30 Fascinating Facts About ‘The Beatles’ Co-Founder John Lennon

John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE, was one of the most popular English singers and songwriters in the history. Here are 30 unknown facts about the legend:

1. Lennon along with Paul McCartney was one of the best known songwriting successful partnerships. The pair met on July -6, 1957.
2. Lennon was born on October 09, 1940 at Liverpool Maternity Hospital. He was named John Winston Lennon after his paternal grandfather, John Jack Lennon and then Prime Minister, Winston Churchill.
3. His father Alfred Lennon was a merchant seaman and his mother Julia Lennon was known to be high-spirited, musical with strong sense of humors. She taught Lennon to play banjo and ukulele.
4. Lennon was traumatized by his mother’s death on July 15, 1958 and wrote several songs about her. She was to great extend his inspirational goddesses.
5. He was under the care of his aunt and uncle, Mimi and George Smith, after his father left them. He spent most of his childhood at Mendips, 251 Menlove Avenue, Woolton.
6. Lennon was gifted a harmonica by his bus driver after he was impressed by his playing of mouth organ. It became a signature sound in the groups early recording.
7. He was looked down upon by parents of his friends as being troublemaker and bad influence on their children. He envied his peer group for their family life and often said ‘parents are not gods because I don’t live with mine.’
8. He attended ‘Dovedale Primary School’ and ‘Quarry Bank High School’ in Liverpool. He was a cartoon artist drawing for his own school magazine ‘The Daily Howl.’
9. After failing his GCE O-level examination, he was enrolled into ‘Liverpool College of Arts’ with recommendation from his headmaster. As a happy-go-lucky lively lad, he would ridicule teachers and disturb the classes. He failed an annual exam and was expelled before the final year.
10. Lennon as a 15 year old in 1956 formed a music group with several friends called ‘Quarrymen’ named after Quarry Bank High School. He wrote his first song ‘Hello Little Girl’ which was recorded and released by ‘Fourmost’ in 1963.
    
11. In yearly 1960, Lennon along with Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Stuart Sutcliffe formed the band ‘The Beatles.’ They performed for 48 night residency in Hamburg, Germany in August that year.
12. He was addicted to Preludin while at Germany and would take four or five to stay awake and keep working.
13. On October 5, 1962 the Beatles released their first single ‘Love Me Do’ and ‘P.S. I Love You.’
14. The Beatles recorded their debut album ‘Please Please Me’ on February 11, 1963. The song was recorded in less than 13 hours and released on March 22 the same year.
15. According to McCartney, the group Idolized Lennon, He was older, smarter and our leader with quickest wit.
16. Lennon married Cynthia Powel, his fellow student at ‘Liverpool College of Art’ on August 23, 1963 in secrecy. They later divorced on mutual grounds on November 1968 with Cynthia getting $ 240,000 and custody of her son Julian.
17. On his own confession, he is said to be jealous, possessive with chauvinistic attitude against woman. He hit women and fought men for he can’t express otherwise.
18. The Beatles performed during ‘Royal Variety Show’ in 1963 and marked their international show with appearance on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ on February 1964 in U.S.A.
19. Lennon and his group were appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1965 Queen’s Birthday Honours.
20. On March 23, 1964 he wrote a book titled ‘In His Own Write’ consisting of short stories, line drawings and poems. The book was transformed in to play and was premiered in June 1968 at the ‘Old Vic, Lambeth, London. He also published another book ‘A Spaniard in the Works’ on June 24, 1965.
    
21. Lennon during an interview for ‘London Evening Standard’ in March 1966, made a controversial remark. He said that Christianity was in decline and that it will be outlived by rock music. Further adding ‘We’re more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which one will go first. It caused great offence in the U.S.A.
22. He featured in a film ‘The Rolling Stone Rock and Roll Circus’ as a Dirty Mac band member in 1968 but the film was released only in 1996.
23. Lennon and Yoko Ono were married on March 20, 1969. They formed a band called ‘Plastic Ono Band’ after he left the Beatles in September 1969. Hereleased three singles ‘Give Peace a Chance,’ an anti-Vietnam War anthem and ‘Instant Karma’ in protest of Britain’s part in Nigerian Civil War.
24. On March 23, 1973, he was ordered to leave the United States within 60 days as retaliation for his anti-war activities. After Nixon’s resignation because of ‘Watergate’ scandal, his deportation order was overturned in 1975.
25. In October 1974, Lennon recorded an album ’Walls and Bridges,’ with the song ‘Whatever Gets You thru the Night’ with Elton John on piano topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song became Lennon’s one and only solo to top the chart in U.S.
26. After the birth of his second son Sean on October 09, 1975, he became a house husband devoting his time for his son.
27. On December 08, 1980, Lennon was shot dead by Mark David Chapman from the back as he was returning to his apartment. He was cremated at ‘Ferncliff Cemetery’ in Hartsdale, New York and his ashes was scattered in Central Park.He had earlier autographed ‘Double Fantasy’ for him
28. In 1997 in association with BMI foundation, Yoko Ono established an annual music completion for song writers in memory of John Lennon. Over $ 350,000 have been given as scholarship to talented musicians.
29. According to 2002 BBC poll, he was voted as eighth of ‘100 Greatest Britons’ and Rolling Stone recognized him as fifth of ‘100 Greatest Singers of All Time.’
30. OnOctober 09, 2010, the John Lennon peace monument was unveiled at Chavasse Park, Liverpool. Julian and Cynthia Lennon unveiled the monument in the name of Peace and Harmony.
31. John Lennon net worth: $800 Million