ON THIS DAY IN 1964, BEATLEMANIA REACHED AN ALL TIME HIGH AS THE BAND ARRIVED IN THE US FOR THE FIRST TIME

Landing at JFK in New York, The Beatles were greeted by a group of around 4,000 screaming fans, mostly female. The band was then split into limos, 1 limo per person, and driven to the Plaza Hotel, where they were once again besieged by fans and reporters.

Some people say that the hysteria surrounding the Beatles was due to the assassination of John F. Kennedy in November 1963, claiming the band reignited the sense of excitement and possibility that faded after the assassination. However, music journalists and historians dispute this, some going as far as to call it “willfully dismissive” of prior and concurrent music developments.

The group made their live US debut just days later on the 9th of February, drawing close to 73 million viewers, about two-fifths of the American population. They continued their press run, drawing large audiences wherever they went, as well as selling 2 million records and about $2 and a half million before heading back to the UK on the 22nd February. Arriving at Heathrow airport at 7am, they were met by yet another crowd, this time of approximately 10,000.