Anna Lee Fisher (born August 24, 1949) is an American chemist, emergency physician and former NASA astronaut who was the first mother to fly in space. Fisher became an astronaut candidate with NASA Astronaut Group 8 and joined the Astronaut Office for the development of the Canadarm and the testing of payload bay door contingency spacewalk procedures. She was assigned to the search and rescue helicopters for four Space Shuttle missions, then involved in the verification of flight software at the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory and supported vehicle integration and payload testing at Kennedy Space Center. She flew into space on Space Shuttle Discovery for the STS-51-A mission and used the Canadarm to retrieve two satellites in incorrect orbits. Fisher then worked on procedures and training issues for the International Space Station (ISS), was a capsule communicator (CAPCOM) and the lead CAPCOM for ISS Expedition 33, and was involved in developing the display for the Orion spacecraft.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Lee_Fisher

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1814:

War of 1812: British forces invaded Washington, D.C., setting fire to various U.S. government buildings, including the White House (pictured). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_Washington

1889:

The New Zealand Native football team, predominantly comprising Māori players, concluded their 107-game tour, the longest in rugby union history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1888%E2%80%9389_New_Zealand_Native_football_team

1914:

The Battle of Cer ended with the first Allied victory of World War I. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cer

1954:

In the midst of a political crisis, Brazilian president Getúlio Vargas fatally shot himself in the Catete Palace in Rio de Janeiro. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get%C3%BAlio_Vargas

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

lave: 1. (transitive) 2. To bathe or wash (someone or something). 3. Of a river or other water body: to flow along or past (a place or thing); to wash. 4. Followed by into, on, or upon: to pour (water or some other liquid) with or as if with a ladle into or on someone or something; to lade, to ladle. 5. (figurative) 6. To remove (something), as if by washing away with water. 7. To surround or gently touch (someone or something), as if with water. 8. Chiefly in sexual contexts: to lick (someone or something). 9. (archaic or obsolete) Followed by out or up: to draw or scoop (water) out of something with a bucket, scoop, etc.; specifically, to bail (water) out of a boat. 10. (intransitive) 11. (reflexive) To bathe or wash. 12. (figurative) 13. To surround as if with water. 14. Chiefly in sexual contexts; followed by at: to lick. 15. An act of bathing or washing; a bath or bathe, a wash. 16. (rare, also figurative) The sea. [...] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lave

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

We are the heirs to the greatest democracy in the history of the world. And on behalf of our children and our grandchildren and all those who sacrificed so dearly for our freedom and liberty, we must be worthy of this moment. It is now our turn to do what generations before us have done, guided by optimism and faith: to fight for this country we love, to fight for the ideals we cherish, and to uphold the awesome responsibility that comes with the greatest privilege on Earth — the privilege and pride of being an American. So, let’s get out there, let’s fight for it. Let’s get out there, let’s vote for it. And together, let us write the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told. Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.   --Kamala Harris https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kamala_Harris