A photographer created history in 1969 when he snapped some photographs of The Beatles crossing Abbey Road. It was for their album of the same name and showed John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and George Harrison walking down the zebra crossing. The photographer was Iain MacMillan. He had climbed a ladder on the corner of Abbey Road and Grove End Road. He felt it would be a vantage point. At the time, he never imagined that this spot would become famous and fans of the Beatles from all over the world would one day arrive here to relive the moment.
The Guardian narrates what Iain MacMillan the photographer said before his death in 2006. He took a few shots as the Beatles crossed over. Then he waited for the traffic on Abbey Road to pass and captured some more precious moments of them walking on the zebra crossing. As a fan remarked, it was the simplicity that ensured fame for the cover as well as the group. Iain never imagined that fans would make a beeline to be present at the spot even after half a century.
On August 8, 1969, the Beatles took a photo for the cover of "Abbey Road"
— CNN (@CNN) August 8, 2019
To mark the 50th anniversary, hundreds of fans flocked to Abbey Road Studios in St. John's Wood in London and its famous street crossing. https://t.co/P3DOhA06Ib pic.twitter.com/frlT6yNev1
The craze continues
They belonged to a bygone era but even today, there is a craze for the Beatles.
It was a group of four that mesmerized the generation of the 60s. Two of them were honored with knighthood. They were Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the photograph, enthusiasts from across the world descended on Abbey Road. The time was 11:38 on Thursday morning. This was supposed to be the exact time when Iain MacMillan snapped the photographs.
An iconic moment in music history. #OnThisDay 50 years ago, Iain MacMillan climbed a stepladder & took 6 pictures of The Beatles crossing Abbey Road. The VW Beetle was a coincidence; its owner unknowingly parking it in the most recognisable album cover of all time. #MusicIsGREAT pic.twitter.com/T2MI3O8BLy
— GREAT Britain (@GREATBritain) August 8, 2019
The Guardian makes mention of one of the fans.
He was from New Zealand and wanted to be present at the anniversary. He describes it as “A trip of a lifetime. When you’re here you feel like you are part of the whole thing again.” Another person was there who knew the Beatles from his childhood days. He held the ladder on which MacMillan stood to capture the shot. Yet another who came from Liverpool says he met people who had come from other countries. In his words, the group unified people. He says “Down here today nobody cares about religion or the color of people’s skin, all they want to do is talk about Music.”
‘Abbey Road’ was the last album by the Beatles
According to the BBC, London's Abbey Road holds a special place in the minds of all those associated with the Beatles.
Their songs had a global appeal. Therefore, thousands of fans gathered at the venue where the foursome walked over its zebra crossing 50 years ago. They did it for the cover of their last album. The date was 8 August 1969. One of the fans in his 60s flew in from Santiago, Chile. It was a 14-hour journey. In order to add zing, the Beatles lookalike band the Fab Four was there. They arrived in a replica of Lennon's Rolls Royce car. The transport authorities diverted the routes of two buses briefly to allow queues to cross the road.