The number one single today in 1973:

The number one British single today in 1979 was the last number one British single of the 1970s:

The number one British single today in 1984:

Today in 1999, Boy George was knocked unconscious during a concert in Dorset, England, when a mirror ball fell on his head.

Birthdays begin with Max Yasgur, on whose farm was held Woodstock in 1970:

The man who named “rock and roll,” DJ Alan Freed:

Dave Clark of the Dave Clark Five:

Carmine Appice played drums for Vanilla Fudge:

Actor and one-hit-wonder Don Johnson, who proves my point that singers can be trained to act better than actors can sing:

Paul Simonon of The Clash:

Tim Reynolds of the Dave Matthews Band:

Nick Beggs of Kajagoogoo and the Howard Jones band:

Two deaths of note today: In 2001, Rufus Thomas, who brought this song to the American public:

In 2006, Ahmet Ertegun, cofounder of Atlantic Records:

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