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Anyone who loves The Beatles will probably remember the term “Beatlemania,” the name given to the frenzied enthusiasm for the English band in the 1960s. Beatlemania began in 1963 and continued long after The Beatles broke up in 1970. The phenomenon took hold in Europe and then crossed the pond to the United States. And everywhere the band went, they were greeted by crowds of screaming fans.

Ahead, discover some amazing photos that trace the story of The Beatles and take you back to the height of Beatlemania.

1. The Beatles began with John Lennon and Paul McCartney

Liverpudlian skiffle beat band The Beatles standing outside Paul's Liverpool home
Liverpudlian skiffle beat band The Beatles stands outside Paul’s Liverpool home. | Keystone/ Hulton Archive/ Getty Images

The group that would become The Beatles got its start in 1957, with a chance meeting between John Lennon and Paul McCartney at a show that Lennon played with another band. NPR reports that Lenon and McCartney wouldn’t adopt the name “The Beatles” for another three years. But NPR notes that “that meeting between two boys on a sweltering summer afternoon kick-started a creative partnership that yielded nearly 200 songs valued at close to a billion dollars.”

Next: Their first gig didn’t pay very much. 

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