1963: Barry Gordy signs his latest group to the Motown label. The Four Tops receive a whopping $400 as a signing bonus.

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.

1987: Sonny Bono announces he’s entering politics and will run for mayor of Palm Springs, California. As he spent several years as a national laughingstock on the old Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, becoming a politician is really not that much of a change.

1962: When drummer Pete Best falls ill, the Beatles ask Ringo Starr if he can fill in at a lunchtime date at the Cavern Club and an evening show in Southport. Ringo agrees and performs live with John, Paul and George for the first time. Eventually, Best will regret being sick that day.

1977: Fleetwood Mac releases the follow-up to their surprisingly successful Fleetwood Mac album. Rumours goes on to outsell the previous release and firmly establishes the band as late-blooming superstars.

1966: A new rock band formed in Los Angeles on this day. They call themselves the Herd and are comprised of members Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin. The band would soon change its name to Buffalo Springfield. They would produce only one hit single (“For What It’s Worth”) but were hugely influential in the folk & country flavored rock music that would soon become popular.

1964: The man who holds the publishing rights to the song “Louie, Louie,” Max Firetag offers a $1,000 reward to anyone who can find anything suggestive in the song’s lyrics. The reward goes unclaimed.

1968: Universal Studios signs a contract with The Doors that calls for the band to star in a feature film, a group “humor book,” and a book of lead singer Jim Morrison’s poetry. Only the book of poems will ever be released.

1967: John Lennon buys an 1843 circus post at an antique store in Kent, England. The poster provides him with the inspiration for the song “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” on the Sgt. Pepper album.

1973: The band formerly known as Wicked Lester, performs at the Popcorn Club in Queens, NY for the first time under their new name: KISS.