CAPTIVATING FACTS ABOUT ELVIS PRESLEY

BACK IN 1936 MORE THAN 216 PEOPLE WERE

KILLED IN TUPELO, MISSISSIPPI, IN ONE OF THE

DEADLIEST TORNADOES IN HISTORY. ONE OF THE

SURVIVORS OF THIS DEADLY TORNADO WAS

FIFTEEN-MONTH-OLD ELVIS PRESLEY

THE FIRST TIME PRESLEY MADE A RECORDING, IT

WAS FOR HIS MOTHER. HE PAID $4 TO SUN STUDIO

TO PRESS TWO SONGS—“MY HAPPINESS” AND

“THAT’S WHEN YOUR HEARTACHES BEGIN”

AS A GIFT FOR HER.

PRESLEY RECORDED ANYWHERE FROM 600 TO 1,200

SONGS, DEPENDING ON WHETHER THE LIST INCLUDES

UNFINISHED WORKS, ALTERNATE VERSIONS,

BOOTLEGS, ETC

WHEN ELVIS WAS ONLY TWO, HE WIGGLED OUT OF

HIS MOTHER’S ARMS AND JOINED THE CHOIR TO

SING WITH THEM DURING AN ASSEMBLY OF

GOD SERVICE

AT AGE TEN ELVIS PARTICIPATED IN A CHILDREN’S

TALENT SHOW AND SANG “OLD SHEP.” HE FINISHED

FIFTH BUT HIS ARTISTIC TALENTS BEGAN TO

BECOME CLEAR TO THOSE WHO KNEW HIM AND

WATCHED HIS PERFORMANCE

ONE OF THE GIFTS HIS PARENTS GOT HIM WAS A

GUITAR. ELVIS WAS ELEVEN AT THE TIME AND HAD

ASKED FOR A BICYCLE, BUT HIS PARENTS COULDN’T

AFFORD ONE SO HE ENDED UP WITH A GUITAR INSTEAD

AS A TEENAGER ELVIS WORKED AS AN USHER AT

LOEW’S STATE THEATRE IN MEMPHIS. HE WAS FIRED

WHEN ANOTHER USHER RATTED ON HIM FOR

GETTING FREE CANDY FROM THE GIRL BEHIND

THE CONCESSION STAND

PRESLEY’S IDOL WAS TONY CURTIS, WHO HAD SHINY

BLACK HAIR. WHEN HE DECIDED TO DYE HIS HAIR

FOR THE FIRST TIME, HE USED BLACK SHOE POLISH.

HE ALSO DYED HIS EYELASHES TO MATCH, WHICH

WOULD LATER CAUSE HIM MINOR HEALTH ISSUES

AND ALLERGIES

AN ONLINE POLL DURING THE LATE NINETIES

SHOWED THAT “ELVIS” WAS ONE OF THE MOST

POPULAR PASSWORDS FOR COMPUTERS IN THE

UNITED STATES AT THE TIME