Great Moments in Fantasy Radio
* 1895: Midway through his first successful radio transmission, Italian physicist Guglielmo Marconi inexplicably finds himself offering Rolling Stones tickets to caller No. 12.
* 1929: A “What’s the Craziest Thing You’d Do for Yankees Tickets?” contest is won by a man who crawls down Fifth Avenue barking like a dog. Losing entrants include a Wall Street broker, who engineers a stock market crash and worldwide depression.
* 1991: Soviet coup leaders beg for leniency from President Gorbachev, saying the whole thing was merely a stunt to win a Disneyland trip from a local station.
* 1992: Five leading Democrats withdraw from the presidential race after revelations that they entered only because a Washington station offered Madonna tickets to any listener who could win the nomination.
More to Read
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.