History Highlight:

Adam Yauch, a.k.a. MCA of the Beastie Boys, would have turned 50 today. He died of cancer in 2012. The gravelly-voiced member of the Beasties, Yauch became a practicing Buddhist and peace activist, as well as outspoken proponent of feminism and LGBT rights, subsequently apologizing for early lyrics which he retroactively deemed offensive. In 1999, the Beastie Boys sent a letter to Time Out New York apologizing for homophobic lyrics, and in their song "Sure Shot" Yauch sings "I want to say a little something that's long overdue/ The disrespect to women has got to be through/ To all the mothers and sisters and wives and friends/ I want to offer my love and respect to the end."

Also, Today In:

1957 - American Bandstand went national when it aired for the first time on ABC. Hosted by Dick Clark throughout its national run, the show remained on network TV until 1987. The first song the kids danced to was "That'll Be The Day" by Buddy Holly.

1966 - The Beatles' seventh album, Revolver was released in the UK.

1977 - The Police, The Clash, The Damned, The Boys, The Rich Kids, and more appeared at the second and final Mont de Marsan Punk festival in France.

2007 - DNA testing on about a dozen people who claimed late soul star James Brown was their father revealed that at least two of them were telling the truth.

Related

• The Beastie Boys radio takeover