On this day in 1964, Pan Am Yankee Clipper flight 101 from London Heathrow lands at New York’s Kennedy Airport—and “Beatlemania” arrives. It was the Beatles' first visit to the United States, a British rock-and-roll quartet that had just scored its first No. 1 U.S. hit six days before with “I Want to Hold Your Hand.”
At Kennedy, the “Fab Four”—dressed in mod suits and sporting their trademark pudding bowl haircuts—were greeted by 3,000 screaming fans who caused a near riot when the boys stepped off their plane and onto American soil.
They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to developing 1960s counterculture and popular music's recognition as an art form.
The core trio of Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison, together since 1958, went through a succession of drummers, including Pete Best, before asking Starr to join them in 1962.
As their popularity grew into the intense fan frenzy dubbed "Beatlemania," the band acquired the nickname "the Fab Four," with Epstein, Martin, or another member of the band's entourage sometimes informally referred to as a "fifth Beatle."
By early 1964, the Beatles were international stars and had achieved unprecedented levels of critical and commercial success.
They became a leading force in Britain's cultural resurgence, ushering in the British Invasion of the United States pop market, and soon made their film debut with A Hard Day's Night (1964).
A growing desire to refine their studio efforts, coupled with the untenable nature of their concert tours, led to the band's retirement from live performances in 1966.
At this time, they produced records of greater sophistication, including the albums Rubber Soul (1965), Revolver (1966) and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) and enjoyed further commercial success with The Beatles (also known as "the White Album," 1968) and Abbey Road (1969).
The success of these records heralded the album era, as albums became the dominant form of record consumption over singles; they also increased public interest in psychedelic drugs and Eastern spirituality and furthered advancements in electronic music, album art, and music videos.
In 1968, they founded Apple Corps, a multi-armed multimedia corporation that continues to oversee projects related to the band's legacy.
After the group's break-up in 1970, all principal former members enjoyed success as solo artists, and some partial reunions have occurred.
Lennon was murdered in 1980, and Harrison died of lung cancer in 2001. McCartney and Starr remain musically active.
#ThisDayInHistory
February 7, 1964
I remember this day very well. It was my 13th birthday and I was convinced that this was their personal birthday present to me.