Apply to be an astronaut

Brigadier General Charles McGee of the U.S. Air Force (Retired) is a 100-year-old Tuskegee Airman who served with distinction in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. He flew a total of 409 aerial fighter combat missions during those three wars, which is a record that stands to this day. Furthermore, he was enshrined into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2011.

In fact, of the 355 Tuskegee pilots who flew in combat, McGee is one of only nine who are still with us. Earlier this year, he was one of four World War II veterans who presented the coin for the coin flip at Super Bowl LIV. He was also a special guest of President Donald J. Trump during this State of the Union address this month.

Today, however, he is challenging a new generation of Americans to step forward and achieve their destiny. McGee has made a special appeal in the video embedded above challenging more of us to apply to the NASA astronaut program.

There are only four requirements to be considered for the astronaut training program.

• U.S. citizen;
• Master’s degree or better in a STEM field;
• Two years of related, professional experience; and
• Pass the NASA astronaut physical.

If you don't meet all four of those requirements then I encourage you to share this article with anyone who you know that might fit the bill.

NASA will begin accepting applications to the astronaut corp training program on March 2, 2020. They will continue accepting them until the 31st.

For more information about a career as a NASA astronaut, and application requirements, please visit: http://www.nasa.gov/astronauts

This post is a part of this blog's semi-regular Friday Focus series, which endeavors to highlight news and opinions that, in my opinion, don't get as much attention as they deserve.

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Rouge River in Detroit caught fire 50 years ago today

Fire - Phote by Hans Braxmeier

It was 50 years ago today, on October 9, 1969, when a spark from an acetylene torch lit some debris along the Rouge River in Detroit. From there, flames spread quickly to the surface of the river.

Back then, the Rouge River regularily ran thick with industrial waste just like other bodies of water did in the Detroit area. Within seconds of the initial spark, the Rouge Rive was soon on fire.

Flames shot 50 feet into the air, according to some observers at the time. News reports from the era tell us that It took a total of 65 firefighters and ten pieces of firefighting equipment to extinquish the blazes on the Rouge River.

The Rouge River has come a long way since that day 50 years ago. Changes in environmental regualtions have made it so that it's no longer acceptable to dump industrial waste into our rivers. This has done much to make our rives a safe habitat for fish and birds and to make them a place that humans can enjoy as well.

Plus, in the intervening decades, the Rouge River has not caught fire one.

Regardless, I believe it's important for Detroiters to take a moment to remember the day when the Rouge River caught fire.

Happy anniversary

Happy anniversary, everyone! It was 50 years ago today that humanity walked on the Moon for the first time.

I hope and pray that the success of the Apollo missions, as well as NASA's upcoming Artemis missions returning us to the Moon and pushing us onward to Mars, will continue to inspire Americans for generations to come. It is the destiny of humanity, I believe, to push our boundaries and go where we have never gone before.

Again, happy anniversary to everyone.

Prohibition ends. Detroiters lose lucrative income

It's worth noting that 85 years ago today, a whole bunch of Detroiters lost their rather lucrative careers.

This, of course, was because Prohibition was officially repealed 85 years ago today. With that action, it became legal to manufacture, distribute, and sell alcohol in the United States

While the end of Prohibition was great news for most Americans, I feel one should at least acknowledge that a lot of Detroiters lost their lucrative careers smuggling liquor from Windsor, Ontario, Canada into the United States by simply crossing the Detroit River in one manner or another.

There are several write-ups on Detroit's history with prohibition. I won't repeat all of them here. I will simply say that what I believe to the best overview of this moment in history can be found here. There is also a multitude of photos from the Prohibition era in Detroit over on Pinterest.

Happy Repeal Day, America! 

Mayor Young's 100th birthday

Mayor Coleman A. Young rallies in Detroit (circa 1981) - Creative Commons photo from Wikicommons

Mayor Coleman A. Young of Detroit would have turned 100 years old today if had lived this long. As one reflects on his life, I believe that both his critics and devotees will agree that Mayor Young had more of an impact on the city of Detroit than anyone else in the 20th century.

I had a part-time job working in his Administration while going to college. While my duties were exceedingly low-level and I rarely interacted with him, I must admit that I learned more from Mayor Young than I did some of my professors.

While the Warrendale neighborhood in Detroit was at the heart of the ABC Vote (as in Anybody But Coleman) during the 1970s and 80s, I would feel remiss if I didn't make note of the anniversary today. As a young boy growing up in the neighborhood, I remember almost all of my elders complaining about Mayor Young.

There is no doubt that Mayor Young had more than a few flaws. However, I believe that history remembers him much more kindly than any of the ABC voters of my youth did.

Inspiration for the Lone Ranger

Company D of the Texas Rangers, Ysleta, Texas, 1894

I wrote yesterday about the 85th anniversary of The Lone Ranger radio show first airing on WXYZ here in Detroit; how the character captured imaginations and went from being a simple local radio show to being an international icon. I thought, therefore, that I would take a moment to discuss the possible inspiration for this legend: the life and career of Captain John Reynolds Hughes of the Texas Rangers.

In the photo above from 1894, Captain Hughes is seen seated on a stool with a rifle in his hand at the far right. An unknown Mexican prisoner is seen seated at the far left of this photo. The remaining men in this photograph are the Texas Rangers that Captain Hughes led.

Writer Fran Striker and radio producer George W. Trendle never publicly discussed their inspiration for their the Lone Ranger character in great detail. Trendle's obituary in The New York Times stated that he wanted to enliven the Great Depression with a mix of folklore's Robin Hood and pulp fiction's Zorro; the latter of which also rode a horse and wore a black mask.

However, over the years, it has been theorized by some historians and authors that Captain Hughes may have played a significant role in inspiring the character.

Captain Hughes, of course, was a real-life Texas Ranger who brought law and order to plains from August of 1887 until his retirement in 1915. Novelist Zane Grey dedicated his book The Lone Star Ranger to Hughes in 1914. More importantly, Hughes led an investigation into an ambush on a group of Rangers in 1893 that was very similar to the one depicted in the Lone Ranger's origin story.

Hughes also reportedly told relatives that he believed the character of the Lone Ranger was inspired, at least in part, by him.

In 1940, Captain Hughes became the first recipient of the Certificate of Valor. He was also inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame. He passed away on June 3, 1947, at the age of 92.

More information about Captain John Reynolds Hughes is available on the official website of the Texas State Cemetary, where he is buried, as well as from the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum.

Lone Ranger debuted 85 years ago in Detroit

Lone Ranger publicity photo from July 30, 1965/Wikimedia

It was 85 years ago that The Lone Ranger rode into the hearts and imaginations of Detroiters on a fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty "Hi-yo Silver!"

The Lone Ranger began as a radio program that first aired on WXYZ in Detroit on either January 30 or 31, 1933. The records aren't clear as to which one of those two days was the first airing of the show. It's also not completely clear whether it was radio station owner George W. Trendle or writer Fran Striker first conceived that masked rider of the plains, according to On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio by John Denning.

The one thing that is abundantly clear is that this legend started right here in Detroit and soon became a global cultural icon. A total of 2,956 episodes The Lone Ranger aired from our local radio waves. Dozens of books, comic strips, and comic books soon followed as well as The Long Ranger Magazine and several animated short films.

All of this culminated in The Lone Ranger television series, which aired on ABC and produced 221 episodes during its five-season run from 1949 until 1957. There were also a series of movies that began with The Lone Ranger (1956) starring Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels from the television series and continuing on to the 2013 version that starred Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer, which was nominated for two different Academy Awards.

It's moment like this that one feels a need to step back and marvel at the legacy that was born here in Detroit and that continues on 85 years later with a global audience.

Hi-yo Silver! Away!