This Day in 1963

On September 16, 1963, George Harrison became the first Beatle to set foot in the United States-indirectly a big moment for Beatles history. George was the youngest of the Harrison children, with two older brothers and an older sister, named Louise. Louise moved to Benton, Illinois with her husband in the early 1960s, far before The Beatles made it big in the United States in 1964. At the time of his visit, The Beatles had enjoyed a year of Beatlemania back home in Britain, but they were still unknown in the United States (they hadn't even been heard yet on the radio waves-first gracing them, that November.) George was able to walk the streets of Benton incognito, shopping, eating, and even jamming with a local band (how cool is that ?!!). It was most likely the last time George was able to walk in public like an ordinary person, something he would cherish dearly in the next few years of Beatlemania. The above picture is the only picture that exists of George's relatively unknown trip to the United States.