Welcome to ON THIS DAY! Each day, we'll look at a few moments from history and popular culture. We'll show you where you can rediscover classic movies and music, or read more about great moments in history. We'll point you to e-books, downloadable and streamable music and film, and e-audio; and of course, we haven't forgotten about physical books or DVDs.

	On this day in 1890, William Kemmler was the first person to be executed in the electric chair. As the state of New York worked to design an electric chair, it was caught up in the ongoing "War of Currents," a battle between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse to determine whether American electrical systems would use alternating current or direct current. Each hoped that the other man's system would be used for the electric chair, marking that system as lethal and therefore too dangerous for general use. Mark Essig tells the story of that political fight in Edison & the Electric Chair; it's available as an e-book from OverDrive, or in print.
	On this day in 1928, Andy Warhol was born. Warhol was a major figure in the 1960s pop art movement, which drew imagery from popular and commercial culture and raised them to the status of "high" culture, usually in a highly ironic way. Warhol painted portraits of iconic celebrities -- Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Elizabeth Taylor -- and object -- Coca-Cola bottles, Campbell's Soup cans -- dollar bills. The Andy Warhol Diaries are his observations on life, culture, and celebrity for the last eleven years of his life, ending just a few days before his death in 1987; it's available as an e-book from OverDrive, or in print.
	And on this day in 1937, Charlie Haden was born. Haden was a jazz bassist who worked to change the role of the bass from mere accompaniment to an equal member of an improvisatory ensemble. He was a member of the Ornette Coleman Quartet for several years, then worked with Keith Jarrett before branching out to lead his own ensembles, the Liberation Music Orchestra and Quartet West. Several of Haden's albums are available for streaming at Hoopla.