On April 9, 1962, Puerto Rican actress Rita Moreno become the first Hispanic woman to win an Oscar, for her role of Anita in West Side
Story (1961).
Moreno, who was born in Puerto Rico in 1931 and grew up in Long Island, New York, began acting at a young age, landing her first Broadway role at the age of 13. She will turn 91 in December.
From Top Left: Alan B. Shepard, Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, L.
Gordon Cooper
Bottom Left: Wally Schirra, Donald K. "Deke" Slayton, John
Glenn and Scott Carpenter.
On April 9, 1959, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) introduced America’s first astronauts to the press (above).
The seven men, all military test pilots, were carefully selected from
a group of 32 candidates to take part in Project Mercury, America’s
first manned space program. NASA planned to begin manned orbital flights in 1961.
On April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715th
career home run, breaking Babe Ruth’s legendary record of 714
homers. A crowd of 53,775 people, the largest in the history of
Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, was with Aaron that night to
cheer when he hit a 4th inning pitch off the Los Angeles Dodgers’
Al Downing. However, as Aaron was an African American who
had received death threats and racist hate mail during his pursuit
of one of baseball’s most distinguished records, the achievement
was bittersweet.
Vintage Truetone Portable Radio, Model D3840, AM Band, 6 Vacuum Tubes.
Truetone was the private label radio, television and electronics
brand of Western Auto Supply Company of Kansas City,
Missouri.
In the late 1920s, radio was taking the country by storm and
Western Auto was looking for new items to add to its line of
merchandise.
After selling radio tubes under its "Wizard" brand in the 1920s,
the company offered its first Truetone brand radios in 1931.
Barbra Streisand plants a kiss Duke’s cheek after presenting
him with his career’s only Academy Award.
On April 7, 1970, the legendary actor John Wayne wins his first—
and only—acting Academy Award, for his star turn in the director
Henry Hathaway’s Western True Grit.
Wayne appeared in some 150 movies over the course of his long
and storied career.
John Wayne (Marion Robert Morrison)
(May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979)
