Pink Floyd Made a Historical Chart Run: This Day in Pop Culture History (April 28)

Two pop culture music events took place on this day: one starting a record-breaking chart run, and another pays tribute to a famous New York Hotel.

April 28, 2026

3–4 minutes

What do Glenn Miller, the song “Pennsylvania Six-Five Thousand” and the Hotel Pennsylvania have in common? The song was recorded on April 28, 1940. If you’re like me, you have heard the big band tune many times, but do you know what inspired the title?

Another pop culture music milestone – Pink Floyd had a ton of luck in 1973 when the record-setting, chart-topping album, The Dark Side of the Moon was released.

1973: A 741-Week Chart Run at the Top

Pink Floyd's artwork for the album "The Dark Side of the Moon" which features a light going through a prism — Pink Floyd’s *The Dark Side of the Moon (Wikipedia)*

Pink Floyd released the band’s eighth studio album, The Dark Side of the Moon, on March 1, 1973. About three weeks later, the album began its record-breaking 741-week chart run at the top and it continued to chart a total of 900 weeks. It is considered to be a “concept album” which explored many different themes including conflict, greed, time, death and even mental illness.

The album was promoted with two singles: “Money” and “Us and Them.” The band sold over 45 million copies of the album becoming one of the best-selling albums of all time worldwide.

1940: Glenn Miller Song Mystery Solved

Glenn Miller's Orchestra — Glenn Miller’s Orchestra *(Wikimedia Commons)*

When you hear Glenn Miller’s song, “Pennsylvania Six-Five Thousand”, do you ever wonder where the title comes from? The song was inspired by the phone number of Hotel Pennsylvania which was located in Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. The hotel opened on January 25, 1919, and Glenn Miller’s big band played in the hotel’s Café Rouge from time to time.

Phone numbers were different in 1940. Intercity calls would require you to go through an operator. The hotel’s phone number was PEnnsylvania 6-5000 or PE6-5000 for short. The song was also an advertising gimmick to call for a reservation to a show in the café. For many years, the song was used for the hotel’s recorded greeting.

Miller and his band recorded the song on this day in 1940 and was later released in June. Although you only hear the words Pennsylvania Six, Five Thousand in Miller’s version, the Andrews Sisters’ version has more. The song tells the story of a person who saves their money for long-distance calls to someone who’s staying at the hotel. A sample of the lyrics goes like this:

I’ve got a sweety I know there
Someone who sets me aglow there
Gives me the sweetest “hello there”
Pennsylvania Six, Five Thousand

The hotel has claimed that their phone number is the oldest in New York City. But here is where the story gets sad. The hotel was closed in 2020 to make room for a tower at 15 Penn Plaza which is still in development. Steven Roth, the developer of the new tower has said that the new building will keep the classic phone number.

1995: National Superhero Day

The origin of National Superhero Day is somewhat of a legend although it is agreed upon that the first was held on this day in 1995 when a few employees from Marvel Comics interviewed a group of children and asked them what superpowers they would like to have. Today though, people (and comic book publishers) celebrate real people who go above and beyond to take care of others including police, firefighters, doctors, teachers and more.