Two years later, in August 1958, the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart began. At the end of 1958, ... 1968 Hot 100 peak position: No. 1 (for 9 weeks) Weeks Spent on Hot 100: 19. 1967.

In celebration of the 55th anniversary of the Hot 100 on Aug. 4, 2013, here is a list of the top 100 songs in the tally’s history, ranked in order of chart performance.

This week 48 years ago, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968; the London Bridge was sold to a U.S. oil company, and was later erected in Arizona; “2001: A Space Odysse… ...