1843-First Auckland A and P Show
Agricultural and pastoral shows celebrating excellence in agriculture and animal husbandry became annual events in communities around New Zealand.


1879-Universal male suffrage introduced
The Qualification of Electors Act extended the right to vote (the franchise) to all European men aged 21 or over, regardless of whether they owned or rented property.


1941-HMS Neptune lost in Mediterranean minefield
In New Zealand’s worst naval tragedy, the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Neptune struck enemy mines and sank off Libya. Of the 764 men who lost their lives, 150 were New Zealanders.



In Music History

2016-Country songwriter Andrew Dorff, brother of actor Stephen Dorff, dies at age 40. Penned hits for artists such as Martina McBride ("Ride"), Kenny Chesney ("Save It for a Rainy Day"), Blake Shelton ("Neon Light") and Hunter Hayes ("Somebody's Heartbreak").

2012-Madonna gets angry at fans at a concert in Santiago, Chile, for smoking cigarettes near her against her wishes. The singer lectures the audience: "If you're going to smoke cigarettes, I'm not doing a show. You don't care about me, I don't care about you. All right? Are we going to play that game? I'm not kidding. I can't sing if you smoke." Did we mention this is out in the open air in the rain and she is about 10 feet above everybody onstage?

2003-Tori Amos makes her film debut in the Julia Roberts movie Mona Lisa Smile. In her cameo as a '50s big band singer at a wedding reception, she sings the standards "You Belong To Me" and "Murder, He Says," which also appear on the movie's soundtrack.

2000-Roebuck "Pops" Staples (of The Staple Singers) dies at age 85 after a bad fall leaves him with a concussion.

Titanic Opens In Theaters
1997-Titanic opens in theaters. It becomes the top-grossing movie of all time, with a soundtrack that sells about 15 million copies, thanks mostly to the Celine Dion hit, "My Heart Will Go On."

1996-Avenue H in Lubbock, Texas, is renamed Buddy Holly Avenue in honor of the city's hometown hero.

1993-Michael Clarke (drummer for The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers) dies of liver failure at age 47 after decades of alcohol abuse.

1985-Johnny Paycheck is drinking at a bar in Hillsboro, Ohio, when two guys recognize him and sit near him. Things get tense, and Paycheck pulls out a .22 pistol and shoots one of them, grazing his head. That man, Larry Wise, claims that Paycheck got testy after they offered him a meal of deer meat and turtle soup. Wise says Paycheck yelled, "What do you think I am, a country hick?," and shot him.

The country singer is convicted and serves 22 months in jail.

Dolly Parton Is Workin' 9 To 5
1980-9 to 5, starring Dolly Parton and featuring the classic theme song by the singer (where she uses her fingernails as an instrument), opens in theaters. Parton, in her first acting role, stars alongside Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda as disgruntled secretaries who get even with their sexist boss.

1978-The Carpenters: A Christmas Portrait airs on ABC.

1976-Al Green, recently ordained as a minister, opens the Full Gospel Tabernacle Church in Memphis, where he preaches most Sundays.

1968-The Friends of Distinction record "Grazin' In The Grass."

1968-Kevin Shepard (drummer for Tonic) is born in Southern California.

1967-For the second time, Joan Baez is arrested for leading a sit-in at the Armed Forces Induction Center in Oakland, California to protest the Vietnam War. She's sentenced to 45 days in prison but released after 31.

1965-Keith Moon collapses during a Who concert in Ontario.

1960-The Four Preps record "More Money For You And Me" live at North Hollywood High School.

1958-Pop singer Limahl (lead singer of Kajagoogoo) is born Christopher Hamill in Pemberton, Wigan, England.

1957-Doug Johnson (keyboardist for Loverboy) is born in New Westminster, British Columbia.

1955-Carl Perkins records "Blue Suede Shoes" two days after writing the song.

1945-Folk musician John McEuen (of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) is born in Oakland, California.

1944-Alvin Lee (lead guitarist for Ten Years After) is born Graham Anthony Barnes in Nottingham, England.

1944-Zal Yanovsky (lead guitarist for The Lovin' Spoonful) is born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

1941-Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White is born in Memphis, Tennessee.

1918-Blues singer Henry Roeland "Roy" Byrd, better known as Professor Longhair, is born in Bogalusa, Louisiana.

1915-Charlie Ryan, who co-wrote and was the first to record the 1955 rockabilly hit "Hot Rod Lincoln," is born in Graceville, Minnesota.

1894-Composer/conductor Paul Dessau is born in Hamburg, Germany.