January 8, 200930 Coolest Things About Elvis Presley30 Coolest Things About Elvis Presley No. 30: King of Album Sales No. 29: Roster of Imposters Elvis is the No.1 most impersonated celebrity ever. There are estimated to be over 50,000 people in the world who make a living as Elvis impersonators. No. 28: Southern Hospitality Elvis' birthplace in Tupelo, Miss. is open to the public. The future star was born in the two-room house on January 8, 1935. The Presley family lived there until 1948, when they moved to Memphis. No. 27: Family Focused Nine months to the day of Elvis and Priscilla Presley's wedding, on February 1, 1968, the couple welcomed daughter Lisa Marie to the world. No. 26: Just for Kicks The 12-year-old child who kicks Elvis in the shins in 'It Happened at the World's Fair' is famed actor Kurt Russell. No. 25: Wanted Dead or Alive He's worth more dead than he was alive. In 1977, Elvis had around $5 million banked. In 2004, 27 years after his death, Forbes magazine listed him as the richest deceased person, worth about $45 million. No. 24: Stamp Star Elvis is still the king of postage stamps, as the US Postal Service reports the 'Young Elvis' 29-cent stamp is its best seller. No. 23: King of Comedy Elvis was a big fan of Monty Python and would often act out the British comedy troupe's skits in front of friends. No. 22: God's Gold Elvis won only three Grammy awards, but none were for his rock or country recordings. All three were for gospel songs. No. 21: Young Picker Elvis got his first guitar on his 11th birthday. It's rumored that he wanted a rifle or a bicycle, but a guitar was all his parents could afford. No. 20: Cool Cat Elvis was offered the lead role opposite Elizabeth Taylor in 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.' Paul Newman nabbed the role, which helped establish the future Oscar winner's career. No. 19: King of the World There are more than 600 official Elvis Presley fan clubs, including some that were illegally formed in countries where it was forbidden, such as Pakistan and the former Soviet Union. No. 18: Air Apparent Elvis named his private jet plane 'Lisa Marie,' after his beloved daughter. The plane is on exhibit at the Graceland mansion museum. No. 17: Presidential Purchase In early 1964, Elvis purchased the Potomac, the former presidential yacht of Franklin Roosevelt, for $55,000. No. 16: Cozy Co-Stars Ann-Margret once referred to Presley as her "soul mate" and claimed that she was "the love of his life." The two filmed 'Viva Las Vegas' together and had a rumored romance. No. 15: Blond Bombshell Elvis' natural hair color was sandy blond. He dyed it black for a movie role in 1956 and kept it black for the rest of his life. No. 14: I Do, I Do Elvis and Priscilla had two wedding receptions - one small reception after their nuptials in Las Vegas and another surrounded by family and friends at Graceland. No. 13: Triple Threat Elvis is in three music Halls of Fame: the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Johnny Cash is the only other artist to be in three music Halls of Fame - the Songwriters, Country and Rock halls. No. 12: Best Actor Elvis beat out Robert Wagner for the role of Clint Reno in his very first feature film, 'Love Me Tender.' No. 11: Assorted Ancestry Elvis was a mix of German, Scottish, Jewish and Cherokee ancestry. No. 10: Allowance Well Spent At age 18, Elvis paid about $4 for his first recording session at Memphis' Sun Studio. He recorded 'My Happiness' and 'That's When Your Heartaches Begin,' singing alone and playing acoustic guitar. No. 9: Karate Kid Elvis had a black belt in karate. He was so passionate about the martial art that he gave his instructor $50,000 to build a karate school in Memphis. No. 8: Just Say No Elvis once wrote a letter to President Nixon in which he asked to be appointed as an undercover narcotics cop. Nixon responded by personally giving Elvis a honorary Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs badge. No. 7: The Original American Idol Presley's first 'Ed Sullivan Show' appearance, on September 9, 1956, was seen by an estimated 55-60 million viewers. That's at least 21 million more viewers than the last 'American Idol' finale. No. 6: Fab Five The Beatles held an impromptu jam session at Elvis' California home when they visited him in August of 1965. Three years later, John Lennon dressed up as Elvis at a costume party in Liverpool, England. No. 5: Cadillac Jack Elvis loved to give Cadillacs as gifts, even to strangers. Mennie L. Person, a Memphis bank teller, was admiring Elvis' Caddy one day when he appeared and asked her if she liked it. He then took her to a nearby showroom and told her to pick out any car she wanted. No. 4: Rock Prince Elvis made his first public singing performance at the age of 10 at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, where he sang 'Old Shep' (a song he later recorded). He didn't win. No. 3: Over the Moon More people (1.5 billion viewers) tuned into Elvis' 'Aloha From Hawaii' concert than watched the first moon landing (1.2 billion viewers). No. 2: Doting Dad While Elvis was performing in Idaho, it started to snow. Knowing that his daughter, Lisa Marie, had never seen snow, Elvis sent a private plane to Memphis to retrieve her for a winter wonderland surprise. No. 1: Elvis Lives In both a recent CBS television '48 Hours' poll and a CNN/USA Today Gallup Poll, roughly 45 percent of Americans consider themselves Elvis fans.
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