comediennes Andrea Martin, born January 15, 1947 in Portland, Maine, has won Primetime Emmys and Tony Awards, and many more nominations for her comedy and acting.  She won an Emmy in 1982 and 1983 for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program for her work on SCTV, and received 8 more nominations. She has won two Tony Awards for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, the first in 1993 for My Favorite Year, and in 2013 for Pippin.  She has been nominated for four more Tonys. 

She appeared in one episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine where she appeared as Quark's mom in Family Business.

In this clip, she performs with Carol Burnett in a Star Trek parody.  I think she showcases her talent beautifully here.

Remembering astronaut Mary Cleave (1947-2023)

Astronaut Mary Cleave, born February 5, 1947 and went into space twice, passed away November 27, 2023 at age 76. She flew on Atlantis (STS-61-B) as mission specialist in November-December 1985, and on Atlantis (STS-30) as mission specialist in May 1989.  She spent almost 11 days in space.

She retired in 2007

Happy birthday, Electra Woman!

Diedre Hall, born October 31, 1947 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is best known for her work on Days of Our Lives, for which she has won numerous awards.  However, I know her best as her role as Electra Woman on the Saturday morning TV show Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, a campy, low-budget superhero show that ran for 16 episodes in late 1976, with Judy Strangis as Dyna Girl.  The show has become a cult classic.

She also appeared in an episode of Murder, She Wrote. 

Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month: Edward James Olmos, first American-born Hispanic to receive Oscar nod for Best Actor

Edward James Olmos, born February 24, 1947 in East Los Angeles, is the first American-born Hispanic to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. He received the nomination for his work in the movie Stand and Deliver.  The award went to Dustin Hoffman that year for Rain Man.

He has won numerous other awards: Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror film for Best Actor on Television for Battlestar Galactica; Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Miami Vice; two Golden Globes for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries, or Motion Picture Made for Television. He has also been nominated for a Tony Award.

Olmos has been an advocate for diversified roles and images for Latinos in movies and on television.  He was offered the part of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, but turned it down. 

Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month: Jim Plunkett, first Hispanic to win Heisman Trophy

Jim Plunkett, born December 5, 1947 in San Diego, California to Mexican-American parents, won the Heisman Trophy award in 1970, beating Joe Theismann and Archie Manning, becoming the first Latino to win the award. He is also the only Latino selected first in the NFL Draft by the Patriots in 1971. He is the first Latino to start a Super Bowl with the Oakland Raiders in 1980 and then became the first Latino to be named Super Bowl MVP. 

He is only one of four players to win the Heisman Trophy and Super Bowl MVP.  Roger Staubach is another.

https://www.heisman.com/articles/spotlighting-jim-plunkett-in-honor-of-national-hispanic-heritage-month/#:~:text=He%20is%20a%20Pac%2D8,New%20England%20Patriots%20in%201971.

"On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" wins Academy Award 1947

On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe, written by Harry Warren with lyrics by Johnny Mercer, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 19th ceremony, March 13, 1947.  It is one of my favorites from this era but I had no idea it won an Oscar!

It was featured in the movie The Harvey Girls and performed by Judy Garland with Ray Bolger(!) among others as backup.

Johnny Mercer's recording with the Pied Pipers as backup last sixteen weeks on the Billboard charts, peaking at #1.  At one point in 1945, three versions of the song were on the chart simultaneously:  Mercer, Bing Crosby and Judy Garland.

Celebrating Native American Heritage Month: Wes Studi, first Native American to win an Academy Award

Wesley Studi, born December 17, 1947 in Nofire Hollow, Oklahoma (near Tahlequah), is the first Native American to be honored with an Academy Award.  He was born into the Cherokee tribe and enlisted in the Oklahoma National Guard at the age of 17.  He volunteered for active service and served in the Vietnam War for a year. 

He has won critical acclaim for his portrayal of Native Americans in film, such as Dances With Wolves and The Last of the Mohicans.  

In 2019, he received an Academy Honorary Award, becoming the first Native American actor to receive an Oscar for acting.  

Happy birthday, Electra Woman!

Deidre Hall, born October 31, 1947 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has won numerous awards for her performances in Days of Our Lives.  

But before that she was Electra Woman!  She appeared in the Saturday morning live-action superhero show Electra Woman and Dyna Girl with Judy Strangis.  She also appeared in Murder, She Wrote, but did not have any scenes with Angela Lansbury. Bummer.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Bernardo Houssay, First Latin-American to win Nobel Prize in Physiology

Bernardo Houssay, born April 10, 1887 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is the first Latin-American to win the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1947.  He was a co-recipient of the award for the discovery of the role played by the pituitary hormones in regulating the amount of blood sugar (glucose) in animals.

He published more than 600 scientific papers and several specialized books. 

He passed away in September 1971. 

Happy birthday, Styx rocker Dennis DeYoung!

Dennis DeYoung, born February 18, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois, is a founding member of the awesome rock band Styx, as well as their primary lead vocalist and keyboardist up until June 1999, when he left the band.  He wrote 7 of 8 of the band's Billboard Top 10 singles.

Styx found themselves in a state of limbo after Tommy Shaw left the band in 1984, so DeYoung went solo from 1984-89.  Styx reunited in 1990 and released Edge of the Century, with Show Me the Way, written by DeYoung being the biggest selling single from the album.

DeYoung tried his hand at acting between 1993-95.  He reunited with Styx in 1995 but left again in 1999 (this time for good) due to the musical and personal differences that had plagued the band in the early 1980s.

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Vladimir Titov!

Vladimir Georgiyevich Titov, born January 1, 1947 in the former Soviet Union, is a veteran of four space flights.

His first trip into space was aboard Soyuz T-8 as commander to Salyut 7 in April 1983 but the spacecraft failed to dock and they had to return to Earth two days later.

His second mission was aboard Soyuz T-10-1, which was also a planned trip to Salyut 7 in September 1983, but the spacecraft exploded on the launch pad, and he and fellow cosmonaut Gennady Strekalov had to use the escape system.

His next attempt was successful.  He blasted off in Soyuz TM-4 as commander in December 1987 to the Mir space station, as part of Mir EO-3 expedition.  He remained aboard for a year and returned to Earth on Soyuz TM-6 in December 1988.

His third mission was aboard Discovery (STS-63) as mission specialist in February 1995 to Mir.

His fourth and final mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-86) to Mir September-October 1997 as mission specialist.  He performed an EVA with fellow astronaut Scott Parazynski for about 5 hours.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Rhea Seddon!

Margaret Rhea Seddon, born November 8, 1947 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is one of the first group of astronauts to include women and is a veteran of three space shuttle flights.  She has a doctorate of medicine from the University of Tennessee and has served in hospitals in Mississippi and Tennessee. 

Selected as an astronaut in 1978, her first mission was aboard Discovery (STS-51-D) in April 1985 as mission specialist.  She logged 168 hours in space.

Her second mission was aboard Columbia (STS-40) in June 1991 as mission specialist. This flight was dedicated to life sciences with experiments involving cardiovascular/cardiopulmonary, renal/endocrine, blood, musculoskeletal, neurovestibular and immune systems.

Her third and final mission was aboard Columbia (STS-58) in October-November 1993 as Payload Commander on another life science research mission, continuing many of the experiments began on STS-40.

She is married to former astronaut Robert Gibson.

Happy birthday, Chip Davis, founder of Mannheim Steamroller!

Louis "Chip" Davis, Jr., born September 5, 1947 in Hamler, Ohio, is the founder of the new age group Mannheim Steamroller.  He studied music at the University of Michigan and worked with an ad agency in Omaha, Nebraska where he co-invented the fictional character C. W. McCall.  Remember Convoy?

Davis founded Mannheim Steamroller in 1974 to concentrate on fusing modern music and classical music techniques.  He released Fresh Aire in 1975.  In 1984, he released Mannheim Steamroller Christmas and changed the face of holiday music forever.   

I was introduced to Mannheim Steamroller at a Kappa Kappa Psi keg party, where Mere Image from Fresh Aire III was playing.  Fraternity bro Tammy Stewart told me about the group and so I went looking for their albums.  I couldn't find Fresh Aire III so I bought Fresh Aire IV which featured one of my favorite songs of all time, Dancing Flames.

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Aleksandr Viktorenko!

Aleksandr Viktorenko, born March 29, 1947 in the former Soviet Union, is a veteran of four Soyuz missions.

His first mission was as Commander of Soyuz TM-3, which launched July 1987 to the space station Mir. The flight was notable since fellow cosmonaut Muhammed Faris, was the first Syrian in space.  They made up the crew of Mir EP-1, but they were not a long-term duration crew.  They returned aboard Soyuz TM-2 about a week later.

His second mission was also as Commander aboard Soyuz TM-8 to Mir.  He and fellow cosmonaut Aleksandr Serebrov were the 5th long term crew, Mir EO-5.  They launched September 5, 1989 and returned February 19, 1990, after 166 days in space.

His third flight as commander was aboard Soyuz TM-14 to Mir, which launched March 17, 1992.  It was the first Russian mission after the collapse of the Soviet Union.  With Aleksandr Kaleri, they made up Mir EO-11 and retunred to Earth August 10, after 149 days in space.

Viktorenko's fourth and final mission was Commander on Soyuz TM-20 to Mir in October 1994, where he and Yelena Kondakova were crew Mir EO-17.  They returned to Earth in March 1995 after 169 days in space.

In total, Viktorenko has spent a total of 489 days in space.  He retired May 30, 1997.

Happy birthday, Phạm Tuân, first Vietnamese cosmonaut!

Pham Tuan, born February 14, 1947 in Thai Binh, Vietnam, is the first Vietnamese cosmonaut and first Asian in space.  His only mission was aboard Soyuz 37 which was launched July 23, 1980 with fellow cosmonaut Viktor Gorbatko to Salyut 6.

He returned to Earth on Soyuz 36 July 31 with Gorbatko.  It was his only mission into space.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Mary Cleave!

Mary Cleave, born February 5, 1947 in Southampton, New York, is a veteran of 2 space shuttle flights.

Selected as an astronaut in May 1980, her first mission was on Atlantis (STS-61-B) November-Decemver 1985 as mission specialist.

Her second and final mission was on Atlantis (STS-30) in May 1989 again as mission specialist.

Happy birthday, Jeff Lynne!

Jeff Lynne, born December 30, 1947 in Birmingham, England, is the mind behind super-group Electric Light Orchestra (ELO).  He formed the band in 1970 and enjoyed great success until 1986 when they disbanded for the first time.

He then performed with The Traveling Wilburys with Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty.  Lynne produced the album The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 which received a Grammy award in 1989 for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. 

He produced Tom Petty's album Full Moon Fever, which includes the singles Won't Back Down and Runnin' Down a Dream.  He produced Agnetha Faltskog's single One Way Love, which appeared on her second post-ABBA album.

He released an album of all new ELO music Alone in the Universe, November 13, 2015.

Happy birthday, Jugderdemidiin Gurragchaa, first Mongolian astronaut!

Jugderdemidiin Gurragchaa, born December 5, 1947 in Gurvanbulag, Bulgan, Mongolia, is the first Mongolian in space.  He traveled aboard Soyuz 39 in March 1981 with fellow cosmonaut Vladimir Dzhanibekov.

Happy birthday, Andrea Martin!

Beautiful, talented and funny Andrea Martin, born January 15, 1947, is one of the funniest comediennes in the world today. She came to the attention of most American audiences during her time in Second City TV, Canada's version of Saturday Night Live. I loved her as Aunt Voula in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but when she appeared in the Deep Space Nine episode of Family Business as Ishka, Quark's mother, I realized that I would worship her forever.