When Hollywood film star Marilyn Monroe stepped out to sing Happy Birthday to President John F Kennedy at a New York fundraising event 60 years ago, it wasn’t only her seductive singing voice that dazzled everyone.Taking to the stage at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962, she removed her white fur coat to reveal an astonishing sheer, figure-hugging dress that made history in a split second and has had people talking about it ever since.
Leaving little to the imagination, the long, gold marquisette gown was smothered in sparkling rhinestones and beads. Some sources claimed Marilyn wore nothing underneath it and that she was sewn into it to ensure a perfect fit.
With everyone’s eyes firmly fixed on her, the actress - star of films like Some Like It Hot and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - launched into her very grown-up, flirty version of the song usually associated with children’s birthday parties.
Her eyes locked in direct contact with the President as he sat in an audience of 15,000, ensuring Marilyn’s performance made front page news the next day, fuelling speculation of a clandestine affair between the two.
Read more on ok.co.uk