1963: The Beatles’ second single, “Please, Please Me,” becomes their first Top 10 record in the UK, something close to what their producer, George Martin, predicted during the recording session. Martin thought it would reach #1, but it stalls at #2.

Less than one year later, they will be holding down the #1 position on record charts all over the world.

1958: The phenomenal success of American Bandstand in the afternoons convinces ABC that Dick Clark should get a prime time series. The Dick Clark Show (sponsored by Beech-Nut Gum) debuts on this day with guests Pat Boone, Connie Francis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Willis, the Royal Teens and Johnnie Ray.

As you might expect, a lot of weddings took place on this day in rock history. Three that involved pop stars were:

1974: Daryl Dragon (aka “The Captain”) and Toni Tennile are married in Virginia City, Nevada

1980: Lou Reed marries Sylvia Morales in Greenwich Village, New York

1984: Elton John marries Renate Blauel in Sydney Australia

1981: Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” breaks the record (pun intended) for most consecutive weeks on Billboards Top 200 Album Chart, notching its 491^st week in a row. It would gone on (and on) from there, finally setting the record (still unmatched) at 741 weeks, leaving the charts (only to return shortly thereafter) in 1988.

The previous record holder? “Johnny Mathis’ Greatest Hits,” which took the title from “My Fair Lady” with the original Broadway cast.

1956: A heavily intoxicated Screamin’ Jay Hawkins records the classic “I Put a Spell on You.” The next morning, he wakes up totally unaware that he recorded anything the night before. The song goes on to become his biggest hit and an R&B/rock classic that’s been covered by many other artists.

Is it voodoo? Exactly 44 years to the day, Hawkins passes away.

1967: Due to increasing criticism about being a “manufactured” rock band, the Monkees announce that they will play their own instruments on future releases. While Mickey, Davy, Michael and Peter do gain more control over their records, session musicians will still lend a helping hand.

1974: Legendary (and now infamous) record producer Phil Spector is seriously burned in a car crash while driving from L.A. to Phoenix. He requires extensive plastic surgery which only increase his already serious reclusiveness.

1964: On this night at 8 PM (Eastern), every Baby Boomer worthy of the name remembers where they were and what they were doing. We were tuned in to CBS to watch the Beatles make their American television debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. Performing 3 songs at the start of the show and 3 songs at the end, the Fab Four help Sullivan pull in 73 million viewers, a record at the time and still one of the highest rated shows of all time.

New York police report that not a single hubcap was stolen during the hour (also apparently a record).

Unnoticed at the time, a young Davy Jones (later to become part of the Monkees) appears on the same show as part of the Broadway cast of Oliver! where he leads the cast in singing “I’d Do Anything.”

1960: The House Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight convenes hearings on what has come to be known as the Payola Scandal involving rock ‘n’ roll recording companies and disc jockeys.

During the hearings, Congressional Representatives will hear testimony from well-known celebs like Alan Freed, Dick Clark, Bobby Darin and Les Paul. It does turn out that many disc jockeys (including Clark) were accepting money or in some cases, publishing or songwriting credits in return for playing certain songs in a heavier rotation.

There were no laws against this behavior prior to the hearings, but many figures caught in the scandal, like Freed, are ruined. Dick Clark comes out relatively unscathed by being completely up front about exactly what payments he took and from whom.

The public turns its attention elsewhere and the practice of “payola” continues in different forms right up until today.

1964: The British invasion officially began on this day when the Beatles arrived at New York’s JFK airport to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show. 3,000 screaming fans are there to greet them and the cheeky press conference they hold at the airport instantly wins over the American press.