Homer Hadley Hickman Jr., was born in Coalwood, West Virginia back in 1943 to Homer Sr., and Elsie. He graduated from Big Creek High School in 1960.  He continued his education graduating from Virginia Tech in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering. He served in the 4th Infantry Division with the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.After being discharged in 1970 he worked with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as an aerospace engineer.  He left in 1971, working as an engineer for the United States Army Aviation and Missile Command until 1978.  He returned to (NASA) in 1981 where he retired in 1998.  In 2018, he was appointed by Vice President Mike Pence to serve as a member of the National Space Council.What you may not know about Homer is t... 08/31/2020

Albert Hofmann was born in Baden, Switzerland back in 1906 to Adolf and Elisabeth.  His grandfather paid for education due to his family’s low income.  He studied chemistry at the University of Zurich.  After graduation, he worked at the pharmaceutical/chemical department of Sandoz in Basel, Switzerland.His main interest was to derive from the plants a system to purify the active constituents for use in the pharmaceutical industry.  His work led to the discovery of several things, but they are way beyond me to understand, except one. We’ll get to that in a moment.  In 1962, he and his wife Anita traveled to Mexico in search of the plant “Ska Maria Pastora”.  While he was able to take some of them back to Switzerland, he was never able to identify the active compound to synthesize it.  H... 08/15/2020

Leah Hing was born in Portland, Oregon back in 1907 to Lee and Ah Sin.  When she was five her father bought a hoe in Ladd’s Addition in Portland, where she would live for the rest of her life.  She attended Atkinson Elementary School and then graduated from Washington High School.  After graduation, she continued her education at Northwester Business College.She was one of the first Chinese-American women to be hired as an elevator operator in Portland.  In 1927, her and five other young women founded the Portland Chinese Girl’s Orchestra.  The group toured American for three years.  When she returned to Portland she managed the Chinese Tea Garden restaurant. During WWII, she worked at the Portland Air Base repairing flight instruments.  She also sold insurance, had her own watch-repair... 08/09/2020

Beatrice Alice Hicks was born in Orange, New Jersey back in 1919 to William and Florence.  She graduated from Orange High School in 1935.  Continuing her education, she received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Newark College of Engineering in 1939.  After graduation, she stayed at Newark as a research assistant.In 1948, she married Rodney Chipp.  In 1960, the couple made a month-long trip speaking tour of South America which focused on international cooperation between America and South American engineers.  Rodney died in 1966, she never re-married.  She died in 1979, she was 60.What you may not know about Beatrice is that she was the first woman engineer to be hired by Western Electric, the first president and co-founder of the Society of Women Engineers.  She also inv... 08/04/2020

Diego Hernandez Sanfeliz was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico back in 1934.  After graduating from high school, he attended the Illinois Institute of Technology.  He received a Navy ROTC scholarship in 1955, earning a degree in Physics.  After graduation, he was commissioned as an Ensign, in 1956 he was designated as a Naval Aviator.He saw action in Vietnam, he also served as Aide and Flag Lieutenant to Commander Carrier Division. By 1980 he was promoted to Captain taking command of the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy.  In 1981, he was in charge of the Third Fleet which included 40 ships, 200 aircraft, and roughly 50,000 sailors, airmen and Marines from the United States, Japan, Australia and Canada. He retired in 1991.What you may not know about Vice Admiral Hernandez is that he was ... 07/27/2020

Sonja Henie was born in Oslo, Norway back in 1912 to Wilhelm and Selma.  From a young age, she showed talent as a tennis player, swimmer and equestrienne.  She was educated by tutors and her father hired the best experts in the world to further his daughter into a sporting celebrity.She won her first major competition at the tender age of ten in the senior Norwegian championships.  She competed in the 1924 Winter Olympics when she was 11.  When she gave up her amateur status she moved to California, signing with Darryl Zanuck.  She signed a multiple year contract making her the highest paid actress of her time.  She retired in 1943 forming her own business with Arthur Wirtz.In the mid-1960’s she was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, she died in 1969, she was 57.What you may n... 07/21/2020

Anita Hemmings was born in Boston, Massachusetts back in 1872 to Robert and Dora.  She attended the preparation school for girls at the Girls’ High School in Boston. A lot of her classmates considered Anita an attractive woman.  She sang soprano in the glee club and was a featured soloist at the local churches in Poughkeepsie.She married Andrew in 1903. Three years after their marriage Andrew earned his medical degree from the Meharry Medical Department of Central Tennessee College in Nashville.  He did his post-graduate studies at Harvard Medical School in 1905.The union produced three children: Ellen, Barbara and Andrew.  She died in 1960, she was 88.What you may not know about Anita is that she was the first African-American woman to graduate from Vassar College. after graduation, sh... 07/16/2020

John Bell Hatcher was born in Cooperstown, Illinois to John and Margaret.  The family moved to Cooper, Iowa where he received his early education.  He worked in the coal mines to save for his education.  He attended Grinnell College in 1890, transferring to Yale University’s Sheffield Scientific School in 1882.  His major was in geology, mineralogy, zoology and botany. He graduated in 1884.He was hired in 1884, after graduation to excavate a site in Long Island, Kansas for the hefty sum of $50.00 per month.  He was hired by Princeton University during his employment he made three expeditions to Patagonia.  He produced twelve publications between 1897-1903 on his findings. He died in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania of typhoid fever in 1904, he was 42.What you may not know about John is that he w... 07/11/2020

Anna Mae McCabe was born in Buffalo, New Your back in 1920 to Daniel and Matie. The family moved several times finally settling in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1932.  She graduated from high school in 1938.  After graduation, she attended the Allentown General Hospital School for Nursing. In 1942, she joined the Army Nurse Corps, where she was sent to India, serving with the 20th Field Hospital.  She was on leave when the war ended, later serving at Fort Dix, New Jersey.  Moving up the ranks being appointed head nurse at the Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C.  She served in three wars retiring in 1971.  She served this Republic for 29 years.  She died in 2018, she was 97.What you may not know about Anna Mae Hayes is that the was the first woman in the U.S. Armed Forces to be promote... 07/06/2020

Claud Adkins Hatcher was born in Quitman County, Georgia back in 1876 to Lucius and Eleanor.  He had always wanted to be a doctor, however after his first year in college he changed his major to pharmacy, graduating from the University of Louisville School of Medicine.  By 1901, he was a successful businessman operating two pharmacies one in Preston, and the other in Dawson, Georgia.Later that same year he quite the pharmacy and opened a wholesale grocery business with his father I Columbus, Georgia. After a falling out with the Coca-Cola Company over wholesale pricing he dropped their line and experimented making his own line.  He developed Ginger Ale and Cherry Cola. However, he will be remembered for the one that brought him the most success that of Royal Crown Cola, later shortened ... 07/02/2020

Alfred Seale Haslam was born in Derby, Derbyshire, England back in 1844.  His father was an iron-founder so he was trained as an engineer.  He took over Union Foundry in 1868 until 1873, when his father retired.  he renamed it the Haslam Foundry and Engineering Company Ltd in 1876.Later on, he was elected as a counselor for Derby and justice of the Peace.  While serving as Mayor of Derby in 1890, where was an outbreak of a disease in the William Strutt Infirmary.  Back in those days proper ventilation was not known, so Alfred redesigned the hospital.  When it was reopened in 1891 the Queen Victoria knighted him for his services.  He died in St. Pancras, London, England in 1927, he was 82.What you may not know about Alfred is that in 1894, he applied for a patent for a new type of compre... 06/27/2020

Tatsuo Hasegawa was born in Tottori, Tottori Prefecture, Japan back in 1916.  He received his diploma in Engineering at the Tokyo Imperial University in 1939.  After graduation, he worked at the Tachikawa Aircraft Corporation.  He worked on the Tachikawa Ki-94 aircraft for the Imperial Japanese Army. However, the war ended before it ended.  His idea for the aircraft was later adopted by NASA in the 1960’s. After the war, he worked at Toyota Corporation. He rose through the ranks retiring as general manager in 1982.What you may not know about Tatsuo is that he was the chief developer of the first Toyota Corolla, the Toyota Publica.  He was involved in the development of the Toyota Crown, the Sports 80, the Celica, the Carina and the Toyota Dyna.  In 2004, he was inducted into the Japan A... 06/25/2020

Leonard Roy Harmon was born in Cuero, Texas back in 1917.  He graduated from the Daule High School.  After graduation, he worked in livestock production during the Great Depression.  He enlisted in the United States Navy when he was 22 in 1939.  He reported to Norfolk, Virginia for boot camp.After graduation, he was assigned to the USS San Francisco in 1939.  During the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942, the Japanese raked the ship killing nearly every officer on the bridge.  Leonard helped to evacuate the wounded. He was helping Pharmacist’s Mate Lyndford Bondsteel when the ship came under gunfire again.  While this was happening he deliberately stood between Bondsteel and the enemy gunfire in order to protect his wounded shipmates resulting in his death.  He was awarded the Navy Cro... 06/11/2020

James Philo Hagerstrom was born in Cedar Falls, Iowa to Edward and Hazel.  He attended Waterloo west High School graduating in 1939.  He enrolled at the University of Iowa, but after a year he transferred to the Iowa State Teachers College and also joining the Army Reserve Officer’s Training Corps.On December 6th, 1941, he drove to Iowa City and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces.  After training he was transferred to Hickam Field near Pearl Harbor.   He finally was sent to New Guinea.  He was involved in his first aerial combat on April 11th 1943.  By the end of the war he had flow 170 combat missions destroying six enemy aircraft.By 1950, he was a major assigned to the 111th FBS, ordered into active duty in the Korean War.  Arriving in Korea he was assigned to the 334th Fighter-Inte... 05/24/2020

Thomas Gurney was born in Wobum, Bedfordshire, England back in 1705.  His father had decided that Thomas would be a farmer, however his inclination for books and mechanics was so dedicated, when he put to farming he ran away.  Moving to Newport he learned clock making before becoming a schoolmaster at Luton.He was also interested in astrology, purchasing a lot sale of books he came upon one that will forever put him in the history books, more on that in a moment.  In 1737, he moved to London and was hired by Old Bailey (the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales).  In 1749, he returned to clock making while teaching, he died in 1770 at 65.What you may not know about Thomas is that one of the books he bought was by William Mason.  With that knowledge by reading the book by Mr. Mason... 05/16/2020

Luther Halsey Gulick Jr. was born in Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands back in 1865 to Luther Sr., and Louisa.  He studied at Oberlin Academy and at the Sargent Normal School for physical training.  He continued his education graduating from the medical school of New York University in 1889.  After graduation, he moved to Springfield, Massachusetts where he as the founding superintendent of the physical education of the International YMCA Training school.He designed a triangle logo- Spirit, Mind & Body that represented the YMCA philosophy, which evolved into the block letter “Y” that is used today.  From 1900 to 1908 he was the principal of the Pratt Institute High School.  He died in 1918 in Casco, Maine, he was 53.What you may not know about Luther is that he and his wife Charlotte founded t... 05/13/2020

Franz Seraphicus Grillparzer was born in Vienna, Austria back in 1791 to E.J. and Anna.  I could not find anything about him until 1807 when he entered the University of Vienna fulfilling his father’s wishes to become a lawyer.  he received his degree in 1811.  He worked as a private tutor until 1813.  He worked as a clerk at the Imperial and Royal Exchanger in Austria. However, his true love was the works of Pedro Calderon de la Barca.  He (Franz) wrote many dramas, he was considered a popular author ranking with Goethe and Schiller.  He was considered as the national poet of Austria.  He died in1872, he was 81.What you may not know about Franz is that not only was he the author of dramas, he also wrote the oration for Ludwig van Beethoven’s funeral.Your day is worthwhile when you make... 05/09/2020

Caleb Greenwood was born in Virginia back in 1783. I don’t have any information on him until 1810 when he took part in a fur trapping expedition with John Jacob Astor.  He trapped independently on the Arkansas River and the upper Missouri River.  He was also in good company like Jim Bridger when they crossed the Wind River Mountains.In 1825, he joined a group led by Jedediah Smith with the Hudson’s Bay Company. In 1844, he guided a group across the Sierra Nevada mountain range.  He returned the next year with two sons pioneering a new route bypassing the Truckee River Canyon. He died in 1873, he was 90.What you may not know about Caleb is that in 1846 on his return trip, well that is something you may have heard of the California Trail.  That’s right he was the person who founded that t... 05/07/2020

Pearl Grey was born in Ohio back in 1872 to Lewis and Alice.  Like me at an early age he was fascinated by history.  His father was abusive to Pearl, which caused him to frequently be engaged in brawls.  He did find comfort by finding a father substitute by the name of Muddy Miser. He attended the University of Pennsylvania on a baseball scholarship, graduating with a degree in dentistry in 1896. After graduation, he set up practice in New York City.  He moved to California in 1918.  Because of his father’s abuse he struggled with bouts of depression, anger and mood swings for the rest of his life.  His love was fishing and exploring taking copious notes about both. Pearl died of heart failure in 1939.  So, if you haven’t figured it out by now or haven’t heard of Pearl, what about if I ... 05/04/2020

William Robert Greer was born in Stewartstown, County Tyrone, Ireland back in 1909.  He emigrated to the United States in 1929, where he found work as a chauffeur to several families in the Boston and New York area.  Enlisting in the United States Navy during WWII, he was assigned to the presidential yacht, being discharged in 1944.He joined the United States Secret Service in 1945.  He worked his way up through the ranks where he was assigned to chauffeur several Presidents.  He retired from the Secret Service in 1966, due to a stomach ulcer, moving to Waynesville, North Carolina, he died in 1985, he was 75.While you may not know his name is will forever be written into the history books, for he was chauffeuring then President John, F. Kennedy’s presidential limousine as it made its wa... 04/28/2020