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THE FOLLOWING EVENTS TOOK PLACE ON AUGUST 24


79--The volcano, Mt. Vesuvius, erupts for the first time, destroying southern Italy’s cities of Pompeii, Stabiaes, and Herculaneum. Vesuvius explodes without warning at about noon, covering Pompeii in a layer of ash nearly 13 feet deep. The other two cities were buried under mud and volcanic debris. Archaeologists were later able to determine what life was like in Roman times from the volcanic-ash-preserved remains of the cities. Vesuvius is still active.

1853--The first potato chips are prepared by Chef George Crum.

1891--Thomas Edison patents the motion picture camera.

1956--Elvis Presley records We’re Gonna Move and Love Me Tender at 20th Century Fox Studios in Hollywood.

1959--Billboard magazine runs an article declaring “Rock and Roll Ain’t Ready for the Old Rockin’ Chair Yet,” declaring that not only have legends like Elvis Presley and Fats Domino weathered commercial dry spells, but that rock is safe in the hands of newcomers like the Everly Brothers and Ricky Nelson.

1960--The Beatles perform at the Indra Club, Grosse Freiheit, Hamburg, West Germany.

1961--The Beatles perform at St. John’s Hall, Tuebrook, Liverpool.

1962--The Beatles perform a lunchtime show at the Cavern Club, then that night they perform at the Majestic Ballroom, Birkenhead.

1963--The Beatles perform at the Gaumont Cinema, Bournemouth. This is the final night of a six-night engagement at the Gaumont, playing two shows per night.

1964--US release of The Beatles’ single Slow Down / Matchbox (Capitol). Eight weeks on Billboard chart; highest position #17.

1964--The Beatles attend a charity meet-and-greet event at Livingston Garden, Los Angeles. The reception is organized by the Foundation Against Hemophilia. Many of the children of Hollywood movie stars get to meet their idols up close and personal. As one example, Paul McCartney holds Rebel Lee Robinson (daughter of Edward G. Robinson) in his arms.

1964--The first meeting takes place between Brian Epstein and Colonel Parker, Elvis Presley’s manager. They lunch in the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles.

1966--The Beatles perform their second concert at Shea Stadium in New York.

1967--The Beatles meet Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, whose lecture on Transcendental Meditation (TM) they had gone to hear at the Hilton Hotel in London. John Lennon later says the experience was akin to “going somewhere without your trousers.” TM involves the silent repetition of a word, short phrase, or sound to produce a state of mind that reduces stress, calms the mind, and energizes both mind and body. The Maharishi invites the Beatles to travel with him to Bangor, in North Wales, to attend more lectures. They accept his invitation.

1967--Ringo Starr visits his wife, Maureen, and son, Jason, at Queen’s Charlotte Hospital.

1967--The Beatles have a long conversation with Brian Epstein about the upcoming “Magical Mystery Tour” film.

1968--John Lennon and Yoko Ono appear live for an interview on David Frost’s television program, “Frost on Saturday.” John’s current interests are made exceedingly clear. The word “Beatles” is scarcely uttered. Instead, John and Yoko discuss art, vibrations, and the avant-garde. Frost was a bit cautious, prompting John and Yoko to take charge of the interview and liven things up. The interview was re-broadcast on “The Best of Frost,” on May 18, 1969.

1968--France becomes the world’s fifth thermonuclear power when it explodes a hydrogen bomb at the Fangataufa Atoll in the South Pacific. The bomb had a yield of 2.6 megatons (the equivalent of more than two-and-a-half million tons of TNT) and heavily contaminated the atoll, leaving it off-limits to humans for six years. Atmospheric and underwater nuclear weapons testing continued there for nearly 30 more years.

1969--In the morning, John Lennon writes the song Cold Turkey. In the afternoon he rehearses it. By the end of the evening, the gut-wrenching song has been recorded.

1987--US re-release of The Beatles’ album The Beatles (The White Album) on double CD (Capitol).

1987--US re-release of The Beatles’ album Yellow Submarine on CD (Capitol).

1987--UK release of The Beatles’ albums on CD: Yellow Submarine and The Beatles (The White Album, issued as a double CD). (EMI).

1995--Microsoft officially rolled out their Windows 95 operating system. Midnight parties at retailers across the US offered the new system for sale to those who just couldn’t wait any longer. NBC’s Jay Leno hosted the official launch party at the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington. The company lit up the Empire State Building with the Windows 95 logo colors, and licensed the Rolling Stones song, Start Me Up, to use in its TV advertisements (for $12 million).

For more day-by-day history go to HistoryUnlimited.net

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