This is just a slim abridged timeline of the Beatles happenings and only until 1970. I'm sure I missed something here and there, but this is just the basics with no major frills or in-depth accounts of their lives or career.

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1957

 

January :: Cavern Club opens

June :: John forms The Quarrymen

July :: George forms The Rebels  :: John meets Paul

August :: Quarrymen's first gig at The Cavern

September :: Paul’s first public performance

October :: Paul’s first Quarrymen gig

December :: George introduced to John

 

1958

 

January :: Paul’s first Cavern Club gig

February :: George joined The Quarrymen

March :: Quarrymen’s first recording

July :: John’s mother is killed

August :: John meets Thelma Pickles

October :: John meets Cynthia Powell

 

1959

 

January :: Quarrymen gig at the Busman’s Club

March :: Ringo’s first gig with Al Caldwell’s Texans

July :: Ringo first gig with Rory Storm & The Hurricanes

August :: Quarrymen’s first gig at the Casbah

September :: Gigs at the Casbah

October :: Enter the ‘Mr Star-Maker Talent Show’

 

1960

 

January :: Stuart Sutcliffe joins

February :: Renamed the group ‘The Beetles’

April :: Allan Williams

May :: Rehearsal tape  :: Williams become their manager  :: Tommy Moore joins  :: Johnny Gentle tour

June :: Tommy Moore quit

July :: Sutcliffe kicked in the head

August :: Pete Best joins  :: Hamburg  :: Playing at The Indra

October :: Playing at the Kaiserkeller  :: Played with Ringo  :: Tony Sheridan  :: Met Astrid and Klaus Voormann

November :: Koschmeider kicks them out  :: George gets deported  :: Paul and Pete committed arson

December :: Return to England  :: Stuart stays in Hamburg

 

1961

 

January :: Neil Aspinall becomes their roadie

February :: First gig at The Cavern as ‘The Beatles’

March :: Stuart returns to Hamburg

April :: Playing at the Top-Ten Club

May :: Stuart leaves the band

June :: Recording ‘My Bonnie’ with Tony Sheridan

July :: Return to England  :: ‘Mersey Beat’

August :: Brian Epstein writing for ‘Mersey Beat’

September :: John and Paul go to Paris

October :: Epstein stocks ‘My Bonnie’ in his shop

November :: Epstein sees them playing at The Cavern

December :: Epstein becomes their manager  :: First photo shoot

 

1962

 

January :: Decca audition

February :: Decca turns them down

March :: First gig in new suits

April :: Stuart Sutcliffe dies  :: Playing at the Star-Club  :: Release ‘My Bonnie’ single (US)

May :: Brian meets George Martin  :: Recording with Tony Sheridan

June :: EMI audition  :: NEMS Enterprises

July :: EMI signs the band

August :: Pete Best is fired  :: Ringo joins  :: John marries Cynthia

September :: Ringo meets Maureen  :: First recording session with EMI

October :: Release ‘Love Me Do’ single (US)

November :: Star-Club gigs

December :: Star-Club gigs

 

1963

 

January :: Brian signs with Vee-Jay in US  :: Release ‘Please Please Me’ single (UK)  :: Dick James  :: Mal Evans

February :: Helen Shapiro tour  :: Release ‘Please Please Me’ single (US)  :: Finish recording ‘Please Please Me’ album  :: Dick James creates Northern Songs

March :: Release ‘Please Please Me’ LP (UK)

April :: Julian is born  :: Release ‘From Me To You’ (UK)  :: Paul meets Jane Asher  :: John goes on holiday with Brian

May :: Release ‘From Me To You’ (US)  :: Roy Orbison tour  :: ‘Pop Go The Beatles’ radio show

June :: John beats up Bob Wooler

July :: Release ‘Twist And Shout’ EP (UK)  :: ‘With The Beatles’ sessions

August :: Last appearance at The Cavern  :: Release ‘She Loves You’ (UK)

September :: Release ‘The Beatles’ Hits’ EP (UK)  :: Release ‘She Loves You’ (US)

October :: Sunday Night At The London Palladium  :: Scandinavian tour

November :: Release ‘The Beatles (No.1)’ EP (UK)  :: Royal Variety Performance  :: Release the ‘With The Beatles’ LP (UK)  :: Release ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ (UK)

December :: Morecambe And Wise Show  :: Beatlemania breaks in the States  :: Release ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ (US)

 

1964

 

January :: Vee-Jay re-issue ‘Please Please Me’ single (US)  :: Release ‘Introducing The Beatles’ LP (US)  :: Paris concerts  :: Capitol vs Vee-Jay court case  :: ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ #1  :: Release ‘Meet The Beatles!’ LP (US)

February :: Stramsact  :: Arrive in America  :: Release ‘All My Loving’ EP (UK)  :: The Ed Sullivan Show  :: Washington Coliseum  :: Meet Muhammad Ali

March :: Filming ‘A Hard Day’s Night’  :: George meets Patti Boyd  :: Release ‘Twist And Shout’ single (US)  :: Release ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ single (UK & US)  :: John publishes ‘In His Own Write’  :: Release ‘Do You Want To Know A Secret’ single (US)  :: Release ‘Souvenir Of Their Visit To America’ EP (US)

April :: Release ‘The Beatles’ Second Album’ (US)  :: Release ‘Love Me Do’ single (US)

May :: Release ‘Sie Liebt Dich’ single (US)

June :: Jimmy Nicol replaces Ringo  :: World tour  :: Amsterdam  :: Australia  :: Release ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ LP (US)  :: Release ‘Long Tall Sally’ EP (UK)  :: New Zealand

July :: Premiere of ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ (UK)  :: Release ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ single (UK & US)  :: Release ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ LP (UK)  :: Release ‘I’ll Cry Instead’ single (US)  :: Release ‘And I Love Her’ single (US)  :: Release ‘Something New’ LP (US)

August :: ‘Beatles For Sale’ sessions  :: Premiere of ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ (US)  :: First American tour  :: Release ‘Matchbox’ single (US)  :: Meets Bob Dylan  :: The hooker incident

September :: Kansas City concert  :: Derek Taylor resigns

October :: Brian publishes ‘A Cellarful Of Noise’  :: British tour

November :: Release ‘Extracts From The Film/Album ‘A Hard Day’s Night’’ EPs (UK)  :: Release ‘I Feel Fine’ single (UK & US)  :: Release ‘The Beatles Story’ LP (US)

December :: Release ‘Beatles For Sale’ LP (UK)  :: Release ‘Beatles ’65’ LP (US)

 

1965

 

January :: Bag O’Nails pub

February :: Ringo gets married  :: Help! sessions  :: Release ‘Eight Days A Week’ single (US)  :: Northern Songs on the Stock Exchange  :: Help! filming begins

March :: Release ‘The Early Beatles’ LP (US)  :: John & George’s first LSD trip

April :: Freddie Lennon  :: Release ‘Ticket To Ride’ single (UK & US)  :: Paul buys a house in Cavendish Avenue

May :: Last BBC radio show

June :: Awarded MBEs  :: Release ‘Beatles VI’ LP (US)  :: European tour  :: John publishes ‘A Spaniard In The Works’ –

July :: Release ‘Help!’ single (UK & US)  :: Help! premiere

August :: George Martin opens AIR  :: Released ‘Help!’ LP (UK & US)  :: Second US Tour  :: Shea Stadium  :: Meets Elvis Presley  :: Concert at the Hollywood Bowl

September :: Release ‘Yesterday’ single (US)

October :: Rubber Soul sessions  :: Collect MBEs

November :: Filmed promos

December :: Release ‘We Can Work It Out / Day Tripper’ single (UK & US)  :: Release ‘Rubber Soul’ LP (UK & US)  :: Last British tour  :: George gets engaged

 

1966

 

January :: John LSD trip :: George marries Patti

February :: Release ‘Nowhere Man’ single (US)

March :: John ‘Jesus’ comment  :: Release ‘Yesterday’ EP (UK)  :: Butcher cover photoshoot

April :: ‘Revolver’ sessions

May :: Last-ever UK concert  :: John films Bob Dylan’s ‘Eat The Document’  :: Release ‘Paperback Writer’ single (US)

June :: George meets Ravi Shankar  :: Release ‘Paperback Writer’ single (UK)  :: Release ‘Yesterday... And Today’ album (US)  :: World tour  :: Japanese tour

July :: Philippines tour  :: Release ‘Nowhere Man’ EP (UK)  :: John’s ‘Jesus’ comment outrage

August :: Release ‘Eleanor Rigby’ single (UK & US)  :: Release 'Revolver’ LP (UK & US)  :: Last-ever tour  :: Candlestick Park

September :: Yoko Ono arrivs in London  :: Filming for ‘How I Won The War’  :: George visits India

November :: Paul’s LSD trip  :: John meets Yoko  :: ‘Sgt. Pepper’ sessions

December :: Releas ‘A Collection Of Beatles’ Oldies’ LP (UK)

 

1967

 

January :: Brian tries to merge with RSO  :: Signs renewed contract with EMI

February :: Jagger and Richards arrested  :: Release ‘Strawberry Fields Forever / Penny Lane’ single (UK & US)

March :: ‘Sgt. Pepper’ sessions  :: ‘Sgt. Pepper’ photoshoot

April :: Birth of Apple

May :: Paul meets Linda

June :: Release ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ album (UK & US)  :: Paul admitts taking LSD  :: The ‘Our World’ broadcast

July :: Introduced to Magic Alex  :: Release ‘All You Need Is Love’ single (UK & US)  :: Plans to buy island of Leslo  :: Sign petition to legalise cannabis

August :: George visits San Francisco  :: Meet the Maharishi  :: Meditating in Bagnor  :: Brian Epstein dies

September :: Apple Music Publishing  :: Filming ‘Magical Mystery Tour’

October :: John’s ‘How I Won The War’ movie

November :: Release ‘Hello, Goodbye’s single (UK & US)  :: Release ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ album (US)

December :: Apple Boutique opens  :: Release ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ EP (UK)  :: Paul proposes to Jane Asher  :: ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ movie on TV

 

1968

 

January :: George flies to India

February :: Beatles flies to India  :: Rishikesh

March :: Release ‘Lady Madonna’ single (UK & US)  :: Paul and Ringo return to England

April :: George and John falls out with the Maharishi

May :: Apple launched  :: ‘The Tonight Show’ interview  :: John says he is Jesus  :: John seeing Yoko

June :: Cynthia moves out  :: Bought No.3 Savile Row

July :: ‘You Are Here’ exhibition  :: ‘White Album’ sessions  :: Premiere of ‘Yellow Submarine’ (UK)  :: Asher catches Paul with Francie Schwartz  :: Mad Day Out  :: Apple Boutique closes down

August :: Apple Music is launched  :: Ringo walks out of session  :: Release ‘Hey Jude’ single (UK)

September :: Paul seeing Linda  :: Hunter Davies’ biography

October :: John’s drug bust

November :: John release ‘Two Virgins’  :: Yoko’s miscarriage  :: Release ‘The White Album’ (UK & US)

December :: Richard Branson  :: Hell’s Angels  :: The Rolling Stones’ ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Circus’  :: ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ released (US)

 

1969

 

January :: ‘Get Back’ sessions  :: George storms out of session :: Release ‘Yellow Submarine’ album (UK & US)  :: Billy Preston  :: John meets Allen Klein  :: Rooftop concert

February :: Ringo films ‘The Magic Christian’  :: Paul hires Eastman & Eastman  :: Nemperor buy-out

March :: Paul marries Linda  :: John and Yoko marry  :: Amsterdam bed-in  :: Dick James sells shares  :: John and Yoko to Vienna

April :: Release ‘Get Back’ single (UK)  :: Trying to win back Northern Songs

May :: John buys Tittenhurst Park  :: Release ‘Get Back’ single (US)  :: Klein fires Alistair Taylor  :: Paul signed to ABKCO  :: Bahamas bed-in  :: Montreal bed-in  :: Release ‘The Ballad Of John And Yoko’ (UK)

June :: John records ‘Give Peace A Chance’  :: Release ‘The Ballad Of John And Yoko’ (US)

July :: ‘Abbey Road’ sessions  :: John’s car-crash

August :: Charles Manson murders  :: Last studio session with all four Beatles  :: Final photo shoot

September :: John’s Toronto concert  :: John announce leaving Beatles :: Release ‘Abbey Road’ (UK)

October :: Release ‘Abbey Road’ (US)  :: Release ‘Something’ single (UK & US)  :: ‘Paul is dead’ rumour

November :: John and Yoko release ‘The Wedding Album’  :: John returnes MBE

December :: John’s support for James Hanratty  :: John meets the Canadian PM

 

1970

 

January :: Last-ever session

February :: John releases ‘Instant Karma!’  :: Release ‘Hey Jude’ LP (US)

March :: Release ‘Let It Be’ single (UK & US)  :: Ringo releases ‘Sentimental Journey’

April :: Paul announces the split  :: Paul releases ‘McCartney’

May :: Release ‘Let It Be’ LP (UK & US)  :: Release ‘The Long And Winding Road’ single (US)  :: Premiere of ‘Let It Be’ movie

June :: Paul starts considering court case

August :: Apple press office closes

September :: Ringo releases ‘Beaucoups Of Blues’ LP (US)

October :: Ringo releases the ‘Beaucoups Of Blues’ single (US)

November :: George releases ‘My Sweet Lord’  :: George releases (US) ‘All Things Must Pass‘ (UK & US)  :: John’s ‘Rolling Stone’ interview

December :: John releases his ‘John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band’ LP (UK & US)  :: Paul files lawsuit