"We Didnt Start The Fire"

south pacific

Apr 7, 1949

clickhereSouth Pacific, the prize-winning musical, opens on Broadway on April 7

The Rosenbergs

Mar 29, 1951

click hereThe Rosenbergs, Ethel and Julius, were convicted on March 29 for espionage

george santayana

Sep 26, 1952

clickhereSantayana goodbye: George Santayana, philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist, dies on September 26

idk

Mar 5, 1953

clickhereJoseph Stalin dies on March 5, yielding his position as leader of the Soviet Union.

buddy holly

Feb 3, 1955

click here for more infoBuddy Holly dies in a plane crash on February 3 with Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper, in a day that had a devastating impact on the country and youth culture. Joel prefaces the lyric with a Holly signature vocal hiccup: "Uh-huh, uh-huh."

Albert Einstein

Apr 18, 1955

click here for more infoAlbert Einstein dies on April 18 at the age of 76

Ernest Hemingway

Jul 2, 1961

click here for more info Ernest Hemingway commits suicide on July 2 after a long battle with depression.

Bernie Goetz

Dec 22, 1984

click hereBernie Goetz: On December 22, Goetz shot four young men who he said were threatening him on a New York City subway. Goetz was charged with attempted murder but was acquitted of the charges, though convicted of carrying an unlicensed gun

China Marshall Law

May 20, 1989

click here for more info China's under martial law: On May 20, China declares martial law, enabling them to use force of arms against protesting students to end the Tiananmen Square protests.

Harry Truman

Aug 9, 1995

click here for more info Harry Truman,was inaugurated as U.S. president after being elected in 1948 to his own term; previously he was sworn in following the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He authorized the use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan during World War II, on August 6 and August 9, 1945, respectively.