This Day in History: 0000-08-01
August 1, 1952- “Major Sammy Lee Wins Olympic Gold” “Major Sammy Lee, a 31-year-old Korean American doctory in the U.S. Army, became the first Asian American to win an Olympic medal for the 10-meter high dive. Prior to that, he served in two wars. He was nicknamed the The Oriental from Occidental, a nod to his time as a student-athlete at Occidental College. Later in life, he coached Greg Louganis, who went on to win several diving gold medals at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.”
November 6, 2012 - "Mazie Hirono Elected to U.S. Senate"
Mazie Hirono became the first Asian American woman elected to the U.S. Senate on November 6, 2012. She is also the first elected woman Senator from Hawaii, the first U.S. Senator born in Japan and the nation's first Buddhist Senator. Prior to getting elected to the U.S. Senate, Hirono served as the congresswoman from Hawaii's 2nd congressional district from 2007 to 2013. She has served on the Senate Committee on Armed Services, Committee on Environment and Public Works and Committee on Veterans' Affairs.