No nerves for Fab Four in front of 73m

THE Beatles' debut performance on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964, was a cultural watershed moment.

- 

More than 73 million watched as Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison performed on the variety show and cemented themselves as a force on both sides of the Atlantic.

Having taken the UK and Europe by storm in 1963, Paul believed it was of vital importance The Beatles got their first trip to America absolutely right. He told manager Brian Epstein that they should not travel until they had a number one hit in the US charts.