The Beatles depicted on a metal gate on Penny Lane, Liverpool, England (© Chris Brink/SuperStock)

【February 9 2014】With “I Want to Hold Your Hand” already No. 1 on the charts in the United States, audiences were primed for the Beatles’ first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on Feb 9, 1964. The show set a record at the time, pulling in 73 million viewers to hear the band play five songs. Earlier that day, Elvis Presley and his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, sent the Beatles a telegram to wish them good luck. Perhaps Elvis could sense a change in the air and knew it was time to pass the torch?Explore breathtaking Gallery from the HuluTrip homepage over the past 5 years..