10 ready-to-read segments for December 2, lead story first. Free to use on air; a quick credit to Today in Tunes is appreciated.
On this day in 1995, 31 years ago: "One Sweet Day" enters the Hot 100 at No. 1. Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men's duet debuted on top and refused to budge, holding No. 1 for a record 16 straight weeks into March 1996. Here's Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men with “One Sweet Day.”
On this day in 1883, 143 years ago: Brahms's Third Symphony has its premiere in Vienna. Hans Richter conducted the Vienna Philharmonic in the first performance of the symphony in F major.
On this day in 1976, 50 years ago: Pink Floyd float a 40-foot pig over Battersea Power Station. The helium balloon went up for the Animals cover shoot. The next day it broke loose, drifted over Heathrow and disrupted flights, then came down on a farm in Kent.
On this day in 1983, 43 years ago: Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video premieres on MTV. John Landis directed the short film. In 2009 it became the first music video added to the US National Film Registry.
On this day in 1923, 103 years ago: Soprano Maria Callas is born in New York. The soprano grew into one of the 20th century's most celebrated and influential opera singers.
On this day in 1981, 45 years ago: Britney Spears is born in Mississippi. Her first single, "...Baby One More Time," went to No. 1 on the Hot 100 and became one of the biggest-selling singles ever.
On this day in 1998, 28 years ago: Chicago rapper Juice WRLD is born. "Lucid Dreams" climbed to No. 2 on the Hot 100 and was among 2018's most-streamed songs. He died at 21, and his first posthumous album tied records for a posthumous debut.
On this day in 1990, 36 years ago: American composer Aaron Copland dies at 90. Appalachian Spring won him the Pulitzer Prize, and pieces like Fanfare for the Common Man became American patriotic favorites.
On this day in 2008, 18 years ago: Folk singer Odetta dies at 77. Known as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement," she also lit the spark for Bob Dylan, who said hearing one of her records first got him into folk singing.
On this day in 2013, 13 years ago: Junior Murvin of "Police and Thieves" dies in Jamaica. Lee "Scratch" Perry produced his 1976 single, and it crossed over to punk when the Clash recorded it for their 1977 debut album.
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