TODAY IN HISTORY – October 9th
1940 - Born this day, John Winston Lennon, in Liverpool, England, during an air raid by the German Luftwaffe in Liverpool. Famous for being a Beatle and one half of the most successful rock songwriting partnerships of all time. The Beatles scored 30 UK and 35 US top 10 hit singles, including 21 US No.1 singles. In 1970 John wrote, recorded and mixed the track Instant Karma, all in one day. His biggest solo hit was the 1981 Imagine which made No.1 on the UK singles chart 10 years after it was recorded. The song was voted by the viewers of BBC TV as the best lyrics of all time in a poll broadcast in Oct 1999.
In 1971, John flew from Heathrow Airport to New York, never to set foot on British soil again. After a four year legal fight he was awarded his Green card, allowing him permanent residence in the US. John returned his MBE to The Queen in 1969 because of Britains involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra war, America in Vietnam and against Cold Turkey, slipping down the UK charts.
He met Yoko Ono for the first time in 1966 at her art exhibition at the Indica Gallery, London. They married at the British Consulate Office in Gibralter during 1969. On 8 December 1980, John was shot five times by 25 year old Mark Chapman outside the Dakota building where John and Yoko lived. He was pronounced dead from a massive loss of blood at 11.30pm the same evening. This year John's Steinway piano on which he composed Imagine went on display at the Beatles Story Museum in Liverpool. The piano was set to be auctioned on the internet and was expected to fetch more than £1 million.
In 1990, Imagine was played simultaneously in 130 countries to commemorate what would have been Lennon's 50th birthday.
1944 - Born this day, Peter Tosh, in Jamaica, reggae musician (Mystic Man, Mama Africa).
1944 - Born this day, John Entwistle, bass, The Who, 1965 UK No.2 single My Generation plus over 20 other UK top 40 hits, 16 US Top 40 singles and rock opera albums Tommy and Quadrophenia. Died in Las Vagas on 27 June 2002.
1948 - Born this day, Jackson Browne, singer, in Heidelberg, West Germany, 1978 UK No.12 single Stay, 1978 album Running On Empty.
1952 – Sharon Osbourne – wife of rocker Ozzy Osbourne and host of talent show “X-Factor”.
1958 - Eddie Cochran recorded the classic song, 'C'mon Everybody', which became a 1959 UK No.6 single for Cochran and a 1979 hit for The Sex Pistols.
1961 - Ray Charles started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with Hit The Road Jack, it reached No.6 on the UK chart.
1962 - The very first Ford Mustang went on display at the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, New York. The car would undergo some changes before it officially went on sale in April 1964.
1965 - The Beatles started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with the Paul McCartney ballad Yesterday, giving the group their tenth US No.1, it replaced Hang On Sloopy. It was never released as a single in the UK.
1971 - Rod Stewart was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Maggie May', (first released as a B side to 'Reason To Believe'). The first of six UK No.1's for Stewart, spent five weeks at the top of the chart.
1973 - Elvis and Priscilla Presley were divorced in Santa Monica, California, after more than five years of marriage. Priscilla was awarded a sizable amount of property, $725,000 and an additional $4,200 a month for the support of their five-year-old daughter, Lisa Marie, half the proceeds from the planned sale of a Los Angeles home, and 5% of the total outstanding stock in two publishing companies.
1973 - Paul Simon got a gold record for his hit, Loves Me like a Rock.
1975 - Born this day, Sean Taro Ono Lennon, the only child of John Lennon by Yoko Ono Lennon. She wanted to have the child on her husband's birthday because she believed that if a child was born on its father's birthday, it would receive his soul when he died. Yoko scheduled a Caesarian section, and had the surgery 5 weeks before the baby's due date. Yoko denied the assertion, although Lennon affirmed it years later to the press. John retired for five years to become a house-husband.
1976 - The Sex Pistols signed to EMI records for £40,000 ($68,000). The contract was terminated three months later with the label stopping production of the 'Anarchy In The UK' single and deleting it from its catalogue. EMI later issued a statement saying it felt unable to promote The Sex Pistols records in view of the adverse publicity generated over the last few months.
1976 - One hit wonders Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'A Fifth Of Beethoven', it made No.28 in the UK.
1978 - Born this day, Nicholas Byrne, Irish boy band, Westlife, first UK No.1 1999 Swear It Again, 1999 UK No.1 single Flying Without Wings, scored 12 UK No.1 singles, plus 4 UK No.1 albums.
1981 - During a North American tour The Rolling Stones played the first of two nights at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. Support act was Prince, who dressed in his controversial bikini briefs and trench coat ran off stage after 15 minutes due to the crowd booing and throwing beer cans at him.
1984 - Thomas The Tank Engine And Friends, narrated by Ringo Starr was shown for the first time on British TV.
1985 - A 2.5 acre garden memorial was dedicated to John Lennon by his widow Yoko Ono. The memorial in New York City's Central Park is named Strawberry Fields.
1993 - Nirvana entered the US album chart at No.1 with 'In Utero', their third and final studio album. Kurt Cobain had originally wanted to name the album 'I Hate Myself and I Want to Die.'
1999 - Eurythmics, George Michael, David Bowie, Robbie Williams and Bono all appeared at 'Netaid' an event to raise money for global poverty. The concerts in London, New York and Geneva were all broadcast live on the internet.
2008 - Paul McCartney, (a vegetarian for 30 years), was said to be furious when he heard that a Liverpool branch of McDonald's restaurant displayed his picture, accusing them of using it to attract customers. Sir Paul was quoted as saying "What sort of morons do McDonald's think Beatles fans are?"
2011 – 50,000 people attend a Michael Jackson tribute show at Cardiff’s Millenium Stadium in Wales including performers, Cee-Lo Green, Christina Aquilera, Smokey Robinson and Gladys Knight. Jackson’s 3 children appear on stage to introduce Beyonce. Some of the Jackson family refuse to support the event claiming that the timing is wrong (current involuntary manslaughter case against Jackson’s doctor Conrad Murray).
1940 - Born this day, John Winston Lennon, in Liverpool, England, during an air raid by the German Luftwaffe in Liverpool. Famous for being a Beatle and one half of the most successful rock songwriting partnerships of all time. The Beatles scored 30 UK and 35 US top 10 hit singles, including 21 US No.1 singles. In 1970 John wrote, recorded and mixed the track Instant Karma, all in one day. His biggest solo hit was the 1981 Imagine which made No.1 on the UK singles chart 10 years after it was recorded. The song was voted by the viewers of BBC TV as the best lyrics of all time in a poll broadcast in Oct 1999.
In 1971, John flew from Heathrow Airport to New York, never to set foot on British soil again. After a four year legal fight he was awarded his Green card, allowing him permanent residence in the US. John returned his MBE to The Queen in 1969 because of Britains involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra war, America in Vietnam and against Cold Turkey, slipping down the UK charts.
He met Yoko Ono for the first time in 1966 at her art exhibition at the Indica Gallery, London. They married at the British Consulate Office in Gibralter during 1969. On 8 December 1980, John was shot five times by 25 year old Mark Chapman outside the Dakota building where John and Yoko lived. He was pronounced dead from a massive loss of blood at 11.30pm the same evening. This year John's Steinway piano on which he composed Imagine went on display at the Beatles Story Museum in Liverpool. The piano was set to be auctioned on the internet and was expected to fetch more than £1 million.
In 1990, Imagine was played simultaneously in 130 countries to commemorate what would have been Lennon's 50th birthday.
1944 - Born this day, Peter Tosh, in Jamaica, reggae musician (Mystic Man, Mama Africa).
1944 - Born this day, John Entwistle, bass, The Who, 1965 UK No.2 single My Generation plus over 20 other UK top 40 hits, 16 US Top 40 singles and rock opera albums Tommy and Quadrophenia. Died in Las Vagas on 27 June 2002.
1948 - Born this day, Jackson Browne, singer, in Heidelberg, West Germany, 1978 UK No.12 single Stay, 1978 album Running On Empty.
1952 – Sharon Osbourne – wife of rocker Ozzy Osbourne and host of talent show “X-Factor”.
1958 - Eddie Cochran recorded the classic song, 'C'mon Everybody', which became a 1959 UK No.6 single for Cochran and a 1979 hit for The Sex Pistols.
1961 - Ray Charles started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with Hit The Road Jack, it reached No.6 on the UK chart.
1962 - The very first Ford Mustang went on display at the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, New York. The car would undergo some changes before it officially went on sale in April 1964.
1965 - The Beatles started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with the Paul McCartney ballad Yesterday, giving the group their tenth US No.1, it replaced Hang On Sloopy. It was never released as a single in the UK.
1971 - Rod Stewart was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Maggie May', (first released as a B side to 'Reason To Believe'). The first of six UK No.1's for Stewart, spent five weeks at the top of the chart.
1973 - Elvis and Priscilla Presley were divorced in Santa Monica, California, after more than five years of marriage. Priscilla was awarded a sizable amount of property, $725,000 and an additional $4,200 a month for the support of their five-year-old daughter, Lisa Marie, half the proceeds from the planned sale of a Los Angeles home, and 5% of the total outstanding stock in two publishing companies.
1973 - Paul Simon got a gold record for his hit, Loves Me like a Rock.
1975 - Born this day, Sean Taro Ono Lennon, the only child of John Lennon by Yoko Ono Lennon. She wanted to have the child on her husband's birthday because she believed that if a child was born on its father's birthday, it would receive his soul when he died. Yoko scheduled a Caesarian section, and had the surgery 5 weeks before the baby's due date. Yoko denied the assertion, although Lennon affirmed it years later to the press. John retired for five years to become a house-husband.
1976 - The Sex Pistols signed to EMI records for £40,000 ($68,000). The contract was terminated three months later with the label stopping production of the 'Anarchy In The UK' single and deleting it from its catalogue. EMI later issued a statement saying it felt unable to promote The Sex Pistols records in view of the adverse publicity generated over the last few months.
1976 - One hit wonders Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'A Fifth Of Beethoven', it made No.28 in the UK.
1978 - Born this day, Nicholas Byrne, Irish boy band, Westlife, first UK No.1 1999 Swear It Again, 1999 UK No.1 single Flying Without Wings, scored 12 UK No.1 singles, plus 4 UK No.1 albums.
1981 - During a North American tour The Rolling Stones played the first of two nights at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. Support act was Prince, who dressed in his controversial bikini briefs and trench coat ran off stage after 15 minutes due to the crowd booing and throwing beer cans at him.
1984 - Thomas The Tank Engine And Friends, narrated by Ringo Starr was shown for the first time on British TV.
1985 - A 2.5 acre garden memorial was dedicated to John Lennon by his widow Yoko Ono. The memorial in New York City's Central Park is named Strawberry Fields.
1993 - Nirvana entered the US album chart at No.1 with 'In Utero', their third and final studio album. Kurt Cobain had originally wanted to name the album 'I Hate Myself and I Want to Die.'
1999 - Eurythmics, George Michael, David Bowie, Robbie Williams and Bono all appeared at 'Netaid' an event to raise money for global poverty. The concerts in London, New York and Geneva were all broadcast live on the internet.
2008 - Paul McCartney, (a vegetarian for 30 years), was said to be furious when he heard that a Liverpool branch of McDonald's restaurant displayed his picture, accusing them of using it to attract customers. Sir Paul was quoted as saying "What sort of morons do McDonald's think Beatles fans are?"
2011 – 50,000 people attend a Michael Jackson tribute show at Cardiff’s Millenium Stadium in Wales including performers, Cee-Lo Green, Christina Aquilera, Smokey Robinson and Gladys Knight. Jackson’s 3 children appear on stage to introduce Beyonce. Some of the Jackson family refuse to support the event claiming that the timing is wrong (current involuntary manslaughter case against Jackson’s doctor Conrad Murray).