The most famous Beatles pictures ever. Tap one to hear its story.
John’s skiffle band, the Quarrymen, played at a church summer fair in Woolton, Liverpool. That afternoon a friend introduced him to 15-year-old Paul.
The Quarrymen at St Peter’s Church fete, 6 July 1957 · Source
Before they were famous, the Beatles played in clubs in Hamburg, Germany, for hours every night, dressed in black leather.
Photo: Jürgen Vollmer, 1961 · Source
A crowded cellar in Liverpool where the Beatles played about 290 lunchtime shows. Fans queued down the street to get in.
The Cavern Club entrance, 1963 · Source
For their very first album cover, the band leaned over a stairwell railing and smiled down at the camera.
Please Please Me album cover. Photo: Angus McBean
Four faces, each lit from one side, in black and white. It looked like no other pop cover at the time.
With the Beatles album cover. Photo: Robert Freeman
The Beatles landed at New York’s airport to thousands of screaming fans. Beatlemania had crossed the ocean.
Photo: United Press International, 7 February 1964 (public domain)
About 73 million Americans watched the Beatles play on TV. That was one of the biggest TV audiences ever at the time.
CBS publicity photo, February 1964 (public domain)
The Beatles played to more than 55,000 fans in a baseball stadium in New York. It was so loud they couldn’t hear themselves play!
The Beatles at Shea Stadium, 15 August 1965 · Source
On the Help! cover the band wave their arms like flag signals. They don’t actually spell H-E-L-P!
Help! album cover. Photo: Robert Freeman
With producer George Martin, the Beatles turned the recording studio into a playground for new sounds.
EMI publicity photo, 1966
Bright satin uniforms and a crowd of cut-out famous faces. It’s one of the most famous album covers ever made.
Sgt. Pepper album cover. Design: Peter Blake and Jann Haworth; photo: Michael Cooper
The Beatles sang live on the first TV show beamed around the whole world by satellite, surrounded by flowers and balloons.
Our World broadcast, BBC, 25 June 1967 · Source
The band travelled to Rishikesh in India to learn meditation, and wrote dozens of new songs there.
The Beatles in Rishikesh, 1968 · Source
After all the colour of Sgt. Pepper, the Beatles surprised everyone with a cover that was completely white.
The Beatles (White Album) cover. Design: Richard Hamilton
The Beatles’ very last show was a surprise, on the roof of their office in London, until the police asked them to turn it down.
The rooftop concert, 30 January 1969 · Source
John and Yoko stayed in bed for a week in a hotel in Amsterdam and invited reporters in to talk about peace.
Photo: Anefo / Nationaal Archief, March 1969 · Source
The most copied photo in music: the four Beatles walking in a line across the zebra crossing outside their studio.
Abbey Road album cover. Photo: Iain Macmillan
People from all over the world still visit the Abbey Road crossing to walk across it, just like the Beatles did.
Abbey Road zebra crossing, 2004. Wikimedia Commons · Source
Photos and covers belong to their photographers and owners, and are shown here for teaching. See each picture’s credit.