We begin with an odd moment today in 1962: Elvis Presley’s manager, Col. Tom Parker, declined an invitation on Presley’s behalf for an appearance before the Royal Family. Declining wasn’t due to conflicting film schedules (the stated reason) or anti-royalism — it was because Parker was an illegal immigrant to the U.S. from the Netherlands (his real name was  Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk), and he was afraid he wouldn’t be allowed back into the U.S.

Number one in Britain today in 1964:

Number one in Britain …

… and in the U.S. today in 1983:

The number one British single today in 1988 was recorded by a group whose previous number one single was 25 years earlier. The song, recorded 19 years earlier with someone named Elton John on piano, became a number one because it was in a beer commercial:

Birthdays begin with Mel Taylor, drummer for the Ventures:

The late Linda McCartney, Paul’s wife …

… who was born the same day as Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers:

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