History Highlight:

Today in 1967, the Beatles met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi after his lecture on Transcendental Meditation in London. The Maharishi invited The Beatles to travel with him to Wales to attend more lectures. The Beatles would eventually travel to Rishikesh, India, in February 1968 to "devote themselves fully to his instruction," and they declared the Maharishi their spiritual adviser. The relationship ultimately had mixed results. During their stay in India, the Beatles heard that the Maharishi had made sexual advances toward Mia Farrow, and on June 15, 1968, the Beatles formally renounced their association with the Maharishi as a "public mistake." A resulting Beatles song, "Sexy Sadie," was written by John Lennon in India; Lennon originally wanted to title the song "Maharishi," but changed the title at George Harrison's request. Harrison commented years later, "Historically, there's the story that something went on that shouldn't have done — but nothing did." The New York Times and The Independent reported that the influence of the Maharishi helped wean the Beatles from LSD and inspired them to write many new songs. In 2009, McCartney commented that Transcendental Meditation was a gift the Beatles had received from the Maharishi at a time when they were looking for something to stabilize them.

Also, Today In:

1964 - A riot broke out during a Rolling Stones gig at The Empress Ballroom in the seaside resort town of Blackpool after Keith Richards aimed a kick at a rude audience member who was spitting at the group. Two policemen and 30 fans were injured and damage was estimated at more than £4,000, about $6200.

1967 - The Beatles met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi after his lecture on Transcendental Meditation in London. The Maharishi invited The Beatles to travel with him to Bangor, in North Wales, to attend more lectures. They accepted his invitation. The same day, all four Beatles signed a petition in favor of the legalization of marijuana in Britain.

1976 - The Manhattans started a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Kiss And Say Goodbye," the group's only No. 1 hit.

1977 - The original Led Zeppelin lineup played their last-ever show in the United States. Two days after the concert, which was held at the Oakland Coliseum, Robert Plant learned that his five-year-old son, Karac, had died of a stomach infection and canceled the rest of their tour.

1978 - The film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band opened, and tanked — hard. Savaged by critics, it barely broke even at the box office and became a legendary Hollywood flop despite appearances by Peter Frampton, The Bee Gees, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Tina Turner and others. The movie did produce a handful of notable Beatles covers, however, such as Earth Wind and Fire's "Got To Get You Into My Life." So there's that.

1982 - Survivor started a six-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Eye Of The Tiger," taken from the film Rocky III.

1993 - U2 started a two-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with Zooropa, the Irish band's fourth U.S. No. 1. Meanwhile on the U.S. singles chart, UB40 started a seven-week run at No. 1 with their cover of "(I Can't Help) Falling In Love with You" — a big day for "U" bands.

1997 - Police gave Oasis singer Liam Gallagher a formal caution after he admitted criminal damage following an incident with a cyclist in Camden, north London. Gallagher had grabbed the rider from the window of his chauffeur-driven car and broken the man's sunglasses.

2000 - *NSYNC had the U.S. No. 1 single with "It's Gonna Be Me."

Birthday:

Jennifer Lopez is 45.