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A mildly promising, mostly struggling rock 'n' roll band from England begins a two-month run at the Indra Club in Hamburg, Germany. The group consists of (from left) John Lennon, 19; George Harrison, 17; Pete Best, 18; Paul McCartney, 18; and Stuart Sutcliffe, 20. The Hamburg shows are the first ones under the band's latest name: The Beatles.
High above New Mexico, aboard a balloon and gondola named Excelsior III, Air Force Capt. Joseph Kittinger floats up to near-space -- 102,800 feet, or nearly 19.5 miles -- and jumps out. It's part of a research effort to study the effects of high altitudes on the human body, as well as whether test pilots and astronauts could survive should they need to eject from their craft. Kittinger approaches the speed of sound during his descent; it takes him 13 minutes, 45 seconds to touch down.
Random House publishes "Green Eggs and Ham," a children's book by Theodor Seuss Geisel (writing under the name Dr. Seuss), whose previous works included "The Cat in the Hat," "Horton Hears a Who!" and "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish." The book came about after Bennett Cerf of Random House bet Seuss $50 that he could not write a book using just 50 different words. Seuss used exactly 50 for "Green Eggs and Ham."
The United States successfully launches its first communications satellite, Echo 1. It's a large metallic balloon off which communication signals are bounced; as such, it is more a reflector than a transmitter. It would remain in orbit nearly 8 years.
Singer Chubby Checker brings his single (and accompanying dance) "The Twist" to a prime-time television audience on "The Dick Clark Show." Checker's remake of the 1958 original (a modest hit by Hank Ballard & The Midnighters) would reach No. 1 on the charts on September 19 and then again on January 13, 1962. Everybody was hitting the dance floor, as a string of "Twist"-themed songs followed from other singers and bands, especially in 1962 during the song's second wave of popularity. Checker explained the moves this way: "Just pretend you're wiping your bottom with a towel as you get out of the shower, and putting out a cigarette with both feet."
