1980 : John Lennon shot
John Lennon, a former member of the Beatles, the rock group that
transformed popular music in the 1960s, is shot and killed by an
obsessed fan in New York City. The 40-year-old artist was entering his
luxury Manhattan apartment building when Mark David Chapman shot him
four times at close range with a .38-caliber revolver. Lennon,
bleeding profusely, was rushed to the hospital but died en route.
Chapman had received an autograph from Lennon earlier in the day and
voluntarily remained at the scene of the shooting until he was
arrested by police. For a week, hundreds of bereaved fans kept a vigil
outside the Dakota--Lennon's apartment building--and demonstrations of
mourning were held around the world.
John Lennon was one half of the singing-songwriting team that made the
Beatles the most popular musical group of the 20th century. The other
band leader was Paul McCartney, but the rest of the quartet--George
Harrison and Ringo Starr--sometimes penned and sang their own songs as
well. Hailing from Liverpool, England, and influenced by early
American rock and roll, the Beatles took Britain by storm in 1963 with
the single "Please Please Me." "Beatlemania" spread to the United
States in 1964 with the release of "I Want to Hold Your Hand,"
followed by a sensational U.S. tour. With youth poised to break away
from the culturally rigid landscape of the 1950s, the "Fab Four," with
their exuberant music and good-natured rebellion, were the perfect
catalyst for the shift.
The Beatles sold millions of records and starred in hit movies such as
A Hard Day's Night (1964). Their live performances were near riots,
with teenage girls screaming and fainting as their boyfriends nodded
along to the catchy pop songs. In 1966, the Beatles gave up touring to
concentrate on their innovative studio recordings, such as 1967's Sgt.
Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band, a psychedelic concept album that is
regarded as a masterpiece of popular music. The Beatles' music
remained relevant to youth throughout the great cultural shifts of the
1960s, and critics of all ages acknowledged the songwriting genius of
the Lennon-McCartney team.
Lennon was considered the intellectual Beatle and certainly was the
most outspoken of the four. He caused a major controversy in 1966 when
he declared that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus," prompting
mass burnings of Beatles' records in the American Bible Belt. He later
became an anti-war activist and flirted with communism in the lyrics
of solo hits like "Imagine," recorded after the Beatles disbanded in
1970. In 1975, Lennon dropped out of the music business to spend more
time with his Japanese-born wife, Yoko Ono, and their son, Sean. In
1980, he made a comeback with Double-Fantasy, a critically acclaimed
album that celebrated his love for Yoko and featured songs written by
her.
On December 8, 1980, their peaceful domestic life on New York's Upper
West Side was shattered by 25-year-old Mark David Chapman.
Psychiatrists deemed Chapman a borderline psychotic. He was instructed
to plead insanity, but instead he pleaded guilty to murder. He was
sentenced to 20 years to life. In 2000, New York State prison
officials denied Chapman a parole hearing, telling him that his
"vicious and violent act was apparently fueled by your need to be
acknowledged." He remains behind bars at Attica Prison in New York
State.
John Lennon is memorialized in "Strawberry Fields," a section of
Central Park across the street from the Dakota that Yoko Ono
landscaped in honor of her husband.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1980 : John Lennon shot
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=7105
1542 : Mary Queen of Scots born
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5582
1987 : Superpowers agree to reduce nuclear arsenals
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5583
1993 : NAFTA signed into law
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5584
#########################################
John Lennon, a former member of the Beatles, the rock group that
transformed popular music in the 1960s, is shot and killed by an
obsessed fan in New York City. The 40-year-old artist was entering his
luxury Manhattan apartment building when Mark David Chapman shot him
four times at close range with a .38-caliber revolver. Lennon,
bleeding profusely, was rushed to the hospital but died en route.
Chapman had received an autograph from Lennon earlier in the day and
voluntarily remained at the scene of the shooting until he was
arrested by police. For a week, hundreds of bereaved fans kept a vigil
outside the Dakota--Lennon's apartment building--and demonstrations of
mourning were held around the world.
John Lennon was one half of the singing-songwriting team that made the
Beatles the most popular musical group of the 20th century. The other
band leader was Paul McCartney, but the rest of the quartet--George
Harrison and Ringo Starr--sometimes penned and sang their own songs as
well. Hailing from Liverpool, England, and influenced by early
American rock and roll, the Beatles took Britain by storm in 1963 with
the single "Please Please Me." "Beatlemania" spread to the United
States in 1964 with the release of "I Want to Hold Your Hand,"
followed by a sensational U.S. tour. With youth poised to break away
from the culturally rigid landscape of the 1950s, the "Fab Four," with
their exuberant music and good-natured rebellion, were the perfect
catalyst for the shift.
The Beatles sold millions of records and starred in hit movies such as
A Hard Day's Night (1964). Their live performances were near riots,
with teenage girls screaming and fainting as their boyfriends nodded
along to the catchy pop songs. In 1966, the Beatles gave up touring to
concentrate on their innovative studio recordings, such as 1967's Sgt.
Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band, a psychedelic concept album that is
regarded as a masterpiece of popular music. The Beatles' music
remained relevant to youth throughout the great cultural shifts of the
1960s, and critics of all ages acknowledged the songwriting genius of
the Lennon-McCartney team.
Lennon was considered the intellectual Beatle and certainly was the
most outspoken of the four. He caused a major controversy in 1966 when
he declared that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus," prompting
mass burnings of Beatles' records in the American Bible Belt. He later
became an anti-war activist and flirted with communism in the lyrics
of solo hits like "Imagine," recorded after the Beatles disbanded in
1970. In 1975, Lennon dropped out of the music business to spend more
time with his Japanese-born wife, Yoko Ono, and their son, Sean. In
1980, he made a comeback with Double-Fantasy, a critically acclaimed
album that celebrated his love for Yoko and featured songs written by
her.
On December 8, 1980, their peaceful domestic life on New York's Upper
West Side was shattered by 25-year-old Mark David Chapman.
Psychiatrists deemed Chapman a borderline psychotic. He was instructed
to plead insanity, but instead he pleaded guilty to murder. He was
sentenced to 20 years to life. In 2000, New York State prison
officials denied Chapman a parole hearing, telling him that his
"vicious and violent act was apparently fueled by your need to be
acknowledged." He remains behind bars at Attica Prison in New York
State.
John Lennon is memorialized in "Strawberry Fields," a section of
Central Park across the street from the Dakota that Yoko Ono
landscaped in honor of her husband.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1980 : John Lennon shot
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=7105
1542 : Mary Queen of Scots born
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5582
1987 : Superpowers agree to reduce nuclear arsenals
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5583
1993 : NAFTA signed into law
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5584
#########################################
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