Today in 1949, RCA released the first 45-rpm record.

The seven-inch size of the 45, compared with the bigger 78, allowed the development of jukeboxes.

The number one single today in 1964:

The number one single today in 1969:

The number one single today in 1975:

The number one single today in 1992:

Today in 2004, Super Bowl XXXVIII, a great game, was obscured by its halftime show:

The number one single today in 2005, 45 years after its original release:

Today in 2008, NASA chose the first song to be beamed directly into space:

Birthdays begin with Bob Shane, one of the original Kingston Trio:

Don Everly of the Everly Brothers …

… was born the same day as Ray Sawyer, better known as Dr. Hook:

Rick James:

Mike Campbell played guitar for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers:

Who is Antoine Patton? Maybe you know him as Big Boi of OutKast:

One death of note, today in 1989: Paul Robi of the Platters:

• Music