1970: April 1st – “Woodstock,” the documentary on The
Woodstock Music And Arts Festival that took place in Bethel, New York in August
of 1969, has its world premier in Hollywood.
It will go on to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Also on this date, the final Beatles recording session
ever takes place when Ringo Starr (the only Beatle present) comes in to overdub
his percussion tracks for “The Long And Winding Road,” “Across The Universe”
and “I Me Mine.”
In other Beatles-related news, John and Yoko issue a
statement to the press (as an April Fool’s joke) that they are both having sex
change operations.
Also on this date, President Richard Nixon signs The
Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act into law, banning cigarette television
advertisements in the United States beginning January 1, 1971.
And, the 1970 U.S. Census begins. There are 203,392,031 U.S. residents recorded
on this day. (Who the hell counted all
them people?!?!)
Finally, in what was perhaps the greatest April Fools joke ever,
American Motors introduced The Gremlin on this date.
