80 years ago, on July 27, 1940, Billboard published its first ranking of the best-selling records in the United States. The first official single charts, topped by “I’ll Never Smile Again” by Tommy Dorsey back in the summer of 1940, would eventually expand to include radio airplay and evolve into the famous Billboard Hot 100 in 1958.
Over the years, many artists have topped the list of the country’s most popular songs at the time, but none did so more often than The Beatles. With 20 no.1 singles on the Hot 100 charts, the iconic British rock band are just one hit ahead of Mariah Carey, who has 19 notches in her belt. Including no. 1 records from the pre-Hot 100 era, Elvis Presley comes third in the ranking with 18 chart-topping hits.
