Category: Milestones

The Apollo 11 Astronauts Return Home, Heroes!

On July 24, the astronauts returned home aboard the command module Columbia just before dawn in the Pacific Ocean 2,660 km (1,440 nm) east of Wake Island, or 380 km (210 nm) south of Johnston Atoll, and 24 km (15 mi) from the recovery ship, USS Hornet.

Initially the command module landed upside down but was righted in several minutes by flotation bags triggered by the astronauts. The first NAVY diver from the helicopter hovering above attached an anchor to the command module to prevent it from drifting. Additional divers attached additional flotation collars to stabilize the the module and position rafts for astronaut extraction. Though the possibility of bringing back pathogen from the lunar surface was considered remote, it was not considered impossible and NASA took great precautions at the recovery site. Astronauts were provided Biological Isolation Garment (BIG suit) by divers which were worn until they reached issolation facilities onboard the Hornet. Additionally astronauts were rubbed down with a sodium-hypochlorite solution and the command module wipped with betadine to remove any lunar dust that might be present. The raft containing decontamination materials was then intentionally sunk.

A second Sea King helicopter hoisted the astronauts aboard one by one where a NASA flight surgeon gave each a brief physical check during the half mile trip back to the Hornet. After touchdown on the Hornet, all crew existed the helicopter, leaving the flight surgeon and 3 crew. The helicopter was then lowered into hangar bay #2 where the astronauts walked the 30 feet to the Mobile Quarantine Facility (MQF) where they would begin their 21 days of quarantine, a practice that continue for the next 3 Apollo missions before the moon was proven to be barren of life and quarantine process dropped for Apollo XV through XVII.

President Richard Nixon was aboard the Hornet to personally welcome the astronauts back to Earth. He told the astronauts: “As a result of what you’ve done, the world has never been closer together before.” Years later, it was publicly revealed that Nixon had prepared a speech to be given if the mission resulted in death. The lunar module had not been tested to assess if it could launch from the moon surface. After Nixon departed, the Hornet was brought alongside the 5 ton command module where it was placed abord by the ships crane, placed on a dolly and moved next to the MQF. The Hornet steamed for Pearl Harbor where the command module and MQF were airlifed to the Johnson Space Center.

A classic never goes out of style!

Born Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis to a Greek father and a Puerto Rican mother, he was raised in Manhattan’s then-notorious Hell’s Kitchen.

Tony Orlando’s musical career started with The Five Gents, a doo-wop group he formed. His first success came when he recorded the hits Bless You and Halfway To Paradise in 1961. After becoming general manager at Columbia Records, he was tempted back to a recording career when he was asked to record a demo record of Candida. The label liked the demo so much that Tony’s performance was released, under the band name Dawn (named after a record executive’s daughter). After Orlando discovered that there were six touring groups using that name, Dawn became Dawn featuring Tony Orlando (which changed to Tony Orlando and Dawn in 1974).

Joining Tony were Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson, and the trio scored a string of #1 hits with Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree, Knock Three Times, and He Don’t Love You (Like I Love You). With a successful recording career, Orlando then set his sights on television which resulted in his highly rated weekly variety series Tony Orlando and Dawn Rainbow Hour on CBS. The popular and successful show ran for four seasons on CBS from 1974 to 1976.

A classic never goes out of style

One of my favorite slices of Americana is “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late),” a song written by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. (a.k.a. David Seville) in 1958.  Although it was written and sung by Bagdasarian (in the form of a chipmunk voice), the singing credits are given to The Chipmunks, a fictional singing group consisting of three chipmunks by the names of Alvin, Simon, and Theodore.

The song was very successful, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, becoming The Chipmunks’ first (and only), as well as David Seville’s second and final, #1 single. It has the distinction of being the only Christmas record to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart. The single sold 4.5 million copies, according to Ross Bagdasarian, Jr.

Between 1959–1962, the single managed to re-enter the Hot 100, peaking at #41 in 1959, #45 in 1960, and #39 in 1962. (Starting in 1963, Billboard would list re-current Christmas songs on a separate chart.)

“The Chipmunk Song” is the last Christmas song to make #1 on any US single record chart totaling performance of all available records, a record that may never be equaled.

I’m including the memorable animated video to the song from The Chipmunks 1960s animated series, as well as their live-action version from their 2007 film Alvin and The Chipmunks, as well as their popular 2007 remix of the song!  Enjoy!

I’ve always said pretty buxom women are a blessing!

Now, thank goodness that from the looks of things, she had a lot of material to work with!  Kudos to you, Nicky Arsenault!

CNNews reports…

Bra-very in a snap

By DAVE DORMER, SUN MEDIA

CALGARY — Using her bra to stop the bleeding, a Calgary woman is being credited with helping save the life of a man beaten unconscious outside a southwest nightclub.

Nicky Arsenault, 19, was leaving the Back Alley Nightclub with friends early Sunday morning when they saw two men who had been left unconscious and bleeding heavily on the sidewalk.

A nursing assistant at Bowcrest Care Centre, Arsenault jumped into action along with friend Paul Fitzgerald, a welder in the Canadian military.

“There were 20 or 30 people standing around but nobody was doing anything,” she said.

“I saw he had a deep laceration on the left side of his head, but he was laying on the left side so the blood was pouring out.

“I got two people help me turn him to the recovery position, otherwise he would have bled out, then I took off my bra because nobody had anything else to use, and I held it against the laceration.”

While Arsenault helped one victim, Fitzgerald helped the other — a 24-year-old male who had a broken right arm.

While she was performing first aid, Arsenault said the man she was helping stopped breathing at one point.

“He was breathing through his nasal passage but it was so blocked, it was really shallow, almost like snoring then he stopped,” she said.

“So I opened his throat and cleared out as much blood as I could so I wouldn’t have to give him CPR.”

It was at that point, she said the man’s pulse dropped from 80 to 60 BPM.

“That’s pretty bad,” she said.

Their actions garnered kudos from EMS spokesman Stuart Brideaux.

“Certainly any time anyone sees an opportunity to try to help the well-being of a patient before EMS arrives, we’re very appreciative of them,” he said.

“It’s very noble for someone to stop to help when they can — in a patient’s mind … if someone is there helping, they are not alone and are being looked after.”

Arsenault said bystanders told her the unconscious pair had been flirting with the girlfriends of another group of men who took offence and laid a beating on them.

“They just turned around and started beating on them,” she said.

“Once the guys were on the ground, one of them got booted in the head and that’s what caused the lacerations, from the cement.

“Then the other guys just jumped in their car and left.”

Jim Steranko Draws The Quintessential Captain America

Well, I had some fun yesterday with the newest superhero on the scene, Barack America!  So I got to thinking a bit and realized I haven’t written an entry in the Greatest Comic Covers series since May 13, 2008!

Since the next entry in that series would be the milestone 25th entry, I decided to get on it posthaste!

It’s common knowledge that I am a big Silver Age Marvel fan.  In fact, I consider that era in comics to be the Rolls Royce of comics – it’s doubtful we will ever see that kind of creativity and synergy in comics ever again.  Under the sure hand of Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and Jack Kirby, the Marvel Universe was born and comics would never be the same.

That being said, quite a bit of new talent hit the scene in that era.  One of the most notable is the legendary Jim Steranko.  His run on Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD was groundbreaking, but he also contributed quite a bit to the legend of Captain America, too.  That brings us to the classic cover of Captain America #111, Tomorrow You Live, Tonight I Die!”

In the issue, Captain America survives a Hydra assassination attempt and then gets to work training Rick Jones for his role as the new Bucky. Rick is unfortunately kidnapped by Hydra and used to bait Captain America into a trap, but Rick escapes in time to witness the apparent demise of Captain America at the hands of Hydra agents!

They just don’t make them like this anymore.  Enjoy!

Dragnet: The Missing Realtor

Enjoy this great episode of Dragnet 1968 – some good legwork by Joe & Bill, as a missing person’s case slowly becomes a murder case.  Keep an eye out for the legendary Scatman Crothers (sporting some stylish hair)!

Just The Facts…

I came across this wonderful article about Mr. Jack Webb, from the 1950s Hollywood gossip magazine TV People. Honestly, in many ways it reads like a press release, and was probably published to soften his image a bit. I still dig it!

The article was reproduced by the great folks at the website that honors Mr. Webb and Dragnet, Badge 714.

AT LONG LAST! The JACK WEBB Story That MUST be Told

by BEN ALEXANDER (from TV People, October 1957)

I have just completed a six-week swing around the country.

Personally meeting swarms of fans is a most gratifying experience, of course. But here and there a grating note crept in.

Several long-time followers of “Dragnet” and “Badge 714″ asked me, “Is it true that Jack Webb is a moody, unapproachable person in real life?”

And my categorical answer to them is this: Nothing could be further from the truth!

Whether he’s a police sergeant or Marine sergeant, Jack doesn’t change the stripes of his character. And, you can take it from me, that means he’s the same swell guy I met for the first time six years ago.

This sort of stuff has been going on for the past several years, and I don’t understand why.

The truth is that Jack works hard. Very hard. But he does not work so hard in order to escape from unhappiness, as some writers hint. He works hard just because he likes to work!

When I’m not portraying Frank Smith, no one is happier than I am when I’m at my Ford Agency, selling…. I just love to sell! Jack just loves to work on TV and movies. That’s all. It’s an all-absorbing passion with him.

Let me tell you a few things about Jack Webb, as he really is, and not as some papers and magazines have painted him.

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