On this day in 1959 after a long and controversial road to statehood, Hawaii became the 50th state in the Union. The lower 48 was supposed to be the limit to the United States, but the people of Alaska wanted representation if the US was going to sap its natural resources. Hawaii on the other hand was granted statehood after it's strategy in the middle of the Pacific and the feelings of unity after the Pearl Harbor attacks. It's still a freak state to me.
On this day in 1961 Patsy Cline recorded her version of Willie Nelson's "Crazy". It would go on to be her signature song. She recorded it just two months after her near fatal car accident that sent her through her windshield. She sung while on crutches and had trouble singing due to her injured ribs. Cline would die in a plane crash 2 years later.
On this day in 1911 Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre. It turned out to be stolen by a former employee who just walked up to the painting, removed it from the wall, and walked out of the museum with it under his coat. He would be caught two years later trying to collect a ransom for the painting in Florence, Italy, where the painting was found unharmed.
On this day in 1935 Benny Goodman introduced the world to big band swing, the genre of music that would dominate the landscape for the next 15 years. Goodman performed at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles with his band in front of an audience thousands of young fans, and heard by countless more on a radio broadcast. His music was a more up tempo style than what was popular at the time, and the kids loved it!
Hawaii's another country as far as I'm concerned.
ReplyDeleteUgh, the 'swing revival' of the mid/late 90's, kill me now.