Beatle Bomber Strikes
by Jeff Provine
Author
says: what if the Beatles had been blown up by a deranged fan? muses
Jeff Provine on the
This Day in Alternate History web site. Please note that the opinions
expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily
reflect the views of the author(s).
On February 7th 1964,
just after stepping onto the tarmac from their plane arriving in New York
City, the famed British rock band "The Beatles" were mobbed by nearly
three thousand screaming fans..
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr waved to
their fans while police struggled to keep the roaring approval from
turning into a riot. Before reaching their car, the pressing crowd broke
through the police barriers and swarmed the stars, which was when an
explosion tore through the mob. One of history's most famous unsolved
mysteries resulted as the unknown bomber blew himself up just behind the
band. The brunt of the blast would be absorbed by the crowd, resulting in
twelve deaths. The tallest Beatle, Paul, sustained trauma to his head.
While being rushed to the hospital, he died en route from his injuries.
Starr and Harrison were both injured, but not critically. Lennon, who was
standing in front of McCartney, escaped with only a few scratches.
Numerous interviews throughout his life gave hints toward survivor guilt
that would plague him especially later in life as he cycled through rehab
and mental asylums.
The news rocked the nation. Only months after the assassination of
President John F. Kennedy, a sense of unease about the security of America
in any public place overwhelmed the populace. It became a key issue of the
election that November with winning incumbent LBJ organizing a new system
of "National Security" on the small scale featuring metal detectors.
Meanwhile, the Beatles began a new chapter of their careers. The band was
scheduled to perform on the Ed Sullivan Show on the 9th, and there was
some debate over cancelling the performance. Ultimately Lennon insisted on
a solo performance in honor of Paul, accompanying himself on guitar while
giving a tear-choked rendition of Fain and Kahal's "I'll Be Seeing You"
made famous in Britain and America as a tribute to those serving overseas
during WWII. Despite the loss of a key member, Beatlemania continued to
spread with their records unable to stay on shelves. Though they were a
wild financial success, the Lennon-McCartney creative team had been
broken, and they would produce very little over the next few months.
In 1965, while enjoying a dinner invitation to their dentist's, Lennon and
Harrison would be introduced to LSD. The drug would prove transformative,
and Lennon's songwriting would become nearly incomprehensible. Tours
continued until 1966, at which point the bandmates judged their futures
together and ultimately decided to go their separate ways. Their fame
would die as Beatlemania gave way to the Rolling Stones, who would be
regularly listed as the greatest rock group of all time.
Conspiracy theorists routinely pore over the explosion from surviving
footage and photographs. Witness reports are notably contradictory, which
has led many to suspect a cover-up. Speculation holds that extreme
conservatives attempted to head-off the "British Invasion" of challenging
given morals, using Lennon's famed line, "more popular than Jesus now,"
though that was delivered much later. Others suspect it was competing
American musicians knowing that they would be blocked off by the coming
storm of Beatlemania. Still others suggest that it was the action of a
lone fan driven to insanity by the wilds of their music.
Author
says in realitythe Beatles' welcome to the United States was raucous but
peaceful. They performed All My Loving, Till There Was You, She Loves You, I
Saw Her Standing There, and I Want To Hold Your Hand two days later on the
Ed Sullivan Show, where they would appear again numerous times. While
critics were skeptical, the tour was well received, and the Beatles would
perform all over the world in the next two years before a long stint in
their "Studio Years". Ultimately the band would break up in 1970 as
McCartney announced his departure due to difficulties with the producers. To
view guest historian's comments on this post please visit the
Today in Alternate History web site.
Jeff Provine, Guest Historian of
Today in Alternate History, a Daily Updating Blog of Important Events In
History That Never Occurred Today. Follow us on
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Imagine what would be, if history had occurred a bit
differently. Who says it didn't, somewhere? These fictional news items
explore that possibility. Possibilities such as America becoming a Marxist
superpower, aliens influencing human history in the 18th century and Teddy
Roosevelt winning his 3rd term as president abound in this interesting
fictional blog.

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