Let the Screaming Begin
The Beatles weren’t prepared for this heartwarming (and equally disturbing) welcome. Around 4,000 euphoric youngsters surrounded the airport, each one of them desperately trying to catch a glimpse. At this point in time, even a thin strand of hair would have satisfied the shrieking crowd.
Fans waiting to greet the Beatles on February 7th, 1964. Photo by Underwood Archives / Getty Images
They stood atop buildings, clustered near the airport’s entrance, and shoved each other like mad people against policemen’s wooden barriers. The sign DO NOT CROSS clearly didn’t mean much to the exhilarated fans. One reporter recalled that “some of the girls tried to throw themselves over a retaining wall.”