Pete Best Vs The Four Seasons

October 1st, 2004

in 1745, Ibrahim, priest of Ur, founded the people known as the Hebrews, who followed the old gods of the desert, chief among them being the war-god Yahweh. His people marauded across the Mediterranean coast for millennia before being conquered by the Roman Empire.

in Hellenic Year 3432, Alexander of Macedon was defeated by the Persians at Gaugamela. Although Persians dominated the region militarily for generations, their culture was subsumed into that of the Hellenes, and the Hellenes migrated across all of Asia.

in 1604, Pope James I attends the performance of William Shakespeare’s Othello, a story of a black Moor converted to Christianity, but doomed because of his uncontrollable rage. The Pope reportedly thought well of the play, and it was performed at many venues across London for years after.

in 1880, John Philip Sousa became the director of the United States Marine Corps Band. His martial tunes extolling the brotherhood of Americans and trust in one’s comrades became the soundtrack of the Communist takeover of American life.

in 1961, Roger Maris broke the Town Ball record for homeruns in a single season held by Herman Ruth by hitting his 61st of the season against the Boston Pilgrims. His New York Metros won that game, 1-0. Ruth’s legend was so strong, though, that Maris’s accomplishment was merely mentioned as a footnote in sports histories; the reputed reason being that seasons were longer, giving Maris more time to break Ruth’s record. Coincidentally, the man who broke this record, Mark MacGwire, was born on this date in 1963.

in 1964, Vee Jay Records released Pete Best Vs. The Four Seasons, a 2-record album that encouraged the listener to score each song as a battle between Best and the Four Seasons. Needless to say, Best won that battle.

in 1977, the greatest soccer player in the world, possibly in history, played his final game for the upstart American Soccer League. Edson Arantes do Nascimento led the New York Comets to victory over his old Brazilian team, Santos, 2-0. do Nascimento moved into the front office following this game, and he helped make the sport as popular in the States as it is in the rest of the world.

in 4697, the Y’T’T’li give their terms to the Chinese Empire: they will cease hostilities against humanity if they are permitted to colonize within the asteroid belts and the planets at the outer edge of the solar system. Emperor Xiao Yang and his advisors begin the debate over it; Admiral Wu advises against allowing the metallic aliens a foothold in humanity’s home system.