"Imagine" is a song written and performed by English musician John Lennon. The best selling single of his solo career, its lyrical statement is one of collectivist positivism. It challenges the listener to imagine a world at peace, without the divisiveness and barriers of borders, religious denominations and nationalities, and to consider the possibility that the focus of humanity should be living a life unattached to material possessions. Lennon and Yoko Ono co-produced the song and album of the same name with Phil Spector. One month after the September 1971 release of the LP, Lennon released "Imagine" as a single in the United States; the song peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the album became the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed of his solo career. Lennon released "Imagine" as a single in the United Kingdom in 1975, and the song has since sold more than 1.6 million copies in the UK. It earned a Grammy Hall of Fame Award, an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, and Rolling Stone ranked it number 3 in their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imagine_(song)

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1854:

In his apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus, Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogmatic definition of Immaculate Conception, which holds that the Virgin Mary was born free of original sin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immaculate_Conception

1941:

Second World War: Led by Takashi Sakai, the Imperial Japanese Army invaded Hong Kong and quickly achieved air superiority by bombing Kai Tak Airport. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hong_Kong

1987:

A man shot and killed eight people at the Australia Post building in Melbourne, before jumping to his death. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Street_massacre

1991:

Leaders of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine signed the Belavezha Accords, agreeing to dissolve the Soviet Union and establish the Commonwealth of Independent States. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Independent_States

2010:

The Japanese experimental spacecraft IKAROS (model pictured) passed by Venus at about 80,800 km distance, completing its planned mission to demonstrate solar sail technology. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IKAROS

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

menorah: (Judaism) A candelabrum with nine branches used in Jewish worship on Hanukkah. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/menorah

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

How could I think the brief years were enough To prove the reality of endless love? --Delmore Schwartz https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Delmore_Schwartz