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 Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Michael Chang, first Asian American to win the French Open

Michael Chang, born February 22, 1972 in Hoboken, New Jersey, is the youngest man in history to win a singles major, winning the French Open in 1989.  He became the first Asian American to win a Grand Slam tennis tournament in men's singles.  He won many "youngest-ever" records in his career.

He defeated Ivan Lendl, who was the #1 ranked player in the world, the current Australian Open champion and three-time French Open winner.

Chang won a total of 34 top-level professional singles titles, seven of them being Masters titles.  In 1996, he was ranked No. 2 in the world.

Happy birthday, Dark Shadows actor David Henesey!

David Henesey, born October 20, 1956 in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, is best known for his role as David Collins in the classic television series Dark Shadows.  While working on the daytime series, he began cooking for his cast members when he was eleven.  His last appearance was on an episode of The Waltons.

He left acting and has opened a series of restaurants in New York and Cartagena, Colombia.

Celebrating Black History Month: John S. Rock, first African-American lawyer to practice in US Supreme Court

John Stewart Rock, born October 13, 1825 Salem, New Jersey, was a teacher, doctor, dentist, lawyer, and abolitionist.  His parents were free African-Americans and they encouraged him to study and provided him with formal schooling.  At 19, he became a teacher in Salem, teaching in a one-room school.  During this time, he began studying medicine under two white physicians, but was denied entry into medical school based on his race.

He transferred to dentistry and did an apprenticeship with a white dentist.  Rock opened  his dental practice in Philadelphia in January 1850. He was finally admitted to medical school, and graduated from American Medical College in Philadelphia in 1852, becoming one of the first African-Americans to attain a degree in medicine.  

He moved to Boston in 1853 and opened his dentist and medical practice, treating many fugitive slaves making their was to Canada via the Underground Railroad.  After a trip to Europe to seek treatment for health problems, he gave up his medical and dental practices and began to study law.  In September 1861, Rock gained admittance to the Massachusetts Bar where he advocated for the rights for African-Americans. 

On February 1, 1865, the day after Congress approved the Thirteenth Amendment to end slavery, Charles Sumner introduced a motion that made Rock the first black attorney to be admitted to the bar of the US Supreme Court.  He became the first African-American to be received on the floor of the US House of Representatives.

Rock passed away in December 1866 from tuberculosis at the age of 41. 

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Mark Polansky!

Mark Polansky, born June 2, 1958 in Paterson, New Jersey, is a veteran of three space shuttle missions.

His first mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-98) as pilot to the International Space Station in February 2001.  The crew delivered the Destiny Laboratory Module, the first NASA lab to be permanently used since Skylab.

His second mission was aboard Discovery (STS-116) as commander to the ISS in December 2006.  His wake up song was Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles.

His third and final trip was aboard Endeavour (STS-127) as commander to the ISS in July 2009.  He must really love Here Comes the Sun.

Celebrating Black History Month: Gail Fisher, first African-American actress to win an Emmy, Golden Globe

Gail Fisher, born August 18, 1935 in Orange, New Jersey, is the first African-American actress to win an Emmy and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress.  She won the awards for her role as Peggy Fair on the detective series Mannix, starring Mike Connors.  She won two Golden Globes for her performance on Mannix.  She is the second African-American woman to be featured prominently in a television series after Nichelle Nichols in Star Trek.

She passed away in December 2000 of kidney failure.

Joan Bennet, Dark Shadows matriarch, born 1910

Joan Bennett, born February 27, 1910 in Palisades, New Jersey, is best known for her portrayal as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard on the cult show Dark Shadows.  Born to a long line of actors, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for her role in Dark Shadows.  She also was nominated for a Saturn Award for her performance in the classic Italian horror movie Suspiria. 

She passed away in December 1990 of a heart attack.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Kenneth Ham!

Kenneth Ham, born December 12, 1964 in Plainfield, New Jersey, is a veteran of two space shuttle missions.

His first flight was aboard Discovery (STS-124) as pilot in May-June 2008 to the International Space Station.  The flight delivered the Japanese Experiment Module, a pressurized section that is the largest module of the space station.

His second flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-132) as commander in May 2010 to the ISS. It was the penultimate flight of Atlantis.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Kathryn Sullivan!

Kathryn Sullivan, born October 3, 1951 in Paterson, New Jersey, is a veteran of three space shuttle flights and the first American woman to walk in space.  She joined the US Naval Reserve in 1988 and retired as captain in 2006.

Her first flight was aboard Challenger (STS-41-G) in October 1984 as mission specialist.  During this mission she conducted the first EVA for an American woman with fellow astronaut David Leetsma. 

Her second mission was aboard Discovery (STS-31) as mission specialist in April 1990.  The crew deployed the Hubble Space Telescope during the flight.

Sullivan's third and final was aboard Atlantis (STS-45) as mission specialist in March-April 1992.  The crew carried a payload of instruments for scientific experiments, all non-deployable.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut George Zamka!

George Zamka, born June 29, 1962 in Jersey City, New Jersey, is a veteran of two space shuttle flights.  He graduated with a Bachelor's in mathematics from the US Naval Academy in 1984.  Then he became a Second Lieutenant in the US Marines.  In 1994, he graduated from the US Air Force Test Pilot School. 

His first trip into space was aboard Discovery (STS-120) as pilot October-November 2007 to the International Space Station. 

His second and final mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-130) as commander in February 2010 to the ISS.

He has spent almost 29 days in space.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Garrett Reisman!

Garrett Reisman, born February 10, 1968 in Morristown, New Jersey, is a veteran of two space shuttle flights and two expeditions aboard the International Space Station.

He served as an aquanaut in the Aquarius underwater laboratory as part of expedition NEEMO 5 mission in June 2003.

His first flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-123) as flight engineer, launched March 2008 to the ISS. He was part of Expedition 16 and 17 and returned to Earth in October 2008 on Discovery (STS-124). During this mission, Stephen Colbert interviewed Reisman in May on an episode of The Colbert Report.

His second and final flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-132) as mission specialist in May 2010.  He conducted 2 of the 3 EVAs during the mission.  Reisman also helped design the mission patch working with NASA Sean Collins.

Happy birthday, Major Houlihan!

Talented and beautiful Loretta Swit, born November 4, 1937 in Passaic, New Jersey, is best known for her role as Major Margaret Houlihan in the long running show M*A*S*H.  She was nominated 10 times for a Primetime Emmy and won twice.  She was also nominated for 4 Golden Globes for the same role.

Ms. Swit received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in 1989.

She starred in an episode of Murder, She Wrote as a friend of Jessica Fletcher, so as usual, her character was accused of murder.

I really enjoyed her as herself on the Muppet Show.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Greg Linteris!

Astronaut Gregory Linteris, born October 4, 1957 in Englewood, New Jersey, is a veteran of two Space Shuttle flights both on Columbia, as a payload specialist.

His first mission, STS-83 in April 1997, was only 4 days.  The flight was cancelled after 4 days due to a fuel cell problem.  His second trip was STS-94 in July 1997, which was STS-83 re-scheduled.  STS-94 was flown by the exact same crew as STS-83.

Linteris now works at the National Institute of Standards and Technology here in Gaithersburg, Maryland.