June 14: That Time A Fan Mailed Herself To The Beatles
How far would you go to meet your rock idol?
On this day in 1966, a 12-year-old fan, named Carol Dryden, attempted to mail herself to The Beatles.
Having saved her allowance, Dryden had her best friend pack her into a tea chest and tie it up. Once Dryden was settled in, her friend paid the freight charges of $8.47 and handed the box off to be transported 280 miles from Sunderland to London by train.
Dryden’s ingenious scheme took comfort into consideration. She lined the chest with blankets and brought a flask for the long ride. But even with all her planning, she forgot two important things … to put air holes in the chest.
As a result, Dryden never made it to her destination …
What Happened To The Young Beatles Fan?
When she was still at her home station in Sunderland, she began to get hot and run out of air. She attempted to remove her sweater, hoping it would relieve some of her discomfort. In her struggle the box began to move around, catching the attention of a nearby porter.
The porter searched the wobbling chest and discover Dryden inside of it.
News articles at the time speculated that Dryden wouldn’t have had more than 30 minutes before she ran out of air if she hadn’t been found.
In an interview following the incident, Dryden explained, “I hadn’t thought about fresh air or food. All I wanted was to see the Beatles. I don’t know what I would have done had I really arrived on their doorstep. I suppose I would have fainted.”
Her mom shared, “She’s a great Beatle fan … the last time they were here, we paid 15 shillings ($2.10) to get Carol a ticket. She enjoyed them but got very annoyed when the police wouldn’t let her approach them for an autograph. I suppose this led to her wanting to ship herself to London.”
The railway refunded her freight fee and the Beatles’ Fan Club sent her an autographed picture of the quartet.
Other Notable Rock Events From June 14
1953 – Elvis Presley graduated from LC Humes High School.
1964 – The Beatles arrived in Melbourne, Australia. The army and navy had to come in to control crowds. 50 people had to go to hospital with broken bones.
1965 – Paul McCartney recorded “Yesterday.”
1965 – Sonny & Cher released “I Got You Babe.”
1967 – The Monkees recorded “Daydream Believer” in Hollywood.
1967 – The Beatles started to record “All You Need Is Love.” They released the song later that same year.
1967 – Jimi Hendrix watched The Doors play at Steve Paul’s Scene in New York City.
1968 – Rod Stewart opened for The Jeff Beck Group.
1969 – Mick Taylor became the new guitarist for The Rolling Stones.
1970 – The Grateful Dead released Workingman’s Dead.
1970 – Grand Funk Railroad bought a $100,000 block of billboards in Time Square to advertise Closer To Home. The album became the group’s third gold record in one year.
1970 – Derek And The Dominoes debuted live in Britain.
1971 – The first Hard Rock Cafe opened in London.
1975 – “Sister Golden Hair” became America’s 2nd Billboard #1.
1980 – Roadie is released. The movie stars Meat Loaf as Travis W Redfish, a young Texan with a talent for electronic equipment who goes on the road with a rock n roll show.
1980 – Billy Joel’s 6-week run at #1 begins with Glass Houses.
1982 – The Pretenders fired Pete Farndon.
1986 – 3 fans fall from a balcony and die at an Ozzy Osbourne show in Long Beach.
1986 – Queen’s A Kind Of Magic hit #1 on the charts.
1987 – 800 rented NHS beds were moved onto the Saunton Sands for a Storm Thorgerson shoot. Unfortunately, rain disrupted the shoot and everything had to be set up again two weeks later. The image was used for the cover of Pink Floyd’s A Momentary Lapse Of Reason.
2000 – Paul Griffin died at 62. He was a pianist who recorded with dozens of musicians including Bob Dylan, Steely Dan, Van Morrison, and The Shirelles.
2000 – According to Melody Maker’s yearly survey, Oasis’s Noel Gallagher was the Un-Coolest Person in Rock.
2002 – Queen Elizabeth knight Mick Jagger and he became a sir.
2007 – Bob Dylan won one of Spain’s most prestigious awards – the Prince of Asturias Arts Award.
2012 – Beatles fans and locals saved Ringo Starr’s childhood home from demolition, along with 15 other buildings.
2016 – Henry McCullough passed away at 72. He played guitar in Wings with Paul McCartney.
2017 – The National Music Publishers Association announced that going forward Yoko Ono would receive writing credit for “Imagine” by John Lennon.
Rock Birthdays
1948 – Steve Hunter who worked with Aerosmith and Lou Reed (Guitar)
1949 – Jim Lea of Slade (Multi-Instrumentalist)
1949 – Alan White of Yes (Drums)
1958 – Nick Van Ede of Cutting Crew (Vocals)
1960 – Gary Husband who worked with Jeff Beck and others (Drums)
1961 – Boy George was born George O’Dowd (Vocals)
On This Day In History – June 14
June 14th is a significant date in rock history, where memorable events and remarkable moments have unfolded throughout the years. Among them stands out a captivating tale of a young girl’s bold decision to ship herself to her beloved rock icons, The Beatles.
This story epitomizes the unyielding passion and unwavering devotion that music enthusiasts possess.
It also serves as a testament to the unifying power of music, inspiring fans to dream the impossible and demonstrating the profound impact that rock music can have on people’s lives.
