December 15

On December 15, 1944, Swing Era bandleader and trombonist Glenn Miller, a captain in the U.S. Army, boarded a single-engine aircraft near London bound for Paris to perform for American troops that had recently helped liberate the city. He was never seen again as the plane went missing over the English Channel. Miller’s big band, one of the best known of its time, featured trademark orchestration that put the high-pitched clarinet on the melody line, doubled by the saxophone section an octave below. His wildly popular recordings include "Moonlight Serenade" (1939), "Little Brown Jug" (1939), "In the Mood" (1940), "Pennsylvania 6-5000" (1940), "Tuxedo Junction" (1940), "Chattanooga Choo Choo" (1941), "At Last" (1941), and "(I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo" (1942). Miller is still Missing in Action. His death may have been the result of “friendly fire.”