This Red Head Was Out Of This World For How She Saved Star Trek. Welcome to April 5, 2023 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a red headed hero and our 37th State. Since its debut in 1964, Star Trek has had more than its fair share of heroes. Kirk, Spock, Picard…and Lucille Ball. This funny redhead is best known for her iconic sitcom I Love Lucy, but she was also the head of Desilu Studios. In 1964, Gene Roddenberry sold Star Trek to Ball, who became the show’s biggest champion. After the initial pilot for the show bombed, Lucille Ball put up the money for reshoots, something that was unheard of for a TV show. The new version introduced us to the original crew that the world has grown to love. Today is First Contact Day, a celebration of the moment (in 2063) when humans first come into contact with aliens. Vulcans, to be more specific. But none of these exciting stories would’ve been told if it weren’t for a real-life Hollywood hero: Lucille Ball. Today we’re celebrating our 37th state, home of Fred Astaire, Marlon Brando, Johnny Carson and Henry Fonda. This state also brought us the reuben sandwich, it has the largest collection of haunted objects and was the last state to create a flag for itself. The Missouri river runs through it, its name means “flat water” and at one time it was known as “The Great American Desert”, which is odd since it has extensive underground water reserves. The Cornhusker State is the 16th largest in the US and 96 percent of the state is farmland. Today, we celebrate Nebraska, from Omaha to Lincoln to North Platte and everywhere in between. I’m Anna Devere and I’m John McClain filling in for Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day.
