THE WEEK at a GLANCE

Anniversaries: The 55^th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 10 (5/18); the 70^th of the launch of SMS-1, the first geostationary meteorological satellite (5/17); and the 120^th the start of the first Olympics held in the USA (5/14, St. Louis)

Birthdays:ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill is 75 (5/19); producer George Lucas is 80 (5/14); Challenger commander Dick Scobee would have been 85 (5/10); and actor Dwayne (“Doby Gillis”) Hickman (5/18) and newsman Jim Lehrer (5/19) would have been 90; and

In the Sky: The Moon reaches First Quarter at 7:48 AM EDT on Wednesday, May 15

Monday, May 13

Today in Air and Space History

1964: Launch of Apollo A-001, a flying test of the Apollo escape rocket, on a "Little Joe II" booster, at White Sands.

Other Events this Date: Louie Armstrong recorded When the Saints Go Marching In (1938), Pajama Game premiered on Broadway (1954), tennis hustler Bobby Riggs beat Margaret Court in the first tennis “Battle of the Sexes” (1973)

Today’s Birthdays: Operetta composer Arthur Sullivan (1842); boxer Joe Lewis (1914); Maude actress Bea Arthur (1923); actor Harvey Keitel (1939); singers Richie Valens (1941) and Mary Wells (1943); bassists Danny Klein (J. Geils Band, 1946) and Overend Watts (Mott the Hoople, 1947); and singer Stevie Wonder (1950)

Tuesday, May 14

Today in Air and Space History

1908: Wright Brothers employee Charles Furnas became the first airplane passenger ever, flying with Wilbur at Kitty Hawk.

1952: Buzz Aldrin, flying an F-86, shot down a MiG-15 in Korea. The ejecting foe showed up well in Buzz’ gun camera record, and Life Magazine published the pictures prominently. Buzz was awarded a DFC for this action.

1973: Launch of Skylab, the first U.S. SpaceStation.

1978: William Lear, builder of the first executive jet aircraft, died at age 75. A WWI naval radio operator, he also developed the first practical automobile radio and invented the 8-track tape player. LearJet (now part of Bombardier Aerospace) was founded in 1960.

Other Events this Date: The St. Louis Olympics opened (first held in USA, 1904), Duke Ellington recorded Caravan (1937)

Today’s Birthdays:Blue Boy artist Thomas Gainsborough (1727), character actor Richard Deacon (1921), jazz trumpeter Al Porcino (1925), hockey goalie great (“My Face IS My Mask”) Gump Worsley (1929), singer Bobby Darin (1936), Big Red RBI guy Tony Perez (1942), Cream bassist Jack Bruce (1943), Herman’s Hermits guitarist Derek Leckenby (1943), producer George Lucas (1944),  Young Rascals guitarist Gene Cornish (1946), Talking Head David Byrne (1952), and director Robert Zemeckis (1952)

Wednesday, May 15

Today in Air and Space History

1918: President Wilson signed legislation creating the U.S. Air Mail Service. Seven Curtiss JN-4H biplanes carried mail from DC to New York.

1930:Ellen Church became the first airline flight attendant, on Boeing Air Transport’s (United Airlines forerunner) SF to Cheyenne route.

1958: Launch of Sputnik 3, a successful probe that examined conditions in near-Earth Space.

1963: Launch of Mercury-Atlas 9, the last flight of Project Mercury. AstronautGordonCooper spent 34.3 hours aloft, making 22 orbits.

1997: Launch of STS-84 Space Shuttle Atlantis on the sixth Shuttle mission to Space Station Mir.

Other Events this Date: U.S. Department of Agriculture was created (1862)

Today’s Birthdays:Oz author L. Frank Baum (1856), photographer Richard Avedon (1923), golfer Ken Venturi (1931), singer Trini Lopez (1937), Little River Band guitarist Graham Goble (1947), pine tar-iferous baseballer George Brett (1953), and composer/guitarist Mike Oldfield (Tubular Bells, 1953)

In the Sky: The Moon reaches First Quarter at 7:48 AM EDT

Thursday, May 16

Today in Air and Space History

1943: The "Wallis Bomb" of ingenious design was used to attack several large dams in the Ruhr Valley the night of May 16/17. The attack, led by famed aviator Guy Gibson, successfully destroyed the Möhne and Eder Dams, causing widespread damage. Eight of 19 attacking aircraft were shot down; Gibson was awarded the Victoria Cross (UK’s MoH). Gibson would later perish in a wartime crash of uncertain cause (perhaps friendly fireor a collision with another plane?)

Other Events this Date: Minting of first five-cent piece was authorized (1866), the very first Academy Awards ceremonies were held, but no “Oscar” statues were awarded until 1931 (1929), Annie Get Your Gun opened on Broadway (1946), Michael Jordan was named NBA Rookie of the Year (1985), entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. passed away (1990)

Today’s Birthdays: Lincoln Secretary of State and Alaska purchaser William Seward (1801), actor Henry Fonda (1905), bandleader Woody Herman (1913), flamboyant pianist Liberace (1919), Steinbrenner nemesis Billy Martin (1928), Batgirl Yvonne Craig (1937), innovative King Crimson guitarist guru Robert Fripp (1946), actor Pierce Brosnan (1953), and gymnast Olga Korbut (1955)

Friday, May 17

Today in Air and Space History

1974: Launch of SMS-1, the first geostationary meteorological satellite.

Other Events this Date: Radio quiz show Information Please premiered on NBC’s Blue network, hosted by Clifton Fadiman (1938), Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mario Soto struck out four batters in one inning (1984), Golden State Warrior “Sleepy” Floyd awoke and scored 29 fourth-quarter points in playoff game versus Lakers (1987), Yankee David Wells pitched baseball’s 15^th perfect game (1998)

Today’s Birthdays: Actress Maureen O’Sullivan (1911), actor Dennis Hopper (1936), and boxer Sugar Ray Leonard (1956)

Saturday, May 18

Today in Air and Space History

1935: Russia's Maxim Gorky (Tupolev ANT 20), then the world's largest airplane, crashed after suffering a mid-air collision.

1953: First flight of the DC-7airliner.

1953: F-86 pilot Captain Joseph McConnell, Jr., became the leading U.S. ace of the Korean Conflict, with 16 victories. He was killed in a flight test accident on August 25, 1954. A movie was made of his life in 1955, popularizing the “Missing Man Formation.”

1969: Launch of Apollo 10, the "dressrehearsal" for the first Moon landing.

1980: Mt. St. Helens in Washington State erupted, killing 57 and sending a plume of ash to 80,000 feet.

Other Events this Date: Famed jockey Eddie Arcaro rode in his very first race (1931), Mt. St. Helenserupted (1980)

Today’s Birthdays: Director Frank Capra (1897); singer Perry Como (1912); actors Pernell Roberts (1928), Robert Morse (1931), and Dwayne Hickman (1934); and baseball greats Brooks Robinson (1937) and Reggie Jackson (1946)

Sunday, May 19

Today in Air and Space History

1965: Launch of Apollo A-003, a high-altitude abort test using the "Little Joe II" booster. The mission, an abort test of the Apollo launch escape system, really was aborted due to booster break-up.

1996: Launch of STS-77 Space Shuttle Endeavour, carrying the SpaceHab 4 module.

2000: Launch of STS-101 Space Shuttle Atlantis, a support mission to the International Space Station.

Other Events This Date: First time fingerprints resulted in a conviction (1911); Bobby Darin released Splish Splash (1958)

Today’s Birthdays: Political figures Ho Chi Minh (1890) and Malcolm X (1925), newsman Jim Lehrer (1934), Space Shuttle Challenger commander Dick Scobee (1939), legendary Who guitarist Pete Townshend (1945), and ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill (1949)

NEXT WEEK at a GLANCE

Anniversaries: The 125^th anniversary of the first speeding ticket ever issued (5/13)

Birthdays: Rocker Joe Cocker would have been 80 (5/13); muppeteer Frank Oz is 80 (5/25); synthesizer inventor Robert Moog would have been 90 (5/23); comedienne Peggy Cass would have been 100 (5/21); comedian George Gobel would have been 105 (5/13); and helicopter designer Igor Sikorsky would have been 135 (5/25)

In the Sky: Full Moon occurs at 9:53 AM EDT Thursday, May 23 (aka the “Flower Moon”)