Mes Nacional de la Herencia Hispana – National Hispanic Heritage Month
So I must hang my head a little on this cause I’m super late, but I didn’t want anymore time to pass by without paying homage to our “brown brothers and sisters”. Much like African/Black Americans/West Indians and the like, Hispanics or Latinos have made significant contributions to our country and history itself. I originally believe National Hispanic Heritage month was celebrated in October (which could be totally a corporate thing), but I had to educate myself a bit. The actual time frame of Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15 – October 15. Luckily I have some time to share some posts with you all. This week’s post will be simple. Some quick facts about Latinos who have made history. Below are some “Latino firsts”. Enjoy and be encouraged…
Latino Firsts
Member of U.S. Congress: Joseph Marion Hernández, 1822, delegate from the Florida territory.
U.S. Surgeon General: Antonia Coello Novello, 1990–1993. She was also the first woman ever to hold the position. (shown to the left)
Admiral, U.S. Navy: David G. Farragut. In 1866, he became the first U.S. naval officer ever to be awarded the rank of admiral. The first Hispanic American to become a four-star admiral was Horacio Rivero of Puerto Rico, in 1964. (shown to the right)
The first female Hispanic astronaut was Ellen Ochoa, whose first of four shuttle missions was in 1991.
Nobel Prize in Physics: Luiz Walter Alvarez, 1968, for discoveries about subatomic particles. Later, he and his son proposed the now-accepted theory that the mass dinosaur extinction was caused by a meteor impact.
Oscar & Tony. Best Supporting Actress: Rita Moreno, 1961, West Side Story; 1975, The Ritz – Rita Moreno became the first Hispanic American (and the second person ever) to have won an Oscar, a Grammy, a Tony, and an Emmy, picking up the last of those for her performance as guest host on The Muppet Show. (shown to the left)
Hall of Fame inductee: Roberto Clemente, 1973. He was also the first Hispanic player to serve on the
Players Association Board and to reach 3,000 hits.
Team owner: Arturo “Arte” Moreno bought the Anaheim Angels in 2003, becoming the first Hispanic owner of any major U.S. sports franchise. In 2005, he renamed it the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. (shown to the right)
Football Hall of Fame inductee: Tom Fears, 1970. He also became the first Hispanic American head coach in 1967.
Supermodel: Christy Turlington. (shown to the left)
Entertainer on the cover of TIME magazine: Joan Baez, 1962.
Source: FactMonster.com
