#OTD In Music History 1965 Columbia records release Bob Dylan single "Like a Rolling Stone" 1968 Iron Butterfly's "In-a-gadda-da-vida" becomes the first heavy metal song to hit the charts; it comes in at #117 (Historical Calendar)

#OTD 1968 Judy Garland headlines concert also featuring Count Basie and Jackie Wilson at JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; her last US concert

#OTD 1976 Viking 1 lands on Mars at Chryse Planitia, the first successful Martian landing The historic touchdown on the "Golden Plains" was a massive milestone, paving the way for all subsequent Mars surface missions.

At Quackenbush Alley in downtown Albany, New York. #PrystaukPhotography #StreetPhotography #Albany

#OTD 1969 NASA's Apollo 11 lunar module, carrying Neil Armstrong & Buzz Aldrin, lands on the surface of the Moon. Seven hours later, Armstrong becomes the first person to step onto the moon at 10:56 pm. EDT, & Aldrin joins him shortly after. Michael Collins remains in orbit in the command module

Monday, July 20, 2026, features a lineup of delightfully absurd, hilarious, and wacky observances including Nap Day, Ugly Truck Contest Day, National Get Out of the Doghouse Day, World Jump Day and Global Hug Your Kids Day. #observances

#BOTD 19 July 1894 (132 years ago): Percy Spencer, American physicist and inventor of the microwave oven (Historical Calendar)

#OTD 1953 KIMA TV channel 29 in Yakima, WA (CBS) begins broadcasting 1953 WAKR (now WAKC) TV channel 23 in Akron, OH (ABC) begins broadcasting 1961 1st in-flight movie shown on TWA 1979 Maritza Sayalero, 18, of Venezuela, crowned 28th Miss Universe

19 July 1977 (49 years ago) The world's first Global Positioning System (GPS) signal is transmitted from Navigation Technology Satellite 2 (NTS-2) and received at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, at 12:41a.m. Eastern time (ET) (via Historical Calendar)

1913 Billboard publishes its earliest known chart, "Last Week's 10 Best Sellers Among Popular Songs." The #1 song is "Malinda's Wedding Day" by singers Byron Harlan and Arthur Collins, recorded in Camden, New Jersey.

2011 "Captain America: The First Avenger," directed by Joe Johnston, starring Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell, premieres in Los Angeles, California

1965 Shooting begins on Star Trek 2nd pilot "Where No Man Has Gone Before." The episode originally aired in 1966 as the second pilot for the series.

1941 Tom and Jerry first appear under their own names in the cartoon "The Midnight Snack" by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera Two iconic shorts were released this year: The Midnight Snack (July 19) and the Academy Award-nominated Christmas special, The Night Before Christmas (December 6).

Weissmuller Breaks 1 Minute Barrier 1922 American swimmer Johnny Weissmuller first to break 1 minute barrier for 100m freestyle; swims 58.6s at Alameda, CA

Celebrate the weird and wacky this Sunday with New Friends Day, Stick Out Your Tongue Day, and National Ice Cream Day. Whether you're making nonsensical faces or eating a double scoop, July 19th is officially dedicated to the wonderfully absurd.

Elvis Records First Demo 1953 Elvis Presley pays $3.98 to make his first demo at Sun Studio in Memphis, recording "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" and reportedly gives the record to his mother as a belated birthday present.

2008 Billy Joel performs last of two concerts dubbed "The Last Play at Shea"; the final concert event before demolition of the 1964 baseball stadium in Flushing Meadows, Queens, NYC; featured guests include Roger Daltrey, Tony Bennett, Garth Brooks, and Paul McCartney

1959 "The Nun's Story" based on the novel by Kathryn Hulme, starring Audrey Hepburn premieres in Los Angeles

Principal photography on Licence to Kill officially began on July 18, 1988. Filming took place over several months in Mexico—using Estudios Churubusco for interiors—as well as on location in Key West, Florida, with production wrapping in November of the same year. (Facebook/James Bond)

Saturday, July 18, 2026, features a lineup of highly specific and unconventional observances, including National Caviar Day (a classic excuse to eat expensive fish eggs), Get Out of the Doghouse Day (perfect for making amends after a blunder), Nelson Mandela International & Day National Woodie Day

Stepping into the weekend like ...

It's #ForestFriday. Let's take a walk in the woods.

Lennon Ordered Out of US 1974 John Lennon is again ordered to leave the US in 60 days due to a 1968 marijuana charge in the UK (he doesn't)

'Tapestry' Goes Dianond 1995 Singer-songwriter Carole King's 1971 album "Tapestry" is certified as Diamond for sales of 10 million units in the US

Donald Sutherland (1935-2024) Canadian actor (The Dirty Dozen; M*A*S*H (film): Ordinary People; The Hunger Games (films), born in St. John, New Brunswick

1998 "The Mask of Zorro," directed by Martin Campbell, starring Antonio Banderas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Anthony Hopkins, is released

1959 "North by Northwest" directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint premieres in Los Angeles

Celebrate Friday, July 17, 2026, by observing Yellow Pig Day—a bizarre mathematical holiday dedicated to the number 17—alongside World Emoji Day & World Day for International Justice.

1994 "The Three Tenors" Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, and Luciano Pavarotti, perform with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and chorus of the Los Angeles Opera, conducted by Zubin Mehta at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California; an estimated 1.3 billion viewers watch the worldwide broadcast.

2018 Musical film sequel "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" premieres at Hammersmith-Apollo, London; worldwide box office receipts total over $400 million

2012 "The Dark Knight Rises," directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Christian Bale and Anne Hathaway, premieres in New York

2001 "Jurassic Park III," starring Sam Neill and William H. Macy, premieres in the US

Celebrate Thursday, July 16, by participating in National Personal Chef's Day, World Snake Day, & Get to Know Your Customers Day. These bizarre and highly niche observances offer a fun, offbeat reason to treat yourself to a catered meal, visit a local reptile exhibit, or engage with your community.

2005 "Wedding Crashers," starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, premieres. Two Washington D.C. divorce mediators spend their weekends crashing wedding receptions to drink for free and meet women.

1988 "Die Hard," directed by John McTiernan and starring Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman, is released in the US

2012 Korean pop singer Psy releases single "Gangnam Style," it becomes a worldwide hit, topping the charts in over 36 countries

BBC bars Boy George 1987 Producers bar Culture Club frontman Boy George from appearing on the British children's TV program "Saturday Superstore," saying his drug use makes him a bad influence on young viewers

Wednesday, July 15, 2026, is a wonderfully chaotic mix of weird & wacky celebrations. The lineup includes Be a Dork Day, Get Out of the Doghouse Day, & Gummi Worm Day. Embrace your inner geek, make up for past mistakes, or snack on neon sugar. Today is the perfect day to let your hair down.

My Girl (1991)

1986 Paul McCartney releases the single "Press" from the album "Press To Play"

1795 French National Convention decrees "La Marseillaise" by Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle as France's national anthem

2008 "The Dark Knight" directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, premieres in New York. The film was highly acclaimed, particularly for Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker, and was a major box office success, grossing over $1 billion worldwide.

1983 Mario Bros. is first released by Nintendo in Japan as an arcade game featuring an Italian-American plumber

1989 Romantic comedy film "When Harry Met Sally," starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, directed by Rob Reiner, and written by Nora Ephron, is released

1982 Musical film adaptation of "Pink Floyd - The Wall," directed by Alan Parker, starring Bob Geldof, and written by Roger Waters, premieres at the Empire, Leicester Square in London

1969 "Easy Rider", directed by Dennis Hopper, starring himself, Peter Fonda, and Jack Nicholson, is released

Tuesday, July 14, 2026, features a lineup of bizarre, wacky, & absurd observances. The headliners for today include Pandemonium Day (a day to embrace chaos) & International Nude Day. It is also Bastille Day, which originally commemorated a prison break that miraculously involved only 7 prisoners.

1956 RCA releases Elvis Presley's single "Hound Dog," a cover of Big Mama Thornton's original, written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, backed with "Don't Be Cruel," written by Otis Blackwell

1923 The Hollywood Sign is officially dedicated in the hills above Hollywood, Los Angeles. It originally reads "Hollywoodland," but the last four letters are dropped after renovation in 1949.