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role The Beatles
played in changing
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1783--England officially proclaims an end to hostilities in North America, where its 13 colonies had successfully fought to become independent in the American Revolution.

1924--Mahatma Gandhi, a pacifist who led the struggle for Indian independence from Britain, is released after spending two years in jail in Bombay.

1957--The first electric portable typewriter is put on sale in Syracuse, New York.

1959--The death of rock and roll star Buddy Holly produces in John Lennon the open display of grief that he hid from the world when his mother died.

1961--The Beatles perform at Lathom Hall, Seaforth, Liverpool.

1962--The Beatles perform at the Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool.

1963--The Beatles perform their last lunchtime show at the Cavern Club.

1964--The FAA begins a six-month test of reactions to sonic booms over Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

1964--The Beatles perform two shows at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, France. This is the final night of their three-week engagement in France.

1964--The Beatles appear on the cover of the US magazine Newsweek.

1965--Paul McCartney and his girlfriend, Jane Asher, depart for a holiday in North Africa.

1968--The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Three, EMI Studios, London). Recording Across the Universe. When John Lennon and Paul McCartney decide the song needs some falsetto harmonies, they invite two girl fans into the studio to sing on the song. The two girls are Lizzie Bravo, a 16-year-old Brazilian temporarily living near Abbey Road and 17-year-old Londoner, Gayleen Pease. The Beatles Anthology 2 has a take recorded on this date, one without the girls' vocals (Disc 2, Track 20). [Note: The Anthology 2 booklet gives the date of the recording as February 3, but this appears to be an error. Mark Lewisohn, Bill Harry, and Allen Weiner all give February 4 as the correct date]. After the girls leave the studio, The Beatles record overdubs of unusual effects. One, called "Hums Wild," features 15-seconds of layered humming recordings. Another effect tape is a guitar piece which, along with a third harp-like sound tape, is intended to be played backwards for overdubbing onto Across the Universe.

1969--Paul McCartney hires the law firm of Eastman & Eastman, Linda Eastman's father's law firm, as general legal counsel for Apple. This was Paul's response to the hiring of Allen Klein the day before and the beginning of the end for the Fab Four.

1970--In a publicity stunt on a London rooftop, the newly-shorn John Lennon and Yoko Ono give Michael X a bag of their cut hair in return for a pair of Muhammad Ali's boxing trunks. The British press ignore the latest Lennon escapades, a sign that they have grown weary of the couple’s constant quest for media attention. One thing does not go ignored however: it was at this event that it became evident from John’s ragged physical appearance that he was on heroin.

1971--Rolling Stone magazine publishes part two of a lengthy interview with John Lennon; the article is titled "Life With the Lions." A picture of John and Yoko appears on the cover. Part one of the interview had been published in the preceding issue, that article being titled "The Working Class Hero." The entire interview will be published in book form under the title "Lennon Remembers." A reissued unedited version of the book was published in the fall of 2000.

1971--British carmaker Rolls-Royce declares itself bankrupt.

1972--US Senator Strom Thurmond sends a secret memo to US Attorney General John Mitchell, urging that John Lennon be deported from the United States as an undesirable alien (due to his political views and activism).

1973--As the news circulates that the Cavern Club has closed and is to be torn down, today’s Sunday Times reveals that when asked, the individual Beatles were uninterested in the club’s fate.

1975--In New York, John Lennon bumps into May Pang at the dentist’s office. He informs her, “I’ve now gone back to live with Yoko.” May says that John was acting completely disoriented and confused, as though he had been “heavily drugged.”

1976--At the Southport Arts Centre in England, over 300 Beatles fans cram in to watch the program ”The Man Who Gave The Beatles Away,” featuring a nostalgic talk by The Beatles’ one-time manager, Allan Williams. The evening’s entertainment also features screenings of the 1963 BBC documentary “The Mersey Sound” and the Pathe Newsreel “The Beatles Come To Town,” also from 1963. In addition, fans are treated to a public relations film made for Liverpool council erntitled ”And The World Listened,” featuring original Merseybeat footage including The Spinners, The Searchers, and a live concert performance of Beatles numbers by brothers Pete and Mick Rimmer. The highlight of the evening is a rare public airing of the legendary 1962 tapes of The Beatles live at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany.

1977--"American Bandstand" celebrates its 25th anniversary with an ABC-TV special hosted by Dick Clark. An incredible "all-star band" is made up by Chuck Berry, Seals & Crofts, Gregg Allman, Junior Walker, Johnny Rivers, The Pointer Sisters, Charlie Daniels, Doc Severenson, Les McCann, Donald Byrd, Chuck Mangione, and three quarters of Booker T and the MGs. They jam together for a rendition of Roll Over Beethoven.

1978--John and Yoko pay more than $178,000 for several acres of land in Delaware County, New York. They announce that they intend to use the land as a vacation retreat and for raising Regis Holstein cows.

1983--Karen Carpenter, singer-drummer of the duo The Carpenters, dies of anorexia at age 32.

1986--John Lennon's posthumous Come Together promo video premieres on US television on MTV. The video is from the film "John Lennon: Live in New York City."

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