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12/27/2023 41 Little Eva — The Loco-Motion 38 Chris Montez — Let’s Dance 29 Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas — Do You Want To Know A Secret? 26 Andy Williams — Can’t Get Used To Losing You 23 The Crystals — Then He Kissed Me +2 19 The Beatles — Please Please Me +2 17 Bruce Channel — Hey! Baby 14 Chubby Checker — Let’s Twist Again 9 Jet Harris & Tony Meehan — Scarlett O'Hara -2 7 The Searchers — Sugar And Spice -2 5 Mr. Acker Bilk ft. The Leon Young String Chorale — Stranger On The Shore -2

Gustave Eiffel died on this day 100 years ago, aged 91. - Eiffel had studied both chemistry and engineering in his youth, and his first construction job came in 1857, for a railway bridge. - He would continue to work in the train industry, overseeing the construction of steam engines used to help complete the Suez Canal, as well as several viaducts in his native France. - One of Eiffel's first building commissions came in 1868 when the Peruvian government asked him to redesign the St. Mark's Cathedral after the original was destroyed in an earthquake. - In 1881, Auguste Bartholdi contacted Eiffel to help with the construction of the Statue of Liberty- Eiffel was responsible for designing its internal structure: - The Eiffel Tower was not his idea- one of his friends, Maurice Koechlin made the original sketch in 1884; Eiffel initially disliked the idea of building it until another architect, Stephen Sauvestre, added decorative supports to it. The building permit was signed in 1887, and it was the tallest man-made structure in the world between 1889 and 1930. - Eiffel was also involved in designing the locks for France's preliminary idea of the Panama Canal; however the company went under in 1888, and would be accused of misappropriating funds. Eiffel was found guilty in 1893, but successfully appealed and avoided jail time. - In later years, Eiffel studied meteorology and aerodynamics, constructing wind tunnels and weather stations. - Eiffel died while listening to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

John Amos is 84.

12/26/2023 38 Chris Montez — Let’s Dance 31 Little Eva — The Loco-Motion 26 Andy Williams — Can’t Get Used To Losing You 25 Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas — Do You Want To Know A Secret? 25 The Crystals — Then He Kissed Me +2 25 The Beatles — Please Please Me +2 16 Chubby Checker — Let’s Twist Again 16 Mr Acker Bilk ft. The Leon Young String Chorale — Stranger on the Shore 15 Bruce Channel — Hey! Baby 13 Jet Harris & Tony Meehan — Scarlett O'Hara 12 The Searchers — Sugar And Spice -2 8 The Shadows — Atlantis -4 08 Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen — Midnight In Moscow

Gerald Ford died on this day 17 years ago, aged 93. - Ford's birth name was "Leslie King"- he was renamed by his stepfather (also named Gerald Ford), although he legally did not change it until 1935. - Before Ford became Nixon's VP, he was a Michigan congressman from 1949 to 1973- most notably being a part of the Warren Commission that investigated the JFK assassination, and being the House Minority Leader from 1965 until his resignation. - Ford's presidency was best known for his pardon of Nixon, and then replacing nearly all his cabinet (excluding Henry Kissinger and Secretary of the Treasury William Simon), the Fall of Saigon occurring, and hosting his daughter Susan's prom at the White House in 1975: - During his stay in the White House, Ford had several pets- three dogs (Liberty, Misty and Lucky) and a cat (Shan). - Ford would replace Nelson Rockefeller on his 1976 presidential ticket with Bob Dole. They lost to Jimmy Carter in a ratio of 297-240 electoral votes (one elector voted for Ronald Reagan). - Ford would end up having a lifelong friendship with Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter in his post-presidency. Ford was known for his liberal ideology, supporting the assault weapon ban of 1994, stating gay marriage needed to be considered equal to straight marriage, and disagreeing with the 2003 invasion of Iraq. - Ford became the longest-living US president in November of 2006, having surpassed Ronald Reagan's age. This would be surpassed by George H. W. Bush in late 2017 (and also by Jimmy Carter in 2018). - Ford debuted on the DeathList in 1997, making six appearances over the next nine years. He was the 13th and final hit of 2006.

Lars Ulrich is 60.

Christmas 2023 37 Chris Montez — Let’s Dance 32 Little Eva — The Loco-Motion 31 Mr. Acker Bilk ft. The Leon Young String Chorale — Stranger On The Shore 29 Andy Williams — Can’t Get Used To Losing You 25 The Crystals — Then He Kissed Me +2 23 The Beatles — Please Please Me +2 22 Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas — Do You Want To Know A Secret? 17 Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen — Midnight In Moscow 16 Jet Harris & Tony Meehan — Scarlett O'Hara 16 The Shadows — Atlantis 16 Chubby Checker — Let’s Twist Again 16 Bruce Channel — Hey! Baby 14 The Searchers — Sugar And Spice 6 Helen Shapiro — Tell Me What He Said -1 0 Freddie & The Dreamers — I’m Telling You Now (This Song's Time is Up) -5

George Michael died on this day 7 years ago, aged 53. - Michael was the son of Greek Cypriot immigrants to England- his real name was "Georgios Panayiotou". - Michael would meet Andrew Ridgeley while in school, and the two would perform as a musical act together, covering songs by other bands such as Queen. - In 1981, the two of them formed Wham!, with Michael on lead vocals. They were an immediate breakout group, and they had many top-10 singles between 1981 and 1984- most notably "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go". - - Michael went solo in 1984, releasing his biggest hit, "Careless Whisper", that year: In 1985, Michael would perform in China- the first Western act to do so. He would continue to see success with songs such as "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)", "I Want Your Sex", and "Faith"- the latter being Billboard's number one single of 1988. - In the early 2000s, Michael became a protest singer against the Iraq War, causing controversy when depicting Tony Blair as George W. Bush's pet poodle in the music video for "Shoot the Dog": - Michael was outed as being gay in 1998- when he was arrested for "public lewdness". The officer who arrested him sued him for $10 million due to content in the music video for "Outside" showing male cops kissing each other, thinking he was being personally mocked. The case would be dismissed in 2003. - Michael died from acute heart failure on Christmas Day in 2016. This was considered ironic because... (It is now safe to listen to this song. Merry Christmas, and congrats to those who won Whamageddon this year.)

Annie Lennox is 69.

12/24/2023 41 Little Eva — The Loco-Motion 34 Chris Montez — Let’s Dance 30 Andy Williams — Can’t Get Used To Losing You  29 Mr. Acker Bilk ft. The Leon Young String Chorale — Stranger On The Shore 25 The Crystals — Then He Kissed Me +2 24 Bruce Channel — Hey! Baby  22 Helen Shapiro — Tell Me What He Said 21 Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen — Midnight In Moscow 21 Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas — Do You Want To Know A Secret? 20 The Shadows — Atlantis 18 The Beatles — Please Please Me +2 17 Jet Harris & Tony Meehan — Scarlett O'Hara -3 14 Chubby Checker — Let’s Twist Again 14 The Searchers — Sugar And Spice 10 Freddie and the Dreamers — I’m Telling You Now -3

Harold Pinter died on this day 15 years ago, aged 78. - Pinter wrote his first play in 1957, called The Room (which was not adapted by Tommy Wiseau). He followed this up the following year with The Birthday Party. - His breakout came in 1960, when he wrote both The Caretaker and A Night Out, and in 1964 he wrote The Homecoming, for which he received four Tony Awards. - Pinter's career as a playwright has been often compared to a three-act structure. First were the "comedy of menace" plays from 1957 to 1968, the "memory play" saga from 1968 to 1982, and the "political plays" from 1982 to 2000. - Pinter would also act in several TV and theatrical films, which included Rogue Male, Mansfield Park, and The Tailor of Panama. - In 2005, Pinter would be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature because of the political themes of his later plays, which led to a mixed reaction from the public. - Pinter would be diagnosed with throat cancer in 2001, and would later be diagnosed with liver cancer as well. He debuted on the DeathList in 2006, staying on until his death (the 14th and final hit of 2008).

Diedrich Bader is 57.

12/23/2023 36 Little Eva — The Loco-Motion 32 Andy Williams — Can’t Get Used To Losing You 31 Chris Montez — Let’s Dance 31 The Crystals — Then He Kissed Me +2 27 Mr. Acker Bilk ft. The Leon Young String Chorale — Stranger On The Shore 22 Bruce Channel — Hey! Baby 21 Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen — Midnight In Moscow 21 Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas — Do You Want To Know A Secret? 20 Helen Shapiro — Tell Me What He Said 20 Jet Harris & Tony Meehan — Scarlett O’Hara 20 The Searchers — Sugar And Spice 19 Freddie and the Dreamers — I’m Telling You Now 18 The Shadows — Atlantis 18 Chubby Checker — Let’s Twist Again 17 The Beatles — Please Please Me +2 13 Del Shannon — Hey Little Girl 12 Roy Orbison — Dream Baby 0 Joe Brown & The Bruvvers — A Picture Of You -6

Mikhail Kalashnikov died on this day 10 years ago, aged 94. - The son of peasants, Kalashnikov was drafted into the Soviet army in 1938. He had a fascination with machinery- particularly weapons- and after being hospitalized after getting shot during the Battle of Bryansk in 1941, he overheard his fellow patients gripe about how ineffective their guns were. - Kalashnikov drew up an idea for a new SMG, and would soon be out of combat and put in the Soviet firearm development program. This submachine gun became known as the "Mikhtim" (taken from his first and middle names- Mikhail Timofeyvich). - Kalashnikov's most famous and influential invention was the Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947- better known by its acronym, the AK-47. This assault rifle would become standard issue for Soviet soldiers in 1949. Over 100 million of these rifles have been produced since- about 50 million being bootlegs. The AK-47 has caused Kalashnikov to be called the "world's deadliest inventor" due to the fact that many developing nations used the gun in their armed conflicts, leading to the deaths of hundreds of thousands worldwide. - Other guns Kalashnikov invented included the AKM assault rifle in 1959, and the RPK LMG and PK machine gun in 1961. - Kalashnikov died after a month-long hospitalization for peptic ulcer disease. He appeared only once on the DeathList, in 2013- at spot no. 3 (and the 13th and final death of the year).

Harry Shearer is 80.

Local obituary.

12/22/2023 38 Little Eva — The Loco-Motion 32 Andy Williams — Can’t Get Used To Losing You 29 Chris Montez — Let’s Dance 26 The Crystals — Then He Kissed Me +2 25 Mr. Acker Bilk ft. The Leon Young String Chorale — Stranger On The Shore 24 Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen — Midnight In Moscow 21 Del Shannon — Hey Little Girl 21 Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas — Do You Want To Know A Secret? 21 Freddie & The Dreamers — I’m Telling You Now 20 Helen Shapiro — Tell Me What He Said 20 Jet Harris & Tony Meehan — Scarlett O’Hara 20 The Beatles — Please Please Me +2 19 The Searchers — Sugar And Spice 19 Bruce Channel — Hey! Baby 18 Cliff Richard & The Shadows — Don’t Talk To Him -3 16 Chubby Checker — Let’s Twist Again 14 The Shadows — Atlantis 12 Roy Orbison — Dream Baby 11 Bobby Darin — Things  10 Joe Brown & The Bruvvers — A Picture Of You 0 Del Shannon — Swiss Maid -3

Beatrix Potter died on this day 80 years ago, aged 77. - Potter went by her middle name- her first name was Helen. - Potter took an interest to natural science- she collected fossils, studied insects, and made detailed illustrations of fungi. - The Tale of Peter Rabbit, her most famous book, was also her first children's book- published in 1902. She patented her character for a mass-produced plushie the following year- making Peter Rabbit the oldest licensed character: - Potter's children's books are sometimes referred to as "The 23 Tales" (the amount of them)- the most notable ones besides Peter Rabbit were Squirrel Nutkin (1903), Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle (1905), Tom Kitten (1907), Jemima Puddle-Duck (1908), Mr. Tod (1912) and Pigling Bland (1913). Many of these books were within a shared literary universe- some characters from one book would appear in later stories. - In later years, Potter was a sheep breeder, particularly of the Herdwick breed. She was also a conservationist.

Ralph Fiennes is 61.

12/21/2023 39 Little Eva — The Loco-Motion 32 The Crystals — Then He Kissed Me +2 28 Andy Williams — Can’t Get Used To Losing You 26 Mr. Acker Bilk ft. The Leon Young String Chorale — Stranger On The Shore 26 Chris Montez — Let’s Dance 24 Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen — Midnight In Moscow 22 Freddie & The Dreamers — I’m Telling You Now 21 Del Shannon — Hey Little Girl 21 Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas — Do You Want To Know A Secret? 21 Cliff Richard & The Shadows — Don’t Talk To Him 20 Helen Shapiro — Tell Me What He Said 20 Jet Harris & Tony Meehan — Scarlett O’Hara 19 Bruce Channel — Hey! Baby 19 The Beatles — Please Please Me +2 17 The Searchers — Sugar And Spice 17 Chubby Checker — Let’s Twist Again 14 Bobby Darin — Things 14 Cliff Richard & The Shadows — It’ll Be Me -6 12 The Shadows — Atlantis 12 Joe Brown & The Bruvvers — A Picture Of You 11 Del Shannon — Swiss Maid 11 Roy Orbison — Dream Baby 08 Cliff Richard — It’s All In The Game

12/21/2023 13 The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl — Fairytale Of New York +4 11 Greg Lake — I Believe in Father Christmas 9 The Pretenders — 2000 Miles -6

John Seymour died on this day 487 years ago, aged 62. - Seymour was born into the English aristocracy, and was a descendant of king Edward III. - Seymour would be knighted by king Henry VII in 1497 due to his service in the Cornish Rebellion, and also fought in the Battle of the Spurs against France in 1513. - Seymour was also a diplomat, serving as Henry VIII's aide when he met with king Francis I of France. - Seymour was the father to ten children- these included Edward (the first Duke of Somerset and regent to his nephew Edward VI), Thomas (who wed Henry VIII's widow Catherine Parr), and most notably Jane, Henry VIII's third (and favorite) wife. - Seymour died in 1536; due to her duties as queen consort, Jane could not attend his funeral. His body would be reinterred in 1590 after the church he was buried at being "ruined", according to a plaque on the wall above his tomb:

Phil Donahue is 88.

12/20/2023 32 Little Eva — The Loco-Motion +2 28 The Crystals — Then He Kissed Me +2 27 Mr. Acker Bilk ft. The Leon Young String Chorale — Stranger On The Shore +4 25 Bruce Channel — Hey! Baby 24 Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen — Midnight In Moscow 22 Andy Williams — Can’t Get Used To Losing You 21 Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas — Do You Want To Know A Secret? 21 Chris Montez — Let’s Dance 21 Cliff Richard & The Shadows — Don’t Talk To Him 20 Helen Shapiro — Tell Me What He Said 20 Roy Orbison — Dream Baby 20 Del Shannon — Hey Little Girl 20 Joe Brown & The Bruvvers — A Picture Of You 20 Bobby Darin — Things 20 Cliff Richard & The Shadows — It’ll Be Me 20 Del Shannon — Swiss Maid 20 Jet Harris & Tony Meehan — Scarlett O’Hara 20 Freddie & The Dreamers — I’m Telling You Now 20 The Searchers — Sugar And Spice 17 Cliff Richard — It’s All In The Game -3 15 Chubby Checker — Let’s Twist Again 14 The Shadows — Atlantis 14 Cliff Richard & The Shadows — I’m Looking Out The Window / Do You Want To Dance -3 11 Ned Miller — From A Jack To A King 06 The Beatles — Please Please Me

12/20/2023 40 The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl — Fairytale Of New York +4 26 Greg Lake — I Believe in Father Christmas 1 The Pretenders — 2000 Miles -6