This Day in Rock History: December 24

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1988: Nirvana began recording their debut album, Bleach, at the Reciprocal Recording studio in Seattle, Washington. The album was released on June 15 of the following year and marked the band's first step toward superstardom.
• 1988: As grunge music was laying its foundations, glam metal bands were still in their heyday, and the No. 1 song on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart was Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn." The power ballad is part of the band's Open Up And Say...Ahh! album and was considered a departure from their lively, high-energy style.
• 1994: Fast-forward six years, and grunge was now part of the mainstream. Pearl Jam's third studio album, Vitalogy, went to No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200. It has sold over 5 million copies in the U.S. alone.

Cultural Milestones

• 1906: The first time music was ever broadcast over the radio was on Christmas Eve, when Canadian Reginald Fessenden played his own violin rendition of "O Holy Night." This opened the door for radio's influence over music and entertainment in the 20th century.
• 1945: Lemmy Kilmister, Motörhead founder, lead vocalist, and bass player, was born in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. He made a name for himself as a member of Hawkwind from 1971 to 1975, and then formed Motörhead with guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox in 1975.
• 1971: The New York Dolls made their live debut during a Christmas party at the Endicott Hotel, a former New York City luxury hotel which was then used as a homeless shelter. The band released their debut album almost two years later, in July 1973.