Shortly after midnight on August 13, 1961, East German soldiers
began laying down barbed wire and bricks as a barrier between
Soviet-controlled East Berlin and the democratic western section
of the city.

After World War II, defeated Germany was divided into Soviet,
American, British and French zones of occupation. The city of
Berlin, though technically part of the Soviet zone, was also split,
with the Soviets taking the eastern part of the city. After a massive
Allied airlift in June 1948 foiled a Soviet attempt to blockade West
Berlin, the eastern section was drawn even more tightly into the
Soviet fold.

Over the next 12 years, cut off from its western counterpart and
basically reduced to a Soviet satellite, East Germany saw between
2.5 million and 3 million of its citizens head to West Germany in
search of better opportunities. By 1961, some 1,000 East Germans,
including many skilled laborers, professionals and intellectuals,
were leaving every day.

  Willie Mae Thornton (December 11, 1926 – July 25, 1984 

Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog” (1956) is one of the biggest and
most instantly recognizable pop songs in history. It’s a song
so closely associated with the King of Rock and Roll, in fact,
that many may mistakenly assume that it was a Presley original.
In fact, the story of the song that gave Elvis his longest-running
#1 hit (11 weeks) in the summer of 1956 began four years earlier,
when “Hound Dog” was recorded for the very first time by the
rhythm-and-blues singer Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton in
Los Angeles, California. According to Maureen Mahon, a music
professor at New York University,"the song is seen as an
important beginning of rock-and-roll, especially in its use of
the guitar as the key instrument".

Thornton was found dead at age 57 by medical personnel in a
Los Angeles boarding house on July 25, 1984. She died of heart
and liver disorders due to her longstanding alcohol abuse.

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock  (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980)

Alfred Hitchcock was an English filmmaker widely regarded as one
of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 feature films, many of
which are still widely watched and studied today. Known as the
"Master of Suspense", he became as well known as any of his
actors thanks to his many interviews, his cameo roles in most
of his films, and his hosting and producing the television
anthology Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955–65).

His films garnered 46 Academy Award nominations, including six
wins, although he never won the award for Best Director despite
five nominations.