On This Day In History

[Bikkie]

463- Start of the Lunar Cycle of Hilarius

622 -Islamic Era begins: Muhammad and his followers begin migration from Mecca to Medina (Hijra)

1054 -The Great Schism between Western and Eastern churches begins when Roman Cardinal Humbert issues a bull of excommunication against Cerularius, Patriarch of Constantinople, on the altar of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople

1099- Crusaders herd Jews of Jerusalem into a synagogue & set it afire

1212 -Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa [Battle of Al-Uqab]: combined Christian army defeats Almohad Muslim force in a turning point for Muslim power on Iberian peninsula

1251- The Virgin Mary gives Simon Stock a Brown Scapular (legend)

1338- The six Electors of the Holy Roman Empire signed the Agreement of Rhense confirming Emperor Louis IV.

1377 -Richard II aged 10 crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey, succeeding his grandfather Edward III

1429 -Joan of Arc and the French army enter the city of Rheim

1439- Kissing is banned in England to stop the spread of the Black Death

1465- Battle at Montlhéry between Louis XI and the League of the Public Weal

1519 -Public debate between Martin Luther and theologian Johann Eck at Pleissenburg Castle in Liepzig, during which Luther denies the divine right of the Pope

1548- La Paz, Bolivia, is founded

1573- Alva demands submission of Zealand/Holland

1615- Night time naval battle off the coast of Peru between Dutch fleet led by Joris Spilbergen and Spanish fleet carrying silver, two Spanish ships sunk [1]

1618 -Captain John Gilbert patents first dredger in Britain

1661 -First banknotes in Europe are issued by the Bank of Stockholm

1672- William III becomes stadholder of Zeeland

1683 -Manchu/Chinese Qing Dynasty naval forces under commander Shi Lang defeat the Kingdom of Tungning in the Battle of Penghu near the Pescadores Islands.

1683 -Turkish troops under Kara Mustafa reach Vienna

1755- John Adams graduates Harvard

1769 -Father Junipero Serra founds Mission San Diego the 1st mission in California

1782- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera "Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio)" premieres in Vienna with Mozart conducting

1941- Joe Dimaggio goes 3 for 4, hitting in his 56th straight game

161 Battery sign at Bien Hoa base
1965-New Zealand artillery opens fire in Vietnam
Gunners of 161 Field Battery fired New Zealand’s first shots of the Vietnam War from their base at Bien Hoa, near Saigon.






Music History


2023-French fashion icon Jane Birkin, who sang with Serge Gainsbourg on the racy number "Je T'aime... Moi Non Plus," dies at 76. She's the namesake of the Birkin Bag, a symbol of luxury mentioned in many rap songs, most famously "'03 Bonnie And Clyde" by Jay-Z.

2022-Two songs from the '80s land in the US Top 40: "Master Of Puppets" by Metallica (#40) and "Running Up That Hill" by Kate Bush (#4). Both songs were revived by season 4 of Stranger Things, where they're used in battle against the evil Vecna

2022-Jennifer Lopez marries Ben Affleck at a quickie wedding in Las Vegas. The couple were engaged in 2002 and had a lavish ceremony planned, but they called it off. They started dating again in 2021 after Lopez' marriage to Marc Anthony and Affleck's marriage to Jennifer Garner ended.

2021-Biz Markie, the "clown prince of hip-hop," dies at 57. He's best known for his 1989 hit "Just a Friend."

2014-Blues rocker Johnny Winter dies at age 70.

2012-Jon Lord, a founding member of Deep Purple, dies at age 71 of a pulmonary embolism while suffering from pancreatic cancer.

2011-"Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO hits #1 after first appearing on the Hot 100 on February 12 at #78. Thanks to a captivating video, the song starts the "shufflin'" dance craze and spends a staggering 68 weeks on the chart (six at #1), which is longer than any other chart-topper.

2009-At the Latitude Festival, held every year in Henham Park in Suffolk, England, Noah and the Whale debut their feature-length film The First Days of Spring. The film accompanies their new record of the same name due out in August. Written and directed by lead singer Charlie Fink, the film stars model Daisy Lowe, the daughter of fashion designer Pearl Lowe and Gavin Rossdale, lead singer for the alt-rock band Bush.

2008-Billy Joel bids goodbye to Flushing, New York's iconic Shea Stadium with the first of two star-studded concerts. Sadly, this is the highlight of the Mets' season.

2008-Jo Stafford, whose "You Belong To Me" made her the first female artist to hit #1 on the UK Chart, dies of congestive heart failure at age 90.

2003-Cuban singer Celia Cruz dies of brain cancer at age 77.

Dave Matthews Band Release Busted Stuff
2002-After unfinished tracks from their shelved project The Lillywhite Sessions are leaked on the internet, Dave Matthews Band reworks the songs and release them as Busted Stuff.More

2001-Kid Rock's album Devil Without A Cause goes Diamond, selling over 10 million albums in America. His previous three albums sold maybe 50,000 copies combined, mostly in the Detroit area.

1996-The Sultan of Brunei, the world's richest man, marks his 50th birthday with a Michael Jackson concert on the Borneo Island. Jackson earns about $15 million for the performance, which is free to the 60,000 in attendance.

1996-Styx drummer John Panozzo dies at age 47 when his liver fails after years of drinking.

1995-At North Carolina's Duke University Medical Center, Wayne Osmond of The Osmonds undergoes an operation to remove a brain tumor.

1990-Trial begins for Judas Priest after they are accused of implanting subliminal messages in their song "Better By You, Better Than Me." The suit alleges that the messages caused two teenage boys to enter a suicide pact (one of the boys killed himself instantly; the other died three years later from complications related to the suicide attempt). The case is dismissed August 24 after the judge determines that the supposed subliminal message is just an accidental recording oddity.

1984-Billy Williams dies of a heart attack at age 74. His group the Billy Williams Quartet was a fixture on Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca's "Your Show of Shows" in the '50s.

1983-Twenty of the songs in the US Top 40 are by British acts, the most since 1965. The Police are at #1 with "Every Breath You Take," followed by Eddy Grant's "Electric Avenue."

1982-Peter Gabriel launches the 3-day WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance) festival at the Royal Bath and West showground in Somerset, England, with acts including the Drummers Of Burundi, Echo & the Bunnymen, and the Tian Jin dancers from China. It's a financial disaster but artistic success; Gabriel revives it the next year and the festival carries on, branching out to many countries over the next several years.

1981-Harry Chapin dies in a car crash at age 38.

1980-Donna Summer marries Bruce Sudano, former member of Brooklyn Dreams, who appeared on her 1979 hit "Heaven Knows." Within the next two years, they welcome two daughters: Brooklyn and Amanda Sudano.

1977-Shaun Cassidy's "Da Doo Ron Ron" hits #1 in the US. The song was first recorded by the girl group The Crystals in 1963. Cassidy's version changes the line "Someboy told me that his name was Bill" to "Someboy told me that her name was Jill."

1977-Barry Manilow's Barry Manilow Live hits #1 in America.

1976-After six years, Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina decide to split up their partnership, which had three big hits in "Thinking Of You," "My Music," and "Your Mama Don't Dance."

1976-Driven by discord after Gregg Allman testified against the band's road manager, The Allman Brothers announce their breakup. Gregg records and album with his wife, Cher, and Dickey Betts forms Great Southern. The band reunites in 1978.

1972-Smokey Robinson performs his final show with The Miracles at the Carter Barron Amphitheater in Washington, DC. At the end of the show, Smokey introduces his replacement, 20-year-old Billy Griffin.

1971-Live lead singer Ed Kowalczyk is born in York, Pennsylvania.

1967-Arlo Guthrie debuts "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" at the 1967 Newport Folk Festival. The song runs 18 minutes long and tells a true (but greatly exaggerated) story about how he was arrested one Thanksgiving morning for illegal dumping. The ticket later made him ineligible for the draft, keeping him out of the Vietnam War.

Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Judy Collins, Janis Ian, and Tom Paxton also play the festival this day.


1966-Tommy James and the Shondells' "Hanky Panky" hits #1 for the first of two weeks.

1964-Country singer Connie Smith records her debut single, "Once A Day," at RCA's Studio B in Nashville.

1962-The Beach Boys sign to Capitol Records, which has already released the group's single "Surfin' Safari."

1959-The Coasters record "Poison Ivy."

1955-Elvis Presley makes his first appearance on the national charts as "Baby, Let's Play House" enters the Cash Box country charts at #15.

1952-Stewart Copeland is born in Alexandria, Virginia. He spends his youth in Lebanon and then England. After moving back to the States to attend college, he returns to the UK to play drums for Curved Air and then The Police.

1944-Thomas Boggs (drummer for The Box Tops) is born in Wynne, Arkansas, but is raised mostly in Memphis, Tennessee.

1941-Desmond Dekker (leader of The Aces) is born in Saint Andrew Parish, Jamaica.

1939-Blues/R&B singer Denise LaSalle is born in Mississippi. Her first hit is "Trapped By A Thing Called Love," which tops the R&B chart and lands at #13 on the Hot 100 in 1971.

1938-Tony Jackson (bass guitarist for The Searchers) is born in Dingle, Liverpool, England.

1927-'40s and '50s pop vocalist Mindy Carson is born in New York City. She catches her big break when she wins an audition to the radio program Stairway to the Stars, landing her an eight-month gig with Paul Whiteman's orchestra.

1925-Nat Pierce, pianist and arranger for the Woody Herman band in the '50s, is born Somerville, Massachusetts.

1925-Latin jazz musician Cal Tjader is born in St. Louis, Missouri. His parents are Swedish American vaudevillians who eventually settle in San Mateo, California, when Cal is 2 years old. At 16, he wins a Gene Krupa drum solo contest with "Drum Boogie."

1911-Ginger Rogers is born Virginia Katherine McMath in Independence, Missouri. She begins her partnership with Fred Astaire in the 1933 RKO musical Flying Down to Rio.

[Bikkie]

1453 -Battle of Castillon: French army beats English force under John Talbot, turning point of the Hundred Years' War

1505 -Martin Luther enters a Augustinian monastery at Erfur

1585- English secret service discovers Anthony Babington's plot to murder plot Queen Elizabeth I

1603- English explorer Walter Raleigh is arrested by forces of King James I of England

1717- George Frideric Handel's "Water Music" premieres repeatedly on a barge cruising the River Thames in London

1774- Captain James Cook arrives in the New Hebrides (Vanuatu)

1791 -Members of the French National Guard under command of General Lafayette open fire on crowd of radical Jacobins at Champ de Mars, Paris, during the French Revolution, killing up to 50 people

The Raft of the Medusa
1816- "L'Argus" accidentally discovers raft holding survivors from wrecked French frigate "Méduse." After 13 days at sea only 15 of 151 remain, the rest having been cannibalised, murdered, or committed suicide. This event was made famous by Théodore Géricault’s painting "The Raft of the Medusa"


1841 -British humorous and satirical magazine "Punch" is first published; it closes in 2002
1850- Harvard Observatory takes 1st photograph of a star (Vega)
1856- The Great Train Wreck of 1856 between Camp Hill and Fort Washington, Pennsylvania kills over 60 people
1858- Recovery of the bell of HMS Lutine from ship's wreck, hung from rostrum in Lloyd's of London's Underwriting Room
1861- At Manassas, Virginia General Beauregard requests reinforcements for his 22,000 men, General Johnston is ordered to Manassas
1861- US Congress authorizes paper money

Morgan's Raid
1862 -John Hunt Morgan's confederate cavalry raid reaches Cynthiana, Kentucky

1897- 1st ship arrives in Seattle carrying gold from Yukon

1918 -Longest errorless game, Cubs beat Phillies 2-1 in 21 innings

1922 -Ty Cobb gets 5 hits in a game for record 4th time in a year

1933 After successfully crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the Lithuanian research aircraft Lituanica crashes in Germany under mysterious circumstances

1934- Babe Ruth draws his 2,000th base on balls at Cleveland

1936- NY Giants future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Carl Hubbell begins MLB record 24 game winning streak, beating Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-0 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh

1941- NY Yankee Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak ends in Cleveland

1945 -Leaders Harry Truman, Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill hold their first post World War II meeting at the Potsdam Conference

1948 -US Air Force pilot Gail Halvorsen encounters children in at Templehof Airport in Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, giving him the idea to drop candy in 'Operation Little Vittles'

1955 -Disneyland televises its grand opening in Anaheim, California

1959 -Paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey discovers the partial skull of a new species of early human ancestor, Zinjanthropus boisei or "Zinj" (now called Paranthropus boisei), which lived in Africa almost 2 million years ago

1963- Dave DeBusschere hits a single off Bennie Daniels, his 1st and only MLB hit

1964- Don Campbell sets a record for a turbine vehicle at 690.91 kph (429.31 mph)

1964 -Great Britain performs nuclear Test at Nevada Test Site

1967 -Jimi Hendrix quits as opening act of the Monkees' tour, after playing 7 of a planned 29 shows

1968 -The Beatles' animated film "Yellow Submarine" premieres in London

1972 -First two women begin training as FBI agents at Quantico

1974- John Lennon is again ordered to leave the US in 60 days due to a 1968 marijuana charge in the UK (he doesn't)

1974 -The Moody Blues open 1st quadrophonic recording studio in UK

1975 -Four British soldiers are killed by a Provisional Irish Republican Army remote-controlled bomb near Forkill, County Armagh; attack the first major breach of a February truce

Historic Handshake in Space
1975 -NASA's Apollo 18 and Soviet Soyuz 19 make 1st US/USSR linkup in space

Reggie Jackson and Billy Martin Clash
1978- NY Yankee manager Billy Martin and Reggie Jackson fight in dug out after Jackson refuses to bunt, causing Martin to suspend him

Sebastian Coe's Record Mile
1979- Sebastian Coe runs world record 3:49 mile in Oslo

1987- 10 teens die in Guadalupe River flood (Comfort, Tx)

1987 -Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 2,500 (2,510.04) for 1st time


Sports History
1988 -Florence Griffith Joyner of the USA sets 100 m woman's record (10.49)

1988 -Four billion TV viewers watch Mandela's 70th Birthday Tribute

1988 -Highest temperature ever recorded in San Francisco, 103°F (39°C)

1989- 1st test flight of US stealth bomber

1989- Paul McCartney releases single "This One", from his album "Flowers In The Dirt

1990 -Minnesota Twins become 1st team to turn 2 triple plays in a game but lose to Boston Red Sox 1-0

1994 -Hulk Hogan beats Ric Flair to win WCW wrestling championship

1995- Forbes Magazine announces Bill Gates is the richest man in world with a net worth of $12.9 billion dollars

2013- 58 people are killed in floods in Sichuan Province, China

2013- 7 people are killed by a car bomb in Damascus, Syria

Bono Honored
2013 -U2 singer Bono is made a Commandeur of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres

2014 Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 is shot down over Eastern Ukraine by a Buk surface-to-air missile launched from pro-Russian separatist-controlled territory, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew on board

Paddy the Wanderer, 1935
1939-Death of Paddy the Wanderer
Paddy, a ginger and brown Airedale terrier, became a national celebrity because of his exploits on the Wellington waterfront and beyond during the 1930s





Music History



2023-CMT pulls Jason Aldean's video for "Try That in a Small Town," which shows footage of urban violence and protests. A swirl of controversy follows, sending the song to #1 on August 5.

2016-Kim Kardashian posts a video on her Snapchat account of a phone call between Kanye West and Taylor Swift where Kanye recites the line, "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex," from his song "Famous," and she seems OK with it. Swift responds on Instagram by posting, "Where is the video of Kanye telling me he was going to call me 'that bitch' in his song? It doesn't exist because it never happened."More

2014-The short-lived reality show LeAnn & Eddie debuts on VH1. It stars celebrity couple LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian, who made tabloid headlines after they had an affair while married to other people.

2012-The soundtrack album to the film The Dark Knight Rises is released, destined to debut at #8 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. It also scores #10 on the Canadian albums chart. Composer Hans Zimmer becomes an overnight sensation, frequently compared with former golden soundtrack star John Williams.

2011-Wolfmother frontman Andrew Stockdale gets wasted at the Archive Bar in Brisbane, where a local Beatles tribute band is performing. After crashing the stage and drunkenly screeching along to "Let It Be," he refuses to leave and is arrested when police arrive. He spends a night in jail and is fined $350.

2009-Gordon Waller of Peter and Gordon ("A World Without Love") dies of a heart attack at age 64.

2006-Bill Miller (Frank Sinatra's longtime pianist) dies from complications following a heart attack in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

2004-At the end of her show at the Aladdin Hotel in Vegas, Linda Ronstadt dedicates her encore, a cover of the Eagles' "Desperado," to filmmaker Michael Moore, urging fans to go see his current movie, Fahrenheit 9/11. A shocked audience reacts mostly with boos; approximately half walk out on the spot.

1996-Chas Chandler (bassist for The Animals, Jimi Hendrix Experience) dies of an aortic aneurysm at age 57.

1996-The song "Key To My Heart" by the R&B trio Choice appears in the movie Kazaam, starring Shaquille O'Neal as a 5,000-year-old genie. Choice quickly disbands but its stand-out singer, Alecia Moore, goes on to greatness as Pink.

1995-Carole King's Tapestry album is certified Diamond for sales of 10 million in the US.

1993-After two-and-a-half years, the Guns N' Roses Use Your Illusion tour comes to an end at a show in Buenos Aires. It is the last time Axl and Slash share a stage until the 2016 GnR reconciliation.

1991-Fourteen years after the deadly crash of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Baton Rouge-bound aircraft, the surviving members of the band, reunited under the name "Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991," return to the Louisiana city to kick off a new tour. Shirts sold for the event read, "Baton Rouge! After 14 years! We're finally here..."

1987-Keith Richards signs a solo deal with Virgin Records.

1981-Universal Pictures releases the romantic drama Endless Love, starring Brooke Shields. The film is quickly forgotten, but the theme song, a duet by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross, spends nine weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earns Richie an Academy Award nomination for Best Song.

1979-Gary Moore leaves Thin Lizzy in mid-tour; Midge Ure replaces him as lead guitarist.

1976-Luke Bryan is born Thomas Luther Bryan in Leesburg, Georgia. After attending Georgia Southern University and working on his family's peanut farm, he moves to Nashville in 2001 and releases his first album, I'll Stay Me, in 2007.

1975-Bob Marley and the Wailers play a historic concert at London's Lyceum Theater that features the acclaimed Legend version of "No Woman No Cry."

1975-The divorce between Ringo Starr and Maureen Cox is finalized in London. Starr marries Barbara Bach in 1981

1974-In West Hampstead, London, The Moody Blues open the world's first Quadrophonic recording studio.

1971-Jarrett Cordes (aka DJ Minutemix of PM Dawn) is born in Jersey City, New Jersey. His stepfather is George Brown of Kool & the Gang.

1970-The Guess Who perform at the White House for President Richard Nixon and his royal guests, Prince Charles and Princess Anne. They do not play their hit "American Woman," as they are asked to refrain from performing it "as a matter of taste."

1968-The Beatles' fourth film, the animated fantasy Yellow Submarine, premieres in London. Although the four band members in the picture are voiced by professional actors, the band itself makes a cameo in the finale, leading movie audiences through the song "All Together Now."

1967-Jazz saxophonist John Coltrane dies of liver cancer at age 40.

1967-Jimi Hendrix plays his eighth and final show as the opening act for The Monkees, which understandably does not go well as Monkees fans want nothing to do with Hendrix.

1967-In America, The Beatles release "All You Need Is Love," John Lennon's maxim. It becomes their 14th #1 hit in that country.

1965-James Brown releases "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag." It would become Brown's first song to reach the Billboard Hot 100 Top Ten.

1963-Regina Belle is born in Englewood, New Jersey.

1963-The Muffs lead singer Kim Shattuck is born in Los Angeles.

1962-Elvis Presley releases "She's Not You."

1959-While under arrest for illegal possession of narcotics, Billie Holiday dies at age 44 at Metropolitan Hospital in New York City, where she has been since June 12. Years of drug and alcohol abuse took their toll on the singer, who suffered from cirrhosis of the liver.

1955-Disneyland opens in Anaheim, California with a parade broadcast live on ABC. Walt Disney introduces their new group of young performers, the Mouseketeers, who star in the upcoming series The Mickey Mouse Club. Annette Funicello is the breakout star

1954-The Newport Jazz Festival, the world's first such event, debuts on the tennis courts of the Newport Casino in Rhode Island.

1952-Chet McCracken (drummer for The Doobie Brothers) is born in Seattle, Washington.

1952-Pop-turned-country singer Nicolette Larson is born in Helena, Montana.

1950-Phoebe Snow is born in New York City.

1949-Mike Vale (bassist for Tommy James & the Shondells) is born.

1949-Terence "Geezer" Butler (bassist, lyricist for Black Sabbath) is born in Aston, Birmingham, England.

1948-Ron Asheton (guitarist, bassist for The Stooges) is born in Washington, D.C.

1947-Wolfgang Flur (of Kraftwerk) is born in Frankfurt, Germany.

1947-Mick Tucker (drummer for Sweet) is born in Harlesden, North West London, England.

1942-Gale Garnett, known for the 1964 folk hit "We'll Sing In The Sunshine," is born in Auckland, New Zealand, but will relocate to Canada by age 11.

1939-Charlie Barnet records "Cherokee."

1939-Spencer Davis (of The Spencer Davis Group) is born in Swansea, Wales.

1933-Mimi Hines, Broadway performer and comedienne (Funny Girl, The Prisoner of Second Avenue), is born in Vancouver, Canada.

1928-Jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi, noted composer of music for Charles Schulz's Peanuts, is born Vincent Anthony Dellaglio in San Francisco, California.

1912-20-year-old Dorothy Goetz, the first wife of Irving Berlin, dies of typhoid fever in New York. They had been married less than 6 months. Berlin writes his first ballad: "When I Lost You."

[Bikkie]

447 BC Battle of Cremera: Etruscan city Veii ambushes and defeats the Roman Republican army in one of the most unexpected and dramatic defeats in Roman history

390 BC Roman-Gaulish Wars: Battle of the Allia - Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, leads to subsequent sacking of Rome

Great Fire of Rome
64 Great Fire of Rome begins under the Emperor Nero

1290 King Edward I orders expulsion of Jews from England, this edict will remain in place for 350 years

1334 Bishop of Florence blesses the first foundation stone for the new campanile (bell tower) of the Florence Cathedral, designed by artist Giotto di Bondone

1743 First half-page newspaper ad is published, in the NY Weekly Journal

1855-New Zealand's first postage stamps go on sale
These adhesive, non-perforated stamps for prepaid postage were the famous ‘Chalon Head’ design, showing Queen Victoria in her coronation robes.

1801 HMS Investigator sets off on a voyage to determine if New Holland (Australia) is one island or two, under command of Matthew Flinders, with botanist Robert Brown and artists Ferdinand Bauer and William Westall aboard

1861 -Battle of Blackburn's Ford, Virginia

1862 -Battle of Newburgh, Indiana - captured by Union forces

1863- Battle of Fort Wagner, South Carolina - Second assault


Lincoln Calls for Volunteers
1864 -US President Abraham Lincoln asks for 500,000 volunteers for military service

1855-New Zealand's first postage stamps go on sale
These adhesive, non-perforated stamps for prepaid postage were the famous ‘Chalon Head’ design, showing Queen Victoria in her coronation robe.

1896 -Indian-born K S Ranjitsinhji completes an unbeaten 154 on Test cricket debut for England in second Test against Australia at Old Trafford

Babe Ruth's becomes All Time HR Leader
1921 Babe Ruth achieves 139 home runs with a MLB record 575 feet hit to become the all-time home run leader in Major League Baseball, taking the title from Roger Connor

1921 Black Sox trial begins in Chicago

1924-Flock House youth training farm opens
The governor-general, Viscount Jellicoe, officially opened Flock House station, near Bulls. This training farm was established using surplus profits from wool sales during the First World War.

Ty Cobb's 4,000th Hit
1927 Ty Cobb's 4,000th MLB career hit

Oops, Wrong Way!
1938 Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan arrives in Ireland after a 28-hour flight, supposedly leaving New York flying for California

Elvis Records First Demo
1953 Elvis Presley pays $3.98 to make his first demo at Sun Studio in Memphis, recording "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" and reportedly gives the record to his mother as a belated birthday present.




Music History


2020-Five months after his murder, the rapper Pop Smoke goes to #1 in the US with his debut album, Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon. 50 Cent, a mentor to Pop Smoke, helped complete the album.

2018-Billy Joel plays his 100th concert at Madison Square Garden, becoming the first musician to hit that mark at the storied venue. New York State declares "Billy Joel Day" in his honor.

2014-Shakira becomes the first person to accumulate 100 million likes on Facebook.

2013-Jay-Z drops his hyphen, becoming Jay Z. Like his "retirement" in 2003, it doesn't stick - the hyphen returns with his next album, 4:44, in 2017.

2012-The Who announce of a tour to revive their rock opera Quadrophenia. The original run of the film of Quadrophenia debuted in 1979; the album in 1973. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, as the surviving members of the group, are also tapped to perform the ending song for the 2012 Olympic games in London.

2011-The romantic comedy Friends With Benefits, starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, premieres in New York City. The soundtrack includes the Semisonic tune "Closing Time," which Timberlake sings in the movie.

2001-Weezer release "Hash Pipe," the first single from Weezer (aka The Green Album). Described by frontman Rivers Cuomo as a "totally insane" song, it still gets plenty of airplay, although the title is a little too druggy for MTV, who display it as "H*** Pipe."

1998-'N Sync get a big boost in America when their "In Concert" special airs on the Disney Channel. They got the gig when their boy band rivals Backstreet Boys backed out.

1993-Rage Against The Machine protest music censorship by appearing at their Lollapalooza set in Philadelphia completely nude except for duct tape over their mouths. They refuse to play any music, and simply stand for 25 minutes with the letters PMRC written on their chests, a reference to the Parents Music Resource Center.

1992-The second edition of Lollapalooza is launched at Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View, California. The traveling festival features such main stage attractions as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam.

1992-"Achy Breaky Heart," a #1 country hit from Billy Ray Cyrus, peaks at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1991-The very first Lollapalooza music festival is held in select locations throughout North America. Bands and artists include Jane's Addiction, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Nine Inch Nails, Living Colour, Ice-T, Butthole Surfers, Rollins Band, Violent Femmes and Fishbone.More

1988-Ike Turner is sentenced to one year in a Santa Monica, California, jail for six grams of crack found in his car during a traffic stop in August 1987.

1988-Christa Päffgen aka Nico (of The Velvet Underground) dies at age 49 while vacationing in Ibiza, Spain. While riding a bicycle, the German singer-songwriter suffers a heart attack and falls and hits her head, causing a severe cerebral hemorrhage.

1983-Following up on momentum from their free Central Park reunion concert, Simon and Garfunkel start a 19-city tour in Akron, Ohio.

1982-Ryan Cabrera is born in Dallas, Texas.

1980-Closer, the second and final album from Joy Division, is released just two months after the suicide of founding member and singer Ian Curtis. Its claustrophobic, synth-laden sound, combined with Curtis's nihilistic lyrics make it a defining moment in England's post-punk scene.

1978-Tony Fagenson (drummer for Eve 6) is born. His dad is record producer and bass player Don Was (of Was (Not Was)).

1978=Tony Fagenson (drummer for Eve 6) is born. His dad is record producer and bass player Don Was (of Was (Not Was)).

1975-Daron Malakian (guitarist, vocalist for System Of A Down) is born in Los Angeles, California.

1974-Reinforcing his anti-establishment beliefs, the US denies renewal of John Lennon's visa based on a drug possession conviction in England four years earlier. The matter is sorted out and an international incident averted.

1972-All six members of Sly & the Family Stone are arrested in Hollywood after police search their tour bus and find two pounds of marijuana and two vials of cocaine.

1968Gary Puckett & the Union Gap's "Lady Willpower" is certified Gold.

1968-Hugh Masekela's "Grazing In The Grass" is certified Gold.

1966-Bobby Fuller (of The Bobby Fuller Four) is found dead, soaked in gasoline, in his automobile outside of his apartment in Hollywood, California. The details of the 23-year-old singer's death are murky - it's unclear whether it was a murder, suicide, or accident - but the official cause of death is reported as asphyxia due to inhalation of gasoline.

1966-The Beach Boys release "Wouldn't It Be Nice" with "God Only Knows" on the flip side.

1964-The Rolling Stones score their first American hit when their cover of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" peaks at #48 on the Hot 100.

1964-The Four Seasons' "Rag Doll" hits #1 for the first of two weeks.

1962-Rock drummer Jack Irons (of Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers) is born in Los Angeles, California.

1960-Brenda Lee's "I'm Sorry," recorded when she was just 15, hits #1 for the first of three weeks. It's the first of her two chart-toppers; her next single, "I Want To Be Wanted," also goes to #1.

1958-Nigel Twist (drummer for The Alarm) is born Nigel Buckle in Manchester, England.

1957-Keith Levene (of The Clash) is born Julian Keith Levene in Muswell Hill, London, England.

1955-Terry Chambers (drummer for XTC) is born in Swindon, Wiltshire, England.

1954-Country/bluegrass singer Ricky Skaggs is born in Cordell, Kentucky.

1953-18-year-old Elvis Presley, a truck driver by trade, stops into Memphis Recording Service (later renamed Sun Studios), and pays $3.98 to record two songs: "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin."

1950-Glenn Hughes (leather guy in The Village People) is born in New York City.

1949-Wally Bryson (guitarist, vocalist for The Raspberries) is born in Manhattan, New York City.

1948-Phil Harris (guitarist, vocalist for Ace) is born in Muswell Hill, London, England.

1948-Cesar Zuiderwijk (drummer for Golden Earring) is born in The Hague, Netherlands.

1946-Tim Lynch (guitarist, harmonica player for Flamin' Groovies) is born in San Francisco, California.

1945-Danny McCulloch (bassist for The Animals) is born in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England.

1943-Robin McDonald (rhythm guitarist, bassist for Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas) is born in Nairn, Scotland.

1941-Country rocker Lonnie Mack is born Lonnie McIntosh in West Harrison, Indiana.

1941-Martha Reeves of Martha & the Vandellas is born in Eufaula, Alabama.

1941-Producer Frank Farian is born in Kirn, Germany. In the '70s he masterminds the dance act Boney M., with his vocals mimed by lead lip-syncher Bobby Farrell. He follows a similar formula in the '80s with Milli Vanilli, who get embroiled in scandal when it's revealed they didn't sing on their albums.

1940-Jim Kweskin, founder of Jim Kweskin Jug Band, is born in Stamford, Connecticut.

1939-Dion DiMucci, better known as Dion, is born in The Bronx, New York

1939-Brian Auger (keyboardist for Steampacket) is born in Hammersmith, London, England.

1938-Ian Stewart, an original member of The Rolling Stones who becomes an unofficial member in 1963, is born in Pittenweem, Fife, Scotland.

1935-Johnny Funches (of The Dells) is born in Chicago, Illinois.

1931-Thomas "Papa Dee" Allen (percussionist, vocalist for War) is born in Wilmington, Delaware.

1929-Shock rocker Screamin' Jay Hawkins is born Jalacy Hawkins in Cleveland, Ohio.

1910-Jazz pianist Joe "Fingers" Carr is born Louis Ferdinand Busch in Louisville, Kentucky. He will eventually become an A&R man and studio pianist for Capitol Records, playing on tracks from Peggy Lee, Jo Stafford, and Tennessee Ernie Ford.

1909-Harriet Nelson is born Peggy Lou Snyder in Des Moines, Iowa. Before starring on the long-running sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, alongside husband Ozzie Nelson, Harriet works as a singe and actress under contract with RKO Studios.

2008-illy Joel plays the "Last Play at Shea" concert - the final show before Shea Stadium is closed down. Joel is joined on stage by Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, and The Who's Roger Daltrey.


2014-Shakira becomes the first person to accumulate 100 million likes on Facebook.

[F5 Dave]

Have you ever posted something motorcycle related? Why just this generic Internet stuff radio stations (remember them grandad?) would report on shitty morning shows instead of playing music or likely just more adds.
Good riddance.

[Bikkie]

Have you ever posted something motorcycle related? Why just this generic Internet stuff radio stations (remember them grandad?) would report on shitty morning shows instead of playing music or likely just more adds.
Good riddance.

Yip there goes the moaner again, he sounds like a bit of a Grandad!

[Bikkie]

1333 - The Scots are routed in the Battle of Halidon Hill, a significant setback in their fight for independence from England.

1545 - Henry VIII's flagship Mary Rose sinks at Portsmouth; 73 people die.

1553 - Lady Jane Grey is deposed after nine days as English monarch and later executed.

1843 - Steamship SS Great Britain, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, is launched, the first ocean- going craft with an iron hull.

1870 - France declares war on Prussia.

1903 - French cyclist Maurice Garin wins the first Tour de France.



Music History

2017-Performing barefoot as usual, singer-songwriter Barbara Weldens is electrocuted on stage at Gourdon, France and dies from cardiac arrest.

2014-Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden launch a co-headlining tour at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, Nevada.

2013-Pearl Jam play a sold-out show at Wrigley Field in Chicago, the first American stop touring behind their 10th studio album, Lightning Bolt. Seven songs in, the show is delayed by... lightning. After midnight, the band returns to the stage and plays a rousing set, as the place is still packed.

2011-Rebecca Black, the world's most ironic celebrity, cashes in on her worldwide viral Internet fame by launching her own record label, RB Records, and her first single on the label, "My Moment." The song fails to get the same attention as her breakout hit, "Friday."

2004-James Lowe and Mark Tulin of the Electric Prunes, famous for their 1967 garage-psych hit "I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night," sue their former label and publishing company for over one million dollars in unpaid royalties.

2002-Movin' Out, a stage musical dedicated to the songs of Billy Joel, premieres in Chicago.

2002-It's "Solomon Burke Day" in Philadelphia in honor of their native singer.

2001-Mariah Carey makes a surprise appearance on MTV's Total Request Live where she comes off as rather unhinged, rambling aimlessly and doing a striptease for the host, Carson Daly.More

2001-Soul singer Judy Clay dies at age 62 from injuries sustained in a car accident.

2000-Shel Talmy, who produced the first Who album, My Generation, puts the master tapes up for auction on eBay for $500,000. As intended, it gets the attention of the band, who buy them (for significantly less) and in 2002 release the My Generation: Deluxe Edition CD using the tapes.

1999-Lou Bega releases his debut album, A Little Bit of Mambo.

1997-Performing as Nimrod (the name of their upcoming album), Green Day play a secret show at The Viper Room in Los Angeles, where they premiere their song "Hitchin' A Ride."

1997-The Fat Of The Land by The Prodigy becomes the first album by an electronic group to hit #1 in America.

Clueless Hits Theaters
1995-Clueless debuts in theaters, reviving the teen movie genre and boosting the film career of Alicia Silverstone, who appeared in the music video for Aerosmith's "Cryin'." The accompanying soundtrack gives retro hits a modern makeover, with the pop-punk act The Muffs covering Kim Wilde's "Kids In America."More

1993-Producer Fred again is born Frederick Gibson in South London. After being mentored by Brian Eno, he produces tracks for Ed Sheeran, Rita Ora, and many other popular artists. In 2019, four of his productions hit #1 on the UK Singles chart.

1990-Singer Vicki Carr helps dedicate the Nixon Presidential Library, singing in front of all four living presidents (Nixon, Carter, Reagan, and George H.W. Bush), all of which she had performed for at the White House during their terms.

1989-After finding over $40,000 in cash and checks in his cell at the Stevenson Correctional Institute in South Carolina, officials move James Brown to a cell with tighter security.

1986-Genesis have their first (and only) #1 Hot 100 hit as "Invisible Touch" tops the chart.

1985-Joan Jett calls up-and-coming heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson before his fight with Larry Sims, which Tyson wins handily. The superstitious Tyson insists on getting a call from Jett before every fight, which he does until breaking tradition for his bout against Buster Douglas on February 11, 1990 - Tyson's first loss.More

1985-The Legend of Billie Jean, starring Helen Slater and Christian Slater as teens who become accidental outlaws, debuts in theaters, boasting the hit theme song "Invincible" by Pat Benatar. The teen flick receives mixed reviews but goes on to become a cult classic, despite Benatar calling it "one of the worst movies ever made."More

1981-The mayor of Odessa, Texas, declares today Roy Orbison Day in honor of the singer. (Orbison was actually from Wink, a microscopic town about 35 miles west.)

1980-Laguna Beach, California's Vorpal Gallery opens a new exhibit featuring paintings by Joni Mitchell, John Mayall, Klaus Voorman, and Ron Wood.

1980-"It's Still Rock and Roll To Me" hits #1 in the US, giving Billy Joel his first chart-topper on the Hot 100.

1980-David Bowie begins his run as The Elephant Man in Denver. The show does well, and Bowie takes the lead in the Broadway production later that year.

1977-Steve Martin appears on The Muppet Show, where he performs "Dueling Banjos" and makes balloon animals.

1975-Country singer Lefty Frizzell dies at age 47 after years of alcohol abuse.

1975-Paul McCartney & Wings' "Listen To What The Man Said" hits #1.

1975-Orleans release "Dance With Me."

1969-Jimmy Buffett marries beauty queen Margie Washichek, who was crowned Miss USS Alabama of 1967. They divorce two years later.

1969-The Spencer Davis Group breaks up. Steve and Muff Winwood left the band in 1967, but the band continued on with less success without them before calling it quits.

1966-The theme song to The Monkees TV series is recorded at RCA studios in Hollywood. The only Monkee to participate is Micky Dolenz, who does the vocal - the rest of the musicians are session performers.

1966-Doing it his way, the 50-year-old Frank Sinatra marries the 20-year-old actress Mia Farrow in New York, causing a predictable media event. The marriage lasts just two years.

1966-Johnny Rivers records "Poor Side Of Town."

1965-The Beatles release "Help!" in the US, backed with "I'm Down." It becomes their ninth #1 hit.

1960-Kevin Haskins (drummer for Bauhaus, Love and Rockets) is born in Northampton, England.

1958-The Drifters manager George Treadwell, who owns the name, fires the group and replaces them with members of The Five Crowns. When Ben E. King joins the group a short time later, The Drifters become consistent hitmakers, scoring with "There Goes My Baby," "This Magic Moment" and "Save The Last Dance For Me."

1954-Elvis Presley releases his first single: "That's All Right" backed with "Blue Moon Of Kentucky."

1952-Allen Collins (guitarist for Lynyrd Skynyrd) is born Larkin Allen Collins Jr. in Jacksonville, Florida.

1948-Keith Godchaux (keyboardist for Grateful Dead throughout the '70s) is born in Seattle, Washington, but will grow up in Concord, California.

1947-Queen guitarist (and astrophysicist) Brian May is born in Hampton, Middlesex, England.

1947-Bernie Leadon (guitarist, vocalist for Eagles) is born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

1946-Alan Gorrie (guitarist/vocalist/bassist for The Average White Band) is born in Perth, Scotland.

1944-Commander Cody (of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen) is born George Frayne IV in Boise, Idaho.

1941-R&B guitarist/bassist Phil Upchurch is born in Chicago, Illinois. In addition to recording with Curtis Mayfield, Dee Clark, B.B. King, Michael Jackson, and others, he's known for the 1961 instrumental hit "You Can't Sit Down."

1941-Pop singer Vicki Carr is born Florencia Bisenta de Casillas-Martinez Cardona in El Paso, Texas. Her first hit is a cover of The Crystals' "He's A Rebel" in 1962.

1937-Country singer George Hamilton IV, known for the 1963 chart-topper "Abilene," is born in North Carolina.

1932-Buster Benton, guitarist for Willie Dixon's Blues All-Stars, is born Arley Benton in Texarkana, Arkansas.

1925-Sue Thompson is born Eva Sue McKee in Nevada, Missouri. Known for the '60s pop hits "Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)" and "Norman.

[F5 Dave]

Yip there goes the moaner again, he sounds like a bit of a Grandad!

I used that slight on you. You can't just repeat the same thing. Try something original.
Oh. Right.

[jellywrestler]

Have you ever posted something motorcycle related? Why just this generic Internet stuff radio stations (remember them grandad?) would report on shitty morning shows instead of playing music or likely just more adds.
Good riddance.

at least the radio stations would pick out something interesting, not just read a list of forty things of and make you fall asleep....