Important dates in Beatles history

July 6, 1957: John Lennon’s band The Quarry Men play at St. Peter’s Church in Liverpool, U.K. Lennon meets Paul McCartney, and the two discover that they have similar tastes in music. McCartney joins the band on guitar.

August 1960 – January 1962: Pete Best is recruited on drums. The band becomes The Beatles.

January – June 1962: Brian Epstein (a local record store owner) begins to manage The Beatles.

August – October 1962: Ringo Starr replaces Pete Best on drums.

February 1964: The Beatles come to America for the first time and play on “The Ed Sullivan Show” twice.

May – August 1966: Due to the increasing difficulty of their music and bad show conditions, The Beatles stop playing live and play their final show on August 29 at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park.

August – November 1966: Lennon meets Yoko Ono.

August 1967: The Beatles meet the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and begin meditating. Brian Epstein dies of an accidental drug overdose.

February – April 1968: The Beatles and their wives travel to India to study transcendental meditation with the Maharishi, writing most of the “The Beatles (The White Album)” during their stay.