George's 21st birthday

George Harrison had the privilege of being the first Beatle to have a birthday after Beatlemania hit America. Actually, George's 21st birthday occurred just days after the Beatles landed back in the United Kingdom.

Letters and gifts came pouring into not just the Beatles fan club in London but also into George's home in Liverpool from all around the world. Girls sent cards, stuffed animals, cakes, drawings and plenty of keys (and one person even sent a door). Keys? Why keys? Well...in parts of the world (including England, Scotland and New Zealand) there is a tradition of giving someone the "keys to the house" on their 21st birthday as a symbol of them being an adult and the head of the household. I am not sure if this was a custom in the United States at the time, but I know that typically they give people alcohol on their 21st birthday around here and no one gets a key.

And as silly as it sounds, today we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of George's 21st birthday. But most importantly, we celebrate the life of George Harrison, a man I know we all love and miss dearly.