On this Day: July 11

On this Day July 11

Musical Milestones

1951 – Legendary disc jockey Alan Freed (a.k.a. “Moondog”) starts his new job spinning records for a rhythm and blues show on radio station WJW in Cleveland. With his unprecedented on-air mix of blues, country and rhythm and blues songs, Freed is credited with coining the term “rock ‘n roll.” 

1969 – David Bowie releases “Space Oddity,” which soars to No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is ranked among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.”

1970 – The “Woodstock” soundtrack hits the top of the Billboard album chart and remains there for four weeks. 

1970 – The No. 1 single in the U.S. is “Mama Told Me (Not to Come)” by Three Dog Night.  The song, written by Randy Newman, holds the top spot for two weeks.

1987 – “Alone” by Heart kicks off three weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the duo’s biggest hit.

1992 – “Baby Got Back,” by American rapper Sir Mix-a-Lot, is in the midst of five weeks as a No. 1 single.

History Highlights

1804 – Vice President Aaron Burr fatally shoots his longtime political antagonist, Alexander Hamilton, in a duel in Weehawken, New Jersey. Hamilton, a leading Federalist and former Treasury Secretary, dies the next day.

1914 – George Herman “Babe” Ruth makes his major league debut, pitching seven strong innings to lead the Boston Red Sox over the Cleveland Indians, 4-3. 

1916 – President Woodrow Wilson signs the Federal Aid Road Act, making federal funds available for construction and maintenance of U.S. highways.

1979 – Skylab plunges to Earth six years after its launch, showering flaming debris over the Indian Ocean and Australia, but fortunately causing no casualties. 

1985 – Coca-Cola officials hold a news conference to announce that original Coke is coming back after consumers overwhelmingly rejected its replacement by New Coke. The original formula is renamed Coca-Cola Classic.

Celebrity Birthdays

1767 – John Quincy Adams, sixth U.S. president 

1920 – Tony and Oscar-winning actor Yul Brynner (“The King and I,” “Anastasia,” “The Ten Commandments,” “The Magnificent Seven,” “Westworld”) (d. 1985)

1934 – Fashion designer Giorgio Armani 

1950 – Actor Bruce McGill (“MacGyver,” “My Cousin Vinny,” “The Insider,” “Ali,” “Legally Blonde 2,” “Collateral,” “Rizzoli & Isles”)

1953 – Former heavyweight boxing champion Leon Spinks 

1956 – Emmy-winning actress Sela Ward (“Sisters,” “The Fugitive,” “Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story,” “Once and Again,” “The Day After Tomorrow,” “The Guardian,” “The Stepfather,” “Gone Girl”)

1959 – Singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega (“Tom’s Diner,” “Luka”)

1963 – Actress and TV host Lisa Rinna (“Days of Our Lives,” “Melrose Place,” “Dancing With the Stars,” “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”)

1975 – Grammy-winning rapper Lil’ Kim, born Kimberly Denise Jones (“Magic Stick,” “Crush on You,” “Lady Marmalade”)

Own a Piece of This Day

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David Bowie (a.k.a. Space Oddity)

David Bowie

The Best of Three Dog Night: The Millennium Collection

Three Dog Night

War of Two: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and the Duel that Stunned the Nation

John Sedgwick

For God, Country, and Coca-Cola: The Definitive History

Mart Pendergrast

The King and I

Starring Deborah KerrYul Brynner, and directed by Walter Lang

Solitude Standing

Suzanne Vega

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