On this day:

too larry

too larry

Well-Known Member
The College of Rock and Roll Knowledge
10 hrs ·
The Beatles LP "Revolver" which was released 53 years ago today in the UK, included the song "Eleanor Rigby". The song was written by Paul McCartney and many people have often wondered who she was, or why that name for the song.

Paul at first said it was a name that came to him and it fitted in with the song, but in reality, there is a headstone in St Peter's Graveyard Woolton, that contains the name Eleanor Rigby.

The relationship here is that it was at St. Peter's in 1957 that Paul met John at the church event which was held in the same church grounds.

Paul now admits that the name Eleanor Rigby was probably planted into his subconscious, from all those years ago that he and John would regularly cut through the church grounds in the early days before they became The Beatles.

"Ah, look at all the lonely people….."

 
BarnBuster

BarnBuster

Virtually Unknown Member

"On this day in 1942, the U.S. 1st Marine Division begins Operation Watchtower, the code name for the U.S. plan to invade Guadalcanal and the surrounding islands and was the first U.S. offensive of the war.

Although not as well-known as the Battles of Midway or Iwo Jima, the Battle of Guadalcanal played a key role in the Pacific Theater of World War II. The six-month-long Guadalcanal Campaign took place on and around the island of Guadalcanal, one of the Solomon Islands located in the South Pacific, to the northeast of Australia

On July 6, 1942, the Japanese landed on Guadalcanal Island and began constructing an airfield there. In response on August 7, 1942, , the U.S. launched Operation Watchtower, in which American troops landed on five islands within the Solomon chain, including Guadalcanal. Although the invasion came as a complete surprise to the Japanese (bad weather had grounded their scouting aircraft), the landings on Florida, Tulagi, Gavutu and Tananbogo met much initial opposition from the Japanese defenders.

But the Americans who landed on Guadalcanal met little resistance—at least at first. More than 11,000 Marines had landed, and 24 hours had passed, before the Japanese manning the garrison there knew of the attack. The U.S. forces quickly took their main objective, the airfield, and the outnumbered Japanese troops retreated, but not for long. Reinforcements were brought in, and fierce hand-to-hand jungle fighting ensued. “I have never heard or read of this kind of fighting,” wrote one American major general on the scene. “These people refuse to surrender.” The struggle on Guadalcanal was protracted, and the period from August 1942 to February 1943 saw some of the most bitter fighting of the war

The Americans were at a particular disadvantage, being assaulted from both the sea and air. But the U.S. Navy was able to reinforce its troops to a greater extent, and by February 1943, the Japanese had retreated on secret orders of their emperor (so secret, the Americans did not even know it had taken place until they began happening upon abandoned positions, empty boats, and discarded supplies). In total, the Japanese had lost more than 25,000 men, compared with a loss of 1,600 by the Americans. Each side lost 24 warships. The battle for Guadalcanal proved to be extremely costly for the Japanese Empire in terms of both material losses and strategy. With Guadalcanal secure, the Solomon Islands quickly fell to American forces as Henderson Field offered a direct base of support for American air units in the area. The sheer number of Japanese troops, supplies, and naval units were also irreplaceable at this point of the war. For many historians, the American victory at Guadalcanal, therefore, was a turning point for the war-effort as Guadalcanal served as a major boost to American morale, and a tremendous success for American military efforts in the Pacific.

Douglas Albert Munro was a United States Coast Guardsman who was posthumously decorated with the Medal of Honor for an act of "extraordinary heroism" during the Battle of Guadalcanal.. As of 2019, he is the only person to have received the medal for actions performed during service in the United States Coast Guard. Munro was assigned to Naval Operating Base Cactus at Lunga Point, from which small boat operations were being coordinated. At the Second Battle of the Matanikau in September 1942, he was tasked with leading the extrication of a force of United States Marines that had been overrun by Japanese forces. He died of a gunshot wound at the age of 22 while using the Higgins boat he was piloting to shield a landing craft filled with marines from Japanese fire. @GreatwhiteNorth

One of the first Medals of Honor given to a Marine in WW2 was awarded to Sgt. John Basilone for his fighting during Operation Watchtower. According to the recommendation for his medal, he “contributed materially to the defeat and virtually the annihilation of a Japanese regiment.” Later, Gunnery Sgt. Basilone would be posthumously awarded the the Purple Heart and the Navy Cross for his actions on Iwo Jima"

Midnight in the Pacific : Guadalcanal : the World War II battle that turned the tide of war / Joseph Wheelan. (One of the best I’ve read on Guadalcanal)
The conquering tide : war in the Pacific Islands, 1942/1944 / Ian W. Toll.
Pacific crucible : war at sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942 / Ian W. Toll.
The barrier and the javelin : Japanese and Allied Pacific strategies, February to June 1942 / H.P. Willmott
The first South Pacific campaign : Pacific Fleet strategy, December 1941-June 1942 / by John B. Lundstrom
@Skeet Kuhn Dough

https://allthatsinteresting.com/guadalcanal-battle-campaign
http://www.pbs.org/thewar/detail_5210.htm
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Battle_of_Guadalcanal

These last two are detailed Army and Navy reports and analysis of the campaign(s) at Guadalcanal
https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/browse-by-topic/War and Conflict/WWII-Pacific-Battles/Battle of Guadalcanal 5.pdf
https://history.army.mil/html/books/005/5-3/CMH_Pub_5-3.pdf
 
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too larry

too larry

Well-Known Member
One of the most famous photographs in the history of the world was taken 50 years ago today.

Photographer Iain MacMillan had a photo session on Aug. 8, 1969. On that day he shoots the cover for what would be the Beatles' last recorded album, "Abbey Road." The session took place just outside the studios of the same name where the band recorded most of its classic songs. The photo merely shows the band crossing the street while walking away from the studio.

The shoot only lasted ten minutes, and Ian only took six shots, from which Paul picked the cover.

It may not be the most famous album cover of all time, but we would think it has to be in the top 3. What other LP's would you choose?

Happy 50th Birthday to the "Abbey Road Album Cover Photo".

 
too larry

too larry

Well-Known Member
The College of Rock and Roll Knowledge
11 hrs ·
The Yardbirds released their LP "Over, Under, Sideways Down" on Aug. 8, 1966. The album had been released as "The Yardbirds" (better know as 'Roger The Engineer") in the UK. The original American versions of this album had a completely different album cover and name as the song "Over Under Sideways Down" was already a hit in the states. The US version omitted the songs "The Nazz Are Blue" (which was sung by Jeff Beck) and "Rack My Mind." Record collectors have sought out both the mono (LN 24210) and stereo (BN 26210) versions since several tracks are featured with slight differences in the mixes

The album was reissued in 1983 by Epic. It was titled "The Yardbirds", featured the original UK album cover, the two missing tracks, duplication of the British mixing, and two additional tracks, the 1966 single "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" b/w "Psycho Daisies", both featuring Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page.

They just don't make records like this anymore. (We know there are some great new records out there today, but for us old-er people, records like this defined our generation).

Happy 53rd US Birthday to "Over, Under, Sideways Down"!! How many of you have this record with this cover?

 
BarnBuster

BarnBuster

Virtually Unknown Member
manson.jpeg​

On this day in 1969, members of Charles Manson’s cult kill five people in movie director Roman Polanski’s Beverly Hills, California, home, including Polanski’s pregnant wife, actress Sharon Tate. Less than two days later, the group killed again, murdering supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary in their home. The savage crimes shocked the nation and turned Charles Manson into a criminal icon.

Manson was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1934 to an unwed 16-year-old mother. He spent much of his childhood in juvenile reformatories and his early adulthood in prison. After his release in 1967, Manson moved to California and used his unlikely magnetism to attract a group of hippies and set up a commune, where drugs and orgies were common, on the outskirts of Los Angeles.

Manson preached his own blend of eccentric religious teachings to his acolytes, who called themselves his “Family.” He told them a race war between blacks and whites was imminent and would result in great power for the Family. Manson said they should instigate the war by killing rich white people and trying to make it look like the work of blacks.

Roman Polanski (Rosemary’s Baby, Chinatown, The Pianist), was not the cult leader’s intended target. Manson, an aspiring musician, chose the Polanski house because he had once unsuccessfully tried to get a recording deal from a producer who used to live there. Polanski was out of town at the time of the murders, but his wife and her friends, including coffee heiress Abigail Folger, were shot or stabbed to death. Manson stayed out of the Polanski house on the night of the crime and didn’t take part in the LaBianca killings either. However, he would later be charged with murder on the grounds he had influenced his followers and masterminded the crimes.

After initially eluding police suspicion, Manson was arrested only after one of his followers, already in jail on a different charge, started bragging about what had happened. Manson’s subsequent trial became a national spectacle, in which he exhibited bizarre and violent behavior. In 1971, he was convicted and given the death penalty; however, that sentence became life behind bars when the California Supreme Court overturned the death penalty in 1972.

Manson has been the subject of numerous movies and books, including the best-seller Helter Skelter (the title is a reference to a Beatles’ song of the same name, through which Manson believed the group was sending secret messages to start a race war). Manson died in prison in 2017
 
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too larry

too larry

Well-Known Member
BarnBuster said:

On this day in 1969, members of Charles Manson’s cult kill five people in movie director Roman Polanski’s Beverly Hills, California, home, including Polanski’s pregnant wife, actress Sharon Tate. Less than two days later, the group killed again, murdering supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary in their home. The savage crimes shocked the nation and turned Charles Manson into a criminal icon.

Manson was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1934 to an unwed 16-year-old mother. He spent much of his childhood in juvenile reformatories and his early adulthood in prison. After his release in 1967, Manson moved to California and used his unlikely magnetism to attract a group of hippies and set up a commune, where drugs and orgies were common, on the outskirts of Los Angeles.

Manson preached his own blend of eccentric religious teachings to his acolytes, who called themselves his “Family.” He told them a race war between blacks and whites was imminent and would result in great power for the Family. Manson said they should instigate the war by killing rich white people and trying to make it look like the work of blacks.

Roman Polanski (Rosemary’s Baby, Chinatown, The Pianist), was not the cult leader’s intended target. Manson, an aspiring musician, chose the Polanski house because he had once unsuccessfully tried to get a recording deal from a producer who used to live there. Polanski was out of town at the time of the murders, but his wife and her friends, including coffee heiress Abigail Folger, were shot or stabbed to death. Manson stayed out of the Polanski house on the night of the crime and didn’t take part in the LaBianca killings either. However, he would later be charged with murder on the grounds he had influenced his followers and masterminded the crimes.

After initially eluding police suspicion, Manson was arrested only after one of his followers, already in jail on a different charge, started bragging about what had happened. Manson’s subsequent trial became a national spectacle, in which he exhibited bizarre and violent behavior. In 1971, he was convicted and given the death penalty; however, that sentence became life behind bars when the California Supreme Court overturned the death penalty in 1972.

Manson has been the subject of numerous movies and books, including the best-seller Helter Skelter (the title is a reference to a Beatles’ song of the same name, through which Manson believed the group was sending secret messages to start a race war). Manson died in prison in 2017
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It was 50 years ago this morning that the Manson Family crimes occurred at 10050 Cielo Dr. in LA. Of the 5 people who lost their lives that morning, the least known was Steve Parent. Steve was visiting William Garretson who was the groundskeeper for the property and lived in the guest house.

As we are sure many of you are aware, the prior renter of the house was record producer Terry Melcher. Terry had a room mate at the house, Mark Lindsay, who was the lead singer for Paul Revere and The Raiders. Mark and Terry wrote The Raiders hit "Good Thing" on the piano at that house.

Below is a promo picture that Paul Revere and The Raiders took on the staircase at the guest house at Cielo when Mark lived there. The other picture was take 50 years ago today.

(Raiders pic from Mark Lindsay)


 
too larry

too larry

Well-Known Member
The College of Rock and Roll Knowledge
7 hrs ·
(We, The College of Rock and Roll Knowledge need to put a disclaimer on this post. In no way are we trying to glorify, promote or say nice things about the people who committed this crime. This is part of Rock and Roll history. Not one of the better moments, but one of the people involved thought The Beatles were talking to him. The Beach Boys were involved. It is just history. Please do not accuse us of trying to make a monster famous)

Charles Manson wanted to be a Rock and Roll star. At one point he was talking with record producer (and Doris Day's son) Terry Melcher because Manson and his 'family' had met and moved into The Beach Boys Dennis Wilson's house in LA. Terry passed on recording / producing Manson.

Early in the morning on Aug 9, 1969, Manson sent some of his family to Melcher's house. Terry did not live there anymore. (One of Melcher's past room mates in that house was Paul Revere & The Raiders' singer Mark Lindsay). The home was now occupied by actress Sharon Tate and her husband Roman Polanski. On Aug. 9. Polanski was in Europe and Sharon had some friends over.

Manson wanted to start the 'final race war'. The 60's were coming to a violent end 50 years ago tonight. How many of you remember hearing about this when it happened? And you know we have to ask, did any of you ever meet any of 'the family'?

RIP to Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojcieh Frykowski and Steven Parent.



 
too larry

too larry

Well-Known Member
cannabineer said:
74 years ago today, the second of history's two nuclear warshots was delivered, leading to Japan's unconditional surrender and the saving of perhaps half a million US servicemen's lives.





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74 years. That doesn't seem right. I guess time flies when you are having fun.
 
BarnBuster

BarnBuster

Virtually Unknown Member


Smithsonian Institution Created​

"After a decade of debate about how best to spend a bequest left to America from an obscure English scientist, President James K. Polk signs the Smithsonian Institution Act into law on this day in 1846.

In 1829, James Smithson died in Italy, leaving behind a will with a peculiar footnote. In the event that his only nephew died without any heirs, Smithson decreed that the whole of his estate would go to “the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” Smithson’s curious bequest to a country that he had never visited aroused significant attention on both sides of the Atlantic.

Smithson had been a fellow of the venerable Royal Society of London from the age of 22, publishing numerous scientific papers on mineral composition, geology, and chemistry. In 1802, he overturned popular scientific opinion by proving that zinc carbonates were true carbonate minerals, and one type of zinc carbonate was later named smithsonite in his honor.

Six years after his death, his nephew, Henry James Hungerford, indeed died without children, and on July 1, 1836, the U.S. Congress authorized acceptance of Smithson’s gift. President Andrew Jackson sent diplomat Richard Rush to England to negotiate for transfer of the funds, and two years later Rush set sail for home with 11 boxes containing a total of 104,960 gold sovereigns, 8 shillings, and 7 pence, as well as Smithson’s mineral collection, library, scientific notes, and personal effects. After the gold was melted down, it amounted to a fortune worth well over $500,000. After considering a series of recommendations, including the creation of a national university, a public library, or an astronomical observatory, Congress agreed that the bequest would support the creation of a museum, a library, and a program of research, publication, and collection in the sciences, arts, and history. On August 10, 1846, the act establishing the Smithsonian Institution was signed into law by President James K. Polk.

Today, the Smithsonian is composed of several museums and galleries including the recently opened National Museum of African American History and Culture, nine research facilities throughout the United States and the world, and the national zoo. Besides the original Smithsonian Institution Building, popularly known as the “Castle,” visitors to Washington, D.C., tour the National Museum of Natural History, which houses the natural science collections, the National Zoological Park, and the National Portrait Gallery. The National Museum of American History houses the original Star-Spangled Banner and other artifacts of U.S. history. The National Air and Space Museum has the distinction of being the most visited museum in the world, exhibiting such marvels of aviation and space history as the Wright brothers’ plane and Freedom 7, the space capsule that took the first American into space. John Smithson, the Smithsonian Institution’s great benefactor, is interred in a tomb in the Smithsonian Building."

No trip to Washington D.C./surrounding area is complete without a visit here and the United States Holocaust Museum. bb
 
too larry

too larry

Well-Known Member
BarnBuster said:


Smithsonian Institution Created​

"After a decade of debate about how best to spend a bequest left to America from an obscure English scientist, President James K. Polk signs the Smithsonian Institution Act into law on this day in 1846.

In 1829, James Smithson died in Italy, leaving behind a will with a peculiar footnote. In the event that his only nephew died without any heirs, Smithson decreed that the whole of his estate would go to “the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” Smithson’s curious bequest to a country that he had never visited aroused significant attention on both sides of the Atlantic.

Smithson had been a fellow of the venerable Royal Society of London from the age of 22, publishing numerous scientific papers on mineral composition, geology, and chemistry. In 1802, he overturned popular scientific opinion by proving that zinc carbonates were true carbonate minerals, and one type of zinc carbonate was later named smithsonite in his honor.

Six years after his death, his nephew, Henry James Hungerford, indeed died without children, and on July 1, 1836, the U.S. Congress authorized acceptance of Smithson’s gift. President Andrew Jackson sent diplomat Richard Rush to England to negotiate for transfer of the funds, and two years later Rush set sail for home with 11 boxes containing a total of 104,960 gold sovereigns, 8 shillings, and 7 pence, as well as Smithson’s mineral collection, library, scientific notes, and personal effects. After the gold was melted down, it amounted to a fortune worth well over $500,000. After considering a series of recommendations, including the creation of a national university, a public library, or an astronomical observatory, Congress agreed that the bequest would support the creation of a museum, a library, and a program of research, publication, and collection in the sciences, arts, and history. On August 10, 1846, the act establishing the Smithsonian Institution was signed into law by President James K. Polk.

Today, the Smithsonian is composed of several museums and galleries including the recently opened National Museum of African American History and Culture, nine research facilities throughout the United States and the world, and the national zoo. Besides the original Smithsonian Institution Building, popularly known as the “Castle,” visitors to Washington, D.C., tour the National Museum of Natural History, which houses the natural science collections, the National Zoological Park, and the National Portrait Gallery. The National Museum of American History houses the original Star-Spangled Banner and other artifacts of U.S. history. The National Air and Space Museum has the distinction of being the most visited museum in the world, exhibiting such marvels of aviation and space history as the Wright brothers’ plane and Freedom 7, the space capsule that took the first American into space. John Smithson, the Smithsonian Institution’s great benefactor, is interred in a tomb in the Smithsonian Building."

No trip to Washington D.C./surrounding area is complete without a visit here and the United States Holocaust Museum. bb
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Thanks for posting. I didn't know any of that.
 
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