Friday, December 1, 1961: The Beatles perform a lunchtime show at the Cavern Club, Liverpool. That night they headline a six-group "Big Beat Session" at the Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey, which is attended by 2,000 people.

Saturday, December 1, 1962: Another two-performance night at two different venues. First, The Beatles appear at (Victory) Memorial Hall, Northwich. Then they have to hurry to the Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey, for a very late-night appearance. The Beatles had been added onto the Tower bill the day before the show, because the promoter needed to boost disappointing ticket sales.

Sunday, December 1, 1963: The Beatles, on a tour of Britain, perform two shows at DeMontfort Hall, Leicester.

Wednesday, December 1, 1965: Release in Sweden of Beatles LP "Rubber Soul" (Parlophone).

Thursday, December 1, 1983: Yoko, Paul, George, and Ringo meet at London's Dorchester Hotel to conclude the affairs of Apple.

Friday, December 1, 2000: The Beatles' 1964 film "A Hard Day's Night" opens in New York and Los Angeles. The film has been restored and is being given a limited re-release in the US. It will open in 10 additional cities on December 8. Miramax Films, the film distributor, created an interactive web site geared to the re-release (www.miramax-aharddaysnight.com).

Friday, December 1, 2000: The Beatles' compilation album "1" is #1 in Belgium.

Saturday, December 2, 1961: The Beatles perform a night show at the Cavern Club, Liverpool.

Sunday, December 2, 1962: A disastrous night for The Beatles. They perform at the Embassy Cinema, Broadway, Peterborough, on a package bill with Frank Ifield. They play to two "houses", and they bomb with both. While Ifield got good reviews for his performance, The Beatles were trashed by the reviewer, who said, "'The exciting Beatles' rock group quite frankly failed to excite me. The drummer apparently thought that his job was to lead, not to provide rhythm. He made far too much noise and in their final number "Twist and Shout" it sounded as though everyone was trying to make more noise than the others. In a more mellow mood, their "A Taste of Honey" was much better and "Love Me Do" was tolerable."

Monday, December 2, 1963: The Beatles, in an appearance that is not part of their on-going British package tour, perform at Grosvenor House Hotel Ballroom, Park Lane, London. This performance is in a cabaret club, and it is a charity appearance in aid of a spastics organization. It turns out to be a pretty dismal affair, and The Beatles never again participate in that type of floor-show engagement.

Monday, December 2, 1963: The Beatles tape an appearance on the popular ATV Television comedy program "The Morecambe and Wise Show". The Beatles perform the songs "This Boy", "All My Loving", and "I Want to Hold Your Hand". They also participate in comedy sketches with Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise. The program is broadcast on April 18, 1964, and it is re-broadcast on July 24, 1965. Some Beatles historians consider this appearance as being The Beatles' finest comedic moments on television. "The Beatles Anthology 1" contains four tracks from the television program: "This Boy", "I Want to Hold Your Hand", a comedy sketch bit, and a rendition of "Moonlight Bay" (Disc 2, Tracks 4-7).

Thursday, December 2, 1965: Release in Sweden of Beatles single "We Can Work It Out/Day Tripper" (Parlophone). Five weeks in the Swedish charts; highest position #1.

Friday, December 2, 1966: Release in Sweden of Beatles LP "A Collection of Beatles Oldies (But Goldies)" (Parlophone).

Saturday, December 2, 1978: UK release of Beatles LP box set "The Beatles Collection" (EMI). The 12 original UK Beatles LPs plus a "Rarities" LP. Albums included: "Please Please Me", "With the Beatles", "A Hard Day's Night", "Beatles For Sale", "Help!", "Rubber Soul", "Revolver", "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", "The Beatles" (the White Album), "Yellow Submarine", "Abbey Road", "Let It Be", and "Rarities". Songs on "Rarities": "Across the Universe", "Yes It Is", "This Boy", "The Inner Light", "I'll Get You", "Thank You Girl", "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand", "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)", "Sie Liebt Dich", "Rain", "She's a Woman", "Matchbox", "I Call Your Name", "Bad Boy", "Slow Down", "I'm Down", and "Long Tall Sally". The "Rarities" album was released separately on October 12, 1979. This was the first UK release of "Komm Gib Mir Deine Hand" and "Sie Liebt Dich" (German-language recordings of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You", respectively).

Monday, December 2, 1985: UK re-release of Beatles single "We Can Work It Out/Day Tripper" (Parlophone). 20th anniversary reissue. Issued as a regular single and also as a picture disc.

Friday, December 2, 1988: US re-release of Beatles singles on 3-inch CDs: "From Me to You/Thank You Girl", "Love Me Do/P.S. I Love You", "She Loves You/I'll Get You", and "Please Please Me/Ask Me Why" (Capitol/Parlophone). The version of "Love Me Do" was supposed to be the one that Ringo plays on, but EMI used the Andy White album version by mistake.

Sunday, December 3, 1961: The Beatles perform at the Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool.

Sunday, December 3, 1961: The Beatles' first formal meeting with Brian Epstein, where he proposes to them that he become their manager. The Beatles are interested, but they are not ready to make a commitment, so a second meeting is arranged for December 6.

Monday, December 3, 1962: The Beatles appear in a live television broadcast from TWW Television Centre, Bristol, Somerset, on the program "Discs a Gogo", which is broadcast to that and nearby regions. The Beatles perform live, but lip-sync (or "mime," as the British say) to "Love Me Do".

Tuesday, December 3, 1963: The Beatles, on a tour of Britain, perform two shows at the Guildhall in Portsmouth. This performance had been postponed on November 12 and rescheduled for this date.

Friday, December 3, 1965: UK release of Beatles single "Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out" (Parlophone). Released same day as the "Rubber Soul" LP. 10 weeks on the charts; highest position #1.

Friday, December 3, 1965: UK release of Beatles LP "Rubber Soul" (Parlophone). The Beatles' sixth album. Songs: "Drive My Car", "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)", "You Won't See Me", "Nowhere Man", "Think For Yourself", "The Word", "Michelle", "What Goes On?", "Girl", "I'm Looking Through You", "In My Life", "Wait", "If I Needed Someone", and "Run For Your Life". Highest chart position: #1.

Friday, December 3, 1965: The Beatles open a ten-day tour of Britain (their last) with two performances at the Odeon Cinema in Glasgow. Their song list for the tour is "I Feel Fine", "She's a Woman", "If I Needed Someone", "Act Naturally", "Nowhere Man", "Baby's in Black", "Help!", "We Can Work It Out", "Yesterday" (Paul singing and playing electric organ), "Day Tripper", and "I'm Down" (Allen Wiener reports that the song list began with "Dizzy Miss Lizzie", included "Ticket to Ride", and did not include "Yesterday").From their dressing room in Glasgow, The Beatles tape a welcome message for a new pirate radio station, Radio Scotland. On the bill with The Beatles is the Moody Blues, whose guitarist Denny Laine will become a member of Paul McCartney's group Wings. The Beatles earn one thousand pounds per night on the tour, the most they'd ever been paid in their homeland, but far less than they earned in the US and elsewhere. [Note: the song "Dizzy Miss Lizzie" is often spelled "Dizzy Miss Lizzy".]

Sunday, December 3, 2000: The Beatles' compilation album "1" is #1 in the UK for the 3rd week in a row.

Sunday, December 3, 2000: The Beatles' compilation album "1" is #1 in Austria and Finland.

Tuesday, December 4, 1962: The Beatles appear in a live television broadcast from Wembley Studios, Wembley, Middlesex. This is their London-area debut on television, on a children's program called "Tuesday Rendezvous", which is broadcast by the ITV station Associated-Rediffusion. The Beatles perform live, doing lip-sync performances of "Love Me Do" and 45 seconds of "P.S. I Love You".

Friday, December 4, 1964: UK release of Beatles LP "Beatles For Sale" (Parlophone). The Beatles' fourth album. Songs: "No Reply", "I'm a Loser", "Baby's in Black", "Rock and Roll Music", "I'll Follow the Sun", "Mr. Moonlight", "Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey", "Eight Days a Week", "Words of Love", "Honey Don't", "Every Little Thing", "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party", "What You're Doing", and "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby". Highest chart position: #1.

Saturday, December 4, 1965: The Beatles, on their last tour of Britain, perform two shows at City Hall in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Monday, December 4, 1995: Release of Beatles single "Free As A Bird/I Saw Her Standing There/This Boy/Christmas Time (Is Here Again)" in the US (Capitol) and the UK (Parlophone/Apple). Highest UK chart position is #2. Highest US chart position is #6 (Billboard).

Monday, December 4, 1995: "The Beatles Anthology 1" reaches #1 in Germany.

Monday, December 4, 2000: The Beatles' compilation album "1" regains the #1 chart position in Sweden.

Monday, December 5, 1960: The Beatles luck in Hamburg runs out: - Harrison is deported for being underage for working in a night club; - McCartney & Pete Best are arrested for pinning a condom to a brick wall and then igniting it. The two are told to leave Germany. The band returns home, discouraged.

Tuesday, December 5, 1961: The Beatles perform a lunchtime show at the Cavern Club, Liverpool.

Wednesday, December 5, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club at lunchtime and then again that night.

Sunday, December 5, 1965: The Beatles, on their last tour of Britain, perform two shows at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool, the last concerts they would ever play in their home-town. For both concerts, only 5,100 tickets were available, but there were 40,000 applications for tickets. During the second show, Paul McCartney joins the support act The Koobas on stage, playing drums during their rendition of "Dizzy Miss Lizzie". [Note: the song "Dizzy Miss Lizzie" is often spelled "Dizzy Miss Lizzy".]

Sunday, December 5, 1965: Two days after its release, The Beatles' album "Rubber Soul" reaches #1 in the UK charts.

Wednesday, December 6, 1961: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club, Liverpool - a night appearance.

Wednesday, December 6, 1961: The Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Pete Best) meet with Brian Epstein for further discussions about his proposal to manage them. He wants 25 percent of their gross fees each week, in return for which he will be responsible for arranging their bookings. He promises that their bookings will be better organized, more prestigious, and will expand beyond the Liverpool area. He also promises that they will never again play for less than 15 pounds, except for Cavern lunchtime sessions, for which he will get their fee doubled to ten pounds. Most important of all, he promises to get them out of their recording contract with Bert Kaempfert in Germany, then use his influence to garner them a contract with a major British label. John Lennon, as leader of The Beatles, accepts on their behalf. There is no contract signing at this point, because the standard contracts are so exploitive that Epstein is disgusted by them; he promises The Beatles that he will prepare a fairer document.

Thursday, December 6, 1962: The Beatles perform at Club Django, Queen's Hotel, Promenade, Southport, Lancashire. Although this is a jazz club, the management had become aware of The Beatles' rising success and took advantage of the chance to book them.

Friday, December 6, 1963: UK release of Beatles' first Christmas record "The Beatles Christmas Record" to members of their fan club.

Monday, December 6, 1965: US release of Beatles single "We Can Work It Out/Day Tripper" (Capitol). 12 weeks on Billboard chart; highest position #1.

Monday, December 6, 1965: US release of Beatles LP "Rubber Soul" (Capitol). Songs: "I've Just Seen a Face", "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)", "You Won't See Me", "Think For Yourself", "The Word", "Michelle", "It's

Monday, December 6, 1965: UK release of Beatles EP "The Beatles Million Sellers" (Parlophone). Songs: "She Loves You", "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "Can't Buy Me Love", and "I Feel Fine". Highest chart position: #1.

Tuesday, December 6, 1966: The Beatles record Christmas and New Year's greetings for "pirate" radio stations Radio Caroline and Radio London. The Beatles continued to publicly support these "pirate" stations, which were broadcast from ships anchored off the British coastline. Recording was done at Studio Two, EMI Studios, London.

Tuesday, December 6, 1966: The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Two, EMI Studios, London). Recording "When I'm Sixty-Four". Rehearsal of the song, followed by the recording of two takes of the basic rhythm track.

Monday, December 6, 1982: UK re-release of Beatles singles box set "The Beatles Singles Collection" (EMI World Records). Includes 26 UK Beatles singles: "Love Me Do/P.S. I Love You", "Please Please Me/Ask Me Why", "From Me to You/Thank You Girl", "She Loves You/I'll Get You", "I Want to Hold Your Hand/This Boy", "Can't Buy Me Love/You Can't Do That", "A Hard Day's Night/Things We Said Today", "I Feel Fine/She's a Woman", "Ticket to Ride/Yes It Is", "Help!/I'm Down", "Day Tripper/We Can Work it Out", "Paperback Writer/Rain", "Eleanor Rigby/Yellow Submarine", "Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever", "All You Need Is Love/Baby You're a Rich Man", "Hello Goodbye/I Am the Walrus", "Lady Madonna/The Inner Light", "Hey Jude/Revolution", "Get Back/Don't Let Me Down", "The Ballad of John and Yoko/Old Brown Shoe", "Something/Come Together", "Let It Be/You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)", "Yesterday/I Should Have Known Better", "Back in the USSR/Twist and Shout", "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - With a Little Help from My Friends/A Day in the Life", and "Beatles Movie Medley/I'm Happy Just to Dance With You".

Wednesday, December 6, 2000: The Beatles' compilation album "1" is #1 on Billboard's Top Internet Sales chart (US). The album is #2 on Billboard's Top 200 album chart.

Saturday, December 7, 1957: The Quarry Men perform at Wilson Hall, Garston, Liverpool.

Friday, December 7, 1962: The Beatles perform a lunchtime show at the Cavern Club and a night show at the Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Birkenhead. At the Tower show, The Beatles head a seven-group line-up.

Saturday, December 7, 1963: The Beatles perform a show at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool, their first performance in their home town in four months. This afternoon concert was reserved for 2,500 members of The Beatles' Northern Area Fan Club, and 30 minutes of the show was broadcast that evening on the BBC, in a special peak-time program called "It's The Beatles!" The Beatles perform "From Me to You", "I Saw Her Standing There", "All My Loving", "Roll Over Beethoven", "Boys", "Till There Was You", "She Loves You", "This Boy", "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "Money", "Twist and Shout", and a reprise of "From Me to You". Unfortunately, the audience's loud screaming interfered with the camera direction and sound balance for the television taping, and the results were less than satisfactory. Earlier in the afternoon, The Beatles had taped an appearance on "Juke Box Jury" (see separate entry). Later, The Beatles perform two more full shows, at the Odeon Theatre in Liverpool, as part of their continuing British tour.

Saturday, December 7, 1963: The Beatles tape an appearance on the popular BBC television program "Juke Box Jury", the four Beatles making up the "jury" that reviewed new singles. The Beatles judged 13 singles (only 10 made it onto the broadcast): "I Could Write a Book" by the Chants; "Kiss Me Quick" by Elvis Presley; "The Hippy Hippy Shake" by the Swinging Blue Jeans; "Did You Have a Happy Birthday" by Paul Anka; "The Nitty Gritty" by Shirley Ellis; "I Can't Stop Talking About You" by Steve & Eydie; "Do You Really Love Me Too" by Billy Fury; "There! I've Said It Again" by Bobby Vinton; "Love Hit Me" by the Orchids; "I Think of You" by the Merseybeats; "Broken Home" by Shirley Jackson; "Where Have You Been All My Life" by Gene Vincent; and "Long Time Ago" by The Bachelors. Of the 13 songs, The Beatles voted 9 to be "hits" and four (Anka, Ellis, Vinton, and Orchids) to be "misses". Recorded at the Empire Theatre and broadcast that evening.

Tuesday, December 7, 1965: The Beatles, on their last tour of Britain, perform two shows at the ABC Cinema in Ardwick, Manchester.

Tuesday, December 7, 1965: The Beatles meet with film producer Walter Shenson to discuss the next Beatles movie, a film adaptation of "A Talent for Loving". The Beatles had been keen on the project, a western (as in cowboy) farce, after reading Richard Condon's novel, so much so that an official announcement had already been made that this would be the next Beatles film. Unfortunately, The Beatles found the screenplay to be a lousy adaptation, and their feelings about the project going into this day's meeting are altogether negative. By the end of the meeting the project will be dead. [A film adaptation of "A Talent for Loving" was made in 1969, starring Richard Widmark, Genevieve Page, Topol, and Cesar Romero.]

Thursday, December 7, 1967: The Beatles' Apple Boutique opens to the public. Jennie Boyd, Pattie Harrison's sister, works as one of the shop employees.

Monday, December 7, 1981: UK release of Beatles EP box set "The Beatles E.P. Collection" (Parlophone). Includes the 13 original UK Beatles EPs and a new EP, "The Beatles", which contains stereo versions of "She's a Woman" (with an intro countdown), "The Inner Light", and "Baby You're a Rich Man", plus a fake stereo version of "This Boy". The original EPs included are: "Twist and Shout", "The Beatles Hits", "The Beatles (No. 1)", "All My Loving", "Long Tall Sally", "Extracts From the Film 'A Hard Day's Night'", "Extracts From the Album 'A Hard Day's Night'", "Beatles For Sale", "Beatles For Sale (No. 2)", "The Beatles Million Sellers", "Yesterday", "Nowhere Man", and the double EP set "Magical Mystery Tour".

Thursday, December 7, 1995: "The Beatles Anthology 1" is #1 in the US charts for the second week.

Friday, December 8, 1961: The Beatles perform a lunchtime show at the Cavern Club, Liverpool. That night they play at the Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey. Black singer Davy Jones was booked at the same two venues, and The Beatles backed him at both the Cavern and the Tower Ballroom, in addition to performing their own sets.

Saturday, December 8, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Oasis Club in Manchester.

Sunday, December 8, 1963: The Beatles, on a tour of Britain, perform two shows at the Odeon Cinema in Lewisham, London.

Wednesday, December 8, 1965: The Beatles, on their last tour of Britain, perform two shows at the Gaumont Cinema in Sheffield.

Thursday, December 8, 1966: The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Two, EMI Studios, London). Paul McCartney overdubs his lead vocal for "When I'm Sixty-Four" in Studio One, before the arrival of the other Beatles. Then, in Studio Two, The Beatles set about remaking "Strawberry Fields Forever". They record takes 9 through 24 of the basic track (omitting, for some reason, takes 8 and 19), then they look on as engineer Geoff Emerick edits the end of take 24 onto the beginning of take 15.

Friday, December 8, 1967: UK release of Beatles double EP "Magical Mystery Tour" (Parlophone). Songs: "Magical Mystery Tour", "Your Mother Should Know", "The Fool On the Hill", "Flying", "Blue Jay Way", and "I Am the Walrus". 9 weeks on the singles charts; highest position #2.

Saturday, December 9, 1961: The Beatles perform at the Palais Ballroom in Aldershot, Hampshire and later at the Blue Gardenia Club, St. Anne's Court, London. The Aldershot date had not been advertised, owing to the local newspaper's refusal to accept the promoter's check, and only 18 customers showed up. After the disappointing experience, The Beatles became rowdy, getting themselves ordered out of town by the local police. Heading to London, The Beatles ended up in a small club managed by an old acquaintance of theirs. The Beatles (minus George, who sat this one out) jumped up on stage and gave an impromptu performance.

Sunday, December 9, 1962: The Beatles perform a night show at the Cavern Club, Liverpool. George Martin attends the show to assess the feasibility of recording a live album here.

Monday, December 9, 1963: The Beatles, on a tour of Britain, perform two shows at the Odeon Cinema in Southend-on-Sea.

Thursday, December 9, 1965: The Beatles, on their last tour of Britain, perform two shows at the Odeon Cinema in Birmingham.

Friday, December 9, 1966: The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Two, EMI Studios, London). The previous night's edit tape of "Strawberry Fields Forever" is reduced to take 25, and a large number of overdubs are added, including backwards cymbals and swordmandel (an Indian instrument).

Saturday, December 9, 1967: The Beatles' single "Hello Goodbye/I Am the Walrus" reaches #1 in the UK charts.

Tuesday, December 9, 1980: The surviving Beatles react with horror to the news that John Lennon has been murdered. Paul McCartney, unable and unwilling to display his feelings to the sensation-seeking press, remarks simply, "It's a drag, isn't it?", leading many people to unfairly accuse him of a flippant response. All of the ex-Beatles contact Yoko to express their grief and sorrow. George Harrison issues a press release expressing his shock and outrage. Ringo Starr and his future wife Barbara Bach go to New York to be with Yoko.

Sunday, December 10, 1961: The Beatles perform at Hambleton Hall, Huyton, Liverpool. Returning to Liverpool after their first live performances in south England and London, The Beatles arrived so late for their appearance in Huyton that they only had time to play for 15 minutes. The promoters, having to pay The Beatles their full 15 pound fee, were most unhappy. Brian Epstein, who had been waiting for the group to arrive, realized that he had a lot of work ahead of him to instill in The Beatles a more professional attitude about fulfilling their performance obligations.

Sunday, December 10, 1961: At another meeting with Brian Epstein, The Beatles agree to a contract with Epstein, conditional upon his obtaining a recording contract for them. Epstein instructs The Beatles to be more punctual and physically appealing, and he establishes that the group will play a planned program instead of choosing songs at random. They are to stop shouting at people in the audience and refrain from eating, drinking, and fighting on stage.

Monday, December 10, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club at lunchtime.

Tuesday, December 10, 1963: The Beatles, on a tour of Britain, perform two shows at the Gaumont Cinema in Doncaster.

Friday, December 10, 1965: The Beatles, on their last tour of Britain, perform two shows at the Odeon Cinema in Hammersmith, London.

Saturday, December 10, 1966: UK release of Beatles compilation LP "A Collection of Beatles Oldies" (Parlophone). Songs: "She Loves You", "From Me to You", "We Can Work It Out", "Help!", "Michelle", "Yesterday", "I Feel Fine", "Yellow Submarine", "Can't Buy Me Love", "Bad Boy", "Day Tripper", "A Hard Day's Night", "Ticket to Ride", "Paperback Writer", "Eleanor Rigby", and "I Want to Hold Your Hand". Only "Bad Boy" had not been previously released in the UK. Highest chart position: #4.

Thursday, December 10, 1998: A sound recording of a 1963 Beatles concert is sold at auction at Christies in London for 25,300 pounds ($41,500). The high-quality tape of The Beatles' 10-song concert was recorded by the chief technician at the Gaumont Theatre in Bournemouth during one of six consecutive nights which The Beatles played there in 1963 (August 19-24, 1963). The tape reportedly "captures The Beatles' jokey repartee with the audience". [Note: It was during this six-night stand in Bournemouth that The Beatles posed for photographer Robert Freeman for the photo that appears on the cover of their second UK album "With the Beatles" and their first Capitol Records US album "Meet the Beatles". The photo was taken at The Beatles' hotel in Bournemouth, the Palace Court.] Also sold at auction today was a set of autographs of five Beatles--John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best, and Stuart Sutcliffe. The autographs had been obtained by a fan in Liverpool in 1961; they went for 5,195 pounds ($8,500).

Sunday, December 10, 2000: The Beatles' compilation album "1" is #1 in the UK for the 4th week in a row.

Sunday, December 10, 2000: The Beatles' compilation album "1" is #1 in Austria, Finland, and Switzerland.

Monday, December 11, 1961: The Beatles perform a lunchtime show at the Cavern Club, Liverpool.

Tuesday, December 11, 1962: The Beatles perform at La Scala Ballroom, Runcorn.

Wednesday, December 11, 1963: The Beatles, on a tour of Britain, perform two shows at the Futurist Theatre, South Bay, Scarborough, Yorkshire.

Saturday, December 11, 1965: The Beatles, on their last tour of Britain, perform two shows at the Astoria Cinema in Finsbury Park, London.

Monday, December 11, 2000: The Beatles' compilation album "1" is #1 in Sweden for a 3rd week. The album is also #1 in Germany.

Wednesday, December 12, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club at lunchtime and then again that night.

Saturday, December 12, 1964: The Beatles' LP "Beatles For Sale" is #1 in the UK album charts. Their single "I Feel Fine" is #1 in the UK singles charts.

Sunday, December 12, 1965: The Beatles, on their last tour of Britain, perform two shows at the Capitol Cinema in Cardiff. These performances mark the end of the tour and the passing of an era. The Beatles' touring days aren't over, but they never again tour in the UK (The Beatles do play one final scheduled performance in Britain, at the "New Musical Express Poll Winner's Concert" on May 1, 1966).

Friday, December 12, 1969: UK release of LP "No One's Gonna Change Our World" (EMI Starline). Album released by the World Wildlife Fund, includes the Beatles song "Across the Universe", the first appearance of this song on record. No other Beatles material on the album.

Wednesday, December 12, 1979: US re-release of interview LP "Hear The Beatles Tell All" (VeeJay).

Wednesday, December 13, 1961: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club twice--at lunchtime and then again at night. Decca Records' Mike Smith attends the night performance with a view to offering The Beatles a recording contract.

Thursday, December 13, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Corn Exchange, Bedford, Bedfordshire. Also appearing are Robin Hall and Jimmie Macgregor.

Friday, December 13, 1963: The Beatles perform two shows at the Gaumont Cinema in Southampton. This is the final date of their autumn tour of Britain, which had begun on November 1.

Monday, December 13, 1965: The Beatles reject "A Talent for Loving" as the basis for their third motion picture. Brian Epstein had purchased the rights to it.

Wednesday, December 13, 2000: The Beatles' compilation album "1" regains the #1 position on Billboard's Top 200 album chart (US). "1" had zoomed to #1 its first week of release on the strength of US sales of 595,000 copies. It had slipped to #2 the following two weeks despite even higher weekly sales (662,000 and 607,000), beaten out by the Backstreet Boys' latest release. Total sales for its fourth week of release, totalling 670,000 copies, catapults "1" back into the #1 slot, amazing industry experts and delighting long-time Beatles fans. "1" is #1 on Billboard's Top Internet Sales chart for the third week.

Friday, December 14, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Music Hall, Shrewsbury, Shropshire.

Saturday, December 14, 1963: The Beatles perform a special concert for their Southern Area Fan Club at Wimbledon Palais, Wimbledon, London. They shake hands with all 3,000 fans after the show. To prevent damage to the stage from unruly Beatlemaniacs, the management of the Palais had constructed a platform for The Beatles to perform on, and it was surrounded by a steel cage to protect The Beatles. The Beatles themselves don't much like the arrangement, and John, seeing fans crushed up against the cage wire, quips, "If they press any harder they'll come through as chips."

Thursday, December 14, 1995: "The Beatles Anthology 1" is #1 in the US charts for the third straight week.
 

Friday, December 15, 1961: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club at lunchtime. That night they perform at the Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey. Several other groups also appear during the Tower's five-and-a-half hour show, including Cass & the Cassanovas and Brian Cassar & the Big Three.

Saturday, December 15, 1962: The Beatles perform two separate engagements at the same venue, the Majestic Ballroom in Birkenhead. First they play a standard Majestic booking. At midnight, the first-ever "Mersey Beat" poll awards show (for 1962) begins. As poll winners, The Beatles close the show (at 4:00 am), and they are given a handsome plaque. The poll runners-up, Lee Curtis & the All-Stars, perform immediately before The Beatles, so The Beatles have another encounter with Pete Best, drummer for the All-Stars.

Sunday, December 15, 1963: The Beatles tape their eighth appearance on the ABC Television program "Thank Your Lucky Stars", another all-Merseyside affair. The Beatles perform lip-sync to their songs "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "All My Loving", "Twist and Shout", and "She Loves You". The Beatles also received, on camera, two gold discs. Recorded at Alpha Television Studios, Aston, Birmingham. Broadcast on December 21.

Tuesday, December 15, 1964: US release of Beatles LP "Beatles '65" (Capitol). Songs: "No Reply", "I'm a Loser", "Baby's in Black", "Rock and Roll Music", "I'll Follow the Sun", "Mr. Moonlight", "Honey Don't", "I'll Be Back", "She's a Woman", "I Feel Fine", and "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby". 70 weeks on Billboard chart; highest position #1.

Thursday, December 15, 1966: The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Two, EMI Studios, London). Continuing work on "Strawberry Fields Forever", four trumpets and three cellos are recorded to augment the track. Then John Lennon overdubs two separate lead vocals.

Friday, December 15, 1967: Release of The Beatles' fifth Christmas record, "Christmas Time Is Here Again", to members of their fan club in the UK and the US. John and Ringo designed the front of the record sleeve; the back was drawn by John's son Julian.

Saturday, December 16, 1961: The Beatles perform a night show at the Cavern Club, Liverpool.

Sunday, December 16, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club at night.

Friday, December 16, 1966: Release of The Beatles' fourth Christmas record, "The Beatles Fourth Christmas Record", to members of their fan club in the UK and the US.

Saturday, December 17, 1960: The Beatles perform at the Casbah Coffee Club, their first appearance since returning from Hamburg. The house is filled to capacity. Chas Newby joins The Beatles on bass guitar (to replace Stu Sutcliffe, who had remained in Hamburg), a position he would hold for only two weeks and four performances. When Newby bowed out to return to college, Paul McCartney became The Beatles' bass player.

Sunday, December 17, 1961: The Beatles perform at the Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool.

Monday, December 17, 1962: The Beatles appear in a live television appearance from Studio Four, Granada TV Centre, Manchester, for the program "People and Places". They perform "Love Me Do" and "Twist and Shout" during the live transmission.

Tuesday, December 17, 1963: The Beatles tape an appearance on the BBC radio program "Saturday Club", for broadcast on December 21. They perform "All My Loving", "This Boy", "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "Till There Was You", "Roll Over Beethoven", and "She Loves You". The Beatles then sang a scat song that they called "All I Want For Christmas is a Bottle", which was a take-off of the current hit "All I Want For Christmas is a Beatle". They finished up with a zany medley called "Chrimble Mudley"--29 seconds of bits from "Love Me Do", "Please Please Me", "From Me to You", "She Loves You", "I Want to Hold Your Hand", and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". Recorded at London's Playhouse Theatre.

Friday, December 17, 1965: Release of The Beatles' third Christmas record, "The Beatles Third Christmas Record", to members of their fan club in the UK and the US.

Friday, December 17, 1999: France's "Le Parisien" newspaper reports the results of a poll of over 1,000 people to determine France's favorite singers of the century. The Beatles were voted into first place, receiving 28 percent of the votes. Following The Beatles on the list are Johnny Hallyday, Charles Aznavour, Luciano Pavarotti, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis Presley.

Sunday, December 17, 2000: The Beatles' compilation album "1" is #1 in the UK for the 5th week in a row. The album has sold 1.4 million copies in the UK to date and 12 million copies worldwide. It has topped the charts in 30 countries around the world and is the top-selling album for the year.

Sunday, December 17, 2000: The Beatles' compilation album "1" is #1 in Finland, Italy and Switzerland.

Monday, December 18, 1961: The Beatles perform a lunchtime show at the Cavern Club, Liverpool.

Tuesday, December 18, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Star-Club, Hamburg, West Germany. This is the first night of their fifth visit to Hamburg, another two-week engagement. The Beatles are not at all happy to have to return to Hamburg. Their activities and success in England are of more interest to them than what seems to be a return to the past. They play 13 nights (having Christmas night, Dec. 25, off), and they play 3 hours each night. The Beatles' combined experience in Hamburg, consisting of 800 hours on stage, honed their skills and their endurance to the level that enabled them to achieve world-wide fame and to endure the demanding years of Beatlemania. The final night's performance of this Hamburg visit (Dec. 31, 1962) was recorded by Ted 'Kingsize' Taylor. The recording, later known as "The Star-Club Tapes", was not released until 1977, and it was released against the wishes of the ex-Beatles themselves.

Wednesday, December 18, 1963: The Beatles tape a special two-hour BBC radio program, initially to be called "Beatletime", but ending up as "From Us to You". The Beatles record an altered version of "From Me to You", 55 seconds long, as the program's signature tune to be used to open and close the program. The Beatles also perform "She Loves You", "All My Loving", "Roll Over Beethoven", "Till There Was You", "Boys", "Money", "I Saw Her Standing There" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand". The show is hosted by Australian Rolf Harris, who adapted his 1960 hit "Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport" into a song about The Beatles, referring to their long hair and their first names. The Beatles join Harris in presenting the number.

Friday, December 18, 1964: Release of The Beatles' second Christmas record, "Another Beatles Christmas Record", to members of their fan club in the UK and the US (this is the first Beatles Christmas record issued to US fans).

Wednesday, December 18, 1968: A review of The Beatles' movie "Magical Mystery Tour" in "Boston After Dark" reports the film to be "complex", "lyrical", and "sobering, but always fun."

Friday, December 18, 1970: US release of "The Beatles Christmas Album" (Apple). Contains all 7 Beatles Christmas records. Issued to fan club members; not sold commercially.

Friday, December 18, 1970: UK release of Beatles Christmas record compilation LP, "From Them to Us" (Apple). An album of the Christmas records released by The Beatles to their fan club members 1963-1969.

Monday, December 18, 1978: Release in Sweden of Beatles boxed album set "The Beatles Collection" (Parlophone). Thirteen albums, including "Please Please Me", "With The Beatles", "A Hard Day's Night", "Beatles For Sale", "HELP!", "Rubber Soul", "Revolver", "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", "The Beatles", "Yellow Submarine", "Abbey Road", "Let It Be", and "Rarities".

Tuesday, December 19, 1961: The Beatles perform a lunchtime show at the Cavern Club, Liverpool.

Wednesday, December 19, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Star-Club, Hamburg, West Germany.

Friday, December 19, 1969: Release of The Beatles' seventh Christmas record, "The Beatles' Seventh Christmas Record", to members of their fan club in the UK and the US.

Monday, December 19, 1983: US re-release of Beatles single "Ain't She Sweet/Sweet Georgia Brown" (Atlantic).

Saturday, December 20, 1958: The Quarry Men (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Colin Hanton, and maybe also John "Duff" Lowe) perform (for free) at the wedding reception for Harry Harrison, George's brother (Upton Green, Speke, Liverpool).

Wednesday, December 20, 1961: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club - a night show.

Thursday, December 20, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Star-Club, Hamburg, West Germany.

Friday, December 20, 1963: The "New Musical Express" 12th International Popularity Poll lists The Beatles as the #1 group. "She Loves You" was voted record of the year.

Tuesday, December 20, 1966: The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Two, EMI Studios, London). Recording backing vocals for "When I'm Sixty-Four".

Tuesday, December 20, 1966: The Be

Friday, December 20, 1968: Release of The Beatles' sixth Christmas record, "The Beatles' 1968 Christmas Record", sent to fan club members in the UK and the US. Includes the song "Nowhere Man" sung by Tiny Tim.

Thursday, December 21, 1961: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club - a lunchtime show.

Friday, December 21, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Star-Club, Hamburg, West Germany.

Saturday, December 21, 1963: The Beatles perform at the Gaumont Cinema, Bradford. This is a concert-only preview of their upcoming "The Beatles' Christmas Show", without costumes or comedy sketches.

Wednesday, December 21, 1966: The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Two, EMI Studios, London). Clarinets and bass clarinet overdubbed onto "When I'm Sixty-Four". John Lennon then overdubs more vocals and piano onto "Strawberry Fields Forever".

Thursday, December 21, 1967: The Beatles hold a party at the Royal Lancaster Hotel to preview their movie "Magical Mystery Tour".

Thursday, December 21, 2000: The Beatles' compilation album "1" is #1 on Billboard's Top 200 album chart for the 3rd week (US). Sales for the album's 5th week of release are its highest yet (823,000). Total US sales to date are 3.35 million. "1" is also #1 on Billboard's Top Internet Sales chart.

Saturday, December 22, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Star-Club, Hamburg, West Germany.

Sunday, December 22, 1963: The Beatles perform at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool. This appearance is the second concert-only preview of their "The Beatles' Christmas Show", due to open in London in two days.

Saturday, December 23, 1961: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club during another of the club's all-night sessions.

Sunday, December 23, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Star-Club, Hamburg, West Germany.

Monday, December 23, 1963: Radio Luxembourg begins a 15-part series, "It's The Beatles". The Beatles will not record any performances or interviews for the series, which consists of playing their released recordings. The 15-minute installments are broadcast on Monday nights through March 30, 1964.

Saturday, December 23, 2000: The Beatles' compilation album "1" is #1 in Portugal.

Saturday, December 24, 1960: The Beatles perform at the Grosvenor Ballroom, Liscard, Wallasey. Also on the bill is Derry & the Seniors. Each group receives the fee of 10.5 pounds.

Monday, December 24, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Star-Club, Hamburg, West Germany.

Tuesday, December 24, 1963: The opening night of "The Beatles' Christmas Show", a Brian Epstein idea that combined music, comedy, and pantomime. The Beatles, and other groups, play music and also dress in costumes for comedy sketches and routines with stage sets, all of which prove to be tremendously popular with the audiences. From Dec. 24, 1963 through January 11, 1964, The Beatles put on 30 shows (two a night except for Dec. 24 and Dec. 31 which have only one each, and Dec. 25, Dec. 29, and Jan. 5 which have none). A total of 100,000 tickets were sold for the 30 shows, going on sale October 21 and selling out by November 16. "The Beatles Christmas Show" is put on at the Astoria Cinema in Finsbury Park, London. The Beatles' musical repertoire for each show is "Roll Over Beethoven", "All My Loving", "This Boy", "I Wanna Be Your Man", "She Loves You", "Till There Was You", "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "Money", and "Twist and Shout". Appearing with The Beatles are The Barron Knights & Duke D'Mond, Tommy Quickly, The Fourmost, Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas, Cilla Black, and Rolf Harris.

Tuesday, December 24, 1963: Subafilms Ltd., a Beatles film company, is formed.

Thursday, December 24, 1964: The Beatles perform in the first night of their "Another Beatles Christmas Show", at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. The format is much like that of the preceding year's revue: music, pantomime, and comedy. The Beatles appear in two comedy sketches, one with Freddie Garrity (of Freddie & the Dreamers) and one with Jimmy Savile (a disc-jockey). The Beatles perform 11 songs as part of the show: "Twist and Shout", "I'm a Loser", "Baby's in Black", "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby", "Can't Buy Me Love", "Honey Don't", "I Feel Fine", "She's a Woman", "A Hard Day's Night", "Rock and Roll Music", and "Long Tall Sally". The show runs for 20 nights, December 24, 1964 through January 16, 1965. There are no performances on Dec. 25 & 27 or Jan. 3 & 10. There are two performances each night, except for Dec. 24 & 29, when there is one each night, making a total of 38 performances of "Another Beatles Christmas Show". Support acts are Freddie & the Dreamers, Elkie Brooks, The Yardbirds, Sounds Incorporated, and others. One night during the first week of the show's run, The Beatles recorded an interview for Radio Luxembourg's Chris Denning, for a series to be called "The Beatles". During the interview, John Lennon dedicates songs to Pete Shotton and Nigel Whalley, and Paul makes a dedication to Ivan Vaughan (Shotton, Whalley, and Vaughan had all been Quarry Men). George makes a dedication to school chum Arthur Kelly, and Ringo does the same for Al Caldwell (more widely known as Rory Storm).

Sunday, December 24, 2000: The Beatles' compilation album "1" is #1 in the UK for the 6th week in a row.

Sunday, December 24, 2000: The Beatles' compilation album "1" is #1 in Austria, Canada, Finland, Italy, and Switzerland.

Tuesday, December 25, 1962: The Beatles, in Hamburg for their final Star-Club engagement, have the night off from performing.

Wednesday, December 25, 1968: A promotional film for "Lady Madonna" is broadcast in black and white on UK television, on the BBC1 program "Top of the Pops '68". The video portion of the film clip was shot while The Beatles were performing the song "Hey Bulldog", but the "Lady Madonna" audio track was paired with the video for the promo release. It won't be until 1999 that the video is broadcast with its original "Hey Bulldog" soundtrack.

Monday, December 25, 2000: The Beatles' compilation album "1" is #1 in Sweden for a 5th week. The album is also #1 in Germany and Norway.

Tuesday, December 26, 1961: The Beatles perform at the Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey.

Wednesday, December 26, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Star-Club, Hamburg, West Germany.

Thursday, December 26, 1963: US release of Beatles single "I Want to Hold Your Hand/I Saw Her Standing There" (Capitol). 15 weeks on Billboard chart; highest position #1 (for seven weeks).

Thursday, December 26, 1963: The Beatles perform at the Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, London. Appearing in two performances of "The Beatles' Christmas Show".

Saturday, December 26, 1964: "I Feel Fine" becomes the #1 single in the US (Billboard).

Saturday, December 26, 1964: The Beatles put on two performances of "Another Beatles Christmas Show" at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

Tuesday, December 26, 1967: BBC Television broadcasts The Beatles' movie "Magical Mystery Tour" in black and white. The next day, the British press and the viewing public pronounce the film an utter disaster. The negative reaction is so strong that a US television deal for broadcasting the movie is cancelled. Despite some fine comedic moments, "Magical Mystery Tour" is judged to be little more than a self-indulgent home movie.

Tuesday, December 27, 1960: The Beatles perform at Litherland Town Hall Ballroom, Liverpool. According to Mark Lewisohn, "If any one live performance in the Beatles' career could be described as the turning point it would be this, their penultimate engagement in 1960:.the group never looked back after this night." Added to the bill at the last minute, The Beatles were not advertised to appear, so banners had been pasted onto advertising posters, the banners saying "Direct From Hamburg, The Beatles!" Since The Beatles are playing in an area they'd only played in once before, most of the audience assumes they are a German group. As the show begins with The Beatles launching into "Long Tall Sally", everyone in the crowd suddenly, spontaneously crushes forward to the front of the stage, "swept away by the group's sheer magnetism" (Mark Lewisohn). The crowd becomes surprisingly frenzied, marking the birth of the phenomenon that will become known as "Beatlemania".

Wednesday, December 27, 1961: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club - a night show advertised as "The Beatles' Xmas Party".

Thursday, December 27, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Star-Club, Hamburg, West Germany.

Thursday, December 27, 1962: The Beatles' first Parlophone single, "Love Me Do", reaches #17 on "Record Retailer's" Top 50 chart. It has been alleged that Brian Epstein purchased 10,000 copies of the disc after having discovered the sales needed to guarantee a Top 20 hit, but Epstein always hotly denied this. Indeed, the fact that The Beatles came in fifth in a New Musical Express poll for Best British Vocal Group suggests that their chart placing was fully merited by their popularity.

Friday, December 27, 1963: The Beatles perform at the Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, London. Appearing in two performances of "The Beatles' Christmas Show".

Friday, December 27, 1963: Music critics of the "London Times" name John Lennon and Paul McCartney the 'Outstanding Composers of 1963'.

Friday, December 28, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Star-Club, Hamburg, West Germany.

Saturday, December 28, 1963: The Beatles perform at the Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, London. Appearing in two performances of "The Beatles' Christmas Show".

Monday, December 28, 1964: The Beatles put on two performances of "Another Beatles Christmas Show" at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

Thursday, December 28, 1967: The British television program "Top of the Pops" broadcasts extracts from the movie "Magical Mystery Tour" to accompany the song "The Fool on the Hill".

Saturday, December 28, 1968: "The Beatles" reaches #1 in the US album charts.

Thursday, December 28, 1978: Re-release in Sweden of Beatles LP "Let It Be" (Parlophone). Red vinyl.

Thursday, December 28, 1978: Re-release in Sweden of Beatles LP "Abbey Road" (Parlophone). Picture disc.

Friday, December 28, 1979: US re-release of Beatles LP "Abbey Road" (Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab/Capitol). Half-speed master recording.

Thursday, December 28, 2000: The Beatles' compilation album "1" is #1 on Billboard's Top 200 album chart for a 4th week (US). Sales for the album's 6th week of release are 1.258 million. Total US sales to date are 4.6 million. "1" is also #1 on Billboard's Top Internet Sales chart.

Friday, December 29, 1961: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club - a night show.

Saturday, December 29, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Star-Club, Hamburg, West Germany.

Sunday, December 29, 1963: The "Sunday Times" music critic calls John Lennon and Paul McCartney the "greatest composers since Beethoven" (Wiener).

Tuesday, December 29, 1964: The Beatles put on one performance of "Another Beatles Christmas Show" at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

Thursday, December 29, 1966: The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Two, EMI Studios, London). Recording begins on Paul's song "Penny Lane". Six takes of keyboard tracks and various percussion effects.

Friday, December 29, 2000: The Beatles' compilation album "1" is #1 in Ireland.

Saturday, December 30, 1961: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club - a night show.

Sunday, December 30, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Star-Club, Hamburg, West Germany.

Monday, December 30, 1963: The Beatles perform at the Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, London. Appearing in two performances of "The Beatles' Christmas Show".

Wednesday, December 30, 1964: The Beatles put on two performances of "Another Beatles Christmas Show" at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

Friday, December 30, 1966: The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Two, EMI Studios, London). Work continues on "Penny Lane". Take six and overdubs are reduced into take seven, onto which Paul's lead vocal, and John's backing vocal, are taped.

Saturday, December 30, 1967: "Hello Goodbye" becomes the #1 single in the US (Billboard).

Saturday, December 31, 1960: The Beatles perform at the Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool. This appearance marks the 4th and last time that temporary bassist Chas Newby plays with The Beatles.

Monday, December 31, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Star-Club, Hamburg, West Germany. This is the final night of their fifth, and final, visit to Hamburg. The Beatles' performance is recorded by Ted 'Kingsize' Taylor (of The Dominoes). The recording has since become known as "The Star-Club Tapes", and the tracks, first released in 1977, have been extensively re-issued. The ex-Beatles opposed the release of the recordings, due primarily to their very poor sound quality. The recordings do, nonetheless, provide a fascinating glimpse, however slight, of the early Beatles. The original tapes were auctioned in August 1992. Their apprenticeship in Hamburg completed, The Beatles were ready to move into national, and then international, fame.

Tuesday, December 31, 1963: The Beatles perform at the Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, London. Appearing in one performance of "The Beatles' Christmas Show".

Thursday, December 31, 1964: The Beatles put on two performances of "Another Beatles Christmas Show" at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

Sunday, December 31, 2000: The Beatles' compilation album "1" is #1 in the UK for the 7th week in a row.

Sunday, December 31, 2000: The Beatles' compilation album "1" is #1 in Austria, Canada, Finland, and Switzerland.

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