Brian Hyland's recording of Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, August 8, 1960. It was his first and only #1 hit. He went on to have more hits over the years, but this one remains his biggest hit. The song was written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss.
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.
Jose Hernandez, born August 7, 1962 in French Camp, California, went into space aboard Discovery (STS-128) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in August 2009. He spent almost 14 days in space. He retired from NASA in January 2011. He is one of about 14 Hispanic astronauts who have flown with NASA.
Gregory Chamitoff, born August 6, 1962 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, has been in space twice.
His first trip was aboard Discovery (STS-124) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in May 2008. He participated in Expeditions 17 and 18 spending about six months on the space station. He returned to Earth aboard Endeavour (STS-126) in November.
His second mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-134) to the International Space Station in May-June 2011. He spent almost 16 days in space. It was the last flight of Endeavour.
Ghosts of the Arizona, the fifth in my Psionic Corps mystery series, is now available at Purple Sword Publishing!
Hawai'ian Psionic Officer Kenneth Nu'uani finds a body in scuba gear, floating near the USS Arizona in Oahu, Hawai'i. It soon becomes known that the man didn't drown, so why was he desecrating a shrine dedicated to the people who died in the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941.
Evidence indicates the man might have been murdered. Kenny must use his paranormal powers to discover secrets that have been buried in the ruined battleship for decades and what was the diver after.
George Ariyoshi, born March 12, 1926 in Honolulu, Hawaii, is the first Asian American to serve as governor of a U.S. state. He was elected as the third governor of Hawaii and is the longest serving governor for the state.
He began politics in 1954 when he was elected to the Hawaii Territorial House of Representatives. In 1958 he was elected to the Hawaii Territorial Senate and then the next year, Hawaii State Senate.
He was elected lieutenant governor in 1970 with Governor John Burns. When Burns fell ill in October 1973, Ariyoshi stepped in as acting governor. He was elected as governor in 1974 and served until 1986. Term limits prevented him from running for another term.
Anna May Wong, born January 3, 1905 as Wong Liu Tsong in Los Angeles California, is the first Chinese American film star in Hollywood and the first Chinese American actress to gain international recognition. She began acting early and her first role (uncredited) was Dinty in 1920. She starred in The Toll of the Sea, a silent movie and one of the first to be filmed in color.
In the late 1920s, she traveled to Europe, becoming frustrated by the stereotypical roles she reluctantly played. In 1935, she was refused for the leading role in the movie adaption of Pearl S. Buck's The Good Earth. She was also refused the role of the Asian blackmailer in W. Somerset Maugham's The Letter, in both the Bette Davis version and the television role in 1956.
She is the first Asian American to appear on US Currency.
She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in February 1960. Wong passed away in February 1961 from a heart attack.
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