History offers
a chance
to truly
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.

1909--Only six years after the first airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, the first airplane is sold commercially by the Curtiss Aircraft Company.

1960--The Silver Beetles perform at the Neston Institute, Wirral.

1961--The Beatles perform at the Top Ten Club, Reeperbahn, Hamburg, West Germany.

1962--The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club -- an evening show.

1963--The Beatles perform at the Odeon Cinema in Romford, Essex. This is the final "Mersey Beat Showcase." As it turns out, the show's three main acts, (The Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, and Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas) hold the top three positions in the weekly British singles charts.

1964--The Beatles, in Australia on their first world tour, perform two shows at Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia.

1965--The Beatles go to Twickenham Film Studios for additional overdubbing of dialogue for the movie, "Help!" This will be The Beatles final contribution to the film.

1965--John Lennon tapes an interview for the BBC radio program "The World of Books," talking about his second book, "A Spaniard In the Works," which is to be published on June 24. The interview is broadcast on July 3. It is an unusually long interview, at over 12 minutes, and it features Lennon reading his story "The Fat Budgie." A five-minute extract from the interview is broadcast on July 5 on the BBC program "The Teen Scene." An additional extract (three and one-half minutes long) is broadcast on July 10 on the program "Pick of the Week." Lennon records a second interview, with Tim Matthews, which features his reading of two verses from "The National Health Cow." This second interview is for the Home Service radio program "Today," and it is broadcast on June 21. In the interview John said: “I’m selfish about what I write, or big-headed about it. Once I’ve done it, I like to keep it. But I always write it straight off. I might add things when I go over it, before it’s published, but I seldom take anything out, so it’s spontaneous.”

1965--On tonight’s “Shindig,” Gerry and the Pacemakers perform Ferry Cross The Mersey; Petula Clark sings In Love; The Everly Brothers sing Cathy’s Clown; and Gary Lewis and the Playboys perform Count Me In.

1966--The Beatles make a surprise live appearance on the UK television program, "Top of the Pops." They lip-sync to their latest hits, Paperback Writer and Rain. The appearance is a real coup for "Top of the Pops," and it will turn out to be The Beatles' last live musical television appearance, with the sole exception of the June 1967 world-wide "Our World" transmission of All You Need Is Love.

1966--About to embark on a world tour, The Beatles receive vaccinations against cholera in the BOAC air terminal at Victoria Station, London.

1966--After a live television appearance ("Top of the Pops"), The Beatles go into the recording studio (Studio Two, EMI Studios, London) to work on Here, There and Everywhere.

1967--The Beatles appear on the cover of Life, while Time magazine profiles their producer, George Martin, praising his latest work on their Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album.

1967--The Monterey Pop Festival begins in Monterey, California. In three days, 50,000 music lovers will see the first major appearances of Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and Janis Joplin. Also appearing are The Byrds, The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Buffalo Springfield.

1968--Paul McCartney tapes an appearance for a television special to be broadcast exclusively in the US, "David Frost Presents...Frankie Howerd." Paul gives a brief, humorous interview with comedian Howerd, then introduces Apple recording artist, Mary Hopkin. Broadcast on February 23, 1969.

1971--At Allen Klein’s offices in New York, John Lennon and George Harrison have a brief jam session, during which John invites George to play on his next album (Imagine), due to start recording in a week at his Tittenhurst mansion studio. George accepts the invitation and puts in a phone call to Klaus Voormann, asking him if he, too, would like to play on the sessions. Voormann also accepts.

1975--Accusing them of harassment during deportation proceedings, John Lennon files a suit against former US Attorneys General John Mitchell and Richard Kleindienst.

1977--John Lennon again sues the US government, charging that officials tried to deny his immigration through selective prosecution.

1977--”Beatlemania,” a stage show based on Lennon-McCartney songs and starring four Beatle look-alikes, opens on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theater. It runs for 1,006 performances before moving to two other venues.

1978--John Lennon tries unsuccessfully to prevent the London newspaper, News of the World, from publishing further extracts from "A Twist of Lennon," the book written by John's first wife, Cynthia (whose last name is now Twist). The second part of the excerpts from her book are printed on June 18. The case immediately goes to the Court of Appeals. Lord Denning, who presides over the case, remarks: “I cannot see that either of these two parties have had much regard for the sanctity of marriage. It is as plain as it can be that the relationship of these parties has ceased to be a private affair.”

1980--Sean Lennon and Fred Seaman join John Lennon in Bermuda.

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