Back In The Summer Of ‘69

Today in 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono began their famous seven day "bed-in" to promote world peace. Originally meant to take place in New York City, Lennon was banned from entering the United States due to a previous cannabis conviction, and the bed-in took place in the hotel Le Reine Elizabeth in Montreal, Canada.

During the week long protest, the couple took interviews from the Canadian press, and invited some of the great minds of the time to visit them. Among the visitors were Timothy Leary, the influential writer, psychologist and father of psychedelic drugs; controversial disc jockey Murray Kaufman; and American comedian Tommy Smothers.

While the 26 May 1969 bed-in was one of many, the reason this one is so remarkable is that during the seven days, John and Yoko recorded one of the most famous protest songs of all time, Give Peace A Chance, with Leary, Kaufman, Smothers and other visitors lending their voices to the song.