Hans Remembers- News Headlines from Thursday August 21, 1969- Sunday August 24, 1969.

Thursday August 21, 1969-

• Today The Gap has over 4000 outlets but on this day 50 years ago the first Gap opened- it began in San Francisco as the brain child of real estate developer Donald Fisher and his wife Doris. Mrs. Fisher came up with the name- in reference to the generation gap- the idea was to sell jeans and records and cassette tapes- they also considered the name Pants and Discs.

• Also opening today but less successful- The Hardest Working Man in Showbiz- James Brown opened two Gold Platter restaurants in Macon, Georgia. The restaurant specialized in soul dishes served on replica gold records. The restaurants didn’t last very long.

• An Australian tourist Denis Rohan set fire to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusale. Rohan was determined to be insane and was hospitalized for most of the remainder of his life for psychiatric treatment.

Friday August 22, 1969-

• The Prime Minister of South Vietnam Tran Van Huong was fired by President Nguyen Van Thieu. ARVN General Tran Thiem was appointed as the new prime minister a few days later.

Saturday August 23, 1969-

• Sports Journalist Jeremy Schapp- son of the legendary Dick Schapp was born on this day in New York City. Schapp has won 11 Emmy Awards in his career.

• The Rolling Stones “Honky Tonk Woman” began a 4 week run on the Billboard Hot 100 at #1- also beginning a 4 week run on the Billboard Top 200 album chart- Johnny Cash at San Quintin.

Sunday August 24, 1969-

• All in a day- John Lennon writes, rehearses and records “Cold Turkey”- a song about his recovery from heroin addiction- it would be released as a Plastic Ono Band effort. The Beatles as a group had never released anything this stark. Lennon’s first solo album Plastic Ono Band would follow this same formula. “Cold Turkey” peaked at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100.

• For lovers of Jim Bouton’s ground breaking book “Ball Four” it was on this day that Bouton was traded from the Seattle Pilots to the Houston Astros for Dooley Womack {THE Dooley Womack} and minor league pitcher Roric Harrison.