Explore ‘Beatlemania’ with historians

History buffs at Mt. Hood will commemorate the 50^th anniversary of The Beatles’ iconic first American television appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show, which aired in February 1964.

As part of the MHCC history department’s roundtable series, instructors Elizabeth Milliken and Pat Casey will take a trip back to the event that set off “Beatlemania,” according to Milliken.

All are invited to join the historians in humming their favorite Beatles tune from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, in Room AC1610.

“Nobody in 1964 realized that the band would go on to being the highest-selling rock band in history, with sales at somewhere between 600 million and 1 billion units (encompassing vinyl singles and albums, CDs, and downloads) in history, according to their record company,” Milliken said.

Both presenters watched the Feb. 9, 1964 show, although Milliken was not yet in grade school. There were two more appearances on the Sullivan show in the following weeks.

There will be a clip of the watershed performances and some of the other Beatles’ musical hits from that era.

Milliken said the 1964 arrival in the U.S. resonated for a couple of reasons.

“For many young people at the time it seemed (to) help dispel the gloom remaining from the JFK assassination three months earlier,” she said.

She also said the Beatles were one of the first groups to have each member emerge as an individual, and to write their own material.

“They were a major force in 1960s counterculture, and their musical style quickly evolved from the infectious, upbeat romantic songs of their early era into elaborate, sophisticated songs that took pop music into completely new directions,” she said.

Both Casey and Milliken consider themselves lifelong Beatles fans, and Casey has attended a Beatles Convention in Liverpool before.