Rep. Robert Pittenger

Premier Chou En-Lai and the Nixons share a toast at the welcoming banquet for the historic trip that began on this day in 1972.

The archival team at the Nixon Library has created a video of behind-the-scenes film clips and stories from Nixon’s trip.  Watch more here.

-from the Nixon Library 

The Beatles Come to America

50 years ago today the Fab Four emerge from a plane at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport, before a throng of hysterical fans, on February 7, 1964.

This Week in Universal News: The Beatles Come to America

On this day, fifty years ago, the Beatles landed at New York City’s recently renamed John F. Kennedy airport. Here’s the report from Universal, complete with John, Paul, George, and Ringo’s trademark charm, screaming teenagers, and a condescending narrator that clearly does not take these Liverpudlians (or their fans) seriously.

From the release sheet:

QUICK, FRED, THE FLIT: There are rumors around that this is Britain’s revenge for the Boston Tea Party. You guessed it … the Beatles have arrived in the United States for their first appearance before an idolizing teen-age crowd, with the St. Vitus bounce. They take an airing in Central Park. No. There is no truth to the buzz that the Zoo’s laughing hyena was driven underground.

From: 

Universal Newsreel Volume 37, Issue 12, 02/10/1964

via Media Matters » This Week in Universal News: The Beatles Come to America