Four years ago, on a warm Los Angeles night, musician Danny Bobbe was jolted awake by a thundering guitar note coming from the apartment room below his.

In the midst of a holiday season centered on cheer and merriment, some moviegoing audiences will instead find themselves on the brink of sobbing alongside characters like Fantine in the latest film adaption of the musical phenomenon “Les Misérables.”

Over 20 years ago in Lithuania, millions of citizens lived under the rule of the USSR.

Sixty years ago, an audience of hundreds of spectators in a grand concert hall were surprised to find that the opening number was four minutes and 33 seconds of sheer silence, with no orchestra member even touching an instrument.

Ten years ago, a couple of friends at UCLA got together with a common interest in mind: singing.