Beatles Signed Pan Am Airways Route Map Obtained on Their Flight to America, February 7, 1964.  A 15.75" x 9" (overall) printed Pan American Airways System world map, being the center pullout from the airline flight schedule for February 1-29, 1964. It is neatly signed in blue ink: "John Lennon", "Paul McCartney", "George Harrison", and "Ringo Starr" in the Pacific Ocean area where there was room for all four to sign together. These beautiful autographs were obtained by a First Class passenger on Pan Am Flight 101 on February 7, 1964, during a flight from London to New York, or as one might call it, the "Beatles Flight to Destiny." They were booked two days hence to play live to America on the Ed Sullivan Show and they were nervous about how they would be accepted. Seventy-three million people watched them, adored them, and as they say, the rest is history. It's been 50 years since that flight to New York and those years have been filled with more TV shows, tours, films, awards, brilliant timeless records, a breakup, solo careers, a senseless assassination, a tragic death, re-releases, and a televised reunion of sorts. In 2014, the Beatles are as much in the news as they were then and they've picked up millions of rabid fans that were not even alive in 1964. It would be hard to find a piece of Beatle memorabilia more evocative of that first American visit. Very fine overall, light vertical and horizontal folds do not detract.

After years of touring England, Germany, and Europe, and two successful album releases in Great Britain, Beatlemania was fairly widespread in Europe. It was America that remained to be conquered. Most of their early influences had been American artists such as Elvis, Buddy Holly, and Chuck Berry. Just before this trip, they had discovered and fallen in love with Bob Dylan's music. None of them were very confident that they would achieve the same popularity in the United States that they had elsewhere. Manager Brian Epstein said: "We knew that America would make us or break us as world stars. In fact, she made us." Ringo stated: "We were fabulous musicians, we had great writers... We'd conquered Sweden, we'd conquered France, we conquered Spain and Italy but we were worried about America." George, who had been to Illinois in 1963 to visit his sister, told his bandmates when he got back: "They don't know us, it's going to be hard." John had a comic take on the trip: "When we came over the first time, we were only coming over to buy LPs. I know our manager had plans for Ed Sullivan shows but we thought at least we could hear the sounds when we came over." It must have been a bit encouraging to be asked for these autographs on the flight as probably many of the American passengers had no idea who they were. When they were told during the flight that there was a big crowd waiting for them in New York, Paul and the other Fabs knew it was going to be a successful trip as they thought: "Wow! God, we really have made it." What an understatement! (All quotes from The Beatles Anthology, page 115.) COA from Heritage Auctions.