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July 8th was a Sunday in 1881, so when a hot young man entered Edward Berner’s drugstore in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, and ordered an ice-cream soda, his request was denied. Ice-cream sodas could not be served on the Sabbath owing to the ancient Mosaic injunction against them. The hot young man pleaded his case soContinue reading “What all the screaming was about”

July 7, 1984 –The single Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood became Britain’s all-time best-selling single (at the time) on this date. In America, any sexual innuendo contained in this song got little attention, but it caused plenty of controversy in the UK. The song entered the UK singles chart at #77 on November 12,Continue reading “Relax hit big”

July 7, 1960 –Universal Pictures releases the horror film The Brides of Dracula, directed by Terence Fisher and starring Peter Cushing, in the UK on this date. In an early draft of the screenplay, Count Dracula was meant to have returned from the dead at the film’s beginning. He was then to have taken centerContinue reading “The Brides of Dracula premiered”

July 7, 1939 – Jean Renior’s prescient masterpiece, Rules of the Game, starring Marcel Dalio, Nora Gregor, and Paulette Dubost, opened in Paris, France on this date (because of World War II, the film did not officially open in the US until 1950.) Despite being considered by historians to be one of the best filmsContinue reading “La Règle Du Jeu premiered”

Today is Chocolate Day (If you’re a chocoholic, then you have two more chocolate days to celebrate! World Chocolate Day is on September 4 and National Chocolate Day is on October 28.) The date commemorates the introduction of Hershey’s Kisses on this date in 1907 and the introduction of chocolate in Europe in 1550. RememberContinue reading “It’s a Hodge Podge of Holidays”

July 7, 2005 –19 years ago on this date, four bomb explosions struck London’s transport system during the morning rush. Three Underground trains were hit within half an hour, and a double-decker bus joined the toll, thirty minutes later. A group calling itself “The Secret Organization of al-Qaida in Europe” posted a claim of responsibility,Continue reading “London’s 7/7”

July 6, 1979 –The B-52s, a New Wave band based in Athens, Georgia, released Planet Claire on this date. The song samples the Peter Gunn Theme, which Henry Mancini wrote for the 1958 TV series. Mancini has a writer credit on Planet Claire along with every member of The B-52s.

July 6, 1972 –David Bowie scandalized British home viewers on this date, while performing Starman on the TV show, Top Of The Pops, by singing with his arm draped around the shoulder of guitarist Mick Ronson – this was the moment Bowie became a star. This was the last song written for The Rise andContinue reading “That weren’t no DJ, that was hazy cosmic jive …”

July 6, 1964 – The Beatles‘ film Hard Day’s Night premieres in London, on this date. During the opening sequence of the group running, George stumbles and falls, with Ringo falling over him in turn. This wasn’t intended and George ripped the suit he was wearing, but he quickly recovered, laughed, and continued running, itContinue reading “The Beatles first film opened”

July 5, 1954 –Elvis Presley recorded his first commercial song, That’s All Right (Mama) on this date. The song, which hadn’t been rehearsed by Elvis, was recorded at Sun Records by Sam Phillips (who is commonly credited for discovering him.) The following evening, Blue Moon of Kentucky was recorded as the B side. That’s AllContinue reading “You know what you need to do”