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understand
how the past
impacts the now.

Follow our
daily timelime
of historical
events to
discover the
role The Beatles
played in changing
the modern world.

1792--In Marseilles, France, 500 Frenchmen sing the French national anthem for first time.

1898--The Scientific American carries the first magazine automobile ad, in which the Winton Motor Car Company of Cleveland, Ohio, invited readers to “Dispense with a Horse.”

1928--George Eastman demonstrates the first color movie.

1933--Edd "Kookie" Byrnes, star of the 1950s series, “77 Sunset Strip,” is born in Los Angeles, California. A top 40 hit, Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb, was based on the character’s habit of combing back his pompadore haircut on the show.

1937--The American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA) is organized. The union was for all radio performers, except musicians. It later became The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) to include TV performers.

1941--Teen idol and ultimate nightclub crooner, Paul Anka, is born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Among his many accomplishments is the writing of the “Tonight Show” theme for Johnny Carson.

1954--Elvis Presley plays his first official concert in Memphis, Tennessee. Earlier in the month, he had performed on a flatbed truck, but today he appears low on the bill (beneath Slim Whitman) at the Overton Park Shell. Advised by DJ Dewey Phillips to play uptempo material, he drives the crowd nuts with his hip-swinging versions of Good Rockin' Tonight and That's All Right Mama. Phillips has to push him back out onstage for an encore, while country star Webb Pierce expresses his disbelief.

1960--The Silver Beatles perform at the Grosvenor Ballroom, Liscard, Wallasey. The violence, noise, and general destruction that accompany the Saturday night sessions here leads nearby residents to complain, and the ballroom will be closed to beat groups for nearly five months. The Silver Beatles, meanwhile, begin searching desperately for a drummer, because their opportunity to play in Hamburg, West Germany, will evaporate if they are unable to find a suitable percussionist.

1961--The Beatles perform at Blair Hall, Walton, Liverpool.

1962--The Beatles perform a lunchtime show at the Cavern Club, then travel to Bootle to appear at St. John's Hall, which is re-named the Blue Penguin Club on rock show nights.

1963--The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Two, EMI Studios, London), recording songs for their second album. Because they have two radio appearances to record during the afternoon (see separate entry), The Beatles work on their album songs in the morning (10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.) and then again through the evening (5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.). During the morning session, The Beatles record nine takes of Please Mr. Postman and 10 takes of It Won't Be Long. In the evening session, George Martin records his piano overdub for Money (which had been recorded by The Beatles on July 18), then The Beatles tape 5 more takes of Till There Was You (adding to the takes from July 18), 8 takes of Roll Over Beethoven, 13 more takes of It Won't Be Long, and 13 takes of All My Loving.

1963--The Beatles tape an interview for the BBC radio program "Non Stop Pop," for its "Pop Chat" segment. Recorded at London's Playhouse Theatre. Broadcast on August 30.

1963--The Beatles, at the Playhouse Theatre in London, record six songs for the BBC radio program "Saturday Club." The songs: Long Tall Sally, She Loves You, Glad All Over, Twist and Shout, You Really Got a Hold On Me, and I'll Get You. Broadcast on August 24, with the last three songs being included in the portion of the program that is broadcast overseas. One track from this session is included on the 1994 Beatles double-CD Live at the BBC: You Really Got a Hold On Me (Disc one, Track 23).

1966--Brian Epstein goes to Portmeirion Village, North Wales, with George Martin, to recover from his glandular fever.

1968--The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Two, EMI Studios, London). Continuing work on Hey Jude, going through take 23 and a reduction mixdown into take 25. But these recordings are more in the way of rehearsals, for The Beatles have booked sessions at Trident Studios to record the official version. During this session, The Beatles are filmed for segments in a short documentary about the various forms of British music (titled "Music!"). The footage is aired in the US on February 22, 1970, on the NBC-TV special "Experiment in Television."

1968--A public announcement of the closing of the Apple Boutique is made. In the wee hours of the morning, John Lennon and Yoko Ono arrive at the store. Placing a sheet on the ground, Yoko raids the boutique, filling it with piles of designer clothing.

1969--The Beatles in the recording studio (Studios Two and Three, EMI Studios, London). Recording overdubs for Come Together, Polythene Pam / She Came In Through the Bathroom Window, You Never Give Me Your Money, and Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight. Then The Beatles begin to assemble the "medley" that will make up side two of the album. Paul McCartney tells tape operator, John Kurlander, to discard Her Majesty, but Kurlander can't bring himself to do so, tacking it onto the end of the medley tape, about 20 seconds after The End. The next day, when acetate discs are cut from the tape, Her Majesty is included. Hearing it like this, Paul likes it and decides to keep it, including the lengthy silence preceding it.

1970--The Rolling Stones fire Allen Klein as their manager.

1971--UK release of the George Harrison single, Bangladesh / Deep Blue (Apple). 6 weeks on the charts; highest position #10.

1973--John Phillips, of The Mamas and The Papas, calls a press conference to accuse his old label, ABC-Dunhill, of "the systematic, cold-blooded theft of perhaps up to $60 million, stolen from each and every artist who ever recorded for the company during a seven-year period."

1976--UK release of the double LP, The Beatles Tapes (Polydor). First release of interviews recorded by David Wigg for BBC radio's "Scene and Heard" program (1969-1973).

1991--US re-release of the George Harrison album, The Concert for Bangladesh on CD (Capitol).

For more day-by-day history go to HistoryUnlimited.net