Doctor Who, JFK & Beatlemania - West Ham's last win at Anfield
Last updated on .From the section Liverpool
Before this weekend, the last time West Ham won at Liverpool in the league The Beatles were top of the charts, You'll Never Walk Alone was just a Broadway musical number and President John F Kennedy was drawing up plans for a fateful trip to Texas.
An impressive 3-0 win on Saturday finally broke the Hammers' 52-year hoodoo as they celebrated a first success at Anfield since 14 September 1963.
Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst - who three years later would become England's World Cup heroes by combining for all four goals in the final against West Germany - were on the scoresheet in a 2-1 win in the old First Division.
It's safe to say the world was a very different place on that late summer day in 1963, and here's just a few reasons why:
It was before an iconic anthem became famous
A packed Anfield Kop booming out a rendition of club anthem You'll Never Walk Alone is one of football's most evocative sights
Yet when West Ham recorded that win back in 1963, Liverpool fans had yet to adopt the song, which at that point was famous only as a catchy tune in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel.
It would take a reworking by Merseybeat group Gerry and the Pacemakers to elevate to the number to cult status at Anfield, the band releasing the single in October 1963 - just a matter of weeks after West Ham's victory.
Elsewhere in the 1963 music scene, Liverpool band The Beatles had only recently risen to prominence and were number one in the music charts at the time of the game with She Loves You - a song that would go on to be the Fab Four's biggest-selling single in the UK.
As an aside, just 24 hours after the Hammers condemned Liverpool to defeat, The Beatles played on the same bill as The Rolling Stones at 'The Great Pop Prom' at London's Royal Albert Hall - the first of just two occasions when the giants of British music would play the same venue together.
| Top five songs in the UK charts on 14 Sept 1963 |
|---|
| 1. She Loves You - The Beatles |
| 2. It's All In The Game - Cliff Richard |
| 3. Bad To Me - Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas |
| 4. I'll Never Get Over You - Johnny Kidd & The Pirates |
| 5. I'm Telling You Now - Freddie and the Dreamers |
It was before a time-travelling police box
In September 1963 the backs of sofas had yet to be fully explored by children as cult BBC series Doctor Who was still two months away from being broadcast for the first time.
The Doctor, his Tardis and his myriad foes were unleashed on the world on 23 November with the transmission of the very first episode, 'An Unearthly Child'.
The series remains a Saturday night staple 52 years on, with 12 actors having portrayed the Doctor and more that 800 episodes broadcast.
It was before a major moment in world history
On 13 September 1963 - one day before West Ham left the Anfield pitch to cheers from the travelling fans - the White House confirmed in a press release that US president John F. Kennedy would be making a trip to Dallas, Texas later in the year.
It did not specify a date but sometime in late November seemed the most likely.
Two months later, on 22 November, Kennedy was assassinated while travelling in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas, sending shockwaves around the world.
It was before Liverpool ended a title drought
For those Liverpool fans who are a bit disappointed with Saturday's defeat, you might be able to console yourselves with this fact.
After that defeat by the Hammers in 1963, the then Liverpool manager Bill Shankly famously said to the club's directors: "Gentlemen, I assure you that before the end of the season we will win a game at home."
They ultimately did much more than that as they went on to the win the league by four points from nearest challengers Manchester United.
The Reds famously celebrated their victory by parading a papier mache version of the league trophy around Anfield (above) after local rivals and erstwhile champions Everton refused to hand over the original directly, instead insisting on returning it to the Football League first.