(male narrator) In the United States, September 15 through October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month. It is a time to remember the cultures and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. There are about 54 million Hispanics and Latinos in the United States. That's a lot of people to celebrate. The idea to do so began as a weeklong observance in 1968 under President Lyndon Johnson, and was extended to a full month in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan. September 15 is special because it is independence day for several Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico celebrates their independence one day later, while Chile and Belize honor theirs on September 18 and September 21. In the U.S., Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated with community festivals and educational events. Kids in school learn about famous people of Hispanic heritage, like Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman to become an astronaut; Nancy Lopez, one of the greatest women golfers; Mexican-American Cesar Chavez, who worked to improve conditions for farmworkers; Severo Ochoa, a Spanish-American Nobel Prize winner in Medicine, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the first Hispanic woman and first Cuban-American elected to the U.S. Congress. What famous person of Hispanic or Latino descent would you like to meet?