This Day in American History: August 18th - Ringo Starr Plays His First Beatles Show (1962)

On this day in 1962, a Liverpool band that would go on to reshape American music forever played its first-ever show with the drummer who completed it -- to a crowd that mostly just wanted their old guy back.

By the summer of 1962, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison had spent two years building The Beatles into one of Liverpool's most popular club acts, with original drummer Pete Best behind the kit. But the three of them, along with producer George Martin, had growing doubts about Best's timing and fit with the group -- and their eyes kept drifting to Ringo Starr, drummer for rival band Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, who'd occasionally sat in for Best when he was out sick and consistently impressed them. On August 16, 1962, manager Brian Epstein fired Best. Two days later, Ringo Starr played his first official show as a full member of The Beatles.

That debut came on August 18, 1962, at Hulme Hall in Port Sunlight, England, at a dance hosted by the local horticultural society. A venue built for 450 people swelled to roughly 500 for the occasion. The reception wasn't universally warm -- when Best's firing became public knowledge across Liverpool the following day, plenty of fans were furious, and Ringo would face hecklers chanting "Pete forever, Ringo never!" at later shows, including his rocky debut days later at the band's home turf, the Cavern Club.

The hostility didn't last. Ringo's steady, inventive drumming and easygoing personality won fans and bandmates over quickly, and George Harrison, who'd lobbied hardest for the switch, later said it was obvious from the moment Ringo sat in that he belonged in the band permanently. Two years later, The Beatles would land in New York for their first American tour, and the classic lineup completed at Hulme Hall would go on to become the best-selling band in history -- selling more than 600 million records worldwide and fundamentally reshaping American radio, fashion, and youth culture through the rest of the 1960s.

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Also on This Day in History

1587 — Virginia Dare Is Born on Roanoke Island

She becomes the first child born to English parents in the New World, in a colony that would later vanish without a trace.

1862 — The U.S.-Dakota War Begins in Minnesota

Starving and frustrated Dakota tribe members attack white settlements along the Minnesota River, sparking six weeks of conflict.

1920 — Tennessee Ratifies the 19th Amendment

A 24-year-old Tennessee legislator casts the deciding vote, making his state the 36th to approve women's suffrage and securing its place in the Constitution.

1963 — James Meredith Graduates from Ole Miss

He becomes the first Black student to graduate from the University of Mississippi, a year after his enrollment sparked riots.

1969 — Woodstock Closes with a Long Final Night

Jimi Hendrix's mid-morning set closes out three days of peace, love, and rock 'n' roll in upstate New York.

Source: The Beatles Bible, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame