"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" on This Day in History

 

The "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," as sung by Roberta Flack, entered the Billboard Magazine charts at No. 77 on this day in 1972. Within six weeks, it hit No. 1 and remained for six more weeks, becoming the best selling single of 1972.

Although it is listed in the "soul/vocal jazz" genre, it was originally written as a folk song by British political singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl for Peggy Seeger, who later became his wife.

Flack's slow and sensual version was used by Clint Eastwood in his 1971 directorial film debut: "Play Misty for Me" to score a love scene featuring Eastwood and actress Donna Mills. Flack would recall how Eastwood, who had heard her version of "The First Time..." on his car radio while driving down the LA Freeway, phoned out of the blue to her Alexandria (Virginia) home: (Roberta Flack quote:)"[Eastwood said:] 'I'd like to use your song in this movie...about a disc jockey [with] a lot of music in it. I'd use it in the only part of the movie where there's absolute love.' I said okay. We discussed the money.[Eastwood would pay $2000 to use Flack's "The First Time..."] He said: 'Anything else?' And I said: 'I want to do it over again. It's too slow.' He said: "No, it's not.'"

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Gun-maker Daniel B. Wesson on This Day in History

 

This Day in History: American inventor and firearms designer Daniel B. Wesson was born on this day in 1825. He helped develop several influential firearm designs over the course of his life; he and Horace Smith were the co-founders of two companies named "Smith & Wesson", the first of which was eventually reorganized into the Winchester Repeating Arms Company and the latter of which became the modern Smith & Wesson.

Smith & Wesson still makes popular handguns. "The M&P Shield by Smith & Wesson was released in 2012 and still holds many top spots today. When it was first introduced, the company claimed is was the best-selling on the market for personal protection and that’s what millions of people use it for today. There are three options of the .45, .40, and 9mm, so you can choose an M&P Shield to suit." Source

One of the most popular S&W guns was the S&W Model 29 .44 Magnum famously called "the most powerful handgun in the world" by Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry.