The Day the King Left the Building
On August 16, 1977, Elvis Presley was found dead at Graceland at age 42, ending the life of rock and roll's first global superstar.
Tagged: culture
The Night Rock and Roll Crowned Its Founders
On January 23, 1986, the first Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony at New York's Waldorf-Astoria honored Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, and the other founders of rock.
The Day the World Wrote a Charter Against War
On November 16, 1945, thirty-seven countries signed the constitution of UNESCO in London, betting that peace could be built in the minds of men.
‘Ja Think I'm a Cowboy?’: Popeye Sails Into the Funny Pages
On January 17, 1929, a squinting one-eyed sailor named Popeye walked into E. C. Segar's comic strip Thimble Theatre and stole the show — and the century.
The British Museum Opens Its Doors to the World
On January 15, 1759, the British Museum opened in a Bloomsbury mansion as the world's first free national public museum, founded on a doctor's 71,000-object collection.
The Met Opens Its Doors in New York
On February 20, 1872, the Metropolitan Museum of Art opened to the public for the first time in a leased former dance academy on Fifth Avenue.
A Star Is Born: Elvis Presley Arrives in Tupelo
On January 8, 1935, Elvis Aaron Presley was born in a two-room shotgun house in Tupelo, Mississippi — the surviving twin who would grow up to shake the world of music.
The Film Festival That Took Seven Years to Open
Canned by the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the first Cannes Film Festival finally opened on September 20, 1946 — with chaos, charm, and 18 nations.
Pass Go: The Day Parker Brothers Dealt Out Monopoly
On November 5, 1935, Parker Brothers began marketing Monopoly, turning a Depression-era parlor game about Atlantic City real estate into the best-selling board game of all time.
Three Keystrokes That Taught the Internet to Smile
On September 19, 1982, a Carnegie Mellon professor proposed :-) and :-( as 'joke markers' for a campus message board — and the emoticon was born.
The Party That Invented Hip-Hop: Bronx, August 11, 1973
On August 11, 1973, a back-to-school party in a Bronx rec room launched hip-hop — thanks to a Jamaican-born DJ, two turntables, and the humble break.
The Night Music Got Its Own Trophy: The First Grammy Awards, 1959
On May 4, 1959, the music industry handed out its first Grammy Awards — at two small banquet halls on opposite coasts, where an Italian love song and a cartoon chipmunk beat Frank Sinatra.
The First St. Patrick's Day Parade Marched in New York, Not Dublin
On March 17, 1762, Irish soldiers in the British Army marched through colonial New York in what became the world's oldest and largest St. Patrick's Day parade.
The People's Palace: The Louvre Opens Its Doors, August 10, 1793
On August 10, 1793 — a year to the day after the French monarchy fell — the Louvre opened as a public museum, declaring that art belonged to the nation.
Two Tiny Cartridges That Changed Playtime Forever
On February 27, 1996, Pocket Monsters Red and Green launched for the Game Boy in Japan, starting the Pokémon phenomenon.
The Bikini Makes Its Explosive Debut in Paris
On July 5, 1946, French designer Louis Réard unveiled the bikini at a Paris pool, naming his 30 square inches of fabric after an atomic test site.
'Black Sunday': Disneyland's Chaotic Opening Day
On July 17, 1955, Walt Disney's $17 million park opened in Anaheim to 28,000 guests — nearly double the invited crowd — in a sweltering disaster the staff later called 'Black Sunday.'