On This Day In History

[Bikkie]

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1504 ‒ Michelangelo's statue of David is unveiled in the Piazza della Signoria in Florence.

1664 ‒ The Dutch surrender New Amsterdam to the British, who rename it New York.

1862-First Albertland settlers arrive in Auckland
The Matilda Wattenbach brought 352 Nonconformist (non-Anglican Protestant) immigrants from England. Another 315 landed from the Hanover a week later, and six more immigrant ships had arrived by 1865.

1855 ‒ British and French troops capture Sevastopol from the Russians, effectively ending the Crimean War.

1900 ‒ A hurricane kills more than 6000 people in Galveston, Texas.

1906 ‒ Janet Meikle becomes the first person in New Zealand killed in a crash caused directly by a car when her 8hp De Dion Bouton goes over a bank on the family farm, 5km from Timaru.

1941 ‒ The German army begins an 872-day siege of Leningrad, Russia.

1943 ‒ Allied Commander Dwight D Eisenhower announces Italy's surrender in World War II.

SEATO leaders in Manila, 1966
1954
New Zealand signs Manila Pact
The South-East Asia Collective Defence Treaty, or Manila Pact, aimed to contain the spread of communism in the region. The South-East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was the institutional expression of this treaty

1957 ‒ Althea Gibson becomes the first African American to win the US Open tennis title, beating Louise Brough, 6-3, 6-2.

1966 ‒ First episode of the sci-fi series Star Trek airs on US TV.

1968 ‒ Arthur Ashe wins the first men's US tennis title of the Open era, beating Tom Okker in five sets. Ashe was still an amateur so Okker takes the US$14,000 winner's cheque.

1974 ‒ US President Gerald Ford pardons his predecessor, Richard Nixon.

2006 ‒ Australian motorsport legend Peter Brock dies in a crash during a rally near Perth.

2008 ‒ Swimmer Sophie Pascoe wins her first Paralympic medal, a silver, at the Beijing Paralympics.

2022 ‒ Queen Elizabeth II dies at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after reigning for 70 years. Her son Charles, Prince of Wales, ascends the throne upon her death as Charles III.



Music History


2020-McDonald's introduces the Travis Scott Meal: a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Sprite, and fries with BBQ sauce. It's the first McOffering named after a celebrity since 1992, when the McJordan appeared on the menu.

2019-Mitski, burned out from years on the road and increasing pressure from her rising popularity, wraps up her Be The Cowboy tour with a show in Central Park where she says it will be her "last show indefinitely." She returns to music in 2021 and gets a fresh jolt of fame as her music permeates TikTok over the next few years.

2017-Troy Gentry of the country music duo Montgomery Gentry dies in a helicopter crash en route to a gig in Medford, New Jersey. He was 50.

2017-Forty-one years after it was recorded, Neil Young's Hitchhiker is finally released. It features the first recorded versions of "Pocahontas" and "Powderfinger."

2016-Prince Buster, a Jamaican native who popularized ska music in England, dies at age 78.

2010-Rich Cronin (of LFO) dies of a stroke while battling leukemia in Boston, Massuchusetts, at age 36.

2007-Lynyrd Skynyrd are inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

2002-Gordon Lightfoot undergoes an emergency stomach operation in a suburban Toronto hospital.

2001-Jennifer Lopez's "I'm Real" remix tops the Hot 100 for the first of five non-consecutive weeks. The pop singer gets some urban street cred with the help of guest rapper Ja Rule.

2001-Kylie Minogue releases the single "Can't Get You Out Of My Head," with a "la la la" chorus that does indeed burrow into the brain. A global smash, it's her first big hit in America since "The Loco-Motion" in 1988.

1997-Cornershop release When I Was Born for the 7th Time, their third studio album. It contains the hit song "Brimful of Asha."

1994-Chris Cornell and Kim Thayil accept the Best Metal/Hard Rock Video Award at the MTV Video Music Awards for Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" clip, beating out Aerosmith ("Cryin'"), Anthrax ("Black Lodge"), and Rollins Band ("Liar").

1994-At the MTV Video Music Awards, Beastie Boy Adam Yauch (MCA), in character as "Nathanial Hornblower," rushes the stage when R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" beats "Sabotage" for Best Direction. It's the first such intrusion at the VMAs.More

Rev Up The Bone Machine
1992-Tom Waits' album Bone Machine drops a sonic avalanche of apocalyptic percussion sounds, snarls, and deathly wails - and fans love him for it.More

1989-Rapper Keith "Cowboy" Wiggins of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five dies at age 28 from a crack cocaine addiction.

1989-Rapper Keith "Cowboy" Wiggins of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five dies at age 28 from a crack cocaine addiction.

1988-Bad Religion return with their third album, Suffer - their first full-length in five years and one of their best selling albums of all time. Suffer sees the return of the classic How Could Hell Be Any Worse? lineup, now a five-piece featuring Greg Graffin (vocals), Brett Gurewitz (guitar), Greg Hetson (guitar), Jay Bentley (bass) and Pete Finestone (drums).

1987-Rush bring back Peter Collins, producer of Power Windows, for Hold Your Fire. Featuring Top Five singles "Time Stand Still" and "Force Ten," Power Windows goes Gold but is the first Rush album in nine years to fail to reach the Billboard Top 10 or to achieve Platinum status in the US.

1980-Eric Hutchinson ("Rock and Roll," "OK, It's Alright With Me") is born in Takoma Park, Maryland.

1979-Pink is born Alecia Moore in Abington, Pennsylvania. She becomes a huge pop star with soul-baring songs like "Family Portrait" and party jams like "Raise Your Glass." Highly athletic, she's also the first major singer to do aerial routines while performing, which she incorporates into her act in 2004.

1978-David Bowie releases his second live album, Stage. The album was recorded at concerts in Philadelphia, Providence and Boston.

1976-Riding the wave of his Frampton Comes Alive! album, Peter Frampton gets invited by President Gerald Ford to spend the day at the White House.

1972-Neil Young's girlfriend, the actress Carrie Snodgrass, gives birth to his first child, a son Zeke, who has cerebral palsy. His next child, Ben, also has the condition.

1966-American Bandstand host Dick Clark guests on ABC-TV's Batman.

1965-An ad appears in Variety looking for "Four Insane Boys, Ages 17-21" to star in a new TV show: The Monkees.

1960-Singer-songwriter Aimee Mann is born in Bon Air, Virginia. With her group 'Til Tuesday, she has a hit with "Voices Carry," and later embarks on a successful solo career.

1960-David Steele (bassist for Fine Young Cannibals) is born in Cowes, Isle of Wight, England.

1958-David Lewis (lead singer/guitarist for Atlantic Starr) is born.

1956-Elvis Presley first appears on the cover of TV Guide.

1956-Eddie Cochran signs a contract with Liberty Records.

1954-The DJ Alan Freed makes his move from Cleveland to New York, where he begins broadcasting his "Alan Freed Rock 'n' Roll Show" on WINS. The first white DJ to play black music, Freed brings R&B music to a wider audience in New York, and the sound quickly goes mainstream with the rise of Elvis and the popularization of rock music.

1947-Ben Orr (lead singer/bassist for The Cars) is born Benjamin Orzechowski in Lakewood, Ohio.

1946-Dean Daughtry (keyboardist for Atlanta Rhythm Section) is born in Kinston, Alabama.

1945-Kelly Groucutt (bassist and co-lead vocalist for Electric Light Orchestra) is born Michael William Groucutt in Coseley, Staffordshire, England.

1945-Pop singer Cathy Jean Giordano (of Cathy Jean & the Roommates) is born in Brooklyn, New York. Known for the 1961 hit "Please Love Me Forever."

1942-Brian Cole (bass guitarist for The Association) is born in Tacoma, Washington.

1935-The Hoboken Four, featuring a 19-year-old Frank Sinatra, appear on NBC's popular radio program Major Bowes and His Original Amateur Hour. They sing the Mills Brothers song "Shine" and earn the most votes in the history of the show, with 40,000 people calling in.

1934-Country singer Bill Parsons is born in Crossville, Tennessee. Known for his association with Bobby Bare, who was the real voice on the 1959 hit "The All American Boy," which was mistakenly credited to co-writer Parsons.

1933-Playback singer Asha Bhosle is born in Imperial India. She goes on to record more songs than anyone in history, mostly for Bollywood films.

1932-Country singer Patsy Cline is born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Winchester, Virginia, to Hilda, a 16-year-old seamstress, and Sam, a 43-year-old blacksmith.

1897-Jimmie Rodgers is born in Meridian, Mississippi. Known as "The Singing Brakeman" because of his early railroad job, he becomes one of the first country music stars.

1841-Composer Antonin Dvorak is born near Prague, Czech Republic (then part of Bohemia in the Austrian Empire).


1994-Nearly four months after tying the knot in a secret ceremony in the Dominican Republic, Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley make their first public appearance as a married couple at the MTV Video Music Awards, where Jackson infamously plants a sloppy smooch on his bride.

2016-Lance Bass of *NSYNC hosts Finding Prince Charming on the Logo network, the first all-gay dating show.

Ally McBeal Premieres
1997-The first episode of the legal dramedy Ally McBeal airs on FOX. Vonda Shepard, an unknown singer, catches her big break when she sings the theme song "Searchin' My Soul." Shepard also becomes a series regular, playing a lounge singer who gives voice to Ally's troubles through music at the end of each episode.

1993-Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) appear on stage together for the first time, performing at Club Lingerie in Los Angeles. They play "Pennyroyal Tea" and "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?"

1990-The New Kids On The Block cartoon series makes its debut. Lasting just one season on ABC, the animated New Kids travel the world and face challenges like getting to concerts on time.

Chuck Berry Does The Duck Walk
1955-In an attempt to hide the wrinkles in his suit, Chuck Berry does the duck walk for the first time.

[Bikkie]

1087 – The English king William I (the Conqueror) dies from an injury suffered while attempting to capture the town of Mantes in France.

1543 – Mary Stuart is crowned Queen of Scots, aged nine months.

1776 – The Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia changes the name United Colonies to United States of America.

1861– Sally Louisa Tompkins is commissioned a cavalry captain; the only woman to be commissioned in the Confederate army.

1888 – Chile annexes Easter Island (Rapa Nui) in the South Pacific.

1942 – A Japanese floatplane drops bombs on an Oregon forest, in the first and only air attack on the US mainland during World War II.

1948 – The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is formed in North Korea, claiming authority over the entire Korean peninsula.

1950 – First use of a TV laugh track, by US sitcom The Hank McCune Show.

1956 – Elvis Presley first appears on the Ed Sullivan Show.

1971 – Prisoners seize control of the maximum-security Attica prison near Buffalo, New York, beginning a siege that ends up claiming 43 lives.

1976 – Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong dies aged 82; New Zealand establishes its first centralised electronic database under the Wanganui Computer Act.

1976-Wanganui Computer legislation enacted
The establishment of New Zealand’s first centralised electronic database through the Wanganui Computer Centre Act focused attention on the state’s ability to gather information about its citizens.

1982-Bomb damage to the Wanganui Computer Centre.

1990 – American tennis player Pete Sampras defeats Andre Agassi at the US Open to capture his first of 14 Grand Slam singles titles.

2003 – Edward Teller, pioneer in molecular physics who was dubbed the father of the H-bomb, dies at 95.

2010 – NSW Parliament passes a bill giving same-sex couples the right to adopt.

2015 – Elizabeth II becomes Britain’s longest-reigning monarch at 63 years and seven months, beating the record set by her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria.

2016 – North Korea says it has tested a nuclear warhead launched from a missile. It was recorded as a 5.3 magnitude quake by monitors in the US, Europe, China and Japan.

2022 – King Charles III gives his first speech to Britain as its new monarch, vowing to carry on the “lifelong service” of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who died a day earlier.




Music History


2019-Kelly Clarkson's daytime talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, debuts. Every episode starts with "Kellyoke," where Clarkson sings a cover of a popular song.

2014-Who doesn't like a free gift? Apparently, about 500 million iTunes users who create an uproar when U2's latest album, Songs of Innocence, shows up sans charge and sans permission in their personal libraries.

2014-Vance Joy releases his debut studio album, Dream Your Life Away, four days after its release in his native Australia.

2008-Donny and Marie Osmond kick off what is supposed to be a six-week residency at the Flamingo hotel and casino in Las Vegas, but the show proves so popular, their run stretches for 11 years, coming to an end in 2019.

2008-Former Raspberries lead and solo star Eric Carmen is arrested in his hometown of Cleveland on DUI charges. He will be sentenced to six months in jail but will only serve 30 days.

2007-Britney Spears opens the MTV Video Music Awards with a listless lip-synch where she appears dazed and confused. Over the next few months, she loses custody of her kids and is involuntarily committed to a psychiatric facility.

2007-During a performance by Alicia Keys at the MTV Video Music Awards, Tommy Lee and Kid Rock get in a fight, prompting presenter Jamie Foxx to decry the "white on white violence."

2007-Rock guitarist Hughie Thomasson (of The Outlaws and Lynyrd Skynyrd) dies of a heart attack in Brooksville, Florida, at age 55.

2006-"SexyBack," the lead single from Justin Timberlake's second solo album, FutureSex: LoveSounds, hits #1 in America, where it stays for seven weeks. Timbaland and Nate "Danja" Hills are the producers - they're red hot, coming off Nelly Furtado's #1 "Promiscuous."

2005-Despite numerous fan protests, the City of Liverpool, England, declares its intention to go ahead and demolish Ringo Starr's birthplace on Madryn Street, which the famous drummer lived in until the age of 5.

2004-Ernie Ball, who developed many innovative guitar accessories, dies at age 74.

2004-The Oxford English Dictionary adds the word bootylicious, defined as "(of a woman) sexually attractive."

2003-Simon & Garfunkel make it official, announcing plans to reunite and tour for the first time in 20 years. They get more per ticket than any other tour that year: $136.90. They donate $1 million to The Children's Health Fund at the end.

2003-Bob Markley, who co-founded the West Coast Pop Experimental Art Band, dies at 68.

2003-John Mayer releases his second studio album, Heavier Things. The title is a response to some critics who believed his previous songs were too soft. The album debuts at #1 in the US and includes his enduring hit "Daughters."

2002-Peter Tetteroo (lead singer for The Tee Set) dies from liver cancer in Delft, Netherlands, at age 55.

2000-Duets, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Huey Lewis, is released at the Toronto Film Festival. The film is a critical and box-office flop, but Paltrow and Lewis's duet cover of "Cruisin'" reaches #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

1996-Bluegrass singer/songwriter Bill Monroe dies at age 84 in Springfield, Tennessee, several months after suffering a stroke.

1995-Kyuss perform their last-ever show, at Festa Dell Unita, in Reggio Emilia, Italy.

1994-Green Day play a free concert at the Hatch Shell in Boston. A few songs into their set, many in the crowd cross the line from moshing to rioting, and police order an end to the show. With their album Dookie climbing the charts, the band has been playing to exuberant crowds, which causes problems when casual fans find themselves engulfed in mosh pits.

1992-During a performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, Nirvana plays "Lithium," ending in a grand finale where bassist Krist Novoselic tosses his instrument high into the air. When he tries to catch it, he misses, and the bass whacks him in the head. Still, it's a pretty awesome performance.

1992-Nirvana's feud with Guns N' Roses reaches a tense climax when Axl Rose threatens Kurt Cobain backstage at the MTV Video Music Awards.

1990-Following Freedom, his much-lauded return to form, Neil Young releases Ragged Glory. His 18th studio album, the garage rock classic is also one of his most balls-out productions to date, and not what one would generally expect from a 45-year-old man late into a long musical career.

1989-The boy band Take That forms when Robbie Williams, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Howard Donald are chosen at auditions in Manchester, England, to join Gary Barlow.

1988-It's the finale of a 4-day "garage sale" where Elton John cleans house, which in his case looks like a high-end Hoarders. Among the items sold are the boots he wore in the movie Tommy and his Statue of Liberty stage costume that the 41-year-old feels he has outgrown. The take is $6.2 million.

1982-Coming off the monstrous success of Moving Pictures, Rush releases Signals, their ninth studio album. It features "Subdivisions," a song that becomes a regular part of their live repertoire. The album hits platinum status only two months after release.

1982-The Broadway musical Your Arms Too Short To Box With God, which is based on the Book of Matthew, is revived at the Alvin Theatre in New York with Al Green and Patti LaBelle in the cast.

1979-Two years after converting to Islam, Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) enters into an arranged marriage with Fauzia Ali. The couple raise five children, strictly adhering to the Muslim faith.

1978-The Rolling Stones release "Beast Of Burden."

1978-A Taste Of Honey's "Boogie Oogie Oogie" hits #1 for the first of three weeks.

1975-The TV series Welcome Back, Kotter debuts on ABC. The theme song, written by John Sebastian of The Lovin' Spoonful fame, goes to #1 in America in 1976. Kotter also gives John Travolta, who plays a high school delinquent on the show, his big break; he goes on to star in Saturday Night Fever and Grease.

1975-Paul McCartney and Wings begin their historic 13-month world tour. US performances will be recorded as the double LP Wings Over America. The group plays to over two million fans total during the course of the tour.

1973-Following up on his plan to use the concert audience for the background vocals on the left stereo channel for his song "Sons Of 1984," Todd Rundgren records the crowd at a show in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, which is disrupted because of a pot bust. The right channel vocals came from a show in New York.

1971-John Lennon releases Imagine in the US.

1970-Elvis Presley kicks off his first concert tour in nine years at a show in Phoenix, Arizona.

1970-Rapper Dray (of Das EFX) is born Andre Weston in Teaneck, New Jersey. Featured on Ice Cube's 1993 hit, "Check Yo Self."

1967-Sam and Dave release "Soul Man."

1967-The Spider-Man animated series debuts on ABC. The iconic theme song inspires a range of covers from the Ramones to Aerosmith to Michael Buble.

1966-James Darren's TV series Time Tunnel premieres on ABC.

1957-Paul Anka's "Diana" hits #1, where it stays for one week.

1956-Elvis Presley makes the first of three contracted appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. Sullivan had previously announced he would never have such an act on, but ratings prevailed and Sullivan offered Elvis a record $50,000 for the three shows. Charles Laughton hosts, filling in for an ailing Sullivan as Elvis performs "Don't Be Cruel," "Love Me Tender," "Ready Teddy" and "Hound Dog" but is shot from the waist up only to avoid scandal. The show draws a staggering 54 million viewers.

1955-Seeburg introduces their latest jukebox, which not only holds a record 100 singles but is also capable of playing the same number of EPs.

1954-Rising young star Elvis Presley performs at the opening of Memphis' Lamar-Airways shopping mall, and, afterward, meets audience member Johnny Cash for the first time.

1952-Dave Stewart, who forms Eurythmics with Annie Lennox in 1980, is born in Sunderland, England. A relentless collaborator, he co-writes songs for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers ("Don't Come Around Here No More"), Celine Dion ("Taking Chances"), Mick Jagger ("Old Habits Die Hard") and many others.

1950-John McFee (guitarist, violinist for The Doobie Brothers) is born in Santa Cruz, California.

1948-Pamela Des Barres, perhaps the most famous groupie of all time, is born. She boasts liaisons with Jimmy Page, Mick Jagger and Keith Moon, and even joins a band made up of groupies, The GTO's, in 1969. In 2013 she starts her own fashion label: "Groupie Couture."

1947-Freddy Weller (guitarist for Paul Revere and the Raiders) is born Wilton Frederick Weller in Atlanta, Georgia. Co-wrote Tommy Roe's 1970 hit, "Jam Up and Jelly Tight."

1946-Bruce Palmer (bassist for Buffalo Springfield) is born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

1946-Two months after making her TV debut on the BBC's Cabaret Cartoons, 13-year-old Petula Clark begins hosting her first television series, titled Petula Clark.

1946-Trevor Leslie Oaks (guitarist for Showaddywaddy) is born in Leicester, Leicestershire, England.

1946-Soul singer Inez Foxx is born in Greensboro, North Carolina.

1946-Doug Ingle (vocalist/organist for Iron Butterfly) is born in Omaha, Nebraska.

1945-R&B singer Dee Dee Sharp is born Dione LaRue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Known for early-'60s hits like "Mashed Potato Time" and "Slow Twistin" (the latter with Chubby Checker).

1942-Soul singer Luther Simmons (of The Main Ingredient) is born. Known for the 1972 hit, "Everybody Plays the Fool."

1941-Otis Redding is born Otis Ray Redding Jr. in Dawson, Georgia. He would be raised in nearby Macon.

1941-Duffy Power is born Raymond Leslie Howard in Fulham, London, England. The blues/rock 'n roll singer is known for his covers of hits like Bobby Darin's "Dream Lover" and The Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There."

1940-Joe Negroni (of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers) is born in New York City, New York.

1926-Jake Carey (bass singer for The Flamingos) is born in Pulaski, Virginia.

1926-The Radio Corporation of America, later known as RCA, launches its new radio network, the National Broadcasting Company (later known as NBC).

[Bikkie]

1898 - Empress Elizabeth of Austria-Hungary is assassinated by an Italian anarchist in Geneva.

White Island, 1934
1914
Eruption on Whakaari (White Island) kills 10 people
On 10 September 1914, 10 miners working on Whakaari (White Island) were killed when part of the crater wall collapsed, causing a landslide

1939 - German Army gains complete control of western Poland; Canada declares war on Germany.

1963 - Twenty black students enter public schools in Birmingham, Tuskegee and Mobile, Alabama, following a standoff between federal authorities and Governor George C. Wallace, who resisted integration.

1967 - Gibraltar electorate votes to retain link with Britain rather than to return to Spanish sovereignty.

1972 - The United States vetoes a UN Security Council resolution that calls for immediate cessation of military operations in Middle East.

1977 - Convicted murderer Hamida Djandoubi, a Tunisian immigrant, is the last person executed by the guillotine in France.

Staff at the Auckland City Art Gallery just before the opening of Te Maori
1984
Te Maori exhibition opens in New York
The landmark Te Maori exhibition was a milestone in the Māori cultural renaissance. Featuring traditional Māori artwork, it toured the United States between 1984 and 1986 before returning to New Zealand for a nationwide tour in 1987.

1989 - Hungary decides to allow about 7000 East German refugees to leave for West Germany.

1999 - Three bombs explode in apartment buildings in Moscow and Volgodonsk, in southern Russia, killing at least 229 people and sparking speculation of a terrorist campaign in Russia.

2009 - Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi brushes off questions about any possible resignation over his sex scandal, saying he has been the country's best premier ever.

2010 - A special commission says hundreds of sex abuse victims have come forward in Belgium with harrowing accounts of molestation by Roman Catholic clergy that reportedly led to at least 13 suicides and affected children as young as 2.



Music History

2020-Alicia Keys performs "Lift Every Voice And Sing" at the NFL season opener between the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs. The league has ordered the song, considered the "Black national anthem," played before every game in Week 1. The NFL cracked down on players who refused to stand for "The Star-Spangled Banner" after Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the song in 2016, a stance that is out of touch with the Black Lives Matter movement.

2019-John Cooper of Skillet releases the graphic novel Eden, which follows the band's adventure through a dangerous post-apocalyptic world to find a mysterious paradise.

2018-John Legend, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice all win Emmys for their work on the NBC special Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, earning all three EGOT. Only 12 other people had previously won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. Legend's Oscar came from "Glory"; his Tony for production work on Jitney.

Craig David Makes A Comeback
2015-Craig David breaks his hiatus with a guest slot on BBC Radio 1Xtra during a takeover by spoof garage and grime collective Kurupt FM, made popular by the BBC mockumentary People Just Do Nothing (also featuring grime MCs Big Narstie, Stormzy and MC Vapour). The session goes viral and helps launch David's comeback alongside the rising grime scene.More

2013-Apple announces iTunes Radio, a streaming service that is essentially a competitor to Pandora, creating radio stations based on a particular song, artist or genre.More

2011-"Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 goes to #1 in America. It's their first song written with help from outside writers (Benny Blanco, Shellback and Ammar Malik), a move that gives them a second wind and a string of hits that includes "Payphone," "One More Night" and "Animals."

2010-Delta bluesman Foster "Mr. Tater" Wiley dies in Memphis, Tennessee, at age 63.

2010-Linkin Park release their fourth studio album, A Thousand Suns, an apocalyptic-themed concept album that finds the rap-rockers exploring electronic rock on singles like "The Catalyst" and "Waiting For The End."

2009-Nine Inch Nails completes its Wave Goodbye Tour at Los Angeles' Wiltern Theater, with Trent Reznor declaring that the band is done performing live for "the foreseeable future." The band maintains its hiatus for roughly four years, returning on July 26, 2013, with their Twenty Thirteen Tour.

2008-Abingdon Street in Peoria, Illinois, is designated "Fogelberg Parkway" after their native son Dan Fogelberg. The street is where the events of his song "Same Old Lang Syne" took place.

2001-Jo Dee Messina releases "Bring On The Rain," which becomes an anthem of grief and resilience after the terrorist attacks the next day.
Michael Jackson Plays New York City The Night Before September 11

2001-The second of two star-packed Michael Jackson 30th anniversary celebration concerts is held at Madison Square Garden, with performances by Jackson, Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, and Usher. Just hours later, New York City is attacked by terrorists.

1999-Standin' On The Corner Park opens in Winslow, Arizona. Inspired by the city's famous mention in the Eagles song "Take It Easy," the park features a statue of a man with a guitar standing on the corner. The park quickly becomes a popular photo op for folks passing through Winslow.

1996-Neil Peart employs some jazz-influenced traditional drum grips on Rush's 16th studio album, Test for Echo. It's the last album the band releases before the death of Peart's daughter, followed ten months later by the passing of his wife, leads the band to take a six-year recording hiatus.

1996-Blues guitarist Lee Baker (of Lee Baker & The Agitators) is murdered at age 53, along with his elderly aunt, in Memphis, Tennessee.

1990-Starring a young rapper named Will Smith, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air debuts on NBC. Smith hones his acting skills during his six seasons on the show, which features guest appearances by his musical partner, DJ Jazzy Jeff.

1988-Guns N' Roses, on tour as the opening act for Aerosmith, hit #1 in America for the first of two weeks with "Sweet Child O' Mine."

1984-Matthew Followill (lead guitarist for Kings Of Leon) is born Cameron Matthew Followill in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

1981-After their show in Copenhagen, Iron Maiden announce that lead singer Paul Di'Anno will be leaving the band. He's replaced by Bruce Dickinson, who leads the band to new heights, starting with their 1982 album The Number Of The Beast.

1975-PBS airs the special The World Of John Hammond, celebrating the Columbia Records executive who signed Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen to the label. Dylan performs three songs in tribute.

1974-Randy Newman releases Good Old Boys, a concept album about a Redneck in the Deep South.

1973-The BBC, predictably, bans The Rolling Stones' single "Star Star," better known as "Starf----r."

1972-At the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, The Doors, who have continued as a trio since the death of Jim Morrison in July 1971, play their last concert. Their final song is "Light My Fire," the last song Morrison performed before his death.

1970-B.B. King plays for inmates at Cook County Jail in Chicago. The show is released the following year as the album Live at Cook County Jail.

1968-Rapper Big Daddy Kane is born Antonio Hardy in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. Known for 1988's "Ain't No Half-Steppin'."

1966-Miles Zuniga (guitarist/vocalist for Fastball) is born in Laredo, Texas.

1966-Robin Goodridge (drummer for Bush) is born in Crawley, West Sussex, England.

1966-The Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love" hits #1 for the first of two weeks.

1966-The Beatles' Revolver hits #1 in America despite a firestorm over John Lennon's comments that the group is "more popular than Jesus now."

1963-While traveling in London, John Lennon and Paul McCartney encounter Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham, who worked as a promoter for The Beatles earlier in the year. Oldham invites them to The Stones rehearsal, where Lennon and McCartney complete a song they were working on, "I Wanna Be Your Man," and give it to The Stones, which they use as their second UK single.

1962-The BBC bans Bobby "Boris" Pickett's Halloween novelty single "Monster Mash," finding it in poor taste. However, in 1973 the radio giant lifts the ban, sending a re-release of the holiday favorite to #3.

1960-David Lowery (lead singer for Cracker) is born in San Antonio, Texas.

1958-Siobhan Fahey of Bananarama and Shakespears Sister is born in Dublin, Ireland.

1956-Johnnie Fingers (keyboardist for The Boomtown Rats) is born John Peter Moylett in Ireland.

1955-Chuck Berry's first hit, "Maybellene," reaches its peak chart position of #5 in the US.

1951-Pete Tolson (guitarist for The Pretty Things) is born in Bishops Stortford, Herts, England. David Bowie covered the group's "Don't Bring Me Down" for his 1973 album, Pin Ups.

1950-Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry is born Anthony Joseph Perry in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He leaves the band at their drug-soaked nadir in 1979 but returns in 1984. The band returns to glory with their 1987 album Permanent Vacation.

1949-Barriemore Barlow (drummer/percussionist for Jethro Tull) is born in Birmingham, England.

1946-Don Powell (drummer for Slade) is born in Bilston, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England. He would become interested in drums as a Boy Scout.

1945-José Feliciano is born José Montserrate Feliciano García in Lares, Puerto Rico. Known for the Christmas classic "Feliz Navidad."

1942-Danny Hutton of Three Dog Night is born in Buncrana, Donegal, Ireland.

1937-Country singer Tommy Overstreet is born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He would be raised in Texas. His first hit was "Gwen (Congratulations)" in 1970.

1991-Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is released as a single, forever changing the musical meaning of the word "Alternative."

[Bikkie]

1880
Rail tragedy on the Remutaka incline
Four children were killed and 13 adults injured when two rail carriages were blown off the tracks by severe winds on a notoriously exposed part of the Remutaka incline railway. This was the first major loss of life on New Zealand’s railways.

Sign over nugget declares Hon Roddy Nugget 99ozs, 12 dwts, 12 grs. Worth 400 pounds
1909
New Zealand's heaviest gold nugget purchased
New Zealand’s heaviest gold nugget on record was found at Ross on the West Coast. Weighing 3.09 kg, the nugget was named the 'Honourable Roddy' after the minister of mines, Roderick McKenzie.

The Southern Cross at Wigram, Christchurch
1928
First trans-Tasman flight touches down
Australian pilots Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm crossed the Tasman in a Fokker tri-motor named the Southern Cross, covering 2670 km in 14 hours 25 minutes.


Music History

2022-The TV series Monarch, starring Trace Adkins as (fittingly) a country singer, debuts on Fox. Susan Sarandon plays his wife and Beth Ditto of The Gossip is one of his daughters. It's cancelled after one season.

2014-Songwriter Bob Crewe dies at age 83 in Scarborough, Maine, four years after suffering a brain injury from a fall. A prolific hit-maker, he was known for songs like "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.

2014-Cosimo Matassa, who recorded Little Richard and Fats Domino at his New Orleans studio, dies at age 88.

2012-Johnny Perez (drummer, songwriter for the Sir Douglas Quintet) dies at age 69 of complications from cirrhosis of the liver.

2009-Punk musician Jim Carroll dies of heart attack in Manhattan, New York City, at age 60.

2007-Singer/keyboardist Willie Tee dies of colon cancer at age 63.

2003-Jewel cancels her North American tour after Terome "T-Bone" Hannon, her bassist of three years, dies suddenly of a brain aneurysm at age 39.

2001-The Strokes' debut album, Is This It, drops on vinyl in the US. It contains the song "New York City Cops," an anthem against police brutality. The defiant track is removed from the forthcoming CD release in light of the terrorist attacks and the valiant response of the NYPD.

2001-Most radio stations simulcast news after terrorists attacks in America bring down the World Trade Center. Music proves vital when the healing begins.

2001-As Gerard Way watches in horror from the Manhattan ferry as the World Trade Center's Twin Towers collapse, he realizes life is too short to not follow his dream. Shortly after, he starts his own band: My Chemical Romance.

2001-Amid the chaos of terrorist attacks, PJ Harvey wins the Mercury Prize (an annual award given to the best album from the UK and Ireland) for Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea. She recalls: "It was very strange, particularly since we were in Washington. I woke up to people hammering on the door, saying the Pentagon was on fire – which we could see from our hotel. Sadly I didn't I feel at all present in terms of winning the Mercury Prize. And it was an honor for me to receive it."

2001-On the afternoon of the terrorist attacks against the country, a group of US senators and congressmen gather on the Capitol steps to sing Irving Berlin's "God Bless America." The song is invoked many times in the following days.

2000-Huey Lewis and Gwyneth Paltrow release a cover of Smokey Robinson's "Cruisin'" as a duet. The single reaches #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for a week and also appears in the 2000 film Duets, which stars the pair.

1987-Actor/musician Lorne Greene, known for his starring role on the western TV series Bonanza, dies of complications from pneumonia in Santa Monica, California, at age 72.

1987-Reggae musician Peter Tosh is shot and killed at age 42 during a robbery in his home.

1982-John Mellencamp becomes the first male solo artist with a #1 album (American Fool) and two Top 10 singles, all at the same time ("Hurts So Good" at #8; "Jack & Diane" at #4).

1982-Frank Zappa's "Valley Girl" reaches its chart peak of #32 on the Hot 100. It's the only Top 40 hit for the eccentric singer, who releases over 60 albums in his lifetime. His daughter, Moon Unit Zappa, plays the Valley Girl in the song.

1981-Charles Kelley of the trio Lady A is born in Augusta, Georgia. His brother is the singer Josh Kelley.

1977-David Bowie joins Bing Crosby to record the crooner's Merrie Olde Christmas special. Bowie refuses to sing "Little Drummer Boy" with Crosby, so his part is rewritten as "Peace On Earth." Crosby dies a month later before the show airs, and the duet becomes a Christmas classic, growing even more popular when MTV starts playing the clip a few years later.

1977-Jon Buckland (lead guitarist for Coldplay) is born in Islington, London, but he would be raised in Pantymwyn, North Wales.

1977-Rapper Ludacris is born Christopher Brian Bridges in Champaign, Illinois. In his teens, he moves with his mother to Atlanta, Georgia, where he makes his mark in music.

1975-Brad Fischetti (of LFO) is born in New York City, New York.

1974-WROV-AM in Roanoke, Virginia, starts playing the The Doobie Brothers album cut "Black Water" in honor of a local tributary of the same name. The resounding response from listeners prompts a single release two months later, and in March 1975, the song becomes a #1 hit.

1973-Bruce Springsteen releases his second album, The Wild, The Innocent And The E Street Shuffle.

1971-Richard Ashcroft (lead singer for The Verve) is born in Billinge Higher End, Wigan, England.

1971-The Jackson 5 cartoon series, called The Jackson 5ive, debuts on ABC. Each episode shows various adventures with animated versions of the group, along with Michael's pet mice Ray and Charles, and his snake Rosie. The cartoon runs from 1971-1973.

1968-The Beatles record most of "Glass Onion," John Lennon's song about fans who suss out hidden messages in his lyrics.

1967-In Hampshire, England, The Beatles begin filming Magical Mystery Tour, their third movie.

1967-Frank Sinatra, who is playing at the Sands casino in Las Vegas, gets in a fight when he is denied credit as part of a policy put in by the new owners. He breaks two teeth in the altercation and soon takes his talents (and money) to Caesar's Palace.

1967-Crooner Harry Connick, Jr. is born Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1965-Electronica musician Moby is born Richard Melville Hall in Harlem, New York City.

1965-The Beatles' Help! album hits #1 in America and stays for nine weeks.

1962-At Abbey Road studios in London, The Beatles record their first British singles: "Love Me Do" and "P.S. I Love You."

1962-Neil Sedaka marries his wife, Leba.

1960-Tommy Sands marries Nancy Sinatra (they divorce five years later).

1958-LaVern Baker records "I Cried A Tear."

1958-Lloyd Price records the original, uncensored version of "Stagger Lee."

1957-Jon Moss (drummer for Culture Club) is born in Wandsworth, South London, England.

1953-Tommy Shaw of Styx is born in Montgomery, Alabama.

1945-Dennis Tufano (original lead singer for The Buckinghams) is born Dennis Stanley Joseph Tufano in Chicago, Illinois.

1943-Mickey Hart (one of the drummers for Grateful Dead) is born Michael Steven Hartman in Brooklyn but would be raised in Long Island, New York.

1935-Composer Arvo Pärt is born in Paide, Järva County, Estonia. Created the tintinnabuli style of composition.

1896-Folklorist Francis Child, known for his collection of Child Ballads, dies at age 71.

[Bikkie]

1814 -Battle of North Point is fought near Baltimore during the War of 1812

1824 -Moreton Bay Penal Settlement established at Redcliffe, Queensland, with about 30 convicts (modern Brisbane, Australia) [1]

1829 -Greek War of Independence ends after 8 years and 6 months

1846- HMS Terror and HMS Erebus, the British expedition searching for a Northwest Passage led by John Franklin, become trapped by ice near King William Island; all eventually perish [1]

1847- Mexican–American War: the Battle of Chapultepec begins

1848- Switzerland becomes a Federal state

1862- Battle of Harpers Ferry, Virginia: Stonewall Jackson's Confederate force attacks and later captures the Union-held town

1885 -Highest football score recorded in any first-class soccer match: Arbroath 36–0 Bon Accord in Scotland

1895- Annie Londonderry [Annie Kopchovsky] arrives in Chicago to complete the first round-the-world trip by a woman on a bicycle in 15 months and collects her $10,000 prize


Music History

2022-The Jennifer Hudson Show debuts in syndication. The first guest on the daytime talk show is Simon Cowell, a judge when Hudson competed on American Idol.

2017-Stevie Wonder, Demi Lovato and Dave Matthews are among the performers at the "Hand in Hand" telethon, which benefits victims of hurricanes Harvey and Irma.More

2016-The #HotInHerreStreamingParty hashtag takes off as Nelly fans try to help him out of a $2.4 million tax debt by repeatedly streaming his hit "Hot In Herre." Based on an estimated Spotify royalty of $0.007 per stream, it will take about 342,857,142 listens to play off the debt.

2014-Joe Sample (pianist of The Jazz Crusaders) dies of mesothelioma at age 75.

2013-Ray Dolby (sound engineer who invented the noise-reduction system which bears his name) dies of leukemia in San Francisco, California, at age 80.

2012-After years of mainstream popularity, considerable airplay, and being nominated for numerous awards, Matchbox Twenty finally get their due on the charts with a #1 debut on the Billboard albums chart. North is their first top-charting album and their fifth studio album in the 16 years the band has been together.

2011-Suffering from Alzheimer's disease, Glen Campbell performs "It's Your Amazing Grace" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Campbell's memory is shot, but on stage he's able to perform, reading the lyrics from a teleprompter. He had just started his Goodbye Tour, which continues for more than a year, until his condition deteriorates to the point where he can no longer perform.

2011-Ed Sheeran's debut album, +, is released in the UK, where it tops the albums chart.

2010-Lady Gaga wears a dress made of raw meat to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, where she wins Video Of The Year for "Bad Romance."More

2009-The Christian rock band Skillet charts on the Hot 100 for the first time when their single "Awake and Alive" ekes in at #100. The track is from their hit crossover album Awake, which debuts at #2 in the US.

2008-Metallica release Death Magnetic, produced by Rick Rubin.

2007-Led Zeppelin announce a reunion concert, with 18,000 tickets priced at $255 each doled out in an online lottery. At least a million registrations come in for the show, which is scheduled for November 26 but postponed to December 10 when Jimmy Page breaks his finger.

2007-R&B singer Bobby Byrd (member of The Famous Flames with James Brown) dies of cancer near Atlanta, Georgia, at age 73.

2006-Britney Spears gives birth to her second child, Jayden James Federline, born just 363 days after her first son, Sean. In ensuing years, the kids enjoy many lavish joint birthday parties.

2006-Justin Timberlake releases his second solo album, FutureSex: LoveSounds. Impelled by the lead single "SexyBack," it goes to #1 in the US and sells over 9 million copies.

2006-Toby Keith makes his first appearance on Stephen Colbert's talk show. Despite their political differences, they become good friends, and in 2015 Colbert inducts Keith into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

2006-Marianne Faithfull announces she has breast cancer (seven weeks later she says she has made a "full recovery").

2003-Johnny Cash dies of complications from diabetes in Nashville, Tennessee, at age 71. One of the biggest stars of the '60s and '70s, he made some of his most memorable music near the end of his life with a set of back-to-basics albums produced by Rick Rubin, including American IV: The Man Comes Around, which wins the CMA for Album Of The Year posthumously.

2000-Lynyrd Skynyrd release Christmas Time Again, their first Christmas album.

2000-LL Cool J popularizes the phrase "GOAT," meaning the Greatest Of All Time, with the release of his eighth album, G.O.A.T., where he claims that title. The album lives up to its billing, going to #1.

1998-Lauryn Hill's solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill debuts at #1 in the US.

1998-Green Day frontman Billie Armstrong's second child with wife Adrienne is born: son Jakob Danger.

1995-Lenny Kravitz releases his fourth studio album, Circus. The lead single, "Rock and Roll Is Dead," is nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.

1993-Garbage find their lead singer when they see Shirley Manson in the video for "Suffocate Me" by her band Angelfish on MTV's alternative music showcase 120 Minutes. In a leap of faith, she moves from Scotland to Wisconsin to join Garbage, pairing her visceral lyrics and understated delivery with the band's progressive musical textures.

1993-Kelsea Ballerini is born in Mascot, Tennessee.

1987-The syndicated TV series Showtime at the Apollo makes its debut. During its 1093-episode run, hosts include Whoopi Goldberg, Martin Lawrence, Sinbad, Steve Harvey, and Mo'Nique.

Prince Gives Rare Interview In Rolling Stone
1985-Rolling Stone publishes their interview with Prince, who has not spoken to the press in three years. He remains elusive, but explains why he made up stories in his early years to appease and confound reporters: "I used to tease a lot of journalists early on, because I wanted them to concentrate on the music."More

1979-The ABC news program 20/20 runs the special "The Elvis Cover-Up," which alleges that Elvis Presley's death was linked to prescription drugs. When his doctor, George Nichopoulous, is brought to trial, evidence shows that Elvis had prescriptions for about 10,000 doses of drugs just in the year he died (1977).

1978-Ruben Studdard is born in Frankfurt, Germany, where his father is stationed with the US Army, but grows up in Birmingham, Alabama. He goes on to win Season 2 of American Idol.

1977-Paul McCartney's son, James, is born.

1977-B.T. Express perform for US President Jimmy Carter at the White House.

1975-Pink Floyd release the album Wish You Were Here.

1974-Country singer Jennifer Nettles (of Sugarland) is born in Douglas, Georgia.

1970-The Woody Guthrie tribute concert takes place at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Performers include Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Richie Havens and Joan Baez.

1969-The Rolling Stones release Through The Past, Darkly.

The Monkees TV Show Debuts1966
The Monkees TV show makes its debut, with four actors chosen to portray a pop band based on The Beatles. While The Monkees are a fictional band, they become very real and eventually play on their own recordings instead of studio musicians.

1966-Singer/pianist Ben Folds is born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

1966-The Roger Miller Show, starring the country singer, debuts on NBC with guests Bill Cosby and Wes Harrison. The show lasts just one season.

1960-Nina Simone's "Nobody Knows When You're Down and Out" peaks at #93, where it will stay for one week.

1957-Film composer Hans Zimmer is born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Known for award-winning scores for The Lion King (1994), Gladiator (2000) and The Dark Knight (2008), to name a few.

1957-Larry Williams records "Bony Maronie."

1956-Barry Andrews (keyboardist for XTC) is born in West Norwood, London, England.

1952-Neil Peart is born near Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. In 1974, he joins Rush, becoming both their drummer and lyricist.

1952-Folk rocker Gerry Beckley (of America) is born in Fort Worth, Texas.

1948-Giving up her job at the Tupelo Garment Company in Mississippi, Gladys Presley and her husband Vernon move to Memphis with their son, Elvis.

1946-Blue Cheer singer/bassist Dickie Peterson is born in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Barry White Is Born
1944-R&B singer Barry White is born Barry Eugene Carter in Galveston, Texas. He is raised in South Central Los Angeles.More

1943-Singer Maria Muldaur, known for her 1973 hit "Midnight At The Oasis," is born Maria Grazia Rosa Domenica D'Amato in Greenwich Village, New York City.

1943-Frank Sinatra starts his film career when he signs a 7-year contract with RKO Pictures.

1938-Soul/gospel singer Judy Clay is born Judith Grace Guions in St. Pauls, North Carolina.

1931-Country singer George Jones is born in Saratoga, Texas.

[Bikkie]

122 – Building begins on Hadrian’s Wall, in northern England.

335 – The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is consecrated in Jerusalem.

1586 – Anthony Babington and fellow conspirators go on trial for attempting to seize the throne of England for Mary Queen of Scots by plotting to murder Elizabeth I.

1933
New Zealand's first woman MP elected
The Labour Party’s Elizabeth McCombs became New Zealand’s first female Member of Parliament, winning a by-election in the Lyttelton seat caused by the death of her husband, James McCombs.



Music History


2024-At a Boston show, Jane's Addiction lead singer Perry Farrell, upset over sound levels, takes a swing at guitarist Dave Navarro and has to be forcibly removed from the stage. The show abruptly ends and the band cancel the rest of their tour.

2019-Lizzo, Cardi B and Jennifer Lopez play strippers in the movie Hustlers, which also features Usher as a patron. It's the film debut for Cardi, who was an exotic dancer before launching her music career.

2019-Eddie Money dies of esophageal cancer at 70.

2018-Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin get married at a New York City courthouse. They keep it a secret for months, and don't have a ceremony until September 30, 2019.

2015-REO Speedwagon guitarist Gary Richrath, who wrote their hits "Ridin' the Storm Out" and "Take It On The Run," dies at age 65.

2013-Hozier releases "Take Me to Church," the lead single from his self-titled debut album.

2013-After winning a landmark lawsuit, The Village People lead singer Victor Willis regains the copyright to 33 songs he co-wrote for the band. Willis is the first songwriter to go public with his case, which deals with a 1978 law that reverts copyrights to songs back to their original owners 35 years after. Like many songwriters, Willis had signed away the rights to his songs.

2011-The B-52s play their first ever show in Idaho, finally performing their song "Private Idaho" in the state that inspired it.

2011-After an eight-year absence, Anthrax release their 10th studio album, Worship Music. Joey Belladonna, who hasn't been with the band since 1992, returns to handle lead vocals.

2010-John Mayer shuts down his Twitter account with 3.7 million followers. Once an avid Tweeter, Mayer has shied away from social media after oversharing in a Playboy interview. He does eventually return to Twitter, but in moderation. "It does rewire your brain," he says.

2009-When Taylor Swift wins for Best Female Video at the MTV Video Music Awards, Kanye West comes on stage and commandeers the microphone, explaining that Beyoncé deserved the award for her "Single Ladies" video. When Beyoncé does win for Video of the Year later that night, she brings Taylor on stage to finish her speech.

2009-Katy Perry and Russell Brand meet at the MTV Video Music Awards, which Brand is hosting. The pair begin dating soon after.

2008-Come Dancing, a musical devoted to the music of The Kinks, opens in London.

2005-Jimi Hendrix's boyhood home in Seattle is saved from destruction after his estate and the city agree to renovate the building and turn it into a community center.

2003-Dave Clark Five lead singer Mike Smith suffers a tragic fall from a ladder at his home in Spain, leaving him without any movement in three limbs. He would remain a near-quadriplegic until his death in 2008 from pneumonia, a complication of the original injury.


Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous Hits Theaters
2000-Almost Famous is released in theaters across the US. The film is a semi-autobiographical account of writer and director Cameron Crowe's time spent interviewing rock bands for Rolling Stone in the '70s, when he was just a teenager. The film centers around a fictional band called Stillwater, and rather than being based on one band in particular, Stillwater feels like every '70s arena band rolled into one.

Elton John's "Candle In The Wind '97" Released
1997-Elton John's rewritten version of "Candle In The Wind" that he played at Princess Diana's funeral a week earlier is released as a single. It sells a record 600,000 copies the first day in Britain alone, where it becomes the best selling single of all time. Worldwide, it sells over 30 million copies, second only to "White Christmas."

1996-Tupac Shakur, age 25, dies six days after being shot while riding in a car driven by his label boss, Suge Knight. No arrests are made in the case.

1995-Rapper Playboi Carti is born Jordan Terrell Carter in Atlanta. With a range of vocal techniques, including his signature "baby voice," he becomes a go-to guy for features, with guest spots on tracks by Tyler The Creator, Camila Cabello, Travis Scott and many others.

1994-The Notorious B.I.G. releases his debut solo album, Ready to Die. It's the first album issued on Sean Combs' Bad Boy label.


1993-Max Weinberg, drummer with Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, begins his new job as bandleader for NBC-TV's new show Late Night With Conan O'Brien.

1993-Niall Horan of One Direction is born in Mullingar, Westmeath, Ireland.

1991-Alice Cooper plays Freddy Krueger's father in the movie Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare.

1990-Eddie Vedder does some surfing, writes some lyrics, and adds his vocals to three instrumental tracks recorded by the guys he would later join in Pearl Jam. The songs become "Alive," "Once" and "Footsteps."

1988-N.W.A founder Eazy-E releases his debut solo album, Eazy-Duz-It.

1986-"Take My Breath Away," the big, synthy ballad from the movie Top Gun, goes to #1 in America. It's by the group Berlin, but lead singer Terri Nunn is the only band member to perform on the song, which causes friction in the group that leads to their breakup a year later. The song was written and produced by Giorgio Moroder, who also contributed the Kenny Loggins hit "Danger Zone" to the film.

1986-The Communards hit #1 in the UK with their cover of "Don't Leave Me This Way," an American #1 for Thelma Houston in 1977. Their version becomes the top-selling UK single of 1986.

1984-Patti LaBelle makes her feature-film debut in the Norman Jewison drama A Soldier's Story, a WWII-era mystery about the murder of a Black sergeant near a segregated Army base in Louisiana. For her role as blues singer Big Mary, LaBelle wrote and performed the tune "Pourin' Whiskey Blues."


First-time Producer Kate Bush Releases The Dreaming
1982-After co-producing her previous release, Never For Ever, British singer-songwriter Kate Bush returns as sole producer with The Dreaming.

1980-The TV series Solid Gold premieres. Like its genre-mates American Bandstand and Soul Train, the show consists of Top-40 music (mostly recorded) in a studio with a dance stage and floor. A feature of the show is a specialty crew of "Solid Gold dancers" who bump and grind to the tunes. Dionne Warwick is the host for the first season, but the show rotates through numerous hosts during its course. The show runs almost eight seasons before discontinuing in 1988.

1979-ABBA starts their first and only tour of North America with a show at the Edmonton Sports Arena.

Fiona Apple Is Born
1977-Fiona Apple is born in Manhattan to singer Diane McAfee and actor Brandon Maggart.More

1976-Bob Dylan releases Hard Rain.

1976-Lynyrd Skynyrd release their first live album, One More from the Road. It's the only live album the band releases before a 1977 plane wreak ends the original lineup and puts the band out of commission entirely for fourteen years.

1975-The Isley Brothers' LP The Heat Is On hits #1.

1975-Janis Ian's "At Seventeen," a song about dealing with unrealistic standards of beauty (not typical hit song material at the time), peaks at #3 on the Hot 100 for the first of two weeks.

1973-The New York Dolls perform "Trash" and "Personality Crisis" on The Midnight Special television program.

1971-Paul McCartney and wife Linda welcome a daughter: Stella Nina McCartney. Stella, who will grow up to be a fashion designer, joins older sister Mary and half-sister Heather (Linda's daughter from a previous marriage).

1971-Deep Purple write "Highway Star" on the way to show in Portsmouth, UK, where they play it that night.

1969-At the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival festival, host Kim Fowley starts a rock tradition when he asks the crowd to hold up lighters for Eric Clapton and John Lennon.

1969-John Lennon introduces the Plastic Ono Band at the Rock and Roll Revival Show in Toronto. The set is later released as the Live Peace In Toronto 1969 album. Basically a supergroup with revolving members headed by John and Yoko, they are credited for the single "Give Peace A Chance."

1968-Clarence Carter's "Slip Away" is certified gold.

1967-Jane's Addiction drummer Steve Perkins is born in Los Angeles.

1967-Joe Tex records "Skinny Legs And All."

1965-Ringo Starr becomes a dad for the first time when his son Zak Starkey is born. Zak becomes a drummer like his dad, performing and recording with Oasis, The Lightning Seeds, and most notably, The Who.

1965-The ill-fated variety program The Steve Lawrence Show, starring the big band singer and featuring guest star Lucille Ball, debuts on CBS-TV.

1965-The Beatles release "Yesterday" in the US. An acoustic Paul McCartney composition with a melody that appeared to him in a dream, it becomes their 10th #1 hit.

1964-Murray The K's latest rock and roll show at the Brooklyn Paramount Theatre ends after 10 days, featuring Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Martha and the Vandellas, The Shangri-Las, and Jay and the Americans.

1963-Shirley Ellis records "The Nitty Gritty."

1963-Graham Nash of The Hollies falls out of their touring van after a Scottish gig, leaning on an unlocked door and tumbling out at 40 mph. Thirty-six years later to the day, he breaks both legs in a boat accident off the coast of Hawaii.

1962-Frank Sinatra begins filming the movie Come Blow Your Horn, adapted from the hit Neil Simon play.

1961-Dave Mustaine is born in La Mesa, California. The first lead guitarist in Metallica, he's fired from the band because of drug use in 1983 before their debut album is released, but he has writing credits on four of the tracks. Soon after, he forms Megadeth, becoming their frontman and main songwriter.

1960-A movement to ban Ray Peterson's new single "Tell Laura I Love Her" begins in the UK when it is feared that the song's powerful story of a stock-car driver who dies young while racing for his girl's love will inspire a "death cult" amongst teens.

1960-The FCC bans "payola," the controversial practice of paying DJs for playing songs, as a result of the scandal involving, among others, Dick Clark and Alan Freed.

1959-Elvis Presley meets his future wife Priscilla Beaulieu at a party at his house in Germany, where he is serving in the US Army. They hit it off that night, with Elvis playing her some songs on guitar.

1958-Cliff Richard makes his TV debut, performing "Move It" on the UK show Oh Boy!

1957-R&B singer Joni Sledge (of Sister Sledge) is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1954-Doo-wop singer Den Hegarty (of Darts) is born in Dublin, Ireland.

1952-Rocker Don Was is born Donald Fagenson in Detroit, Michigan.

1952-Jo Stafford's "You Belong To Me" hits #1.

1944-Peter Cetera (bassist/vocalist for Chicago) is born in Chicago, Illinois.

1943-Ray Elliot (keyboardist/saxophonist/flautist for Them) is born in Belfast, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland.

1941-David Clayton-Thomas is born in England. He would grow up in Canada and become the lead singer in Blood, Sweat, Tears, bringing with him their biggest hit, "Spinning Wheel."

1939-Saxophonist/composer Dave Quincy (of Manfred Mann) is born in the UK.

1925-Jazz singer Mel Tormé, aka The Velvet Fog, is born in Chicago, Illinois. He would begin his professonal music career at age 4, singing "You're Driving Me Crazy" with the Coon-Sanders Original Nighthawk Orchestra.

1922-Blues singer Charles Brown is born Tony Russell Brown in Texas City, Texas.

1922-Peruvian soprano Yma Sumac is born Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chávarri del Castillo in Callao, Peru.

1918-Actor/singer Dick Haymes is born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Co-starred in the 1945 musical State Fair and recorded a string of duets with swing singer Helen Forrest during WWII.

1911-Bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe is born near Rosine, Kentucky, becoming the youngest of eight children in the Monroe family.

1874-Composer/painter Arnold Schoenberg is born in the Leopoldstadt district of Vienna, Austria.

1814-Francis Scott Key is inspired to write "The Star Spangled Banner" during the British attack of Fort McHenry on September 13, 1814, and the courageous defense made by American force.

[Bikkie]

1741 – George Frideric Handel finishes the composition Messiah.

1812 – Napoleon Bonaparte enters Moscow and Russians set fires in city.

1814 – Francis Scott Key writes a poem that becomes the US national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner.

1938
Social Security Act passed
The cornerstone of the first Labour government’s welfare programme, the Social Security Act overhauled the pension system and extended benefits for families, invalids and the unemployed.

Māori language petition being delivered to Parliament
1972
Te taenga mai o te petihana reo Māori – Arrival of the Māori language petition
On 14 September 1972, a petition was delivered to Parliament which challenged politicians to prioritise saving te reo Māori.


Music History


2018-Carrie Underwood releases her sixth studio album, Cry Pretty, which debuts at #1 in the US. The title track was inspired by the country singer's heartache over a series of traumatic events in her life, including three miscarriages.

2018-Verve Records throws a launch party at the Rainbow Room in New York City to celebrate the release of Tony Bennett and Diana Krall's album Love Is Here To Stay. After the duo performs their rendition of "Fascinating Rhythm," Guinness World Records adjudicator Alex Angert announces Bennett - who first recorded the tune under the stage name Joe Bari over 68 years earlier - is now the title holder for "the longest time between the release of an original recording and a re-recording of the same single."

2017-Fergie and actor Josh Duhamel announce their separation after eight years of marriage. The pair, who share a 4-year-old son, Axl, secretly split months earlier.

2014-A life-size statue of Amy Winehouse is unveiled in Camden Town, London to honor the singer.

2013-John Legend marries the model Chrissy Teigen in Lake Como, Italy. She often serves as his muse, including on his songs "All Of Me" and "You & I (Nobody in the World)." They started dating in 2006.

2007-The Beatles-inspired movie Across The Universe opens in theaters.

2006-Marianne Faithfull announces she's undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

2005-Tim Foreman, bassist of Switchfoot, speaks out against Copy Protection that Sony have placed on the band's album Nothing Is Sound. Foreman provides fans with a detailed workaround on Switchfoot's message board, although the forum posting is later deleted by Sony.

2005-Britney Spears gives birth to her first child, Sean Federline.

2004-The seven-member Canadian band Arcade Fire release their debut album, Funeral. It gets lots of positive press and sells very well over the next decade as the band make a steady rise.

2004-Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith of Tears for Fears reunite with the album Everybody Loves A Happy Ending. Their collaboration ended on a sour note in 1989 after the release of their third album, The Seeds Of Love.

2004-Megadeth return after a two-year hiatus with The System Has Failed. This was originally intended to be a solo album by the band's founder Dave Mustaine, but due to contractual obligations owed to his publishing company, it had to be billed as a Megadeth album.

2003-The Australian band Jet release their debut album, Get Born, which includes the hit "Are You Gonna Be My Girl," used in a popular iPod commercial. The band is part of a wave of young rock acts with a back-to-basic sound that includes The Strokes and The White Stripes.

2003-Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers undergoes surgery for a triple heart bypass in Liverpool.

2003-Jet release their debut album, Get Born, on Elektra Records. Leading the Australian invasion of the early 2000's with bands like The Vines, the album would go on to sell well over three million copies. The title is lifted from the lyrics of Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues."

2002-Saxophonist Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams dies in New York City at age 87. Known for the 1949 hit "The Hucklebuck."

2002-After dating for seven years, Gwen Stefani of No Doubt and Gavin Rossdale of Bush get married at St. Paul's Covent Garden in London. They divorce in 2016.

Clear Channel Radio Comes Up With List Of Songs To Avoid
2001-Program directors at Clear Channel Communications, the largest owner of radio stations in the United States, begin circulating a list of songs that might be considered offensive in light of the September 11 attacks.

2000-Paul Simon, Crosby, Stills & Nash, and the Eagles' Don Henley and Glenn Frey perform at the joint VH1/Rolling Stone fundraiser for Al Gore.

1998-MTV debuts Total Request Live, a countdown of the Top 10 fan-requested music videos, hosted by Carson Daly. By the end of its 10-year run, the show is a cultural phenomenon.

1998-Blues/jazz singer Johnny Adams dies at age 66 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after a long battle with prostate cancer.

1995-Paul McCartney's handwritten lyrics for The Beatles' "Getting Better" fetch $249,000 at Sotheby's in London.

1994-The Temptations are awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7060 Hollywood Blvd.

1993-Sixteen years after releasing his landmark album Bat Out Of Hell, Meat Loaf issues the sequel, Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell, again with songs written by Jim Steinman. The first single, "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)," tops the charts in many territories, including the US.

1991-Paula Abdul lands her sixth (and final) #1 US hit with "The Promise of a New Day."

1989-Cuban bandleader/musician Pérez Prado dies of a stroke in Mexico City, Mexico, at age 72.

1988-Muni Long (pronounced "money long") is born Priscilla Renea Hamilton in Gifford, Florida. She writes hits for Fifth Harmony ("Worth It") and Rihanna ("California King Bed") before breaking through as an artist with the song "Hrs And Hrs" in 2022.

1987-American Bandstand becomes the longest-running entertainment show in America.

1985-The TV series The Golden Girls debuts on NBC. Its theme song is "Thank You for Being a Friend," written by Andrew Gold but sung by a jingle singer named Cynthia Fee. Gold's version was released in 1978 and reached #25 in the US.

1984-At the very first MTV Video Music Awards, Madonna performs "Like A Virgin" in a white wedding gown accessorized by her famous "Boy Toy" belt.

1983-Amy Winehouse is born in Southgate, London, England. Her 2006 album Back To Black is hailed as a masterwork and makes her quite famous, but all the attention exacerbates her drug and alcohol addictions, and she dies of alcohol poisoning in 2011.

1982-Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco, dies the day after suffering a stroke at the wheel and driving her car off a cliff. The 52-year-old former actress garnered acclaim in the 1956 musical comedy High Society alongside Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. She was also one of many stars name-checked in Madonna's "Vogue."

1979-It's "Kenny Rogers Day" in Los Angeles as the singer gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6666 Hollywood Blvd.

1979-The film version of Quadrophenia, The Who's 1973 rock opera about growing up mod in London, premieres at the Toronto Film Festival.

1977-Cheryl Lynn appears on the Gong Show, where she wows the judges with her version of "You Are So Beautiful." This earns her a deal with CBS Records, which issues "Got To Be Real" as her first single. The disco track is her only big Hot 100 hit, but she becomes a regular on the R&B chart.

1976-Bob Dylan's TV special Hard Rain airs.

1974-Eric Clapton's "I Shot The Sheriff," a song written by Bob Marley, hits #1 on the Hot 100. It is Clapton's only #1 on that tally, either as a solo artist or with one of his bands (Cream, The Yardbirds, Derek & the Dominos...)

1973-Rapper Nas is born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York.

1973-Donny Osmond's "The Twelfth Of Never" is certified Gold.

1970-Stevie Wonder marries his first wife, the Motown demo singer and songwriter Syreeta Wright (their collaborations include Stevie's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" and The Spinners' "It's A Shame"). They divorce in 1972.

1970-Craig Montoya (bassist for Everclear) is born in Spokane, Washington.

1969-Genesis take the stage for the first time, playing at the cottage owned by leader Peter Gabriel's former Sunday School teacher.

1968-Rolling Stone reports that The Who's Pete Townshend is working on a "rock opera" about a boy who is deaf, dumb, and blind. This ends up being their album Tommy.

1968-Roy Orbison loses two of his three sons - Roy Jr. (age 10) and Tony (age 6) - when his home in Hendersonville, Tennessee, burns down. Orbison was on tour in Europe at the time.

1968-The Archies Saturday morning cartoon TV show debuts.

1967-The Rolling Stones part ways with their longtime manager Andrew Loog Oldham. The group assumes management duties themselves.

1964-The Bing Crosby Show sitcom, starring the title singer, premieres on ABC (it lasts one season).

1963-Pete Seeger, who has been blacklisted from network TV after being found in contempt by the the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1955, agrees to appear on the ABC variety show Hootenanny but refuses when the network asks him to sign a loyalty oath.

1959-Morten Harket, lead singer of the synthpop group a-ha, is born in Kongsberg, Norway.

1955-Keyboardist/saxophonist Steve Berlin (of Los Lobos) is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1955-Little Richard records "Tutti Frutti" in New Orleans for Specialty Records. Originally "Tutti Frutti, Good Booty," a female lyricist at the label rewrites it to take out the prurient references.