This date in history

August 5, 1966

The Beatles’ ‘Revolver’: The Most Ambitious Pop Music Committed To Vinyl​

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Richard Havers
Fri, August 5, 2022 at 6:06 AM


I can remember precisely where I was the first time I heard the opening bars of “Taxman.” I was playing table tennis at my friend’s house and his older brother had bought the album home from the local record store in South London. The Beatles’ Revolver came out on August 5, 1966. I’m not sure how long it was before I heard those opening bars of “Taxman,” but I suspect not long. It was during the summer holidays in 1966; I was 15 years old (in my case it was 14 years old) and very impressionable.

A few months earlier, The Beatles’ “Paperback Writer” had been No.1 for a couple of weeks, and it was one of my favorite singles.

What makes The Beatles’ Revolver an important album?​

What is it that makes Revolver such an important and brilliant album? Well, for starters it was the record that introduced us all to psychedelic music: the backward guitar in “I’m Only Sleeping,” along with the completely different and utterly brilliant “Tomorrow Never Knows.” John’s vocals are perfect and it still sounds as fresh years later as it did in the summer of 1966.

Like many people, I suspect, I had no idea at the time that George had written “Taxman.” It was George’s second-ever non-love song, and one of three songs that George penned for the album. On it, he bemoans the high levels of income tax levied by the British Labour government under the leadership of Harold Wilson. As The Beatles’ earnings put them in the top tax bracket in the UK, it meant that they were liable for 95 percent tax on every pound they earned: “There’s one for you, nineteen for me.”

George also wrote “Love You To,” which is a return to more traditional subject matter. Its instrumentation, however, is not. In October 1965, George had played a sitar on “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown),” for Rubber Soul, and on “Love You To” there’s Indian classical instrumentation – a tabla, a pair of hand-drums, sitar, and a tambura that provided the drone, making this the first Beatles song to fully reflect the influence of Indian classical music.

George’s third song is “I Want To Tell You,” and it is another song with a less than traditional structure, showcasing George’s considerable creativity, both lyrically and musically.

Like nothing else on record at the time​

“Eleanor Rigby” is a masterpiece, Paul’s song just oozes sophistication and was like nothing else on record at the time. Released as the album came out, it became No.1 in the UK as a double A-side with another of Revolver’s tracks, “Yellow Submarine.” This too was “Paul’s baby,” according to John, and just about as different as could be from the other side of the single. Of course most of us in 1966 just assumed John and Paul wrote everything together… after all, it did say “Lennon & McCartney” on the credits.

As Paul later recalled of “Eleanor”: “I was sitting at the piano when I thought of it. The first few bars just came to me, and I got this name in my head... ‘Daisy Hawkins picks up the rice in the church.’ I don’t know why. I couldn’t think of much more, so I put it away for a day.” (The song later featured in the movie Yellow Submarine.)

Another immediate Revolver standout was the delicate beauty of “Here, There And Everywhere,” a song that John and Paul wrote the intro to after being played The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds by Bruce Johnston in May of 1966, just as the Brain Wilson-crafted masterpiece was released in America (and before its UK release).

Side two opens with “Good Day Sunshine” and it’s followed by “And Your Bird Can Sing.” Both are brilliant pop songs and run for two minutes and 2:08, respectively… Why go on when you’ve created perfection?

John and Paul’s “Doctor Robert” is another song that most of us didn’t fully understand at the time, we just thought it was just a wonderfully crafted tune. “Got To Get You Into My Life” was the same, and like most of the other songs on the record, it was under three minutes long. Indeed, “I’m Only Sleeping” is the only track that makes it to three minutes, and not a second over.

With Revolver topping the UK and US album charts in the summer of 1966, everyone instinctively knew that things were changing. The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds was released in the UK shortly before Revolver and it, too, was life-changing. Together, they proved conclusively that pop was becoming something else entirely.

I feel so privileged to have grown up with records like these as the soundtrack to my life. They were then, and they are now. Put on The Beatles’ Revolver right now, and you will know you are in the presence of greatness. Like all the best pop music, your spirits will be lifted and anything will seem possible.
(y)
 
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Alert showed 5 US nukes inbound. How one man in USSR may have saved the world in 1983

“All I had to do was reach for the phone. But I couldn’t move.”
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Miami Herald

Alert showed 5 US nukes inbound. How one man in USSR may have saved the world in 1983​


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On Sept. 26, 1983, Stanislav Petrov had overnight command of the top-secret Serpukhov-15 bunker where the Soviet military monitored early warning systems for a nuclear strike.

An alarm sounded, The Washington Post reported in 1999. Satellites reported an inbound U.S. nuclear missile. Then another. And another. Five missiles in all.

It was Petrov’s job to alert his superiors for an immediate nuclear counter strike.

“All I had to do was reach for the phone,” Petrov told BBC News in 2013. “But I couldn’t move.”

‘The siren howled’​

In fall 1983, tensions between the United States and Soviet Union were high. In September, a USSR fighter jet shot down Korean Airlines Flight 007 after it entered Soviet airspace.

All 269 passengers and crew aboard died, including 63 Americans — among them U.S. Rep. Larry McDonald, D-Ga., the Associated Press reported.

Next to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, it may have been one of the most frightening periods of the Cold War, CNN reported.

And now Petrov had a warning of an incoming U.S. nuclear strike on his monitor.

But he couldn’t make sense of the alert. Why would the U.S. initiate a nuclear war with only five missiles? It would be suicide.

“The siren howled, but I just sat there for a few seconds, staring at the big, back-lit, red screen with the word ‘launch’ on it,” Petrov told BBC News.

“I felt like I was sitting on a hot frying pan,” Petrov told BBC News. He was certain that if he notified his superiors of an incoming strike “nobody would have said a word against it.”

As Petrov tried to juggle phones, intercoms and flashing electronic maps and consoles, another officer shouted at him to remain calm and do his job, he told The Washington Post.

And then the 44-year-old lieutenant colonel made his decision. He would not notify his superiors of what seemed to him to be a false report.

“I had a funny feeling in my gut,” Petrov told The Washington Post. “When people start a war, they don’t start it with only five missiles.”

Even so, it wasn’t until after the supposed missiles would have hit, about 23 minutes later, that Petrov was able to relax.
 

14 Oct, 1991 Australia Ozone Layer​

1991 : Scientists from the International Atmospheric Authority in Australia have said that the Earth's protective Ozone layer has shrunk 4% in the the last ten years compared with 2% in the preceding 10 years.

14 Oct, 1879 United States Incandescent Light Bulb​

1879 : Thomas Alva Edison filed his first patent application for "Improvement In Electric Lights" on October 14, 1878 (U.S. Patent 0,214,636) The first successful test was on October 22, 1879, and lasted 13.5 hours.

14 Oct, 1913 Wales Coal Mine Explosion​

1913 : A tremendous explosion ripped through the Sengenhydd coal mine near Cardiff in one of the worst mining disasters in Great Britain and over 400 minors are killed.

14 Oct, 1928 U.S.A. Graf Zeppelin​

1928 : The small town of Lakehurst NJ is preparing for the arrival tomorrow of the largest dirigible ever made the "Graf Zeppelin" which will complete it's transatlantic flight from Europe to America, this airship will change travel across the Atlantic with it's massive size of 770 ft and it's cruising speed of 60 MPH , this ship is owned by the German People.

14 Oct, 1935 Sanctions on Italy​

1935 : The League of Nations approved the placing of financial sanctions on Italy.

14 Oct, 1938 Germany Nazi's Attacks Clergy​

1938 : Adolf Hitler's deputy has attacked the catholic clergy during a massive Nazi rally in Austria telling the cheering crowd of 100,000 that the clergy are seeking to instigate people against the state. Hitler or Christ is not the question, Hitler has never taken a stand against the Church and there is only one Fuhrer and his name is Adolf Hitler, and the clergy should not take orders from Rome but from the Fuhrer.

14 Oct, 1941 World War II Russia​

1941 : As Panzer divisions approach closer to Moscow, Nazis are telling women and children to leave the city and run for their lives, Although Germany is close to Moscow it is still a long way from the Caspian oil fields which are one of the main objectives in this war. Russia in the meantime has asked England to strike German soil to create a diversion which would mean Hitler would have to move some of the Panzer divisions back to Germany giving the Russian Red Army time to regroup.

14 Oct, 1944 World War II Desert Fox​

1944 : German General Erwin Rommel or "the Desert Fox," is given the option of facing a public trial for treason, as a co-conspirator in the plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, or taking cyanide. He chooses suicide by cyanide.

14 Oct, 1947 U.S.A. Chuck Yeager​

1947 : Chuck Yeager a World War II fighter pilot ace becomes the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound breaking the elusive "Sound Barrier." His X-1 rocket plane was built by the Bell Aircraft Company, the X-1 was taken to an altitude of 25,000 feet by a B-29 bomber and released through the bomb bay to achieve a speed greater than the speed of sound.

14 Oct, 1947 U.S.A. Flying Boat​

1947 : An old flying boat attempting to carry the largest number of passengers on a transatlantic flight (63 passengers) in a heavier than air aircraft has failed in its attempt and is stranded 800 miles from the Newfoundland coast in heavy seas and 25 ft - 75 ft waves.

14 Oct, 1952 U.S.A. Radar Traps​

1952 : As the number of radar speed traps is increased complaints that small towns adjoining main highways are using the traps to provide additional revenue by targeting motorists could become even worse as they install the latest radar traps which take photographs of the cars number plate meaning the local Police do not even need to witness the offence for the town to issue a speeding ticket. A test case is currently underway in New York on the legality of these new radar traps.

14 Oct, 1954 U.S.A. Hurricane Hazel​

1954 : Hurricane Hazel makes landfall at Haiti leaving three towns totally destroyed and more than 1,000 dead in its wake. From there it moved on to make landfall in North Carolina on October 15 as a Category 4 hurricane (19 dead) and then to Toronto, Ontario (81 dead). It is considered one of the worst hurricanes of the 20th century. This was the third hurricane to hit the United States in 1954 and by far the worst.

14 Oct, 1962 Cuba U2 Spy Plane​

1962 : Photographs taken by a high-altitude U2 spy plane show Soviet made medium range missiles in Cuba capable of carrying nuclear warheads just 90 miles from the American coastline. This news would bring the United States and the Soviet Union to the closest point to nuclear war in history.

14 Oct, 1964 U.S.A. Martin Luther King, Jr​

1964 : Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent resistance to racial prejudice in America.

14 Oct, 1964 Soviet Union Khrushchev​

1964 : Nikita Khrushchev is ousted from power by Leonid Brezhnev after 10 years.

14 Oct, 1966 Holland Cabinet Resigns​

1966 : The Dutch premier and all his cabinet were forced to resign when his own party members put a censure motion on his financial policy which passed through the 150 member lower house of parliament.

14 Oct, 1966 Canada Montreal Metro​

1966 : The Montreal Metro a mass transportation system is inaugurated in Montreal consisting of 26 stations on three separate lines serving the north, east, and center of the Island of Montreal. The Montreal Metro was the first completely rubber-tyred metro system which uses exclusively rubber tires instead of steel wheels. (Parts of Paris Metro were rubber tyred)

14 Oct, 1967 Joan Baez Arrested​

1967 : Folk singer Joan Baez is arrested in Oakland, California with at least 40 other anti-war protesters for taking part in a sit-in at the military induction center. She was given a ten day sentence, one of many sentences she received during her years of protest at the Vietnam War.

14 Oct, 1968 First Live Telecast From Space​

1968 : The first live telecast from a manned U.S. spacecraft using a black and white camera is transmitted from Apollo 7 back to Earth.

14 Oct, 1969 England New 50 Pence Coin​

1969 : The new 50-pence seven sided coin comes into circulation to replace the old 10 shilling note.

14 Oct, 1973 Thailand Student Protests​

October 14th, 1973 : Clashes between troops and 100,000 protesters protesting for a democratic government in Thailand with protesters throwing stones and petrol bombs, police and troops using live rounds. Bangkok is placed under a state of emergency and by the end of the unrest 77 are killed and 857 are injured.

14 Oct, 1979 U.S.A. Gay Rights March​

1979 : The first Gay Rights March on Washington, D.C. demands "an end to all social, economic, judicial, and legal oppression of lesbian and gay people" and draws 200,000 people.

14 Oct, 1981 Egypt Hosni Mubarak​

October 14th, 1981 : Hosni Mubarak, who was the vice president of Egypt when President Anwar Al Sadat was assassinated on 6th October, is elected as the President of the Republic of Egypt. Mubarak resigned in February 2011 after charges of corruption and public demonstrations demanded he be removed from office.

14 Oct, 1983 North / South Korea Tensions​

1983 : Following the bombing and murder of 21 officials at a ceremony in Burma earlier this week tensions between North and South Korea are getting worse with accusations on both sides concerning South Korea entering the DMZ and firing 500 rounds of ammunition into North Korea.

14 Oct, 1991 Iraq Kurds​

October 14th, 1991 : Kurdish leaders have admitted today to shooting and killing 60 Iraq prisoners of war at point blank range in retaliation to Iraq soldiers killing Kurdish prisoners of war earlier in the week.

14 Oct, 2006 U.S.A. Alzheimer's​

2006 : A new study by scientists in the US analysed the health and eating pattern of 2,258 study participants and found a link between a Mediterranean diet and a decreased risk of Alzheimer's disease, the most common cause of dementia.

14 Oct, 2006 Gaza Israel Sends Tanks In​

October 14th, 2006 : Israel sent tanks into northern Gaza and killed six Palestinian militants after a confrontation erupted.

14 Oct, 2011 Leader of Cuban "Ladies in White" Protest Group Dies​


14 Oct, 2011 United States iPhone 4S​

October 14th, 2011 : Apple Inc. releases the latest Apple smartphone model, the iPhone 4S.

14 Oct, 2012 Shuttle Endeavour Arrives in Los Angeles​

2012 : The retired US Space Shuttle Endeavour has arrived at is final destination in a museum in Los Angeles after its journey was delayed due to trees, street lights, power lines and other such objects being in the way of its path.

14 Oct, 2012 United States Former Senator Dies​

October 14th, 2012 : Former US Senator for Pennsylvania, Arlen Specter, died at the age of eighty-two. Specter was known for spending the first three decades of his career as a Republican before becoming a Democrat in 2009 and losing his election.

14 Oct, 2013 Malaysia Court Rules on Allah Use​

2013 : A court in Malaysia ruled that non-Muslims would not be allowed to use the word Allah. The ruling stated that non-Muslims would not be allowed to use the word to refer to God, even in their own religions, it overturned a 2009 ruling by a lower court.
 
On the 11th Hour of the 11th Day on 11th Month......................

Armistice on the Western Front​

On Nov. 11, 1918, after more than four years of horrific fighting and the loss of millions of lives, the guns on the Western Front fell silent. Although fighting continued elsewhere, the armistice between Germany and the Allies was the first step to ending World War I. The global reaction was one of mixed emotions: relief, celebration, disbelief and a profound sense of loss.

“And this is the end of it. In three hours the war will be over. It seems incredible even as I write it. I suppose I ought to be thrilled and cheering. Instead I am merely apathetic and incredulous … There is some cheering across the river—occasional bursts of it as the news is carried to the advanced lines. For the most part, though, we are in silence … With all is a feeling that it can’t be true. For months we have slept under the guns … We cannot comprehend the stillness.”​

— Robert Casey, Battery C, 124th Field Artillery Regiment, 33rd Division, November 11, 1918.​


“You bet we were happy yesterday morning to be awoken at 3 o’clock by whistles blowing, guns firing and every kind of noise you could think of announcing the surrender of Germany. It was sure a happy day here because we thought you were happy. I suspect you will not come right home but whenever you come back to the States come to see Ida Clara and myself. Now I want you to be sure to do that for we will just have a great time rejoicing together.”​

— Nannie (Nancy) Howard of Kansas City to her brother, November 12, 1918.​


“Dearest Mother and Dad: If only you all could see how glad everyone in this place is! Never in my life have I ever seen such happy people, for the eleventh of November meant the biggest thing possible to them all. Fighting stopped; at last the German people have awakened from their horrible dream. It's taken a long time, four years and half of the sort of thing that France has been through is tremendous, and now that it is all over, why it is almost too much for them to believe. The good folk are so happy the tears stand in their eyes, and they make no efforts to hide them. Even those who have lost their dear ones.​

​

“I was talking last night with a mother who gave her two boys and her husband and now is all alone who told me ‘Why should not I be glad? My two boys and my good man are gone it is true, but there are so many others. The war, it is finished, thanks to the good God.’ The whole town is decorated with flags and paper banners and streamers, quite gayly, and at night, lanterns shine at every window and door.”​

— James E. (Ned) Henschel, November 11, 1918.​



www.theworldwar.org

Armistice

On Nov. 11, 1918, after more than four years of horrific fighting and the loss of millions of lives, the guns on the Western Front fell silent.
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