It’s July 23rd and these are some of the things that happened on this day in pop music history:
- In 2010, One Direction was formed during production of the X Factor in London. Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson each auditioned for the competition show but failed to advance. They were put together to create a group and went on to place third.
- In 2011, Amy Winehouse was found dead of alcohol poisoning at her home in England. She was 27. The singer’s second and final album, 2006’s Back to Black, won five Grammys.
- In 1983, The Police's Synchronicity started a seven-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. After being bumped from the top spot by Michael Jackson’s Thriller for a week, Synchronicity returned to No. 1 for another 10 weeks.
- In 1980, Tenitra Michelle Williams was born in Illinois. She sang gospel as a child and then, in 2000, joined Destiny’s Child, with whom she recorded hits like “Independent Women Part I” and “Bootylicious.”
- In 2018, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board tweeted about the “#InMyFeelings challenge,” sparked by Drake’s song, in which people recorded themselves dancing outside moving vehicles. “We have some thoughts about the #InMyFeelings challenge. #Distraction in any mode is dangerous & can be deadly.”
- In 1996, Fiona Apple released her debut album Tidal, which featured “Shadowboxer” and “Criminal.” The latter earned Apple a Grammy.
And that’s what popped on this day.