WHAT HAPPENED!!??!!… On This Day In History – May 14
1769 – Edward Jenne administers the first smallpox inoculation
1878 – The last witchcraft trial held in the United States begins in Salem, Massachusetts, after Lucretia Brown, an adherent of Christian Science, accused Daniel Spofford of attempting to harm her through his mental powers.
1938 – “The Adventures of Robin Hood”, directed by Michael Curtiz, William Keighley and starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland is released
1944 – Film Director, screenwriter, producer, entrepreneur and creator of a Galaxy Far, Far Away George Lucas was born in Modesto, California
1951 – Memphis producer Sam Phillips records nascent bluesman Howlin’ Wolf singing “Moanin’ at Midnight.” Phillips leases that and other recordings to the Chicago-based Chess label, angering Los Angeles’ Modern label, which believed it had a previous deal with Wolf.
1952 – David Byrne, lead singer of the Talking Heads, is born in Dumbarton, Scotland.
1968 – Paul McCartney and John Lennon make a guest appearance on The Tonight Show to announce the creation of Apple Corps. The first few seasons of Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show no longer exist in the NBC vaults. Unfortunately, many videotapes were ‘reused’ by NBC in the fifties and sixties, including Carson’s earliest seasons. Therefore this 1968 Lennon/McCartney appearance is truly a lost interview. What does still exist is due only to TV-viewing Beatle fans trying to capture the moment, back before the days of home VCRs. A small portion of the interview was captured on silent home-movie film by a Beatles fan aiming an 8mm movie camera at their TV set. The 3 minute home movie of the TV screen, while producing a poor-quality picture and only a very small fraction of the full 22 minute appearance, unfortunately is the only known ‘video’ in existence of John and Paul’s 1968 appearance on the Tonight Show.
1973 – Skylab, the United States’ first space station, is launched.
1979 – “Kids Are All Right” rockumentary film featuring The Who premieres at the Cannes Film Festival
1985 – President Ronald Reagan seizes a photo opportunity and gives Michael Jackson a humanitarian award at the White House.
And the Top 10 Singles chart on this day in 1974 looked like this…
1 – THE STREAK – Ray Stevens
2 – DANCING MACHINE – The Jackson 5
3 – THE ENTERTAINER – Marvin Hamlisch
4 – THE LOCO-MOTION – Grand Funk
5 – THE SHOW MUST GO ON – Three Dog Night
6 – BENNIE AND THE JETS – Elton John
7 – BAND ON THE RUN – Paul McCartney and Wings
8 – MIDNIGHT AT THE OASIS – Maria Muldaur
9 – (I’ve Been) SEARCHIN’ SO LONG – Chicago
10 – YOU MAKE ME FEEL BRAND NEW – The Stylistics
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