The Roland TR-808 is a drum machine introduced by the Roland Corporation
in 1980. Discontinued in 1983, it remains in use around the world.
Launched at a time when electronic music had yet to become mainstream,
the 808 was a commercial failure, but attracted a cult following for its
affordability, ease of use, and idiosyncratic sounds, particularly its
deep, booming bass drum. It became a cornerstone of the emerging
electronic, dance, and hip hop genres, popularized by early hits such as
Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" (1982) and Afrika Bambaataa and the
Soulsonic Force's "Planet Rock" (1982). The 808 is completely analog,
meaning its sounds are generated by hardware rather than prerecorded.
Only around 12,000 units were built, but the 808 was eventually used on
more hit records than any other drum machine. Its popularity with hip
hop artists in particular has made it one of the most influential
inventions in popular music, comparable to the Fender Stratocaster and
its influence on rock.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_TR-808>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1346:
King David II of Scotland, under the terms of the Auld Alliance
with France, led an invasion of England during the Hundred Years' War,
but was captured in the Battle of Neville's Cross.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Neville%27s_Cross>
1660:
A series of executions concluded, where of the 59 commissioners
who signed the death warrant for Charles I of England, nine were hanged,
drawn and quartered for treason.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_regicides_of_Charles_I>
1931:
American gangster Al Capone was convicted on five counts of
income tax evasion.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Capone>
1964:
Prime Minister of Australia Robert Menzies opened the
artificial Lake Burley Griffin in the middle of the capital Canberra.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Burley_Griffin>
2000:
A rail accident at Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK, caused the
collapse of Railtrack and the introduction of widespread speed limit
reductions throughout the rail network.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railtrack>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
broadcast:
1. (transitive) To transmit a message or signal through radio waves or
electronic means.
2. (transitive) To transmit a message over a wide area; specifically, to
send an email in a single transmission to a (typically large) number of
people.
3. (intransitive) To appear as a performer, presenter, or speaker in a
broadcast programme.
4. (transitive, agriculture, horticulture, archaic) To sow seeds over a
wide area.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/broadcast>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
The Crucible became by far my most frequently produced play, both
abroad and at home. Its meaning is somewhat different in different
places and moments. I can almost tell what the political situation in a
country is when the play is suddenly a hit there — it is either a
warning of tyranny on the way or a reminder of tyranny just past.
--Arthur Miller
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arthur_Miller>
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