Today in history... John Lennon died

A few nights ago, I watched the documentary The U.S vs. John Lennon. It was fantastic, and provided insight into the life of a man simultaneously known as a musician, activist, poet, and father.

I have loved The Beatles since I was little. I remember my parents playing records in the basement of our house in Calgary when I was as young as seven or eight. I guess I grew up on The Beatles, and John was always my favourite.

He's just so cute!

One winter, I was looking through a bookshelf in the basement of my house when I stumbled across an old scrapbook. It was my mom's, and it was filled with newspaper clippings from when John Lennon was shot. Mom kept track of the story as it progressed, and I was fascinated by the number of clippings she had. It seemed that every single day there was another story about the shooting for months after his death, and the entire world seemed to be hanging onto every word.

On this day in 1980, John Lennon was shot four times on the steps of his New York apartment by Mark David Chapman. He was rushed to hospital, but was pronounced dead at 11:07 p.m. The world mourned, and 30 years later, we still mourn.

Play a Beatles song today in remembrance. I suggest Happy Xmas (War Is Over).