The Photographic Past, Part V

A rare and bizarre photograph of the unfinished Golden Gate Bridge, back when San Francisco—like much of the world—was black and white (Seriously, folks—where would we be without color television?). After four years of construction, the world-famous bridge hosted "Pedestrian Day" on May 27, 1937, and opened to vehicular traffic the very next day ("Bridge History and Construction"). (ca. 1935)

Princess Diana photographed alone at the Taj Mahal during a state visit to India with Prince Charles. Whether or not this particular picture shows the aftermath of royal lover’s quarrel, Diana and Charles would go on to divorce in August of 1996- twelve months before the Princess’s fatal car accident in Paris ("Biography of Diana, Princess of Wales"). (ca. 1992)

Maria Ginest—a 17-year-old girl, communist, and militant in the Spanish Civil War—takes a moment to pose while overlooking Barcelona. La Guerra Civil Española, which involved a great number of foreign participants from Germany, Italy, and elsewhere, resulted in the establishment of General Francisco Franco's 36-year fascist regime in Spain. (ca. 1936)

Louis Armstrong serenades his wife in perhaps the most romantic of settings: in front of the Sphinx and the Great Pyramids of Giza (note: This is a colorized version of the original photograph). Next to the 4500-year-old ancient Egyptian wonders, "Satchmo" was actually quite young at 60 years old. Three years later, when Armstrong's "Hello, Dolly!" knocked The Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" off the top of the charts, he became the oldest artist to ever hold the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 ("Chart Beat Chat"). A true legend indeed. (ca. 1961)

A gorgeous New York Central Mercury train departing Cleveland’s Union Station in the mid-1930's. The Mercury train series was designed by Henry Dreyfuss, the industrial designer responsible for the Western Electric 302 Telephone and the iconic John Deere Model A Tractor ("Henry Dreyfuss"). Cleveland... was not so fortunate in its design. (ca. 1936)

Poetry in Motion: The 1966 NBA Finals, which pitted the Boston Celtics against the Los Angeles Lakers, as shot by Walter Iooss. Perhaps even more striking than Bill Russell's imposing defensive posturing is the lack of corporate advertisement that dominates today's arenas (and tomorrow's uniforms…). (ca. 1966)

The earliest-known photograph of Jerusalem, taken by French photographer Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey in 1844. The photograph, which was was unknown to the general public until the 1920's, shows The Temple Mount as it was more than 150 years ago. The sacred site, which has been in use for thousands of years, is associated with at least four religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Roman-era Paganism. (ca. 1844)

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"Biography of Diana, Princess of Wales." BiographyOnline.net. Biography Online, Web. 27 Feb. 2014. <http://www.biographyonline.net/people/biography_princess_diana.html>.

"Bridge History and Construction."  GoldenGateBridge.org. Golden Gate Bridge Highway & Transportation District, Web. 27 Feb. 2014 <http://goldengatebridge.org/research/facts.php#HowLongtoBuild>.

Bronson, Fred. "Chart Beat Chat." Billboard.com. Billboard, Web. 27 Feb. 2014. <http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1046517/chart-beat-chat>.

"Henry Dreyfuss." CooperHewitt.org. Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Web. 27 Feb. 2014. <http://www.cooperhewitt.org/tagged/henry-dreyfuss>.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, The Beatles!"

"Quick, get a picture of me with The Beatles!"

Fifty years ago, on Feb. 9, 1964, Ed Sullivan’s now-famous words rang out across the airwaves, only to be immediately drowned out by the piercing, high-pitched screams of the 728 audience members in attendance at CBS Studio 50.

The Beatles’ debut appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” was so much more than a performance for several hundred swooning fans in a New York television studio. That night, an estimated 73 million viewers tuned in across the United States to watch the hour-long program, according to The New York Times, shattering the previous record for television viewership.

Years later, in an interview for “The Beatles Anthology,” George Harrison would remark, “We were aware that ‘Ed Sullivan’ was the big one because we got a telegram from Elvis and the Colonel. And I’ve heard that while the show was on there were no reported crimes, or very few. When The Beatles were on ‘Ed Sullivan,’ even the criminals had a rest for 10 minutes.”

As The Fab Four launched into a pulsing rendition of “All My Loving” to open their set, it was clear that the British Invasion — and, more specifically, Beatlemania — had taken America by storm.

The Beatles’ five-song set, which included such timeless hits as “She Loves You” and “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” was filled with numerous quirky and iconic moments.

A bewildered John Lennon takes note of his special introduction.
(Note: His reaction quickly transformed into amusement.)

Memorably, as Paul McCartney sang a cover of “Till There Was You,” a ballad written by Meredith Wilson for the 1957 musical “The Music Man,” the band members were introduced in a succession of close-up shots as their names flashed across the screen. When the camera settled on John Lennon, the caption read: “SORRY GIRLS, HE’S MARRIED.”

Though the dreams of Lennon’s innumerable female admirers were crushed that night, the real dream was only beginning. Over the coming years, The Beatles would change the face of the popular music scene forever.

The performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” was the catalyst for a cultural phenomenon that is still alive and well today. The band would go on to appear on the program the following two Sundays and by April, Beatles songs occupied each of the top five spots on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.

With more than 600 million albums sold worldwide, The Beatles are the best-selling band in history. Their level of success was, and is, so extensive that a compilation album titled “1” was released in 2000, comprising the band’s 27 No. 1 singles.

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr perform at Los Angeles
Convention Center as part of "The Beatles: The Night
That Changed America- A Grammy Salute."

Just a few weeks ago, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney reunited at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards to perform “Queenie Eye,” a song from McCartney’s recently released album, “New.” 

They took the stage again for a CBS special Sunday night, “The Beatles: The Night That Changed America — A Grammy Salute,” surrounded by contemporary A-list performers like Alicia Keys, John Legend and Katy Perry, and the two remaining Beatles reaffirmed their status as hyper-relevant musical icons.

But 50 years ago, as they waited backstage for Ed Sullivan to introduce them to America, John, Paul, George and Ringo were just four young lads from Liverpool, unaware they were on the verge of inciting a pop culture revolution. Imagine that.

Republished with permission of The Lantern, thelantern.com, Ohio State University.