10 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know About The Beatles
3. The Band Refused To Play To Segregated Audiences
Though the enduring musical legacies of the remaining Beatles have maintained the group's presence in popular culture, it's easy to forget just how different the world was when Beatlemania was in full swing.
So when the group first travelled to America together in 1964, the country was still enforcing racist Jim Crow laws that segregated black and white people in all areas of life in an arrangement that was ostensibly separate but equal.
After the success of the Beatles landmark appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in February, the fame the group had enjoyed in the UK had transferred across the Atlantic, and promoters across the US looked to capitalise on this success by booking the group.
The fab four would play several series of live performances in the US before their decision to stop touring in 1966, but a recently unearthed document revealed that the group had mandated that there had to be clauses in their contracts so they could refuse to play in front of segregated audiences.