February 7, 1964: The Beatles first arrive in America
Wikimedia CommonsThe Beatles disembark at Kennedy Airport in New York.
On February 7, 1964, the Beatles made their American debut.
The iconic rock group had only just attained their first U.S. Number One hit six days prior with “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” but they were still greeted by 3,000 screaming and rioting fans.
The young Brits made their now historic appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show two days later. Their performance was difficult to hear due to the squeals of teenage girls in the studio audience. But that didn’t stop 40 percent of the U.S. population from tuning in to watch.
Rarely Seen Photos Taken Just After History Was Made
Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr./NASA via Wikimedia CommonsNeil Armstrong sits inside the lunar module just after returning from history’s first-ever human moonwalk on July 21, 1969.
Sometimes with history’s most momentous episodes, we find the truth, the full weight, of the moment not in images of the moment itself, but in images of its immediate aftermath, whether it’s hours, minutes, or mere seconds later.
You’ve undoubtedly seen copious photos of the JFK assassination, September 11th, “Tank Man” at Tiananmen Square, and on and on. But now, it’s what came right after those moments — and many others — that you really need to see.
