August 15th 1969: Woodstock opens

On this day in 1969, the Woodstock Festival opened on Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel, New York. The event consisted of “three days of peace and music”. 32 acts performed to the 500,000 strong crowd, including appearances by Ravi Shankar, Joan Baez, Janis Joplin, the Who and Jimi Hendrix. The festival was a major feature of the hippie movement of the 1960s and a pivotal moment in the history of rock and roll.