1960

Syngman Rhee is re-elected as the President of South Korea after his opponent died shortly before the March 15 elections. In South Korea the Vice President was elected separately and Lee Gibung won by a wide margin, prompting allegations from the opposition that the election was rigged. This led to demonstrations and riots against the government. On April 26, after the student-led April Revolution, Rhee resigned as president. Two days later, he was flown out of the country covertly on a DC-4 belonging to the CIA enroute to Honolulu, Hawaii, where he lived in exile until his death in July of 1965.

1958

A drug developed to manage the symptoms of morning sickness during pregnancy, Thalidomide becomes available over-the-counter in Germany on October 1, 1957. The drug causes between 5,000 and 7,000 infants to be born with malformation of the limbs (phocomelia). Only 40% of these children survived.

The Thalidomide phenomenon led to improvements in how drugs and their contraindications are researched before they are released to market – specifically, when a drug is contraindicated during pregnancy.

1960

Singer Chubby Checker releases “The Twist,” starting a national dance sensation. Soon, not only teens but also adults were doing the twist. The dance was responsible for popularizing “fast dancing” or rock-and-roll among adults. The song enters the charts at #1 but also would appear again at the top two years later.

The song would later become the Billboard Hot 100’s All-Time Number One Song.

1983

Wheel of Fortune, an American TV game show created by Merv Griffin, hits syndication and receives massive popularity across the United States. The program is hosted by Pat Sajak, Vanna White, and announcer Jack Clark.

Wheel of Fortune has long been one of the highest-rated programs on U.S. syndicated television. It was the highest-rated show in all of syndication before it was dethroned by Two and a Half Men in the 28th season (2010–11).

1962

The Beatles, a British rock group, gain media attention in England after adding Ringo Starr as their drummer, hiring Brian Epstein as their manager, and joining the EMI’s Parlophone label. They would then release their first charting single, “Love Me Do”.

“Beatlemania” was a term invented by the British press used to describe the intense fan frenzy directed toward The Beatles in their early career.

Editor’s note: although Beatlemania itself would reach a notable peak in 1964, Joel places them in the lyrics two years earlier, possibly to signify the forming of the legendary lineup, as well as the release of their first charting single.

1961

Otto Adolf Eichmann, a “most wanted” Nazi war criminal, is captured by Mossad operatives in Argentina and taken to Israel to be tried for crimes against humanity and war crimes. He is found guilty and hanged in 1962.

Eichmann was born on March 19, 1906 to a Lutheran family in Solingen, German. A Nazi official, he helped organize the transport of mass quantities of Jews to ghettos and concentration camps throughout Eastern Europe. After World War II, he fled to Argentina using fake traveling documents which were provided to him by International Red Cross. Of Eichmann, Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal wrote:

The world now understands the concept of ‘desk murderer’. We know that one doesn’t need to be fanatical, sadistic, or mentally ill to murder millions; that it is enough to be a loyal follower eager to do one’s duty.

Later in 1990, Warner Brother publishes the book, Eichmann in My Hands: A Compelling First-Person Account by the Israeli Agent Who Captured Hitler’s Chief Executioner, co-authored by Israeli operative Peter Malkin.

Eichmann’s arrest, trial and execution kicked off a major intellectual and broad debate on the nature of evil, notably inspiring the expression and concept “the banality of evil” by political theorist Hannah Arendt (which is somewhat related to the “desk murderer” idea).

1959

Ben-Hur is an American epic historical drama film, starring Charlton Heston and directed by William Wyler. It was a remake of the 1925 silent film of the same name. Adapted from Lew Wallace’s 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, the film would go on to win a record 11 Academy Awards that year including Best Picture.

1959

On February 3, American singer-songwriter Buddy Holly dies in a plane crash in Iowa, along with Ritchie Valens and “The Big Bopper.” Although his success lasted only a year and a half, critic Bruce Eder described him as “the single most influential creative force in early rock and roll.”

Twelve years later, in 1971, singer-songwriter Don McLean releases his single, “American Pie”, to commemorate Buddy Holly’s death and further accentuate the loss of the United States' innocence. Don McLean’s song refers to the tragedy as “The Day the Music Died”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVGM86XIilw

If you listen closely before his name is mentioned, Billy Joel seems to ad-lib a breathy “uh huh.” In actuality, he’s mimicking Holly’s signature hiccup-like vocal style.

1961

On August 13 Berlin is separated into two cities, West and East Berlin, as the East German government starts building The Berlin Wall. It was erected to prevent citizens of the Soviet East from escaping to the West.

The demolition of the Berlin Wall began on November 9, 1989, 52 days after We Didn’t Start the Fire was first released as a single.