DAILY DIRT: Presley’s first appearance on national TV served as an unofficial coronation

Presley checks in at No. 3 on our countdown of most impactful moments in rock history … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,066 of The Daily Dirt

1.  I think there are three defining moments in rock history that rise above all others in how they have helped shape this attraction we have to relatively loud music, a strong backbeat and musical groups with bizarre names.

I’m going to present my list, in order of importance, starting with No. 3 today, followed by No. 2 on Sunday and finishing off with No. 1 on Monday.

No. 3: Elvis Presley’s first appearance on nationwide TV

On September 9, 1956, Elvis Presley made his first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show”. At this point, the 21-year-old Elvis had already put out a number of successful singles, and his debut album, released in March 1956, was the first rock ’n’ roll LP to reach the top of the charts. 

But Elvis had yet to cement his status as the “King of Rock ’n’ Roll”. That night on national television, however, served as his unofficial coronation. 

The show was an even bigger success than anticipated, drawing 60 million viewers, which at the time represented 82.6 percent of the entire television audience. That would be the equivalent about 120 million today.

Elvis performed a number of songs — including “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Hound Dog,” and “Love Me Tender” — in front of screaming audience members in the studio and the millions watching from home. Despite ongoing fears that his hip-shaking gyrations would corrupt the nation’s youth, viewers were given full head-to-toe shots of Presley throughout the performance.

The world, as we know it, had changed forever. 

2. Did you know (Part 129)

• That one of the weirdest foods to emerge at state fairs across the country this year has been “bubble gum deviled eggs,” which were described as a “war crime” by a writer who sampled one.
• That people from Poland are called Poles, but people from Holland are not called Holes. 
• That if you eat an entire cake without cutting it, that counts as just one piece.
• That the fork you use in a restaurant has likely been in the mouths of thousands of others.
• That you never see a headline that reads “Psychic Wins Lottery”.

3. A few questions that have been bothering me:

• If a turtle loses its shell, would it be naked or homeless?
• Why does glue not stick to the inside of the bottle?
• Why is there a “d” in fridge, but not refrigerator?
• Why is there a light in the fridge, but not the freezer?
• If you expect the unexpected, wouldn’t the unexpected now be the expected?
• If money doesn’t grow on trees, who do banks have branches?
• If you can drink a drink, can you food a food?
• Why do they worry about sterilizing the needles for lethal injections?
• Why does the sun lighten out hair, but darken our skin?
• If corn oil is made from corn and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?
• If you tell someone to be a leader and not a follower, aren’t they following your advice?
• Can you daydream at night?

Steve Thought O’ The Day — Technically, would a hot dog count as a taco?

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Looks like he’s been channeling Steven Wright.