Animals in space 1959 flight. On 28 May 1959, aboard Jupiter IRBM AM-18, were a 7-pound (3.18 kg) American-born rhesus monkey, Able, from Independence, Kansas, and an 11-ounce (310-gram) squirrel monkey from Peru, Baker. The monkeys rode in the nose cone of the missile to an altitude of 360 miles (579 km) and a distance of 1,700 miles (2,735 km) down the Atlantic Missile Range from Cape Canaveral, Florida. They withstood forces 38 times the normal pull of gravity and were weightless for about 9 minutes. A top speed of 10,000 mph (16,000 km/h) was reached during their 16-minute flight. The monkeys survived
Miss Earth 2001 Miss Earth 2001 Miss Earth 2001 the first edition of Miss Earth pageant, organized by Carousel Productions. The pageant coronation night was held on 28 October 2001 at the University of the Philippines Theater in Quezon City, Philippines. There were 42 delegates who competed in the pageant that focuses on environmental issues. Catharina Svensson of Denmark, a professional equestrienne, fashion model, and third year law student, was crowned as the pageant's first winner. Miss Earth was formally launched in a press conference on April 3, 2001 along with the search of Miss Philippines to represent Philippines in the international competition.