Francis Scott Key was so inspired by his experience during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812 that he wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner." Yet, the path taken by Key's words and the flag that inspired them has been long and unexpected. This is the history of The Star-Spangled Banner explained.
Read MoreLed Zeppelin, the influential rock band of the 1970s, consisted of members John Paul Jones, John Bonham, Jimmy Page, and Robert Plant? But among the four members of Led Zeppelin, who was considered the least popular member? Reader polls suggest that the bassist is often overlooked.
Read MoreFans of T. Rex have been wondering why the glam rock pioneers haven't been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. As Ultimate Classic Rock pointed out in October 2019, lead singer Marc Bolan is a member in spirit, simply due to the powerful influence he had on stars who made it in long ago.
Read MoreDrummer Peter "The Catman" Criss left KISS for the first time in 1980, revealing what Ultimate Classic Rock called the "first fissures in the original lineup." When asked why he'd left the band, Criss replied, "I wanted to do my own thing, my own music and 10 years in KISS was enough for me."
Read MoreFehn played with the band until 2019. He was the band's hard-pounding and wild percussionist. You probably wouldn't recognize his face, but his mask could be picked out from any lineup, with its elongated nose that made him look like a demonically possessed, Lovecraftian version of Pinocchio.
Read MoreAs recorded in a press conference posted on YouTube, vocalist Corey Taylor said of Gray, "He had the biggest heart of anyone I've ever known, and he had the greatest soul I've ever had the privilege to know. He was everything that was wonderful about this band and about this group of people."
Read MoreNine Inch Nails, including Trent Reznor and six of his bandmates, are being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on November 7, 2020. The real reason Nine Inch Nails are being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is because of their unparalleled contribution to industrial rock.
Read MoreEvery so often, viewers see Savage scared, mostly because of the higher possibility of dying during certain experiments. Mythbusters fans learned what Savage's biggest fear was in one of the show's episodes. It had nothing to do with explosions. Savage, it turns out, has an irrational fear of bees.
Read More"The first phone call said his son was sick," tour manager Richard Cole told Express. "And the second phone call, unfortunately, Karac had died in that time." Plant's son Karac was just five years old when he died of a stomach virus.
Read MoreIt seems like a band's bassist usually gets the short end of the fame stick. Queen's bassist, John Deacon, is no exception to that rule. A large part of that probably has to do with Deacon dropping out of the musical spotlight following Freddie Mercury's tragic death in 1991.
Read MoreIt might be strange to imagine such a nigh impervious-looking six-time WWE champion taken down by a respiratory ailment, but such are the dangers of asthma, and the silent suffering that Bautista endured during his career.
Read Morethey've had some serious success. According to Ace Showbiz, they've won a handful of different awards, ranging from Billboard Awards to MTV Music Awards and more, and have been nominated for more than you probably have the patience to read through. But music isn't the only thing.
Read MoreTales of magical and terrifying black cats can be found in folklore from all over the world. Here ae some of the scariest black cat legends.
Read MoreLed Zeppelin is known as one of the most influential English rock bands of the last 50 years, but they mysteriously never had a top 10 hit in the UK because they hated releasing singles. Led Zeppelin was so opposed to releasing singles because of a dispute in 1969 with their record company.
Read MoreIt turns out that the big man started his road to success as a football player, and his gridiron prowess was good enough to propel him all the way to the NFL. But what was Goldberg the football player like, and what prompted him to make the transition to the wrestling ring?
Read MoreStories about the end of public payphones, when they are published, tend to sound like coverage of their phasing out in New York, which talk about their obsolescence. While payphones certainly are an outdated technology, however, they also have a sordid history.
Read MoreIt is impossible to get an objective read on anyone's life, and the life of Elvis Presley is more difficult to pin down than most.
Read MoreHistory class might have taught you that women in the United States won the right to vote in 1920 after a hard-fought struggle that culminated in the ratification of the 19th Amendment. But decades earlier, many women who lived west of the Mississippi River sated their hunger for suffrage.
Read MoreBy the early '60s the brothers were fighting constantly. Said Phil, "There were too many people making too much money off us, keeping us going. Things were too confused. We should have taken a long rest. But ... we couldn't."
Read MoreHe learned about a job at a radio station in Springfield, Missouri, and that the manager of the station liked planes. "I put on my naval officer's uniform and my wings of gold and went in and talked about airplanes for about 30 or 45 minutes and I had my first job in radio," Barker said.
Read MoreThe world's oldest bottle of wine was discovered in a Roman tomb in Speyer, Germany. Dating back to 325 AD, the world's oldest bottle of wine has been miraculously preserved due to one weird Roman ingredient: olive oil. Topped with a wax seal, the oldest bottle is now in a museum.
Read MoreFake news as a term soared during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The phrase was used so often that the Collins Dictionary dubbed it the word of the year in 2017. While "fake news" means different things to various people, its basic definition is news that is fabricated.
Read MoreIs it strange to think that a guy got good enough at magic tricks to afford his own resort with a land mass roughly seven times the size of Vatican City? Sure, but it might be more shocking to realize that Copperfield is one of the most financially lucrative solo acts in history.
Read MoreOn July 23, 1982, an all-too-real tragedy occurred while filming the movie adaptation of the classic television show The Twilight Zone. Per History, on the last day of shooting, veteran actor Vic Morrow and two child actors, Renee Shinn Chen and Myca Dinh Le, were killed while filming a segment.
Read MoreThe Rolling Stones are practically synonymous with rock 'n' roll, and plenty of crazy rumors about the band have come up over the years. Here are some of the false things you believe about the Rolling Stones.
Read MoreWorld War I claimed millions lives, but that fact alone only scratches the surface of the weird, messed up things that happened during World War I.
Read MoreSometimes, it really sucks being part of a talented family. Even worse when you're the middle child. That was exactly how LaToya Jackson felt growing up. Unfortunately maligned throughout her career, Jackson's life has been dotted with pain and strife.
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