JULY 28, 1968 – The Beatles held their “Mad Day Out,” an all-day group photography session

JULY 28, 1968 – During sessions for what would be commonly referred to as “The White Album,” The Beatles held their “Mad Day Out,” an all-day group photography session across London which produced most of their more well-known latter-day photographs, including the cover of their “1967-1970” album.
Don McCullin, predominantly a photographer of war zones, was commissioned for the shoot. He practically “levitated two inches off the ground” he was so surprised and thrilled to receive The Beatles’ invitation. Having just photographed them for a Life Magazine cover, they set out on a jaunt where their itinerary took them from the Sunday Times building on Gray’s Inn Road to Cable Street in the East End (McCullin claimed they’d feel comfortable there – the river and surroundings might remind them of the docks of Liverpool, and he knew parts of Whitechapel like the back of his hand). From there, McCullin and the band went to Old Street roundabout, on which they posed, much to the surprise of the taxi drivers who waved whilst whizzing round for second looks. After that, they went to Limehouse to pose near the beautiful Georgian sea captains’ houses before moving on to a community hall back in the East End, playing with a parrot for a while before heading back to Paul’s house in St. John’s Wood and his geodesic-domed glass ceiling.