2002: A possible indication that parenting may not be among his better skills, Michael Jackson shocks the world by dangling his young son Prince over a balcony at a hotel in Berlin.

1975: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band make their debut in the UK, performing at London’s Hammersmith Odeon Theatre. Springsteen is extremely upset at the over-the-top hype for the show and personally storms around the theater tearing down signs and posters that declare “Finally, London is ready for Bruce Springsteen.”

Although legend has it that Bruce and the band turned in a sub-par show, both a CD and DVD of the concert have been released in recent years that prove otherwise. The show is the band’s typically excellent live performance.

1942: Happy Birthday to Bob Gaudio. Gaudio got his start as a member of the Royal Teens, co-writing their one and only hit, “Short Shorts.” He left that band and formed a partnership with a young Frankie Valli, the duo becoming half of the legendary Four Seasons. Gaudio teamed with the Seasons’ producer Bob Crewe to pen most of the group’s big hits, right up through “Who Loves You” and “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night).” Guadio turns 83 today.

1962: On this same day, Gaudio’s song “Big Girls Don’t Cry” hits # 1 for the Four Seasons.

2001: The city of Palm Springs, California, unveils a statue of Sonny Bono. The singer/songwriter/producer began his political career as mayor of the town before going on to the U.S. House of Representatives.

1956: Elvis Presley’s very first movie, Love Me Tender, has its premiere at New York’s Paramount Theater.

The King’s part was originally very small, but was expanded as shooting continued to accommodate his growing popularity. Indeed, when the film opens, it is a 50-foot cutout of Elvis that is posted outside the theater.

[SPOILER ALERT]: In addition, test audiences were so upset when his character dies in the film that additional footage of Presley, as if from heaven, singing the title tune over the closing credits are shot and inserted into the movie to placate his distraught fans.

1977: Paul McCartney releases “Mull of Kintyre” as a Wings single. The tune refers to McCartney’s home on the Kintyre peninsula in Scotland.

It goes on to become his best-selling single (with or without the Beatles) in the UK – also becoming the first song ever to sell 2 million copies in that country. In the United States, the bagpipe-laced tune goes absolutely nowhere.

1968: The Beatles animated feature Yellow Submarine debuts at U.S. theaters. While the boys do not provide the voices for their cartoon selves and only appeared very briefly at the movie’s end, they receive a lot of the credit for the groundbreaking look of the film.

1987: Was anyone surprised? Sly Stone shows up over an hour late for his comeback concert appearance in Los Angeles (just as he used to do at the height of his popularity). When he does show up, he is promptly arrested for failure to pay child support.

1958: Hank Ballard and the Midnighters are in the studio on this day recording the B-side for their upcoming single “Teardrops on Your Letter.” It was a little song Hank called “The Twist.”

Two years later, Chubby Checker would record a cover of the tune and all hell would break loose.

1955: A young Elvis Presley pays a visit to a hotel room in Nashville. A songwriter who is staying there wants him to hear a demo of a song she’s written. Elvis likes what he hears and agrees to record it.

The songwriter is Mae Axton and her song is “Heartbreak Hotel."