Today begins with a non-music anniversary: Today in 1870, the U.S. Weather Bureau was created, later to become the National Weather Service.

Tomorrow in 1870, the first complaints were made about the Weather Bureau’s being wrong about its forecast.

Today in 1946, two New York radio stations changed call letters. WABC, owned by CBS, became (natch) WCBS, paving the way for WJZ, owned by ABC, to become (natch) WABC seven years later. WEAF changed its call letters to WNBC.

I suspect this was the number one single today in 1969:

The number one album today in 1969 was the Beatles’ “Abbey Road”:

The number one British single today in 1970 was about an event that occurred a year earlier in the U.S., written by someone who didn’t actually attend:

The number one single today in 1975:

The number one album today in 1980 was “Hungry Heart,” Bruce Springsteen’s first number one album:

Proving yet again that there is no accounting for taste, I present the number one British single today in 1997:

Birthdays begin with U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler:

Rick Grech of Blind Faith and Traffic:

Dan Peek of America:

 

Ronald Bell of Kool and the Gang:

Chris Morris played guitar for Paper Lace:

Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers:

Rick Allen, the one-armed drummer of Def Leppard:

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