June 22, 2021
Stories about our astronauts, especially from the days of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo, are among my favorite collectibles. Here is one I didn’t know until surfing a couple days ago.
Shortly before Alan Shepard became the first American in space on May 5, 1961, officials at NASA and the U.S. National Aeronautic Association (NAA) found themselves in a quandary. Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), a Paris-based organization that has validated global aeronautical records since 1905, had strict rules about certifying world records – including requiring witnesses.
According to the FAI’s “code of conduct,” an NAA official would need to witness and verify that the person who stepped into the Mercury capsule at Cape Canaveral was indeed the same person who exited the capsule 100 miles downrange in the Atlantic Ocean. The problem? It was only a 15-minute flight. There would not be enough time for the NAA official to get from the launch site to the splashdown site.
Working behind the scenes, NAA and NASA officials came up with a simple but elegant solution. Shepard would carry a dollar bill aboard Freedom 7 given to him by an NAA witnessing official. Later, after recovery in the Atlantic, Shepard would produce the bill. The serial number would be transmitted via radio and compared with the number recorded by the NAA observer. A match would be accepted as formal verification.
The FAI agreed, and this became standard practice on the U.S. spaceflights through Apollo.
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This dollar bill, autographed by Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin, and a NAA official, flew to the moon on Apollo 11. |
👉 “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” released in 1937, was the first full-length film produced by Walt Disney Productions. It was a critical and commercial success and, with international earnings of more than $8 million ($146 million today) during its initial release. Adjusted for inflation, it is one of the top-ten performers at the North American box office and the highest-grossing animated film.
Snow White was nominated for Best Musical Score at the Academy Awards in 1938, and the next year, producer Walt Disney was awarded an honorary Oscar for the film. This award was unique, consisting of one normal-sized, plus seven miniature Oscar statuettes.
In 1989, the United States Library of Congress deemed the film “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and selected it as one of the first 25 films for preservation in the National Film Registry. In 2008, the American Film Institute ranked it among the 100 greatest American films, and also named the film as the greatest American animated film of all time. Disney’s take on the fairy tale has had a significant cultural impact, resulting in popular theme park attractions, a video game, and a Broadway musical.
The film premiered on December 21, 1937, to a wildly receptive audience. At the conclusion, it received a standing ovation. Six days later, Walt Disney and the seven dwarfs appeared on the cover of Time magazine. The New York Times said, “Thank you very much, Mr. Disney.” The American entertainment trade publication Variety observed that “so perfect is the illusion, so tender the romance and fantasy, so emotional are certain portions when the acting of the characters strikes a depth comparable to the sincerity of human players, that the film approaches real greatness.”
Enjoy 3 songs from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs:” “Hi Ho,” “Someday My Prince Will Come,” and “Whistle While You Work.”
👉 The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the N.C.A.A. cannot bar relatively modest payments to student-athletes. Last year, a federal appeals court allowed payments for things like musical instruments, scientific equipment, postgraduate scholarships, tutoring, study abroad, academic awards and internships. It did not permit the outright payment of salaries. The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, confirmed that ruling.
👉 How good is this guy? Two weeks ago he was leading golf’s Memorial Tournament, only to be placed in quarantine because he had been in the vicinity of someone who had tested positive for COVID-19. And the $1.7 million dollar first prize remained just out of reach. Rahm made up for it at Torrey Pines. Fast forward two weeks. Jon Rahm, a 26-year-old Spaniard, emerged from a spectacularly crowded leader board to win his first major, capping a surreal roller coaster. The winner of the U.S. Open gets $2.3 million. Watch the two putts that sealed the victory.
👉 A couple of panels for your amusement:
👉 And a sign of the times for your consideration:
👉 Our close today is from Streams in the Desert, by Mrs. Charles Cowman.
Not long ago I read in a paper a bit of personal experience from a precious child of God, and it made such an impression upon me that I record it here. She wrote:
“I found myself one midnight wholly sleepless as the surges of a cruel injustice swept over me, and the love which covers seemed to have crept out of my heart. Then I cried to God in an agony for the power to obey His injunction, ‘Love covereth.’
“Immediately the Spirit began to work in me the power that brought about the forgetfulness. Mentally I dug a grave. Deliberately I threw up the earth until the excavation was deep. Sorrowfully I lowered into it the thing which wounded me. Quickly I shoveled in the clods. Over the mound I carefully laid the green sods. Then I covered it with white roses and forget-me-nots, and quickly walked away.
“Sweet sleep came. The wound which had been so nearly deadly was healed without a scar, and I know not today what caused my grief.”
“Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers all transgressions” (Proverbs10:12).
Rehearse your troubles to God only, and let Him heal them.
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