Celebrating Black History Month: Stevie Wonder, youngest artist with a #1 hit

Stevie Wonder, born May 13, 1950 in Saginaw, Michigan, landed a #1 single, Fingertips, on the Billboard Hot 100 when he was only 13, making him the youngest solo artist ever to top the charts. Fingertips simultaneously reached #1 on the R&B charts, the first time for that to occur. 

He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, influencing musicians across all genres of music from R&B, pop, gospel, and jazz.  He has won 25 Grammy Awards, and is only one of four artists and groups to have won the Grammy for Album of the Year three times.  He is the only one to have one that award with three consecutive  album releases: Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale, and Songs in the Key of Life.

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Samuel Ting, first Asian-American recipient of Nobel Prize in Physics

Samuel Chao Chung Ting, born January 27, 1936 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is the first U.S.-born Asian American to win the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1976.  Ting, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, shared the prize with Burton Ricther of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center for the discover of the J/psi nuclear particle. 

In 1995, Ting proposed the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a cosmic ray detector and has been working on its development ever since. A prototype was flown on Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-91) in 1998.  The main mission was scrubbed after the Columbia disaster in 2003.  Dr. Ting successfully lobbied the US Congress to secure a space shuttle flight to carry the AMS-02.  It was launched on Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-134) and installed on the International Space Station in May 2011.

Celebrating Native American Heritage Month: Clarence "Taffy" Abel, first Native American to play in the NHL

Clarence "Taffy" Abel, born May 28, 1900 in Sault St. Marie, Michigan, has achieved a lot of firsts for Native Americans.  His wikipedia page says he is was a member of the Ojibwe tribe, but the video below says he was from the Sioux tribe of the Chippewas.  

He was the first Native American to be a US Olympic flag bearer for the US at the 1924 Winter Olympics where he was a silver medalist in ice hockey.  In 1926 he signed with the New York Rangers, becoming the first Native American to play in the National Hockey League.  He was part of the team when they won the Stanley Cup in the 1927-1928 season.

He went to the Chicago Black Hawks and helped them win the Stanley Cup in the 1933-1934 season.  He retired afterwards.

He passed away in August 1964. 

SS Edmund Fitzgerald sinks 1975

SS Edmund Fitzgerald, the largest ship on the Great Lakes at the time, sank in Lake Superior during a storm, November 10, 1975, resulting in the loss of her entire crew of 29.  She left Superior, Wisconsin on November 9 under the command of Capt. Ernest McSorley, en route to Zug Island, near Detroit, Michigan. 

The National Weather Service tracked a storm, but predicted it would pass south of Lake Superior.  The next day, the NWS altered its forecast and reported that gale force winds were expected for Lake Superior.

Just after 3:30pm on Nov 10, Capt. McSorley radioed the Arthur M. Anderson, another cargo ship about 10 miles behind them, to say they were taking on water and they had developed a list.  Winds of over 50 knots (58 mph) were observed as were waves up to 25 feet.

Arthur M. Anderson notified McSorley at about 7:10pm and the captain replied "We are holding our own."  It was the last message heard from the Edmund Fitzgerald.  

Four days later, the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald was located about 15 miles west of Deadman's Cove, Ontario, at a depth of 530 feet.  She lay in two pieces with scattered wreckage around.  Although the wreck has been extensively researched, there has not been a definitive reason given as to why she sank.

Gordon Lightfoot wrote and composed The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1976 and made it to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Gregory Jarvis, Challenger astronaut, born 1944

Gregory Jarvis, born August 24, 1944 in Detroit, Michigan, died during the Space Shuttle Challenger (STS-51-L) disaster on January 28, 1986. He was a payload specialist for Hughes Aircraft and it was his first mission into space.  He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 2004.

Celebrating Asian-American Heritage Month: Laura Joh Rowland, Chinese-Korean-American mystery author

I have read every book in Laura Joh Rowland's excellent Sano Ichiro, a samurai-detective set in feudal Japan, in the late 1690s to the early 1700s.  I enjoyed them very much and was not happy when she ended the series.  Oh, well.

She is the daughter of Chinese-American and Korean-American immigrants and grew up in Michigan. Her first novel of the Ichiro series Shinju was published in 1994.

Richard Searfoss, Space Shuttle astronaut, born 1956

Richard Searfoss, born June 5, 1956 in Mount Clemens, Michigan, was a veteran of three space shuttle flights.

His first mission was aboard Columbia (STS-58) as pilot in October 1993.  He and fellow astronaut John Blaha communictated with school children via an on-board ham radio.

His second mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-76) as pilot to Mir in March 1996.  It was the third space shuttle mission to Mir.

His third and final flight was back on Columbia (STS-90) as commander in April-May 1998.  It was the last flight of the European Space Agency's Spacelab module.

He passed away in September 2018.

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.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Donald McMonagle!

Donald McMonagle, born May 14, 1952 in Flint, Michigan, is a veteran of three space flights. 

His first flight was aboard Discovery (STS-39) as mission specialist in April-May 1991.  The mission carried a payload of experiments for the Department of Defense.

His second flight was as pilot on Endeavour (STS-54) in January 1993. 

His third and final flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-66) as commander in November 1994. 

He spent more than 25 days total in space.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut David Leestma!

David Leestma, born May 6, 1949 in Muskegon, Michigan, is a veteran of three space missions.

His first flight was aboard Challenger (STS-41-G) as mission specialist in October 1984.  He conducted an EVA with fellow astronaut Kathryn Sullivan which lasted 3 hours 29 minutes.  It was filmed as part of the IMAX movie The Dream Is Alive, which aired in 1985.

His second flight was aboard Columbia (STS-28) as mission specialist in August 1989.  It carried a payload for the US Department of Defense into orbit.  They returned to Earth on August 13.

His third and final flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-45) as mission specialist in March-April 1992.  They carried an array of instruments, that were not to be deployed, into space.  They returned to Earth April 2.

Leestma is also a retired Captain in the US Navy.

Happy birthday, astronaut Jack Lousma!

Jack Lousma, born February 29, 1936 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been in space twice, participating in two different projects. 

His first trip into space was aboard Skylab 3 as pilot in July-September 1973. He conducted two EVAs for a total time of 11 hours.

His second trip into space was aboard Columbia (STS-3) as commander in March 1982.

In April 1970, he was the CAPCOM recipient of the "Houston, we've had a problem" message from Apollo 13.

Happy birthday, astronaut Christina Koch!

Christina Koch, born January 29, 1979 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, recently set the world record on December 28, 2019 for longest continuous time in space by a woman.  And she's still counting.

This is her first time in space.  She launched in Soyuz MS-12 in March 2019 to the International Space Station as part of Expedition 59.  Since then, she has participated in Expedition 60 and is currently part of Expedition 61.  She conducted the first all-female spacewalk with fellow astronaut Jessica Meir in October 2019.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Brent Jett!

Brent Jett, born October 5, 1958 in Pontiac, Michigan, is a veteran of four space shuttle missions.  He became a Naval aviator, and was deployed overseas aboard the USS Saratoga to the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Jett's first mission into space aboard Endeavour (STS-72) in January 1996 as pilot.  He spent almost 9 days in space.

His second mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-81) as pilot in January 1997 to the space station Mir, spending just over 10 days in space.

His third trip into space was aboard Endeavour (STS-97) as commander in December 2000 to the International Space Station.

His fourth and final mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-115) as commander in September 2006, the first assembly mission to the International Space Station since the Columbia disaster.

He has spent  over 41 days in space.

Remembering Burt Reynolds (1936-2018)

Impossibly handsome and sexy Burt Reynolds has passed away.  His television and movie career has spanned more than five decades.  I first fell in love with him in Smokey and the Bandit.  He was the epitome of the human male and we all wanted to be him. 

He was born in Lansing, Michigan in 1936 and, although he wanted to become a football player, he started acting at Palm Beach Junior College and won the Florida State Drama Award in 1956.  His breakout role was portraying Lewis in the movie Deliverance.

He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in a Supporting Role for Boogie Nights, but he did win a Golden Globe.

Rest in peace, Burt.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Dominic Antonelli!

Dominic "Tony" Antonelli, born August 23, 1967 in Detroit, Michigan, is a veteran of two space shuttle flights.

His first mission was aboard Discovery (STS-119) as pilot in March 2009.  During the mission, he used the ship's robotic arm to grapple the Orbiter Boom Sensor System to scan Discovery for damage from orbital debris.  One of his wake-up calls was Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd!
 
Antonelli's second flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-132) again as pilot in May 2010, the next to last mission of Atlantis.  Its primary payload was a Russian research module to the International Space Station.  His wake-up call during this mission was Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd!

Celebrating Pride Month - East Lansing City Council approves first gay anti-discrimination law, 1972

In what would be a small but milestone victory for the LGBT community, the East Lansing City Council passed the very first anti-discrimination ordinance that included sexual orientation in the U.S. March 7, 1972.

The following month, Ann Arbor one-upped its neighbor by prohibiting discrimination against gays, not only for employment but for housing and public accommodations.  It was the first community-wide gay right legislation in the U.S.

In 1971, University of Michigan in Ann Arbor became the first U.S. college to establish an LGBT office on campus.

Happy birthday, space shuttle astronaut Michael Bloomfield!

Michael Bloomfield, born March 16, 1959 in Flint, Michigan, is a veteran of three space shuttle flights.

His rookie flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-86) to Mir as pilot September-October 1997.

His second mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-97) to the International Space Station as pilot in December 2000.  The mission delivered supplies to the crew of the ISS.

His third and final flight was on Atlantis (STS-110) in April 2002 as commander.

Roger Chaffee, Apollo 1 astronaut, born 1935

Roger Chaffee, born February 15, 1935 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was an astronaut, who perished in the Apollo 1 fire, January 27, 1967.  He had risen to the rank of lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy and was selected as an astronaut in 1963. 

He was capsule communicator for the Gemini 3 and Gemini 4 missions, before being assigned to the Apollo 1 mission, planned for launch February 21, 1967.  During a routine pre-launch test on Janary 27 with fellow astronauts Virgil "Gus" Grissom and Ed White, a fire broke out in the capsule.  The flame was fueled by the oxygen rich atmosphere and the burning materials released toxic gases which contributed to the astronauts' death.

As a result of the tragedy, the capsule went under a significant redesign.

Chaffee has been memorialized in many ways, including naming a crater on the far side of the moon after him.




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_B._Chaffee

Happy birthday, Apollo 15 astronaut Alfred Worden

Alfred Worden, born February 7, 1932 in Jackson, Michigan, went to the moon on Apollo 15 July-August 1971.  He remained in the command module Endeavour in orbit above the moon while David Scott and James Irwin explored the lunar surface.

He said he spent "three wonderful days in a spacecraft all by myself" about his experience.  As a result of the  "stamp incident", he and the other Apollo crewmen never went into space again.

Skylab 3 launched 1973

Skylab 3 crew (L-R): Owen Garriott, Jack Lousma, Alan Bean

Astronauts Alan L. Bean, Science Pilot (and Oklahoman) Owen K. Garriott and Pilot Jack R. Lousma blasted off July 28,  1973 in Skylab 3, the second manned mission to the U.S. space station.  Their mission time was 59 days and 11 hours.  NASA extended the mission from one to two months so the effects of flight duration on physiological adaption and readaptation could be examined.