John Denver – Time Rewind

On This Day March 30

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On This Day December 31

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Celebrity Birthdays

1869 – Artist Henri Matisse (d. 1954)

1925 – Actor Peter Sellers, best known for his comedic roles in the “Pink Panther” series and “Dr. Strangelove” (d. 1980)

1932 – Country music singer Patsy Cline (“Crazy,” “Walking After Midnight”) (d. 1963)

1937 – Oscar-winning actor-director-producer Sir Anthony Hopkins (“The Silence of the Lambs,” “The Mask of Zorro,” “Nixon,” “Thor,” “Westworld”)

1942 – Singer-guitarist and The Police band member Andy Summers

1943 – Country-folk singer-songwriter, actor and environmentalist John Denver (d. 1997)

1943 – Oscar-winning actor Sir Ben Kingsley (“Gandhi,” “Bugsy, “Schindler’s List”)

1948 – Disco superstar Donna Summer (d. 2012)

1959 – Actor Val Kilmer (“Top Gun,” “The Doors,” “Batman Forever,” “Conspiracy,” “Double Identity”)

1977 – Singer-rapper PSY, born Park Jae-sang, best known for his 2012 smash single “Gangnam Style”

History Highlights

1781 – The first bank in the U.S. opens under the name The Bank of North America.

1862 – Nine months after engaging in the most famous naval battles in American history, the ironclad warship USS Monitor sinks in a storm off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Sixteen crewmen are killed. The Monitor had dueled to a standstill with another ironclad, the CSS Virginia (originally the CSS Merrimack), off Hampton Roads, Virginia on March 9, 1862.

1879 – Inventor Thomas Edison demonstrates his incandescent light bulb to the public for the first time.

1904 – The first New Year’s Eve celebration is held in New York’s Times Square — known then as Longacre Square — at the intersection of 7th Avenue, Broadway and 42nd Street in Manhattan. Three years later, in 1907, the tradition of the dropping ball is introduced.

1946 – President Harry Truman officially proclaims the end of hostilities in World War II.

1984 – Bernhard Goetz, the white man known as the “subway vigilante” after he shot four young black men on a New York City subway train, turns himself in to authorities in New Hampshire.

1999 – Days after Mikhail Gorbachev is re-elected head of the Soviet Communist Party, Boris Yeltsin, president of the Republic of Russia, stuns his country and the world by announcing his resignation six months before the end of his term. He turns control over to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, undercutting Gorbachev’s efforts to keep the struggling Soviet Union together.

1999 – The United States officially turns control of the Panama Canal over to Panamanian authorities for the first time.

Musical Milestones

1966 – The Monkees swing to the top of the singles chart with “I’m a Believer” and hold on for seven weeks, finally yielding to The Buckinghams’ “Kind of a Drag” in mid-February.

1970 – Eight months after the The Beatles’ breakup and subsequent release of their last album, “Let It Be,” Paul McCartney files suit against bandmates John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr to officially dissolve their partnership.

1972 – Dick Clark begins a new holiday tradition as his first “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” concert is broadcast on ABC-TV, featuring performances by Three Dog Night and Al Green. Clark hosts the annual event for the next 32 years before turning the reins over to Ryan Seacrest.

1977 – “How Deep Is Your Love,” by the Bee Gees, is in the middle of three weeks as the No. 1 single. The song is part of the “Saturday Night Fever” movie soundtrack.

1983 – Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson are in the middle of a six-week domination of the pop chart with “Say Say Say.”

1985 – Former teen idol Ricky Nelson and six others are killed when their chartered plane crashes in Texas.

1988 – “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” by Poison, is in the midst of a three-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard single chart.

2005 – Mariah Carey begins a two-week hold on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Don’t Forget About Us.”

2015 – Grammy-winning R&B singer-songwriter Natalie Cole (“This Will Be,” “I’ve Got Love On My Mind,” “Miss You Like Crazy,” “Unforgettable”), daughter of legendary crooner and jazz pianist Nat King Cole, dies of congestive heart failure at the age of 65.

On This Day October 18

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Celebrity Birthdays

1926 – Rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Chuck Berry (“Maybellene,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Rock and Roll Music,” “Johnny B. Goode”) (d. 2017)

1927 – Oscar-winning actor George C. Scott (“Anatomy of a Murder,” “Dr. Strangelove,” “Patton,” “The Day of the Dolphin,” “The Hindenburg,” “A Christmas Carol”) (d. 1999)

1935 – Emmy-winning actor Peter Boyle (“The Candidate,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Monster’s Ball,” “Everybody Loves Raymond) (d. 2006)

1939 – Former NFL player, coach, and commentator Mike Ditka

1956 – Retired tennis champion Martina Navratilova

1960 – Actor Jean-Claude Van Damme (“Bloodsport,” “Kickboxer,” “Universal Soldier,” “Timecop,” “Sudden Death,” “The Expendables 2”

1960 – Actress Erin Moran (“Happy Days,” “Joanie Loves Chachi”)

1984 – Actress Freida Pinto (“Slumdog Millionaire,” “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”)

1987 – Actor-singer Zac Efron (“High School Musical,” “Hairspray,” “The Lorax,” “We Are Your Friends,” “The Greatest Showman”)

History Highlights

1867 – The U.S. formally takes possession of Alaska after purchasing the territory from Russia for $7.2 million, or less than two cents an acre.

1898 – One year after Spain grants Puerto Rico self-rule, American troops raise the U.S. flag over the Caribbean nation, formalizing U.S. authority over the island’s one million inhabitants.

1931 – Thomas Alva Edison, one of the most prolific inventors in history, dies from complications of diabetes in his West Orange, New Jersey home at the age of 84. Edison is most famous for inventing the phonograph, motion picture camera and the incandescent light bulb.

1954 – Music, information and sports become portable as Texas Instruments and the Regency division of Industrial Development Engineering Associates introduce the transistor radio. Marketed as the “world’s first pocket radio,” the Regency Model TR-1 retails for $49.95.

1961 – “West Side Story” opens in theaters, featuring music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The movie musical captures 10 Academy Awards.

1967 – “The Jungle Book” opens at the box office. It’s the last animated feature personally produced by Walt Disney, who died during production.

1968 – The U.S. Olympic Committee suspends two African American sprinters, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, for giving a “Black Power” salute during their medal ceremony at the Mexico City games.

1988 – The sitcom “Roseanne” premieres on ABC, starring Roseanne Barr and John Goodman.

Musical Milestones

1968 – John Lennon and Yoko Ono are arrested after cannabis is discovered in their London flat. Lennon pleads guilty for fear that Ono would be deported.

1969 – “I Can’t Get Next to You” becomes the second chart-topping single for Motown titans, The Temptations. The track holds the No. 1 spot for two weeks.

1975 – John Denver’s “Windsong” is No. 1 on the U.S. album chart. It contains the hits “I’m Sorry” and “Calypso.”

1980 – Queen enters its third and final week on top of the pop chart with “Another One Bites the Dust.”

1986 – Janet Jackson starts the second and final week on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “When I Think of You,” from her “Control” album.

1997 – Elton John’s tribute to the late Diana, Princess of Wales is the No. 1 single. It is a rewritten and rerecorded version of his 1974 song, “Candle in the Wind.”

2003 – “Baby Boy, by Beyoncé featuring Sean Paul, is in the middle of a nine-week marathon on top of the Billboard Hot 100. The track is from Beyoncé’s debut solo album, “Dangerously in Love.”

2005 – A photo of a naked John Lennon wrapped around a fully clothed Yoko Ono, taken by acclaimed photographer Annie Leibovitz, is voted best magazine cover of the past 40 years by a panel of magazine editors. The photo was snapped on December 8, 1980, just hours before Lennon was shot to death outside his Manhattan apartment building. It appeared on the cover of the January 22, 1981 edition of Rolling Stone magazine.

On This Day October 12

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Celebrity Birthdays

1912 – Playwright, novelist and actress Alice Childress (d. 1994)

1932 – Comedian-activist Dick Gregory (d. 2017)

1935 – R&B singer Sam “Soul Man” Moore of the duo Sam & Dave

1935 – Internationally renowned operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti (d. 2007)

1947 – Journalist-TV anchor Chris Wallace

1962 – Trumpeter-composer Chris Botti

1968 – Actor Hugh Jackman, best known for playing Wolverine in the “X-Men” movie series

1992 – Actor Josh Hutcherson (“Zathura,” “Little Manhattan,” “RV,” “Bridge to Terabithia,” “The Hunger Games”)

History Highlights

1492 – Explorer Christopher Columbus discovers the New World as his fleet comes ashore in what is now known as The Bahamas.

1810 – Bavarian Crown Prince Regent Ludwig, later King Ludwig I of Bavaria, marries Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The Bavarian royalty invite residents of Munich to attend the festivities, held on the fields in front of the city gates. This becomes an annual tradition that gives rise to Oktoberfest, which is now celebrated around the world.

1940 – Beloved cowboy actor Tom Mix is killed when he loses control of his 1937 Cord 812 phaeton and crashes near Florence, Arizona.

1960 – Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev creates a spectacle by pounding his shoe on a desk at a United Nations General Assembly meeting to protest the comments of a Philippines delegate.

1964 – Three Soviet cosmonauts blast off aboard the Voshkod-1 spacecraft and orbit Earth, becoming the first multi-person crew in space and the first to fly without spacesuits.

2000 – Two suicide bombers associated with the al-Qaeda terrorist network ram their motorboat full of explosives into the side of the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Cole off Yemen. The attack kills 17 crew members, injures 39 others and leaves a gaping hole in the ship’s hull.

2007 – Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to increase public knowledge about man-made climate change.

Musical Milestones

1955 – Chrysler introduces the first car phonograph — the Highway Hi-Fi — which sits below the dashboard and plays 16 rpm records for up to 45 minutes. Despite claims that records would never skip while driving, they did and Chrysler dropped the $200 option two years later.

1963 – “Sugar Shack” by Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs is the No. 1 single and remains there for five weeks.

1971 – Rockabilly pioneer Gene Vincent — the talent behind the 1956 smash “Be-Bop-a-Lula” and who appeared in the movie “The Girl Can’t Help It” with Jayne Mansfield — dies at age 36 of complications from an ulcer.

1974 – Olivia Newton-John wraps up two weeks on top of the pop chart with “I Honestly Love You.”

1979 – Fleetwood Mac release their 12th studio album, “Tusk,” which spawns two Top 10 singles: the title track and “Sara.”

1985 – Ready For The World claims the top spot on the singles chart with “Oh Sheila.”

1991 – “Emotions,” by Mariah Carey, begins three weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100.

1997 – Country and pop music singer-songwriter and actor John Denver is killed when his experimental plane crashes into the Pacific Ocean. He was 53.

2002 – “A Moment Like This,” by Kelly Clarkson, begins its second and final week as a No. 1 single.

On This Day September 27

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Celebrity Birthdays

1920 – Actor William Conrad (“Cannon,” “Jake and the Fatman”) (d. 1994)

1933 – Actor Greg Morris, best known as electronics expert Barney Collier in the TV spy series “Mission: Impossible” (d. 1996)

1934 – Actor Wilford Brimley (“The China Syndrome,” “Cocoon,” “The Firm”)

1943 – Musician Randy Bachman of Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO)

1947 – Grammy-winning rock singer-actor Meat Loaf, born Marvin Lee Aday, best known for his “Bat Out of Hell” album series.

1958 – Teen idol Shaun Cassidy (“Da Do Ron Ron,” “The Hardy Boys Mysteries”)

1972 – Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow (“Seven,” “Emma,” “Great Expectations,” “Shakespeare in Love,” the “Iron Man” and “The Avengers” movies)

1982 – Grammy-winning rap artist Lil Wayne, born Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. (“A Milli” and “Lollipop”)

1984 – Pop-punk singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne (“Complicated,” “Sk8er Boi”)

History Highlights

1779 – The Continental Congress appoints John Adams to travel to France to negotiate treaties of peace and commerce with Great Britain during the Revolutionary War.

1938 – U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt writes to German Chancellor Adolf Hitler about the threat of war in Europe. The German chancellor had been threatening to invade the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia and, in the letter, Roosevelt reiterates the need to find a peaceful resolution.

1954 – The “Tonight” show premieres on NBC with comedian-pianist Steve Allen hosting through 1957 before handing off to Jack Paar and later Johnny Carson, who hosted through 1992. Subsequent hosts have been Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien and, currently, Jimmy Fallon.

1964 – The Warren Commission Report on the JFK assassination is released. It concludes there was no conspiracy and that gunman Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the presidential shooting on November 12, 1963.

1973 – Two Soviet cosmonauts blast off aboard Soyuz 12 donning pressurized suits which were developed after the Soyuz 11 crew was asphyxiated while re-entering Earth’s atmosphere.

Musical Milestones

1964 – The Beach Boys make their TV debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” performing “I Get Around” and “Wendy.”

1975 – “I’m Sorry” lands atop the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the final No. 1 single of John Denver’s career.

1983 – “A Chorus Line” achieves the status of longest-running Broadway musical to date.

1986 – “Stuck With You,” by Huey Lewis and the News, lands on top of the Hot 100 chart and sticks for three weeks.

1992 – “End of the Road,” by Boyz II Men, is mid-way through a 13-week reign over the Billboard singles chart.

1994 – The soundtrack to the Quentin Tarantino cult classic “Pulp Fiction,” starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman, is released. It consists of rock and roll, pop, surf and soul music along with snippets of dialogue from the movie.

2003 – “Shake Ya Tailfeather,” by Nelly featuring P. Diddy and Murphy Lee, is in its fourth and final week as a No. 1 single. It wins the Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 2004 Grammy Awards.

2011 – Tony Bennett becomes the oldest artist to top the Billboard album chart when the 85-year-old’s “Duets II” reaches No. 1. Featuring collaborations with Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, Aretha Franklin, Queen Latifah, Michael Buble and other star vocalists, the album is also Bennett’s first chart-topper in a six-decade career.

On this Day August 3

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Celebrity Birthdays

1926 – Legendary Grammy and Emmy-winning pop-big band-jazz singer and painter Tony Bennett, born Anthony Benedetto

1940 – Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor Martin Sheen (“Apocalypse Now,” “Gandhi,” “Wall Street,” “The American President,” “The West Wing,” “Catch Me if You Can,” “The Departed”)

1941 – Home decor queen and media mogul Martha Stewart

1950 – Director John Landis (“National Lampoon’s Animal House,” “The Blues Brothers,” “Twilight Zone: The Movie,” “Trading Places”)

1959 – Actor John C. McGinley, best known for playing Dr. Perry Cox in the NBC sitcom “Scrubs”

1979 – Actress Evangeline Lilly (“Lost,” “The Huirt Locker,” Real Steel,” “Ant-Man,” “Avengers: Endgame”)

History Highlights

1492 – Italian explorer Christopher Columbus leads three sailing ships from Spain on a journey to find a western sea route to China, India and the fabled gold and spice islands of Asia.

1923 – Vice President Calvin Coolidge is sworn in as the 30th president of the United States hours after the death of President Warren G. Harding. A man of few words (he was nicknamed “Silent Cal”), Coolidge gains popularity as president, winning more than 54 percent of the popular vote when reelected in 1924.

1949 – The Basketball Association of America (BAA) merges with the National Basketball League (NBL) to form the National Basketball Association (NBA). Six NBL teams join the 10 BAA teams, plus an expansion team in Indianapolis, with the new league divided into Eastern, Central and Western Divisions.

1958 – America’s first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus (SSN 571), becomes the first vessel to cross the North Pole underwater.

1977 – Roger Moore returns to the big screen as secret agent James Bond in “The Spy Who Loved Me.” The movie features a sleek, powerful Lotus Esprit sports car that doubles as a submarine.

1981 – Some 13,000 unionized air traffic controllers (members of PATCO, the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization) walk off the job and days later are fired by President Ronald Reagan.

2008 – The first published photos of former celebrity couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s newborn twins go up on People magazine’s website, and two weeks later, are published in a 19-page photo spread. People won the rights to the photos after a bidding war that, according to some reports, reached as high as $14 million — the most ever paid for celebrity baby pictures.

Musical Milestones

1963 – Allan Sherman releases his classic summer camp parody “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah (A Letter From Camp).” Inspired by actual complaint letters that Sherman received from his son, Robert, while away at summer camp, the song climbs as high as No. 2 on the Billboard singles chart.

1968 – The Doors have the hottest single with “Hello, I Love You (Won’t You Tell Me Your Name).” It’s the band’s second chart-topper.

1971 – Paul McCartney announces the formation of his new band, Wings, featuring wife Linda and ex-Moody Blues member Denny Laine.

1973 – Stevie Wonder releases “Innervisions,” playing virtually all the instruments on six of the album’s nine tracks.

1974 – “Annie’s Song,” by John Denver, begins its second and final week as a No. 1 single.

1985 – “Shout,” by Tears for Fears, begins three weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the British duo’s second U.S. No. 1.

1987 – Def Leppard releases “Hysteria,” which sells more than 25 million copies worldwide and becomes the band’s best-selling album to date. It spawns no less than seven hit singles, six of which make it to the Top 20.

1991 – “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You,” from the movie “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” keeps Bryan Adams on top of the Billboard Hot 100 for a second week. The track remains there for a total of seven weeks.

1996 – “Macarena,” by Los Del Rio, shimmies its way to the top of the Billboard pop chart and holds there for 14 weeks. Decades later, the song remains a favorite at wedding receptions, parties and sporting events.

2002 – Nelly burns up the Billboard Hot 100 with “Hot in Herre.” The track maintains a hold on the top spot for seven weeks.

On this Day July 27

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Celebrity Birthdays

1922 – Emmy and Peabody Award-winning TV writer-producer Norman Lear (“All in the Family,” “The Jeffersons,” “Maude,” “Good Times”)

1944 – Singer Bobbie Gentry, who claimed Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance honors for the 1967 hit “Ode to Billie Joe”

1948 – Olympic gold medal figure skater Peggy Fleming

1949 – Singer Maureen McGovern, the talent behind the 1973 hit “The Morning After” from the movie “The Poseidon Adventure”

1972 – Comedian-actress and “SNL” alum Maya Rudolph (“50 First Dates,” “Grown-ups,” “Bridesmaids”)

1977 – Golden Globe-winning actor Jonathan Rhys Myers (“Prozac Nation,” “Bend It Like Beckham,” “Match Point,” “Elvis”)

History Highlights

1940 – Bugs Bunny makes his debut in the Merrie Melodies cartoon “A Wild Hare,” and remains an American cultural icon all these decades later.

1953 – After three years of combat, the United States, the People’s Republic of China, North Korea, and South Korea agree to an armistice, bringing the Korean War to an end.

1965 – President Lyndon Johnson signs the Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act into law, requiring cigarette makers to print health warnings on every pack of smokes.

1974 – The Watergate scandal boils over as the House Judiciary Committee recommends that President Richard Nixon be impeached and removed from office for obstruction of justice.

2003 – Entertainer Bob Hope—known for his decades of overseas tours to perform for American troops and who hosted 18 Oscar ceremonies and received five honorary awards from the Academy—dies at the age of 100.

Musical Milestones

1940 – “Billboard” magazine publishes its first music popularity chart. The No. 1 song for the week ending July 27, 1940 is “I’ll Never Smile Again” by Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra with vocals provided by Frank Sinatra and The Pied Pipers.

1959 – Paul Anka is in the middle of four weeks at No. 1 on the singles chart with “Lonely Boy.”

1963 – Jan & Dean ride the tide through a second week on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Surf City.” It’s the first surf song to become a national chart-topper.

1974 – “Annie’s Song,” a tribute to his wife, propels John Denver to the top of the singles chart.

1976 – Nearly four years after U.S. immigration officials threaten to deport him, John Lennon acquires his green card. It allows Lennon to settle in the U.S., where he lived, raised a son and remained until his tragic death on December 8, 1980.

1991 – “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” by Bryan Adams kicks off seven weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100. The track appears on the “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” movie soundtrack as well as on Adams’ sixth studio album, “Waking Up the Neighbours.”

1996 – The No. 1 song in the U.S. is “You’re Makin’ Me High”/”Let It Flow,” by Toni Braxton. The track holds the top spot for a week.

2002 – Rap sensation Nelly rules the Billboard pop chart with “Hot in Herre,” which remains a chart-topper for seven weeks.

On this Day June 7

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Celebrity Birthdays

1905 – Former U.S. boxing heavyweight champion James Braddock (d. 1974)

1909 – Oscar-winning actress Jessica Tandy (“Firefox,” “Driving Miss Daisy,” “Batteries Not Included”) (d. 1994)

1917 – Legendary entertainer and “Rat Pack” member Dean Martin (“Memories Are Made of This,” “That’s Amore,” “Everybody Loves Somebody,” “Volare,” “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head?” (d. 1995)

1940 – Grammy-winning pop, blues and soul-singing superstar and “The Voice UK” coach Tom Jones (“What’s New Pussycat,” “It’s Not Unusual,” “She’s a Lady”)

1952 – Actor Liam Neeson (“The Mission,” “Schindler’s List,” “Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace,” the “Taken” film series, “Michael Collins,” “Love Actually,” “Cold Pursuit”)

1958 – Grammy-winning pop sensation Prince, born Prince Rogers Nelson (d. 2016)

1981 – Retired tennis star-turned reality TV personality Anna Kournikova

1988 – Actor Michael Cera (“Arrested Development,” “Superbad,” “Juno,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” “Twin Peaks”)

History Highlights

1913 – A team of four Alaskans stages the first successful ascent of Denali (formerly known as Mount McKinley), the highest point on the American continent at 20,310 feet.

1937 – Known as the “Blonde Bombshell” and the “Platinum Blonde,” and considered one of the most gifted and blatantly sensual Hollywood stars of the 1930s, actress Jean Harlow dies of uremic poisoning (acute kidney failure) at the age of 26.

1942 – Six months after Japan’s devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Midway ends with a U.S. victory over Japan in one of the most decisive naval showdowns of World War II. In the four-day sea and air battle, the outnumbered U.S. Pacific Fleet destroys four Japanese aircraft carriers and loses only one of its own — the USS Yorktown — turning the tide against the previously invincible Japanese navy.

1955 – The TV game show “The $64,000 Question” premieres on CBS, hosted by Hal March.

1965 – In Griswold v. Connecticut, the U.S. Supreme Court guarantees the right to privacy, including the freedom from government intrusion into matters of birth control.

1975 – Sony revolutionizes home entertainment when it introduces consumers to the Betamax videocassette recorder.

Musical Milestones

1963 – Four weeks after recording it, The Rolling Stones release their debut single, “Come On.” It’s the cover of a 1961 Chuck Berry song. The track climbs as high as No. 20 on the U.K. singles chart.

1969 – “The Johnny Cash Show” debuts on ABC. It features musical guests like Louis Armstrong, Arlo Guthrie, Glen Campbell and Linda Ronstadt before going off the air in 1971.

1969 – “Get Back,” by The Beatles with Billy Preston, is in the middle of a five-week run atop the Billboard Hot 100.

1975 – Elton John’s “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy” debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart, becoming the first album ever to do so. It spawns the hit single, “Someone Saved My Life Tonight.”

1975 – “Thank God I’m a Country Boy,” by John Denver, is the No. 1 single.

1977 – Led Zeppelin play the first of six sold out nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden during their 11th and final North American tour. The most expensive ticket costs $10.50.

1986 – Madonna’s “Live to Tell,” off her “True Blue” album, becomes the pop superstar’s third No. 1 single.

2003 – “21 Questions,” by 50 Cent featuring Nate Dogg, tops the Billboard Hot 100.

2012 – Bob Welch, an early member of Fleetwood Mac and who enjoyed a successful solo career with hits like “Sentimental Lady” and “Ebony Eyes,” dies of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the age of 66.