At 1:20 PM on Friday, February 7, 1964, the Pan Am Boeing 707 carrying the Beatles lands at JFK International in New York. Around 3,000 screaming teens, 200 reporters and 100 policemen wait to greet them. As their plane taxies to a stop, the Beatles suddenly realize the waiting mob is for them (they'd thought for sure the President was landing on another plane). Reporters at a televised news conference discover that the fabs have wit, charm, a playful sense of humor, and judging by the endless screams coming from the teen girls waiting outside... are totally cute.
Whisked by limousine to New York's grandest hotel, the Plaza, the Beatles find another mob surrounding their hotel. Barricades and 20 mounted policeman battle to keep the crowd at bay. For many days the radio stations of NYC have broadcast every detail of the Beatle visit and their itinerary. The Beatles find themselves kept prisoner in their suite. Ringo quips to a reporter "so this is America... they all seem to be out of their minds!" Outside the chants of "we want the Beatles" go on and on. Inside 100,000 letters from American fans are brought to their rooms.
The Beatles have arrived...
