ON THIS DAY IN 1964, THE BEATLES WERE MIDWAY THROUGH THEIR FIRST WORLD TOUR, AND HALFWAY THROUGH THEIR AUSTRALIAN VISIT

After huge successes in Adelaide, where assistant tour manager Malcolm Cooke claimed, “I didn’t know that many people were in Adelaide.” Their arrival was marked with over 3000 fans lining the roads near the airport, with various Beatle’s saying it was the largest reception they had received to date. Interestingly, Ringo did not join much of the tour and was replaced by lesser known drummer, Jimmy Nicol, much to the frustration of George Harrison, who threatened to pull out but was convinced he would be letting down thousands of fans if he did not appear.

On the 14th, the group caught a midday flight to Essendon Airport in Melbourne, where more thousands of fans were assembled to greet them. Epstein and a recovering Ringo also flew in, increasing the chaos outside, as the navy and army cadets were called in to help the 300 policemen keep order.

Nicol returned to the UK barely 2 days later, with his role no longer required. He was presented with an engraved gold watch as a token of thanks, though he reportedly smashed the watch years later, angered by his footnote role in the band. This trip was also notable, as it marked John Lennon’s only visit to Australia.