1963: ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’ is #2
The song, “Puff, the Magic Dragon,” made famous by Peter, Paul and Mary, appeared in the number two spot on the pop charts on this day. The lyrics for the song were based on a poem written by a nineteen-year-old Leonard Lipton who himself was inspired by the poem; Custard the Dragon written by Ogden Nash.
It turns out that Lipton was friends with Peter Yarrow’s roommate when they were in college together at Cornell University. The song is about an ageless dragon and his friend, Jackie Paper who outgrows him. An urban myth claims that the song was a reference to smoking pot, but Yarrow has said, that Puff “never had any meaning other than the obvious one” and is about the “loss of innocence in children”
1997: Computer Beat World-Champion at Chess
In was on this day in 1977 in New York City when world-champion chess player, Garry Kasparov was beaten by a computer by IBM known as Deep Blue during a re-match. Kasparov had won the first game but lost the second. The next three games were draws. And the sixth game lasted only a little over an hour after just 19 moves. (Image: Wikimedia)
1858: Minnesota Becomes the 32nd U.S. State
Movies Released
- 1931: M
- 2001: A Knight’s Tale
- 2007: 28 Weeks Later
- 2007: Georgia Rule
- 2012: Dark Shadows
- 2012: Nesting
- 2016: The Angry Birds Movie
TV Series Debuts
- 2012: Common Law
- 2014: Penny Dreadful
Famous Birthdays
- 1888: Irving Berlin (composer)
- 1904: Salvador Dali (artist)
- 1911: Phil Silvers (comedian)
- 1963: Natasha Richardson (actress)
- 1982: Cory Moneith (actor)
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