The Beatles first appeared before an American audience on this day in 1964 on the Ed Sullivan Show, a little after 8 p.m. ET, in a segment watched by 73 million people at a time when the U.S. had a population of around 192 million.
The Fab Four's music swept the country, with several albums topping U.S. charts in the weeks leading to their TV appearance. At home, they'd been a presence on the music charts since their first album's release a year earlier. In late 1963, the record for "I Want to Hold Your Hand" landed stateside and was at the top of the charts by early January of the next year. It was then that the Beatles' producer, Brian Epstein, decided it was time to fly the Beatles to the U.S. The appearance proved so popular that they went on the Ed Sullivan Show again a week later, garnering almost as much viewership as they had the first time.
You can watch the performance here.
