1970 : The head of the FCC issues a statement in rebuttal to Vice President Spiro Agnew’s complaint that radio stations were playing too many songs about drugs. The statement reads: “If we really want to do something about drugs, let’s do something about life… The song writers are trying to help us understand our plight and deal with it. It’s about the only leadership we’re getting. They’re not really urging you to adopt a heroin distribution program, Mr. Vice President.”

1977 : An audience member throws an M-80 firecracker on stage at an Aerosmith show at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. The explosion injures lead singer Steven Tyler’s cornea and guitarist Joe Perry’s hand. The next year, Tyler is hit in the face with a bottle when they play the arena.

1979 : The film The Rose, a thinly-veiled biopic of Janis Joplin starring Bette Midler, premieres in Hollywood.

2001 : Embracing the internet at a time when broadband was rare, U2 webcasts a show from their Elevation tour in South Bend, Indiana for free on U2.com.