The rock and roll world changed forever on February 7th, 1964, when The Beatles first arrived in America.
With "I Want to Hold Your Hand" already number-one on the radio and a deal forged two months earlier for the band to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show , the groundwork had been laid. A then-record 72-million people tuned in.
The fresh-faced Fab Four, who were just 21 to 23 years old, were just what American youth -- and perhaps, the country overall -- needed to shake it from its malaise following the murder of President John F. Kennedy .
The upbeat music took the airwaves by storm. Soon, other British artists -- starting with the rival Dave Clark Five a month later -- would use the Sullivan show as a springboard to American fame.
It was 1:01 p.m. ET on February 7th, 1964 when Pan Am flight 101 landed at New York's JFK Airport. Greeted by wildly cheering fans and toying with the press, the lads made it clear that America hadn't seen a pop phenomenon like this since Elvis Presley .