Conrad Black gave up his Canadian citizenship in order to become a British Lord.
Fifty years ago today, Apollo 11 was getting ready to launch. It would launch in two days, on 16 July 1969. Apollo 11 had five teams for flight direction in Houston TX:
[ul]
[li]Team WHITE, Flight Director Gene Krantz, responsible for lunar landing[/li][li]Team BLACK, Flight Director Glynn Lunney, responsible for lunar ascent[/li][li]Team GOLD, Flight Director Gerald Griffin, responsible for backing up team green on shift 1[/li][li]Team GREEN, Flight Director Clifford Charlesworth, responsible for Launch and extravehicular activity (EVA)[/li][li]Team MAROON, Flight Director Milton Windler, responsible for Planning[/li][/ul]
In addition to serving as the Flight Director for Apollo 11, Gene Kranz also served in the same capacity for other Apollo and Gemini missions. He is probably best known for directing the successful efforts by the Mission Control team to save the crew of Apollo 13. In the movie of the same name, Kranz was portrayed by Ed Harris.
For Apollo 11, the CAPCOMs were: Charles Duke, Ronald Evans, Bruce McCandless II, James Lovell, William Anders, Ken Mattingly, Fred Haise, Don L. Lind, Owen K. Garriott and Harrison Schmitt.
It was Charlie Duke who first spoke to men on the moon. He said, “We copy you down, Eagle.”
After that, Neil Armstrong radioed, “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.“
Duke replied, “Roger, Tranquility. We copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We’re breathing again. Thanks a lot.”
Not in play: If anyone is interested, here is an excellent article on the near-failure of the Apollo 11 guidance computer as the Eagle was attempting its lunar landing. If you read it, you will realize why nobody in the control center was breathing.
Carry on.
Thanks!
Still in play:
Cyanotic breath-holding spells happen when a child stops breathing and turns blue in the face. These spells are often triggered by something that upsets the child, like being disciplined. While crying, the child exhales (breathes out) and then doesn’t take another breath in for a while. Parents who have witnessed prior cyanotic spells know exactly when another one is about to happen because their child’s face slowly turns a shade of blue, ranging from light blue to almost purple.
Ninja’ed by Elvis!
That was a very good article, Railer13. Thank you again! (And I live and work in Silicon Valley)
Stillin play:
Deep Purple is an English rock band that was formed in 1968. Through various combinations and permutations of members, the band was performing as late as 2017. Some of the singles released by Deep Purple include ‘Smoke on the Water’, ‘Woman from Tokyo’, and ‘Hush’.
They were listed in the 1975 Guinness Book of World Records as ‘the globe’s loudest band’ for a 1972 concert at London’s Rainbow Theater.
George McGovern, a US senator from South Dakota, was the Democratic nominee for President in 1972, losing to the incumbent, Richard M. Nixon of California. McGovern volunteered for the Army Air Forces upon the US’s entry into World War II and, as a B-24 Liberator pilot, flew 35 missions over German-occupied Europe. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross for making a hazardous emergency landing of his damaged plane and saving the crew.
Despite the Consolidated B-24’s design origins as the XP4Y seaplane, accounting for its high wing position and deep fuselage, it was a miserable performer when ditching. The fuselage would come to rest submerged, and that was after the thin roll-up bomb bay doors collapsed under the impact of the water even if the water landing was executed perfectly. A B-24 ditching is portrayed in the 2014 film Unbroken, about Olympic runner and POW survivor Louie Zamperini.
Only Massachusetts and DC did not go for Nixon in 1972. Don’t blame me, I’m from Massachusetts became a popular meme during Watergate.
To many dessert lovers in the Washington D.C area, Watergate means not the break-in at the hotel and the political consequences, but the popular Watergate Pastry Shop in the lower level shopping pavilion of the complex. The bake shop has been open since 1966, specializing in cakes, eclairs, fruit tarts, Napoleons and other traditional pastries.
[Not in play: for anyone looking for a good summer read, I recommend Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken. I haven’t seen the film but I’ve heard that it’s not as good as the book, which is excellent.]
According to Carlino’s, the pastry known as the ‘napoleon’ has nothing to do with the former French emperor. When it’s written with a capital letter, Napoleon refers to the French military leader. With a lowercase “n,” a napoleon is a flaky pastry layered with custard and icing. The dessert’s original name was a napolitain, or in English, a neapolitan, which refers to a sweet treat in the style of Naples.
Neapolitan ice cream was named in the late 19th century as a reflection of its presumed origins in the cuisine of the Italian city of Naples, and the many Neapolitan immigrants who brought their expertise in frozen desserts with them to the United States. Spumone was introduced to the United States in the 1870s as Neapolitan-style ice cream. Early recipes used a variety of flavors; however, the number of three molded together was a common denominator, to resemble the Italian flag (cf. insalata tricolore). More than likely, chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry became the standard for the reason that they were the most popular flavors in the United States at the time of introduction.
Off topic: Yes, the book Unbroken was much better than the film, as they usually are.
During the month of September 2009, Ben and Jerry’s, in partnership with Freedom to Marry, renamed “Chubby Hubby” to “Hubby Hubby,” in celebration of the legalization of same-sex marriage in the company’s home state of Vermont. The carton featured the image of two men getting married beneath a rainbow.
On March 13, 2012, Ben & Jerry’s announced it would be changing the name of one of its ice cream flavors in the UK in support of equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. “Oh! My! Apple Pie!” would become “Apple-y Ever After” and tubs would feature a gay couple atop a wedding cake decorated with rainbows.
“Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough” was temporarily renamed “I Dough, I Dough” in the United States during the summer of 2015. This was in celebration of United States Supreme Court’s ruling in support of same-sex marriage. The proceeds from sales were to go to the Human Rights Campaign (a nonprofit advocacy group for LGBT rights).
Ben and Jerry’s got its start in a converted gas station in Burlingon, Vermont. The premium ice cream company was sold in 2000 to the British-Dutch conglomerate Unilever.
The first official account of ice cream in America comes from a letter written in 1744 by a guest of Maryland Governor William Bladen, who mentioned that the governor had served it to his guests. Two years later, America’s first ice cream parlor opened in New York City. And records show that President George Washington spent approximately $200 for ice cream during the summer of 1790. That would be about $4,590.00 today.
In addition to ice cream, George Washington liked dancing, playing cards, fox-hunting, drinking madeira and attending plays. A New York City theater owner once offered to delay the start of a play until the President arrived, but Washington insisted that the other patrons not be kept waiting and asked that the show start on time, whether or not he was running late.