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understand
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Follow our
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role The Beatles
played in changing
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1678--Lady Godiva rides naked through Coventry in a protest of taxes.

1790--The US copyright law is enacted.

1837--The Astor Hotel (the most elaborate in the US) opens in New York City, later becoming the Waldorf-Astoria. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies were held there for the first few years (before the construction of the “official hall” was actually completed).

1859--Big Ben, the bell in the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament in London, chimes for the first time.

1898--Norman Vincent Peale, author of “The Power of Positive Thinking,” is born in Ohio.

1907--Motorized taxis travel the streets of the US for the first time in New York City.

1956--After seeing the John Wayne movie “The Searchers,” Buddy Holly is inspired to write That'll Be the Day, using the Duke's catch phrase from the film.

1958--Dick Dale invents "surf music" with his song Let's Go Trippin, and everybody wants to take to the beach.

1961--The Beatles perform at the Top Ten Club, Reeperbahn, Hamburg, West Germany.

1961--Chuck Berry opens Berry Park, an amusement park in Wentzville, Missouri (near St. Louis). The 30-acre complex has a swimming pool, miniature golf course, ferris wheel, a children's zoo, and a picnic grove with barbecue pits.

1962--The Beatles perform at the Star-Club, Hamburg, West Germany. This is the final night of their seven-week engagement.

1963--The Beatles, touring with Roy Orbison, perform at the Odeon Cinema, Southend-on-Sea, Essex.

1964--The Beatles perform two shows at the Prince of Wales Theatre, London. The supporting acts are Kenny Lynch, Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers, The Vernons Girls, The Lorne Gibson Trio, The Chants, and The Harlems. The Beatles perform Can't Buy Me Love, All My Loving, This Boy, Roll Over Beethoven, Till There Was You, Twist and Shout, and Long Tall Sally.

1964--The Dave Clark Five appear on "The Ed Sullivan Show." They would appear 11 more times on the US variety program.

1967--The Beatles in the recording studio (De Lane Lea Recording Studios, Kingsway, London). A session again without George Martin, to continue work on It's All Too Much. George Harrison's lead vocal, John Lennon and Paul McCartney's backing vocals, and other overdubs are recorded. [Note: Mark Lewisohn states in his "The Complete Beatles Chronicle" that he incorrectly reported this session as occurring on May 26 in his book "The Beatles Complete Recording Sessions".] The movie version of It's All Too Much has an additional verse not on the album version.

1968--The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Three, EMI Studios, London). Additional work on Revolution (the album version later titled Revolution 1). Starting with the previous night's take 18, which last 10 mins. 17 secs, The Beatles add overdubs of bass, two John Lennon vocals, and George Harrison and Paul McCartney backing vocals. By the end of the session, after numerous overdubs have been added, the final six minutes of the song have evolved into chaotic, random jamming. John goes from repeatedly shouting "alright," to simply shouting, and Yoko Ono enters the picture; she and John moaning, and Yoko talking and speaking random phrases such as "you become naked." The final six minutes of the sound collage will eventually be removed from the end of Revolution 1, and be made the basis for Revolution 9. At this point, John is very interested in Revolution being The Beatles' next single. This recording session is the first one that Yoko attends (other than as a guest), and she will be at almost every other Beatles recording session until the group calls it quits.

1969--The Beatles' single, Get Back, is #1 in the US charts for the 2nd week.

1969--Joe Cocker's With A Little Help From My Friends LP enters the album charts.

1973--To celebrate John Bonham's 25th birthday, Robert Plant (of Led Zeppelin) leads an audience at the Felt Forum in Los Angeles in a rendition of Happy Birthday. Later that night, Bonham celebrates with George Harrison, who ends up throwing his birthday cake at the drummer. Bonham tosses Harrison and his wife, Pattie, into the hotel pool.

1976--US release of The Beatles’ single, Got to Get You Into My Life / Helter Skelter (Capitol). 16 weeks on Billboard chart; highest position #7.

1977--The stage show "Beatlemania" opens at the Winter Garden Theater in New York City for 920 performances.

1980--Paul McCartney's LP, McCartney II, reaches #1 in the UK charts. The first of two weeks at #1.

1980--Paul McCartney's single, Coming Up, reaches #1 in the UK charts.

1994--The US announces it is no longer aiming long-range nuclear missiles at targets in the former Soviet Union.

1996--Timothy Leary, the counterculture guru of the 1960s (who urged a generation of Americans to use the drug LSD so they could “turn on, tune in, and drop out”), dies quietly in his sleep. The cause of his death was cancer. In his later years, Leary had turned his attention to computer science and the internet, and he had intended to commit suicide as a live online event.


For more day-by-day history go to HistoryUnlimited.net