1775 - the Continental Congress authorizes construction and administration of the first American naval force—the precursor to the United States Navy.
1777 - The British surrendered to the Americans at Saratoga, New York, marking a major turning point that convinced France to enter the war on the American side.
1912 - President Theodore Roosevelt was shot in the chest outside a Milwaukee hotel while campaigning. Despite the wound, he insisted on delivering his scheduled campaign speech before seeking medical help.
1923 - Walt Disney and his brother Roy signed a contract to produce the Alice Comedies, marking the founding of the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio (now The Walt Disney Company).
1931 - Al Capone was convicted of federal income tax evasion and later sentenced to 11 years in prison. This would be the downfall of one of the nation’s most notorious criminals.
Bruce, Dolly and the Everly Brothers
Three of America’s greatest songs were released this week.
On October 14, 1957, the Everly Brothers, one of the most important and influential groups in the history of rock and roll, have their first #1 song: "Wake Up Little Susie." The Everly Brothers made a massive impact on rock and roll with their close-harmony singing and the three-and-four-part harmonies of doo-wop, derived from black gospel and blues traditions. The song is about a teenage couple who fall asleep at a drive-thru cinema and wake up at 4am fearing they’ve lost their good reputations.
On October 15, 1973, Dolly Parton released “Jolene”. The song would become her most popular song and would be covered by more than 30 other singers. The song is about Dolly pleading with a beautiful woman to not take her husband away from her. Dolly stated that the song is inspired by a lady at the bank her husband thought was pretty. The name comes from a little girl who asked Dolly for her autograph. The girl’s name was Jolene.
On October 11, 1975, 26-year-old Bruce Springsteen released “Born to Run.” It would be his breakout from little-known cult figure to superstar. He had two previous albums but neither came close to the impact of Born to Run. It would earn Springsteen two cover articles in Time and Newsweek. Written in the first person, the song is a love letter to a girl named Wendy, for whom the hot rod-riding protagonist seems to possess the passion to love, just not the patience.
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