1964: "I want to hold your hand" by The Beatles was # 1 this week

Beatlemania officially began with "I want to hold your hand" jumping to # 1 on Billboard.    

A week later, The Beatles landed in New York for The Ed Sullivan Show.  To say the least, pop music would never be the same!

In the US, the B-side was "I saw her standing there", a song from the first LP in the UK.    In the UK, it was "This boy", a song featured on "Meet The Beatles", the first US LP.

"I want to hold your hand" was # 1 for seven weeks.   It was one of the best selling singles of the pop era.    And it is also now available in a digital format.

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1957: Big pay day for Ted Williams

On this day in 1957, Ted Williams signed a one-year $100,000 contract with the Boston Red Sox.  He remained baseball's highest paid player.

Williams followed that contract by leading the AL in batting with a .388 average & 38 HR.   

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We remember Natalie Cole (1950-2015)

Natalie was born February 6, 1950 in Los Angeles.   She was 15 when her father, Nat King Cole, died young in 1965.   

In 1991, Natalie recorded an album of her father's music and it sold 14 million copies.  It included a great version of "Unforgettable".  Thanks to technology, they mixed the two vocal tracks and it was great.

Natalie Cole died in 2015.  

By the way,  her music is available on a digital format, such as that great album of her father's songs.

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Happy birthday to 'The Gipper' and 'The Babe'

All of my conservative friends are flooding social media with birthday wishes for the late President Reagan who was born on this day in 1911 in Tampico, Illinois.    

To this day, President Reagan ranks high as one of the most popular presidents of the last 50 years. We remember him as a leader, a man who stood up to the USSR, defended the US and the kind of figure that you were proud to see on stage as the US president.   In fact, a 2011 Gallup ranked him as our greatest president! 

Greater than Lincoln and Washington?  Not so fast but it is evidence that a lot of us remember him as a successful president, a man who made us feel good about the country.

We also remember that Babe Ruth was born in Baltimore, Maryland on this day in 1895.  

Like Reagan, Ruth came along at an opportune time. 

Baseball was in deep trouble after the White Sox scandal and fans soured on the game. The "Black Sox" scandal was a complicated story but the Commissioner had no choice but to ban the players.  The biggest tragedy of the commissioner's decision is that we never got to see "Shoeless" Jackson play a full career in the majors.

Ruth put fans in the seats, made baseball fun and became a legendary American hero. 

What was God telling us by making this day a birthday for two such dynamic individuals?  I think that he was saying that our leaders come from humble homes and unexpected places like Tampico, Illinois and the rough streets of Baltimore, Maryland. 

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1911: President Reagan born on this day

We remember that Ronald Reagan was born on this day in 1911.   His birthplace was Tampico, Illinois. 

Like many of you, I became a conservative because of the Reagan 1976 campaign and eventual election to the presidency in 1980.   He is still one of the most popular presidents in recent memory.   

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We remember Babe Ruth (1895-1948)

George Herman "Babe" Ruth was born in Baltimore on this day in 1895.  

Ruth came along at a very opportune time for the game and the business of baseball.  Baseball was in deep trouble after the White Sox scandal and fans soured on the game.

The "Black Sox" scandal was a complicated story but the Commissioner had no choice but to ban the players.  The biggest tragedy of the commissioner's decision is that we never got to see "Shoeless" Jackson play a full career in the majors.

Ruth put fans in the seats.  He made baseball fun again and became a legendary American hero. 

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.