This Day in Pop Culture for May 29

1942: The Best-Selling Single of All Time

On this day in 1942, Bing Crosby, along with the Trotter Orchestra and the Darby Singers, recorded Irving Berlin’s song, “White Christmas.” According to the Guinness Book of World Records, this version is the best-selling single of all time with an excess of 50 million copies sold worldwide. Ironically, the version most often heard today is not the original. After frequent use, the master had become damaged, so on March 18, 1947, Crosby and company met again to re-record the famous holiday hit.

2009: ‘Up’ is Set Into the Air

The Disney/Pixar animated film, Up was released on this day in 2009. Directed by Pete Docter, Up tells the tale of 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen who dreams of traveling to South America via his house lifted up from a large bunch of balloons and stowaway Wilderness Explorer Russell. Rendered in digital 3-D, the film features up to 20,000 balloons that help the house take flight. Up was the first 3D animated film to open at the Cannes Film Festival and received five Academy Award nominations including Best Picture.