First shots of the war were April 19, 1775 in Lexington, between British Regulars and American Militia. The Declaration was adopted by 12 colonies 442 days later, after the motion was passed in Virginia on July 2. New York approved it on July 19, and the document was signed August 2. The war would last until 1783. Lets always remember what we are celebrating, and remember those who sacrificed so much for our futures.
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More than six months after taking the East Coast by storm, the Fab Four traveled to California for opening night of their first-ever concert tour of North America. The Beatles’ set that night and throughout the tour that followed featured only 12 songs, most often in this order: Twist and Shout, You Can’t Do That, All My Loving, She Loves You, Things We Said Today, Roll Over Beethoven, Can’t Buy Me Love, If I Fell, I Want to Hold Your Hand, Boys, A Hard Day’s Night, Long Tall Sally. The Beatles’ performances would last approximately 33 minutes. Yea, well we are playing the Pittsboro Roadhouse tonight, and are going to play longer than that! Unless screaming teens rush the stage and the police come.
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6/28/1953, workers at a Chevrolet plant in Flint, Michigan, assemble the first Corvette. The first completed production car rolled off the assembly line two days later, one of just 300 Corvettes made that year. The idea for the Corvette originated with General Motors’ pioneering designer Harley J. Earl, who in 1951 began developing plans for a low-cost American sports car that could compete with Europe’s MGs, Jaguars and Ferraris. It was named for the “trim, fleet naval vessel that performed heroic escort and patrol duties during World War II.”
The earliest Corvettes were designed to be opened from the inside and lacked exterior door handles. The car carried an initial price tag of $3,490 and could go from zero to 60 miles per hour in 11 or 12 seconds, then considered a fairly average speed.
Taken from “This Day in History”
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English pranksters begin popularizing the annual tradition of April Fools’ Day in 1700 by playing practical jokes on each other. “All Fools’ Day” has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, but its exact origins remain a mystery. Some historians speculate that it dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes. These included having paper fish placed on their backs and being referred to as “poisson d’avril” (April fish), said to symbolize a young, easily caught fish and a gullible person.
Historians have also linked April Fools’ Day to ancient festivals such as Hilaria, which was celebrated in Rome at the end of March and involved people dressing up in disguises. There’s also speculation that April Fools’ Day was tied to the vernal equinox, or first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, when Mother Nature fooled people with changing, unpredictable weather. “This Day in History”
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3-11-1997, Paul McCartney was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his “services to music.” McCartney admitted he was very nervous before the ceremony but said it had been a great experience. “Proud to be British, wonderful day and it’s a long way from a little terrace (street) in Liverpool,” he told reporters. Aides said he won’t be calling himself “Sir Paul,” the title conferred when the queen tapped him on each shoulder with a naked sword as he knelt on the investiture stool. McCartney’s knighthood was considered long overdue even by the conservative standards used in Britain, which sees most such honors going to judges, scientists and politicians. Born in 1942, Sir Paul will be 75 this June. Keep on rockin’ Paul!
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So much love for the folks at the Roadhouse and for letting us enjoy last night with you guys! Greg and his entire staff were beyond excellent, great food and beverage, excellent venue, and the best folks to spend an evening with. You brought the energy, love for good music and your dancing shoes: we had a great time with you. Hope we can do it again soon!
Reply
1/15/1967: The Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the first-ever world championship game of American football. The intense competition for players and fans between the National Football League (NFL) and the upstart American Football League (AFL) led to talks of a possible merger. It was decided that the winners of each league’s championship would meet each year in a single game to determine the “world champion of football.”
In that historic first game – Green Bay (led by MVP quarterback Bart Starr) scored three touchdowns in the second half for a 35-10 win. For their win, each member of the Packers collected $15,000: the largest single-game share in the history of team sports.
Reply
Posted this last year for Christmas, but it's such a great story I thought it needed repeating. Enjoy...
Just after midnight on Christmas morning in 1914, the majority of German troops engaged in World War I cease firing their guns and artillery and commence to sing Christmas carols. At certain points along the eastern and western fronts, the soldiers of Russia, France, and Britain even heard brass bands joining the Germans in their joyous singing. At the first light of dawn, many of the German soldiers emerged from their trenches and approached the Allied lines across no-man’s-land, calling out “Merry Christmas” in their enemies’ native tongues. At first, the Allied soldiers feared it was a trick, but seeing the Germans unarmed they climbed out of their trenches and shook hands with the enemy soldiers. The men exchanged presents of cigarettes and plum puddings and sang carols and songs. There was even a documented case of soldiers from opposing sides playing a good-natured game of soccer. The so-called Christmas Truce of 1914 came only five months after the outbreak of war in Europe and was one of the last examples of the outdated notion of chivalry between enemies in warfare.
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Aug 15, 1969, the Woodstock Music Festival opens on a patch of farmland in White Lake, in the upstate New York town of Bethel. Plans for the festival were on the verge of foundering, however, after both Woodstock and the nearby town of Wallkill denied permission to hold the event. Dairy farmer Max Yasgur came to the rescue at the last minute, giving the promoters access to his 600 acres of land in Bethel, some 50 miles from Woodstock.
Among the many great moments at the Festival were career-making performances by up-and-coming acts like Santana, Joe Cocker and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; the Who’s early-morning set featuring songs from their classic rock opera “Tommy”; and the closing set by Hendrix, which climaxed with an improvised solo guitar performance of “The Star Spangled Banner.”
Though Woodstock had left its promoters nearly bankrupt, their ownership of the film and recording rights more than compensated for the losses after the release of a hit documentary film in 1970.
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On July 17, 1967, one of the oddest musical pairings in history comes to an end when Jimi Hendrix dropped out as the opening act for teenybopper sensations The Monkees.
The booking of psychedelic rock god Jimi Hendrix with the made-for-television Monkees was the brainchild of Hendrix’s manager, Mike Jeffery, who was seeking greater public exposure for a young client who was a budding star in the UK, but a near-unknown in his native United States. It was in the UK, in fact, that Monkee Mike Nesmith first heard a tape of Hendrix playing while at a dinner party with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton. Nesmith and his fellow Monkees Peter Tork and Mickey Dolenz became instant Jimi Hendrix fans, and after witnessing his legendary performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967, they encouraged their own manager to invite the little-known but highly respected Jimi Hendrix Experience to join their upcoming U.S. tour.
Hendrix himself appears to have had no direct input on the decision, though he’d made his opinion of the Monkees clear several months earlier in an interview with Melody Maker magazine: “Oh God, I hate them! Dishwater….You can’t knock anybody for making it, but people like the Monkees?” Nevertheless, Hendrix joined the tour in progress in Jacksonville, Florida, on July 8. Predictably, the reception given to the now-legendary rock icon by the young fans of the bubblegum Monkees was less than worshipful. As Mickey Dolenz later recalled, “Jimi would amble out onto the stage, fire up the amps and break out into ‘Purple Haze,’ and the kids in the audience would instantly drown him out with ‘We want Daaavy!’ God, was it embarrassing”
Reply
Daddy's Alright / Blog
July 4, 1776 - Declaration of Independence adopted.
First shots of the war were April 19, 1775 in Lexington, between British Regulars and American Militia. The Declaration was adopted by 12 colonies 442 days later, after the motion was passed in Virginia on July 2. New York approved it on July 19, and the document was signed August 2. The war would last until 1783. Lets always remember what we are celebrating, and remember those who sacrificed so much for our futures.
Reply
Aug 19, 1964 - The Beatles kick off first U.S. tour
More than six months after taking the East Coast by storm, the Fab Four traveled to California for opening night of their first-ever concert tour of North America. The Beatles’ set that night and throughout the tour that followed featured only 12 songs, most often in this order: Twist and Shout, You Can’t Do That, All My Loving, She Loves You, Things We Said Today, Roll Over Beethoven, Can’t Buy Me Love, If I Fell, I Want to Hold Your Hand, Boys, A Hard Day’s Night, Long Tall Sally. The Beatles’ performances would last approximately 33 minutes. Yea, well we are playing the Pittsboro Roadhouse tonight, and are going to play longer than that! Unless screaming teens rush the stage and the police come.
Reply
OK - This one is for Frank!
6/28/1953, workers at a Chevrolet plant in Flint, Michigan, assemble the first Corvette. The first completed production car rolled off the assembly line two days later, one of just 300 Corvettes made that year. The idea for the Corvette originated with General Motors’ pioneering designer Harley J. Earl, who in 1951 began developing plans for a low-cost American sports car that could compete with Europe’s MGs, Jaguars and Ferraris. It was named for the “trim, fleet naval vessel that performed heroic escort and patrol duties during World War II.” The earliest Corvettes were designed to be opened from the inside and lacked exterior door handles. The car carried an initial price tag of $3,490 and could go from zero to 60 miles per hour in 11 or 12 seconds, then considered a fairly average speed. Taken from “This Day in History”
Reply
April Fools!
English pranksters begin popularizing the annual tradition of April Fools’ Day in 1700 by playing practical jokes on each other. “All Fools’ Day” has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, but its exact origins remain a mystery. Some historians speculate that it dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes. These included having paper fish placed on their backs and being referred to as “poisson d’avril” (April fish), said to symbolize a young, easily caught fish and a gullible person.
Historians have also linked April Fools’ Day to ancient festivals such as Hilaria, which was celebrated in Rome at the end of March and involved people dressing up in disguises. There’s also speculation that April Fools’ Day was tied to the vernal equinox, or first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, when Mother Nature fooled people with changing, unpredictable weather. “This Day in History”
Reply
"Sir" Paul McCartney
3-11-1997, Paul McCartney was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his “services to music.” McCartney admitted he was very nervous before the ceremony but said it had been a great experience. “Proud to be British, wonderful day and it’s a long way from a little terrace (street) in Liverpool,” he told reporters. Aides said he won’t be calling himself “Sir Paul,” the title conferred when the queen tapped him on each shoulder with a naked sword as he knelt on the investiture stool. McCartney’s knighthood was considered long overdue even by the conservative standards used in Britain, which sees most such honors going to judges, scientists and politicians. Born in 1942, Sir Paul will be 75 this June. Keep on rockin’ Paul!
Reply
Pittsboro Roadhouse
So much love for the folks at the Roadhouse and for letting us enjoy last night with you guys! Greg and his entire staff were beyond excellent, great food and beverage, excellent venue, and the best folks to spend an evening with. You brought the energy, love for good music and your dancing shoes: we had a great time with you. Hope we can do it again soon!
Reply
Super Bowl 1 !
1/15/1967: The Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the first-ever world championship game of American football. The intense competition for players and fans between the National Football League (NFL) and the upstart American Football League (AFL) led to talks of a possible merger. It was decided that the winners of each league’s championship would meet each year in a single game to determine the “world champion of football.” In that historic first game – Green Bay (led by MVP quarterback Bart Starr) scored three touchdowns in the second half for a 35-10 win. For their win, each member of the Packers collected $15,000: the largest single-game share in the history of team sports.
Reply
Merry Christmas to You and Yours!
Posted this last year for Christmas, but it's such a great story I thought it needed repeating. Enjoy...
Just after midnight on Christmas morning in 1914, the majority of German troops engaged in World War I cease firing their guns and artillery and commence to sing Christmas carols. At certain points along the eastern and western fronts, the soldiers of Russia, France, and Britain even heard brass bands joining the Germans in their joyous singing. At the first light of dawn, many of the German soldiers emerged from their trenches and approached the Allied lines across no-man’s-land, calling out “Merry Christmas” in their enemies’ native tongues. At first, the Allied soldiers feared it was a trick, but seeing the Germans unarmed they climbed out of their trenches and shook hands with the enemy soldiers. The men exchanged presents of cigarettes and plum puddings and sang carols and songs. There was even a documented case of soldiers from opposing sides playing a good-natured game of soccer. The so-called Christmas Truce of 1914 came only five months after the outbreak of war in Europe and was one of the last examples of the outdated notion of chivalry between enemies in warfare.
Reply
Woodstock!
Aug 15, 1969, the Woodstock Music Festival opens on a patch of farmland in White Lake, in the upstate New York town of Bethel. Plans for the festival were on the verge of foundering, however, after both Woodstock and the nearby town of Wallkill denied permission to hold the event. Dairy farmer Max Yasgur came to the rescue at the last minute, giving the promoters access to his 600 acres of land in Bethel, some 50 miles from Woodstock. Among the many great moments at the Festival were career-making performances by up-and-coming acts like Santana, Joe Cocker and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; the Who’s early-morning set featuring songs from their classic rock opera “Tommy”; and the closing set by Hendrix, which climaxed with an improvised solo guitar performance of “The Star Spangled Banner.” Though Woodstock had left its promoters nearly bankrupt, their ownership of the film and recording rights more than compensated for the losses after the release of a hit documentary film in 1970.
Reply
The Monkees and Hendrix?! Wha....
On July 17, 1967, one of the oddest musical pairings in history comes to an end when Jimi Hendrix dropped out as the opening act for teenybopper sensations The Monkees. The booking of psychedelic rock god Jimi Hendrix with the made-for-television Monkees was the brainchild of Hendrix’s manager, Mike Jeffery, who was seeking greater public exposure for a young client who was a budding star in the UK, but a near-unknown in his native United States. It was in the UK, in fact, that Monkee Mike Nesmith first heard a tape of Hendrix playing while at a dinner party with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton. Nesmith and his fellow Monkees Peter Tork and Mickey Dolenz became instant Jimi Hendrix fans, and after witnessing his legendary performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967, they encouraged their own manager to invite the little-known but highly respected Jimi Hendrix Experience to join their upcoming U.S. tour. Hendrix himself appears to have had no direct input on the decision, though he’d made his opinion of the Monkees clear several months earlier in an interview with Melody Maker magazine: “Oh God, I hate them! Dishwater….You can’t knock anybody for making it, but people like the Monkees?” Nevertheless, Hendrix joined the tour in progress in Jacksonville, Florida, on July 8. Predictably, the reception given to the now-legendary rock icon by the young fans of the bubblegum Monkees was less than worshipful. As Mickey Dolenz later recalled, “Jimi would amble out onto the stage, fire up the amps and break out into ‘Purple Haze,’ and the kids in the audience would instantly drown him out with ‘We want Daaavy!’ God, was it embarrassing”
Reply