Did You Know Elvis Played in Binghamton & More Little Known Facts

This Sunday, August 16th will mark the 43rd anniversary of the passing of the king. Elvis Presley passed away at the age of 42 due to heart failure. He would have been the milestone age of 85 if he were alive today. Or is he still alive today? Okay, that's a story for another day.

Did you know they actually have a dead Elvis Presley weekend in Memphis? I was there one year and they had Elvis karaoke, memorabilia, and everything Elvis. You can even get married with an Elvis impersonator as your witness.

Do you remember when he played in Binghamton? He was here for two shows on May 26th and 27th, 1977. It was just three months before his passing and you can read all about here.

We know a lot about him but not everything. Did you know that he got a present on his 8th birthday that may have changed history? The answer at the end.

Here are some other things about Elvis:

He gyrated on the Ed Sullivan show but Milton Berle could be the reason he started doing it. He was on Milton's show in 1956 and he asked Elvis to perform without his guitar. He reportedly said, "Let'em see you, son." His gyrating hips caused an outrage across the county and within days he was nicknamed "Elvis the Pelvis."

He made 31 movies over 13 years. He loved his early stuff but hated most of his later films. In "Stay Away, Joe," he sang to a bull.

We know that he loved his mom, Gladys, and bought her Graceland and a pink Cadillac. Did you know that at her funeral in 1958, he reportedly tried to jump into her grave? He also carried her nightgown around with him for a few days.

Okay, here's the birthday moment, you've been waiting for:

On his 8th birthday, he got 8 dollars and a can of soda pop. It was "all shook up" and the rest was history...Wow, that wasn't worth the wait.

[via Elvis concerts/Elvis history/Elvis history blog]