The post 5 Records That Taylor Swift Broke with “The Tortured Poets Department” appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>Largest Streaming Week
Tortured Poets debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart with the second-largest week for any album and the largest streaming week overall, with 891.37 million streams across 31 songs.
Most No. 1 Albums Among Soloists
Tortured Poets is Swift’s 14th album to hit No. 1 helping her tie Jay-Z’s record for most chart-topping albums among soloists, only second to The Beatles with 19 No. 1 records.
Largest Modern-Day Vinyl Week
Tortured Poets also scored the largest sales week of Swift’s career. Vinyl copies alone made up for 859,000 units in sales, helping the singer score the largest vinyl week in modern history.
Top 14 Billboard Hot 100 Hits
Swift monopolized the first 14 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 with the songs from her new album, becoming the first artist to ever achieve this feat.
First Woman With 50+ Top 10 Hits
The success of Tortured Poets brought Swift’s number of top ten hits to 59, helping her become the only female artist in the Hot 100 history with over 50 songs in the top 10.
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]]>The post Showstopping Facts About Michael Jackson appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>Completing the Puzzle
Before his own career began, Jackson’s four older brothers decided to start a band, simply calling themselves the Jackson Brothers. At six years old, he was playing the congas and tambourine in their backup band. Once Jackson proved to his family how well he could sing, he joined the group, which then rebranded as The Jackson 5.
Tough Start
Upon deciding to pursue a solo career, things initially didn’t all go according to plan for Jackson. Aside from music, he also tried to launch a film career, being cast as the scarecrow in the film The Wiz. Sadly, the movie flopped, meaning that Jackson wouldn’t enjoy the breakthrough he had hoped for.
On The Ropes
While the world celebrated the release of Jackson’s “Thriller” music video, not everyone was charmed. A staunch Jehova’s Witness, Jackson would soon be threatened by the church, which claimed that the video promoted demonology. Desperate for the church not to cast him out, Jackson reached an agreement with them—he added a disclaimer to the video to say that it did not represent his beliefs. The rest, as they say, is history.
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]]>The post Fascinating Facts About Iconic Actor Sir Christopher Lee appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>Solving Crimes
While few actors could claim to be part of the Sherlock Holmes franchise, Christopher Lee was the only actor who played three roles in the detective movies. Lee portrayed Mycroft Holmes, Ser Henry Baskerville, and the famous detective himself.
007 Connection
For James Bond fans, Lee is remembered as the fearsome villain named Francisco Scaramanga in the film, The Man with the Golden Gun. Still, his appearance in the franchise is not that surprising. After his parents divorced in the 1920s, Lee’s mother married none other than James Bond creator Ian Fleming.
How Much Is Too Much?
Like many other leading men, Lee was tall. Still, at 6’5”, he towered over many other actors, making it incredibly difficult for him to land lead roles early in his career. Ultimately, he was once named in the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest lead actor in Hollywood. Fortunately, many men would wear platform shoes, which at least helped Lee to fit in.
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]]>The post Worldy Facts About Linda Christian, The First Bond Girl appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The Globetrotter
Born in Mexico in 1923, Christian never stayed in one place for too long. Because of her father’s business in the oil industry, she hopped from Latin America to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. She also became an accomplished polyglot in the process.
Being Spotted
After graduating high school Christian encountered none other than Hollywood actor Errol Flynn while he was filming a movie. He was immediately smitten by Christian and they soon embarked on a relationship. While it didn’t work out, she did become acquainted with Hollywood, attending a fashion show where she was spotted by a talent scout. She was immediately offered a seven-year film contract, which she enthusiastically accepted.
Making History
In 1954, Christian landed the role of Vesper Lynd in the James Bond film, Casino Royale. Although not an official part of James Bond cannon, the movie meant that Christian had become the first-ever Bond girl, with the first cannon movie, Dr. No, being released eight years later.
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]]>The post Business Card Signed By Steve Jobs Sells for a Record $181,183 appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The business card, signed in black ink, features Apple’s iconic logo in rainbow colors at the top alongside the inscription Apple Computer. It also contains Jobs’ full name, his position as chairman of the board of directors, and contact information.
Feel the nostalgia when you browse vintage computers and consoles in our Steve Jobs and the #Apple Computer Revolution auction ending tonight
— RR Auction (@RRAuction) March 21, 2024https://t.co/gqgJXI1YBK pic.twitter.com/hZoeZQ3yOs
According to RR Auction, this is the only known business card signed by Steve Jobs from 1983 and also the only one of five signed cards that were authenticated.
“The sale of the Steve Jobs-signed Apple business card for over $180,000 sets a new standard in autographed business cards,” said RR Auction’s executive vice president Bobby Livingston in a statement. “It’s a testament to the enduring legacy of Jobs and the profound impact of Apple on our modern world.”
The business card was part of the larger lot of Steve Jobs memorabilia offered up for auction. A check from 1976 signed by Jobs was sold for $176,850, while his autograph on a Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl movie ticket went for $14,653.
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]]>The post Chilling Facts About the Career of Shirley Temple appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>Losing Innocence
While Temple enjoyed a variety of prolific roles throughout her career, her debut performance was sadly a traumatic one. Temple’s first role came at the age of three when she starred in Baby Burlesks. This show was a satire on current affairs in which children would play adult roles, often wearing outfits and acting in sultry ways that are totally inappropriate and downright immoral for actors of that age.
Don’t Look Back in Anger
In her autobiography Child Star, Temple recalled how her debut role proved to be “a cynical exploitation of our childish innocence”. One of the worst experiences she had was at the hands of the director Charles Lamont, who would punish the child stars on set by forcing them to sit in a soundproof black box, sometimes even making the kids sit on a block of ice.
Hitting The Big Time
At the age of 12, Temple signed a major contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. While a promising career move, Temple’s personal life was ruined as she was overwhelmed with a packed schedule. Ultimately, she departed after making just a single film with the studio.
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]]>The post Life Facts About Legendary Soul Singer Nina Simone appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>Injustice at Her Own Concert
When Simone was still a pre-teen, she starred in her first concert. But before she could begin playing her piano, Simone saw that her parents were being forced to sit at the back of the venue due to racial bias. The resolute musician decided not to play her music until her parents were allowed to sit in their deserved seats.
Living Impulsively
While some people enjoy spontaneity, Simone took impulsive decisions to an entirely new level. Smitten by a fairground worker named Don Ross, Simone agreed to marry him within a year of dating. Ultimately, she realized that he was not right for her, especially given how clingy her new husband was, breaking up with him almost immediately after tying the knot.
The Jet-Setter
Given that many in the music industry refused to work with Simone due to her political activism, the soul singer decided to move to Barbados to start anew. She later decided to head to Liberia, however, this involved her leaving her young daughter in the care of her father and friends, making her jet-setting lifestyle questionable.
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]]>The post Actors and Actresses With Most Oscar Nominations in Academy Awards History appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>Bette Davis
10 Nominations: 2 Wins
Actress Bette Davis received a total of 10 Academy Awards nominations for her acting work, all in the Best Actress category. Her nominations resulted in two Oscars for her work in movies Dangerous (1935) and Jezebel (1938).
Jack Nicholson
12 Nominations: 3 Wins
Jack Nicholson has a reputation for being one of the best actors of all time, and his Academy Award track record shows that. He was nominated for the most prestigious acting award 12 times. He won the Oscar three times, including the Best Actor award for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) and As Good as It Gets (1997), and Best Supporting Actor award for Terms of Endearment (1983).
Katharine Hepburn
12 Nominations: 4 Wins
No actor and actress besides Katharine Hepburn managed to win four Academy Awards. To make her feat even more impressive, Hepburn won all her Oscars in the Best Actress category for movies Morning Glory (1933), Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968), and On Golden Pond (1981). Hepburn had a total of 12 nominations.
Meryl Streep
21 Nominations: 3 Wins
There is a reason why we all have a feeling that Meryl Streep is being nominated for an Oscar every year; it’s because she usually is. Streep has a total of 21 Academy Award nominations, including 17 in the Best Actress category and four in the Best Supporting Actress category. She has two wins in the former category for movies Sophie’s Choice (1983) and The Iron Lady (2012), and one win in the latter category for the 1980’s legal drama Kramer vs. Kramer.
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]]>The post Paul McCartney Reunites With His Stolen Bass Guitar After More Than 50 Years appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>McCartney bought a bass guitar in 1961 in Hamburg, Germany, reportedly paying just £30 for it. He used it during the early Beatles days as both a studio instrument and during live and promotional appearances. It was later used as a backup as McCartney started playing other models.
The bass guitar was apparently last seen shortly before the Beatles’ final live show in 1969 and later went missing. Intrigued by the history of McCartney’s iconic bass guitar, a group of Beatles fans decided to launch the Lost Bass Project in 2018 in hopes of locating the instrument.
The search was rather fruitless for several years before journalists Scott and Naomi Jones decided to join the Lost Bass Project. Thanks to their contacts and ensuing exposure, it was discovered that the bass had been stolen from a van in 1972 and had never been seen again.
The Lost Bass Project continued to collect pieces of the puzzle and even identified the thief as well as the person to whom they sold the bass before sharing their story with the British media outlet Telegraph in late 2023. Thanks to this, the story about their search got worldwide attention and prompted the person in possession of the instrument to return it.
“As a result of the publicity, someone living in a terraced house in Hastings on the south coast of England contacted Paul McCartney’s company and then returned the bass to them. The search was over – Paul had his stolen bass back at last!” Lost Bass Project wrote on their official website.
McCartney also acknowledged the return of his bass on his own website through a statement that said the “guitar has been authenticated by Höfner, and Paul is incredibly grateful to all those involved.”
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]]>The post Harrison Ford Forgot His Copy of the “Star Wars” Script in a Rental and Now it Sold for $13.6K appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The script in question was the fourth draft of George Lucas’ movie that would later become Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. The copy, dated March 15, 1976, was incomplete and came with an original title, The Adventures of Luke Starkiller. It features several scenes and characters that were removed in the fifth draft, which ended up being used for the movie.
“It’s got his DNA on it. It might even have his sweat on it,” said Excalibur Auctions’ co-owner Sarah Torode.
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope was filmed at London’s Elstree Studios, and upon arriving in the city, Ford needed a place to stay. He ended up renting an apartment in a house owned by a married couple through a newspaper ad.
Ford lived in the same apartment throughout the shooting of the movie and became friends with the couple, who were apparently unfamiliar with his celebrity status. He was occasionally visited by Star Wars co-stars Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill.
When he left the apartment, Ford left various items behind him, including the script, a shooting schedule with a handwritten note, and a letter from his agent. The couple ended up holding onto the items for almost 50 years before putting them to auction.
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