USS Kiowa (AT-72) and squirrel monkey Miss Baker, which were the first living creatures the United States launched into space and returned alive to earth. From 1959 until early 1965, "Kiowa" continued towing operations out of Norfolk, and also performed extensive services at Guantanamo Bay. During the latter part of June and all of July 1965, "Kiowa" operated as a unit of a task force patrolling the West Indies during the second Dominican Republic Crisis, her primary task being to maintain the off-shore pump for petroleum products to besieged Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. En route to the United States East Coast
Miss Earth the world's most isolated nations, sent its first Miss Bhutan, Tsokye Tsomo Karchun.<ref name="timesofindia.indiatimes-Miss_Bhutan/articleshow/3580153.cms"></ref> Rwanda also sent its first ever Miss Rwanda national winner, Cynthia Akazuba; both of them competed at the Miss Earth 2008 pageant. In 2009, Beauties of Africa, Inc., the franchise holder of Miss Earth South Sudan sent Aheu Kidum Deng, Miss South Sudan 2009, who stands 196 cm (6 feet and 5 inches), and is the tallest documented beauty queen ever to take part in any international beauty pageants. Palestine debuted in one of the Big Four pageants in 2016 via Miss Earth when Nathalie Rantissi