Blog readers share more moon landing memories
It's Monday morning and the 40th anniversary of the day American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. It's one of those life touchstones for many of us and I have been enjoying reading the memories that more than 370 of you have blogged about here since we first asked for them two weeks ago. Click here to see our original post and the thoughts you all shared. To pique your interest, here are a few unique ones from Americans across the globe at the time.
• Barbara Hoffman was sent home early from work at the Wapa Theatre in Wapakoneta, Ohio (Armstrong’s home town) to watch the moon landing.
• Kay Thomas from Mt. Airy, N.C. was giving birth to her son and there are numerous other readers who remember giving birth on that day.
• John L. Swingen, Jr. was in Paris and remembers French people hugging him just because he was American.
• Judy M. Findlay was in Carmel, Calif. recording a tape to send to her husband who was deployed in Vietnam and began screaming into the tape with the moon landing news. She still has it.
• Joseph Taylor was a 19-year-old anti-war, long-haired American backpacking through Europe. The townspeople in Aegina, Greece invited him and his friends to celebrate with dancing and ouzo.
• Bob Schoenecker from Kittanning, Pa. was in Vietnam listening to the landing on a transistor radio with the 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division.
• Jim Bard was in officer training school at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. Their classes were canceled so they could watch the historic moment.
• Kitty Wynnberry was in Amsterdam when she heard shouting about the moon landing and is one of many who recalls how proud she was to be an American.
July 13, 2009
Read more moon landing memories
What sweet and diverse memories you all have of July 20, 1969: the day American astronauts landed on the moon. More than 200 of you took the time this weekend to tell your personal stories — watching with family, listening at ice cream socials, giving birth to babies — and the result is a look at an historical moment uniquely American (though lots of you were visiting or stationed in different countries at the time.) I am enjoying reading all of the stories at the original posting here. I urge you to read them too; together they are a slice of Americana. Here's just a taste of it.
• I was standing watch as Officer of the Deck on the bridge of the USS NOA(DD-841) on patrol in the Tonkin Gulf.
•I was in labor the whole day of July 20, 1969. Our first and only child was born at 11:20 pm. It was really some evening!
• I was a 19-year-old Marine... I was part of the Marine Detachment aboard the USS Hornet assigned for the Apollo 11 & 12 recovery missions.
• I was touring with the National Company of Fiddler on the Roof and we were in Los Angeles playing the Ahmanson Theatre.
• It was my 16th birthday on July 20, 1969. They were supposed to land the next day but they went early to land on my birthday; a cosmic present.
• I was on a comercial airline enroute to Little Rock, Ark. from Cincinnati, Ohio.The cockpit crew kept us informed.
• That hot summer I was 10 years old and was attending summer Girl Scout camp at Kamp Kiwanis on Lake Martin near Montgomery, Alabama.
• I was 15, at the train station in Tokyo. Headed for Osaka by the Bullet Train.
• Nine-year-old farm boy: a hot Sunday afternoon, ice cream social at the Church.
• I was in Naples, Italy with a tour group from Rockord Ill.
• I spent that week on manuevers (out in tents) with my Army officers training company in Ft. Lewis, Wash.
• I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Beregadougou, La Haute Volta in 1969.
April 03, 2009
Share your baseball opening day memories
Opening day of the Major League Baseball season is not only a definite sign that spring has come, but it's also akin to a religious experience for many baseball fans. It's a time when every team still has an equal shot to reach the World Series in October, from the perennially snubbed Chicago Cubs to the powerhouse New York Yankees (featuring Derek Jeter, at right, and a new stadium this year) to the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies. Monday marks the opening day for many of these ball clubs (Sunday night for some), and for a piece in this weekend's issue of the magazine, we asked ESPN baseball writer and commentator Tim Kurkjian to tell us about his memorable opening day experiences. He gave us three recollections, including an Indians/White Sox first game from 1940 that featured a Bob Feller no-hitter. But we bet that our readers have their own memories, too, so tell us below about your favorite opening day game ever.
Photo by Robert Deutsch/USA Today
March 20, 2009
The lasting legacy of Marvin Gaye
April 1 will mark 25 years since the passing of one of music's greatest stars ever, Marvin Gaye. His songs have stood the test of time — What's Going On, I Heard It Through the Grapevine, Sexual Healing, How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You), Let's Get It On — and are anthems that are not only musically classic but deep and emotional as well. We have an article in this weekend's magazine featuring some of today's brightest stars sharing their favorite Marvin Gaye songs, including Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles, Brian McKnight and Joss Stone. Click read more for some extra celebrity thoughts from the likes of Akon and Randy Jackson, and then share your own favorite Marvin Gaye tunes and memories with us in the comments section below.
March 13, 2009
Are 'green' cars really green? Vote here
These days, if people aren’t talking about the economy, they’re talking about saving the environment. And going green in terms of transport is a very cool thing to do in Hollywood. Featured in the magazine this weekend is a story on eco-friendly cars, including the very pricey hybrid Lexus LS 600h luxury sedan. Former Beatle Paul McCartney has one of those — he paid a cool, celeb-worthy $158,000 for it. A more affordable car, the Toyota Prius (starting at $22,000) has an A-list of owners, among them Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz. Miley Cyrus, Shaquille O’Neal and Redman probably spent a little more than the $11,000 list price for their Smart Fortwos.
But hybrids aren’t a star's only means of environmentally correct travel. The actors who own hydrogen-powered BMW Hydrogen 7s ($118,000) — Hilary Swank, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Ed Norton — are like an Oscar voter’s dream team. Hollywood couple Christopher Guest and Jamie Lee Curtis plunk down $600 a month for their Honda FCX Clarity, which runs on hydrogen and electricity. (That's Curtis and her Clarity pictured.) And who said the electric car is dead? DiCaprio, Will.I.Am and car collector Jay Leno all own the sleek Tesla Roadster sportscar (only $109,000 for that one). We recognize that not everyone is convinced, in Hollywood or not, that hybrids and other non-gasoline vehicles save the environment. So tell us what you think: Are green cars really green? Vote below.
Photo courtesy of Honda
February 04, 2009
Who's the best pop fiction writer?
Whoa! I go away for two days and you all get into a hot conversation about popular fiction writers Stephenie Meyer and Stephen King, prompted by Brian Truitt's below post on King. Your thoughts are definitely passionate and make for interesting reading; thanks to all of you for the more than 400 posts. We'll be sure to remind you when Brian's cover story on King runs in the magazine next month.
January 28, 2009
Cast the new 'A-Team' movie!
Director John Singleton departed a big-screen adaptation of the 1980s action TV series The A-Team late last year, and now Joe Carnahan is in negotiations to helm the adventures of a crack unit of eccentric commandos on the run for a crime they didn't commit. I for one am stoked since Carnahan (Smoking Aces, Narc) is a solid filmmaker, and there's already a release date: June 11, 2010. So who would you cast in the film as the cigar-chomping leader, Hannibal Smith, or the wacked-out pilot, "Howlin' Mad" Murdock? Even more important, who do you want replacing the legendary Mr. T as the hard-hittin', plane-hatin' B.A. Baracus and spouting such lines as "I pity the fool!"?
January 27, 2009
'ER' adds another Oscar winner
It was big news when George Clooney, aka Dr. Doug Ross, announced his much-anticipated return to the long-running NBC drama ER for the series’ final episode. But E!'s Kristin Dos Santos, who's also a sometime USA WEEKEND contributor, is now reporting that Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon is joining Clooney for the April 2 finale. While details of the episode, including if Sarandon will be donning the always fashionable scrubs, are still under wraps, Kristin did get some behind-the-scenes news that ER series regular Linda Cardellini, who plays Sam, did film a scene with Clooney. So tell us: Are you excited about Clooney's return to the show that rocketed him to stardom?
Photo by Dan MacMedan/USA Today
January 16, 2009
Tell us: Is Batman really dead?
Adam West played him on TV in the 1960s. Decades later, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney and most recently Christian Bale have all played him on the big screen. I'm talking about Bruce Wayne, the man who is Batman, and yesterday we reported that Batman is dead. Still, no one in the comics world stays dead for very long so it's possible that a new mortal will pick up the Batman mantle. Tell us what you think: Is Batman off to the big Batcave in the sky? Or will he somehow return to fight another day? Post your votes and thoughts in the comments section below.
Art courtesy of DC Comics
January 08, 2009
The new cast for 'Celebrity Apprentice'
What celebrity will Donald Trump next dress down in the boardroom and say, in that trademark way of his, "You're fired!"? We'll be able to find out soon enough when the new season of Celebrity Apprentice debuts on Sunday, March 1. Piers Morgan of America's Got Talent prevailed in the first season last year, and one of the newly announced cast of 16 will compete in business tasks and challenges to win Trump's favor and play for their favorite charities. It's an interesting crowd to say the least, from athletes (basketball bad boy Dennis Rodman, Heisman winner Herschel Walker, pro golf babe Natalie Gulbis) and singers (country's Clint Black, R&B's Brian McKnight) to models (Claudia Jordan, Brande Roderick) and oddball personalities (comedian Tom Green, controversial funnyman Andrew Dice Clay, motorcycle-lovin' Renaissance man Jesse James, poker standout Annie Duke). And we actually have upcoming stories on two contestants: Melissa Rivers (who will be on the reality show with her mom, Joan) and figure skating's Scott Hamilton. Of those, who do you most want to see throw down with the Donald in the boardroom?
Photo by Ali Goldstein
