This Day in History:
Beatles Arrive in New York February 7, 1964 Arriving at Kennedy Airport,
the visit marked the British
rock band's first to the U.S.
and the arrival of "Beatlemania." They were greeted by
3,000 screaming fans who
caused a near riot when
they stepped off their plane. Two days later, Paul McCartney,
Ringo Starr, John Lennon and
George Harrison made their first
appearance on the popular 'Ed Sullivan Show.' About 40 percent of the
U.S. population — 73 million
U.S. television viewers —
tuned in to watch. The Beatles’ first
American tour left a
major imprint in the
nation’s cultural memory. The band was the perfect
catalyst for America's youth to
shift away from the culturally
rigid landscape of the 1950s.
