50 years

    Some 50 year anniversaries are happier than others. Then again, some original events commemorated after 50 years are happier than others. And of course, some of those were happier because the other events were so very tragic. And thus we come to the 50th anniversary of the Beatles arriving on these shores. Had President Kennedy been there to welcome them, maybe their coming would have been just as joyous, I don't know. I was very small at the time; by my mother's account, I would barely make a sound for another some months yet. (I just didn't have anything to say.)
    But my guess is that Beatlemania was in part due to the need for joy, brought on by the trauma the nation had just gone through. People a bit older than me always said, "Where were you when you heard about the JFK assassination?" I don't remember anyone saying, "Where were you when you heard that the Beatles had come to America?" Although I guess a good few of them did say that they started a band as soon as they heard (insert Beatle song title here).
    I don't know why my brain tries to tell me that "Twist & Shout" was their first record, when more reliable memories suggest that it was "I Wanna Hold Your Hand." (Wikipedia suggests that the latter memory was in fact correct, also that "Love Me Do" was their first UK hit. Neat.) Probably just another aspect of my John Lennon obsession. Or possibly Ferris Bueller.