On this day: November 6
Abraham Lincoln is elected president, New Jersey hosts the first intercollegiate football game, Phil Donahue debuts his TV talk show, and the punk band the Sex Pistols make their debut, all on this day.
1975: The English punk band the Sex Pistols make their debut, playing at Saint Martins College in London, England, in support of a pub rock group called Bazooka Joe. The Sex Pistols perform several cover songs, including The Who's "Substitute" and the Small Faces' "Whatcha Gonna Do About It," using Bazooka Joe's amps and drums. Before the band could play the few original songs they had written to date, Bazooka Joe pulled the plugs as they saw their gear being trashed. A brief physical altercation between members of the two bands took place on stage, although the details of the fight are sketchy today. Here the band is seen during a 1977 performance.
