Inside Media: The Beatles Invade America

Guest: Bruce Spizer
Date: Sunday, February 16, 2014 at 2:30 PM
Location: Knight TV Studio
Note: A book signing will follow the event.

On the 50th anniversary of the arrival of The Beatles in the United States, Beatles historian Bruce Spizer talks about their historic first trip here and the evolution of Beatlemania.

Considered one of the world’s leading experts on The Beatles, Spizer has written eight books on the group, including “The Beatles are Coming! The Birth of Beatlemania in America.”

Through images, music and interview clips, Spizer chronicles The Beatles’ rise in the United States and discusses what prompted TV host Ed Sullivan to book them on his popular variety show.

Spizer tells how Beatlemania was ignited by CBS News anchorman Walter Cronkite, a 15-year-old girl from Silver Spring, Md., and a disc jockey at a Washington, D.C., radio station.

A book signing will follow the event.

The program is free with regular paid admission. Seating is on a space-available basis.

The Newseum — a 250,000-square-foot museum of news — offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits.

The Newseum is located at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Sixth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., on America’s Main Street between the White House and the U.S. Capitol and adjacent to the Smithsonian museums on the National Mall.