"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. 

Disney's "Sleeping Beauty" released 1959

Sleeping Beauty, released by Walt Disney Productions January 29, 1959, is based on a 1697 fairy tale by Charles Perrault.  The movie tells the story of Princess Aurora, who was cursed by the evil Maleficent to die on her 16th birthday by pricking her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel. She is saved by three good fairies and a handsome prince.

It opened to mixed reviews.  Some critics praised its art direction and musical score, but bashed the plot and characters.  The plot?  It's a two-hundred and fifty year old story!  Jeez.

Although it was a box office bomb upon its release it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture.  

Since then, following re-releases, it has become one of Disney's most beloved films and has been selected for preservation in the United States Library of Congress' National Film Registry.

Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month: Raul Cilloniz, Eduardo Dibos, first Hispanic NASCAR drivers

Raul Cilloniz and Eduardo Dibos, both born in Peru, were the first South American NASCAR drivers.  They raced in the 1959 Daytona 500, the inaugural race.  Cilloniz finished 12th, only eight laps behind the winner Lee Petty.

Celebrating Pride Month: "South", first gay television drama 1959

ITV Play of the Week was a British anthology series which ran from 1955-1974, airing about 500 hundred 90-minute episodes.  The thirteenth episode of the fifth season, South, is considered to be the first gay drama on television.  It is the story of a Polish Army lieutenant Jan Wicziewsky, played by Peter Wyngarde, exiled to the deep South prior to the Civil War.  He meets and falls in love with a tall, handsome, blond officer Eric MacClure, played by Graydon Gould.

Of course, reviews were mixed, with one reviewer describing it as "the agonies and ecstasies of a pervert".  However, others were more objective in their criticism.  The Stage reported that the "dialogue was so full of compassion, understanding and tenderness that his subject didn't seem distasteful". 

The episode was based on a play by Julien Green, who is gay.  The play was set to be performed in London in 1955, but the Lord Chamberlain banned it because of its gay themes, but he had mellowed out by 1959, and Gerald Savory adapted it for television.

Monkeys Able and Baker launched into space and survive 1959

Two monkeys Able, an American-born rhesus monkey, and Baker, a squirrel monkey from Peru, launched aboard a US Air Force Jupiter IRBM rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, May 28, 1959.  They rode in the nose cone achieving an altitude of 360 miles and reached a distance of 1699 miles down from the launch site.  They withstood forces thirty-eight times the normal pull of gravity and were weightless for about 9 minutes.

They were the first monkeys to be launched into space and survive.  Able died four days after the flight from the anesthesia, while undergoing surgery to remove an infected medical electrode.  Baker lived until November 1984 when she passed away in Huntsville, Alabama.

Celebrating Black History Month: Dr. Yvonne Cagle, NASA astronaut

Yvonne Cagle, born April 24, 1959 in West Point, New York, is a NASA astronaut and a retired US Air Force Colonel.  She is one of six African-American female astronauts. 

She graduated from Novato High School in California and received her BS in biochemistry from San Francisco State University.  She completed her doctor of medicine degree from University of Washington in 1985. 

While in the Air Force, she served as Air Force Medical Liaison Officer for the STS-30 mission. NASA selected her for astronaut training in 1996. In 2013, she served as part of the reserve crew for Hawai'i Space Exploration and Analog Simulation, part of a study to determine the best way to keep astronauts well nourished during extended missions to Mars or the moon.

She never flew on a mission but still employed at NASA but is not eligible for spaceflights.  In 2017, she wheeled Katherine Johnson onto the stage during the 89th Academy Awards, where Johnson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, presented by Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae, stars of Hidden Figures. 

Explorer 6 launched 1959

Explorer 6, launched August 7, 1959 by NASA, took the first photographs of Earth from a satellite.  On board it carried a Beacon (108 and 378 MHz) to measure electron density, Fluxgate magnetometer, an ion chamber and Geiger-Muller Counter, a micrometeorite detector, a proportional Counter Telescope, a scintillation counter, search-coil magnetometer, a TV Optical Scanner, and a VLF Receiver. 

Explorer 6 operated until October 6, 1959 when the last contact was made with the satellite. It reentered the atmosphere on July 1, 1961.

Happy birthday, bodybuilder and gay activist Bob Paris!

Bob Paris, born December 14, 1959 in Columbus, Indiana, is a championship bodybuilder, a gay activist, writer, and public speaker.  

I first discovered Bob when I was into bodybuilding, and right away, he came out, becoming one of the first, if not THE first, athlete to come out while still actively competing in his sport.  Of course, the damage to his career was significant, losing about 80% of his bookings and endorsements.  

He and his husband at the time Rod Jackson co-authored a book, Straight From the Heart.  I purchased it and got Bob's autograph and my picture with him! 

I'm glad to hear that he is doing well! An inspiration for all of us. 

"Santa Claus" released 1959

The Mexican fantasy film Santa Claus was released in the US November 24, 1959.  It features Pitch, a demon, sent to ruin Christmas by killing Santa Claus and making children do evil.  He manages to sabotage Santa's visit to Mexico City by trapping him in a tree with a vicious dog underneath.  However, Merlin the magician intervenes and defeat Pitch, allowing Santa to complete his task.  

The film has been deemed the worst and the best of the worst.  It did win the Golden Gate award for Best International Family Film at the San Francisco International Film Festival in 1959.

Santa Claus was featured in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 Christmas Eve 1993, giving it a cult status.  

Luna 3 launched 1959

Luna 3, launched October 4, 1959, became the first spacecraft to photograph the far side of the moon. The images were of poor quality, but excitement was from the never-before-seen dark side.  The pictures showed a very different terrain from the Earth-facing side of the moon.  It discovered Mare Moscoviense (Sea of Moscow) and Mare Desiderii (Sea of Desire), low-lying regions.  

The probe passed within 6200 km of the moon's surface near its south pole, on October 6 when the sun was shining on the far side.  Twenty-nine pictures were taken, covering 70% of the far side's surface.

It then passed over the moon's north pole and headed back to Earth.  Contact was lost on October 22, 1959 and it is believed to have burned up in the Earth's atmosphere.

Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month: The Champs "Tequila" wins first Grammy for Best R&B Performance 1959

Danny Flores (Chuck Rio), who became known as the Godfather of Latino rock, wrote Tequila for a B-side to Dave Burgess's single Train to Nowhere.  However, Tequila became much more famous than the A-side and went to #1 in just three weeks.  Flores also played saxophone.

It won the 1959 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance at the first ever ceremony held May 4, 1959.

Vanguard 3 launched 1959

 Vanguard 3, a scientific satellite, was launched September 18, 1959 by the US Naval Research Laboratory from the Atlantic Missile Range at Cape Canaveral. Vanguard 3 operated for 84 days, until December 11, 1959 when the batteries expired.

It measured Earth's magnetic field, solar X-ray radiation, and the micrometeoroid environment.  It remains in orbit and has an expected lifetime of 300 years.

1st Grammy Awards 1959

The very first Grammy Awards ceremony was held May 4, 1959 in Los Angeles.  Ella Fitzgerald won two Grammys: Best Jazz Performance, Individual for her recording Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook; and Best Vocal Performance, Female for her recording of Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Songbook.  

Henry Mancini won Album of the Year and Best Arrangement for The Music from Peter Gunn.  The Champs won Best Rhythm and Blues for Tequila.  The Music Man won Best Original Cast Album.  

The Chipmunk Song (Christmas, Don't be Late) won three Grammys: Best Recording for Children, Best Comedy Performance, and Best Engineered Record - Non-Classical.  

"Knighty Knight Bugs" wins Academy Award 1959

The animated short Knighty Knight Bugs won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 31st ceremony held April 6, 1959.  The short was directed by Friz Freleng and voiced by Mel Blanc. 

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Clayton Anderson!

Clayton Anderson, born February 23, 1959 in Ashland, Nebraska, has been in space twice.  

His first trip into space was aboard Atlantis (STS-117) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in June 2007.  He remained aboard the ISS as part of Expeditions 15 and 16, returning to Earth on Discovery (STS-120) in November 2007.

His second and final flight was aboard Discovery (STS-131) as mission specialist to the ISS in April 2010.  During the mission, he performed three EVAs with fellow astronaut Rick Mastracchio for about 20 and a half hours.

Luna 2 launched 1959

Luna 2, launched September 12, 1959 by the Soviet Union, was the first spacecraft to reach the moon.  It was also the first man-made object to contact another celestial body.  Luna 2 searched for magnetic and radiation fields around the moon, but found none.

It hit the lunar surface at about 7,400 mph and released a sodium vapor cloud so it could be seen from Earth. 

Merritt Butrick, Star Trek actor, born 1959

Actor Merritt Butrick, born September 3, 1959 in Gainesville, Florida, who played Dr. David Marcus, Captain Kirk's son in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, left us too early.  He appeared in Star Trek II and Star Trek III: Search for Spock. 

He appeared in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Symbiosis. Unfortunately, he passed away in March 1989 from AIDS.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Kathryn Hire!

Kathryn "Kay" Hire, born August 29, 1959 in Mobile, Alabama, has been in space twice.  After getting her Bachelor of Science at the US Naval Academy, she got her Master of Science degree in Space Technology just up the road here at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida!  She was the first employee of the Kennedy Space Center to be chosen as an astronaut candidate.

Her first mission was aboard Columbia (STS-90) as mission specialist in April-May 1998.  It was the final flight of the European Space Agency's Spacelab module.

Her second and last flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-130) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in February 2010.  The primary payloads were the Tranquility module and the Cupola, a robotic controls station with six windows, providing a 360° view around the ISS.

Ella Fitzgerald wins 2 Grammys at the first awards ceremony 1959

Ella Fitzgerald won 2 Grammys at the first ever Grammy Awards Ceremony held May 4, 1959.  She won the Best Jazz Performance, Individual for Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female for Ella Fitzgerald sings the Irving Berlin Songbook.

Her Irving Berlin album was also nominated for Album of the Year, but lost to Henry Mancini for his Music from Peter Gunn.

Happy birthday, ESA astronaut Maurizio Cheli!

Maurizio Cheli, born May 4, 1959 in Zocca, Italy, was an astronaut for the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency.  He went into space aboard Columbia (STS-75) as mission specialist in February-March 1996. He spent almost 16 days in space.