1969 - David Bowie records "Space Oddity," which he wrote after seeing the 1968 Stanley Kubrick movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.
1969 - Jimi Hendrix headlines the Newport Pop Festival, which is marred by violence as police take action to stop the gate-crashers. He earned the largest paycheck (to that time) for a single show when he earned $125,000 for a single set.
1954 - Rock bassist Michael Anthony (of Van Halen, Chickenfoot) is born in Chicago, Illinois.