The First Elvis Single – Today In Southern History
19 July 1954
19 July 1954
On this date in 1954…
Sun Records of Memphis, Tennessee released the first single byElvis Presley, “That’s All Right Mama” and “Blue Moon of Kentucky.” Both tracks are covers of blues and bluegrass tunes. Presley’s renditions become instant hits on Memphis radio. Other stations are not as enthusiastic and give the record mixed reviews.
Other Years:
1866 – Tennessee’s occupation government becomes the first state government to ratify the 14th Amendment to the U.S. constitution.
1867 – US Congress passed the 3rd Reconstruction Act over President Andrew Johnson’s veto
1879 – Doc Holliday killed for the first time, shooting a man who shot up his New Mexico saloon.
1912 – An estimated 85 pound meteorite exploded over Navajo County, Arizona, causing approximately 16,000 pieces of debris to rain down on the town of Holbrook.
1923 – WRC-AM in Washington, DC began radio transmission
1930 – Richard E. Byrd of Winchester, VA and the polar expedition team returned to the US following the first exploration of the interior of Antarctica
1941 – The first US Army flying school for black cadets was dedicated in Tuskegee, Alabama
1942 – German U-boats were withdrawn from positions off the Southern Atlantic and Gulf coasts due to heavy losses.
1967 – Blacks rioted in Durham, North Carolina
1976 – Allman Brother’s roadie Scooter Herring was sentenced to 75 years for providing drugs for the group, based on Gregg Allman’s testimony
1993 – President Bill Clinton of Arkansas fired FBI director William Sessions
1996 – The XXVIth Summer Olympic games opened in Atlanta, Georgia.
2024 – Sandra Hemme released from prison in Missouri after her 43 year murder conviction was overturned, longest known wrongful conviction of a woman in US history
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