Bigger Than the Beatles
The Maundy Monday Newsletter - This Week in History February 5 - February 11.
Happy Monday, everyone. I hope you enjoyed the most boring weekend in sports if sports are a thing for you.
Don’t worry because beginning today, we are focused on the SUPER BOWL! And this year, the SUPER BOWL is featuring Taylor Swift!
No, she’s not the halftime entertainment; I don’t even know who the halftime entertainment is. Taylor won’t be playing either, but she will be mentioned ALL GAME!
All I have to say about that is - AW YEAH!
I hate the SUPER BOWL – for downright bratty reasons – my team has never played in it. But people from my town have, including Taylor Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce. Travis is from Cleveland Heights. I, too, lived in Cleveland Heights for the first three months of my existence. My wife loves Taylor Swift and knows every song – holy moly, Taylor and Travis are practically us, just minus the freakish athletic and artistic abilities.
We haven’t been this excited about an event since The Beatles came to America for the first time on February 7, 1964.
The famous rock band, featuring John, Paul, George, and a guy named Ringo, landed in New York and performed on The Ed Sullivan Show two days later—almost 73 million, or about 40% of the population, tuned in to watch. Beatlemania swifted through the country for nearly a month before they flew back over the pond to their home in Britain.
113 million people turned in to watch last year’s SUPER BOWL, where Swift’s boyfriend’s team won. These thirty-somethings weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend then, so we expect about a billion will watch this year. Which I believe is 200% more than the entire population of the U.S.
The Beatles were just in their early 20s when they showed up here singing about how all they wanted to do was hold your hand. Taylor is a purebred American. She’s Fearless, like her boyfriend’s team, who must Shake It Off if they make a mistake. I’m guessing Travis will be the MVP because he is Mr. Perfectly FIIIIINE!
I give you all permission to punch me in the face.
Okay, let's highlight what else happened this week. Here's what I got:
United Artists was founded on February 6, 1919. After learning the film production companies they were working with were about to merge, Charlie Chaplin and other actors founded their own. Taylor owns a production company called Swift Productions. It’s way cooler.
The Spanish-American War ended on February 6, 1899. Cuba fought for their Independence from Spain, and when Spain supposedly blew up the USS Maine, The United States blew their lids, declared war, and won. The treaty gave the Americans Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. These are places where Taylor sells out multiple concerts.
The first Boeing 747 flew on February 9, 1969. The airline company designed a bigger plane for its commercial partners after they developed the 707 and then the 737 years earlier. Production of the 747 stopped in 2023 because it kept crashing and killing people. Taylor flies worldwide in Dassault Falcon 900, made by a French company, which means it’s better. The only thing she kills is it.
If you like country music, there is a song called Bigger Than The Beatles, by Joe Diffie. If you have nothing else to do right now, and by reading this, how could you argue otherwise, check out the video:
Taylor and Travis have a love bigger than The Beatles. The San Fransisco 49ers better watch out. They could be remembered Forever & Always as the latest team to lose to America’s couple. Any guesses on what the score will be? I bet the number 22 will be involved.
It’s another week and another chance for Anonymous to skip town on me and Blue. We were happy to have her home over the weekend, but I guess the spy world never sleeps. I think she’s gone for a day. I don’t go anywhere anymore. In related news, I have a bunch of stuff that I have to do for her.
Have a great week! See you on Friday. I’m going to do another Ask Me Anything segment with some big news that may be coming out this week.
Thank you for supporting Okay History.
Okay,
Chris
United Artists would end up, for most of the 20th century, as a faithful bastion for film producers who could not or would not work within the studio system. The films they distributed include many of the greatest ones of that century.