David Bowie is one of the most recognizable names in the world. His name and his music span generations, and kids today listen to his music with a renewed gusto. However, despite the fact that Bowie has spent much of his life in the spotlight, there are still some things that many people don’t know about him. With that in mind, here we present our list of 15 things you probably didn’t know about David Bowie. Check out part one below, and stay tuned for part two, coming soon!
Number Fifteen: His Left Pupil Is Permanently Dilated. Bowie was punched in the eye by his friend George Underwood when they were fighting over a girl, and the punch left his pupil damaged permanently.
Number Fourteen: He Has the Same Birthday as Elvis Presley. It’s true! Their birthdays are both January 8. However, Presley was 12 years older than Bowie.
Number Thirteen: He Was Not Always David Bowie. Bowie’s birth name was David Robert Jones. However, he got it changed to David Bowie because he wanted to avoid people confusing him with Davy Jones of The Monkees.
Number Twelve: His First Television Appearance Was in 1964. Bowie was 17 years old when he first appeared on television. He appeared on the BBC as part of an interview with the founder of The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Long-haired Men. Yes, that was a thing, apparently.
Number Eleven: He Grew Up With Music. Bowie began playing the saxophone when he was just 12 years old, so it’s no surprise that he features it prominently in his music.
Number Ten: He Features a Fictional Astronaut in Three of His Songs. Bowie’s songs titled “Space Oddity,” “Ashes to Ashes,” and “Hallo Spaceboy” all feature a fictional astronaut named Major Tom. “Space Oddity” came out in 1969, “Ashes to Ashes” came out in 1980, and “Hallo Spaceboy” came out in 1996.
Number Nine: He Worked on a Song With John Lennon. In fact, Lennon co-wrote Bowie’s hit titled “Fame.” Lennon also sang backing vocals on the song. Stay tuned for part two of our list of 15 things you didn’t know about David Bowie, coming soon!