When they boarded the plane in London they were just a very successful British band. But when the Beatles got off the plane on February 7, 1964, they were received like world stars: 5,000 fans and 200 journalists gave the Beatles an overwhelming welcome on the tarmac at New York Airport.
A few weeks earlier, their single “I Want to Hold Your Hand” had already conquered the top of the US charts. An initial success, but it was only when they arrived exactly 50 years ago that the Beatles became what is probably the biggest pop band that has ever existed beyond the Channel.
In April 1964 they even occupied the first five places in the single charts there. That didn’t happen before or after either.
When the Beatles conquered America: The Empire Strikes Back
