Abbey Road Today

It was 40 years ago today... well, give or take a day or two. Actually, it was on August 8, 1969 that one of the most famous and controversial pieces of album artwork came to be. And still today, people risk life and limb just to be photographed at one of the world's most famous crosswalks.

The iconic photo of the Beatles on the crossing outside Abbey Road Studios was taken taken by Scottish photographer Iain Macmillan. The album cover was the centerpiece in the decades long "Paul is dead" controversy in part, because of the way the fab four were dressed. John Lennon leads in a white suit and symbolises the preacher; Ringo Starr is the mourner, dressed in black; George Harrison, in scruffy shirt and trousers, denotes the grave-digger; Paul is wearing an old suit and is the only one who is barefoot.There were lots of other "clues" as well—just check out these links:

Looking back on the "Paul Is Dead" Controversy

The making of the cover of Abbey Road

Beatles fans trip back to Abbey Road

Ever since the image appeared on the front of their Abbey Road album, the crossing has become a place of pilgrimage.

Scores of Beatles fans visit every day to recreate the famous pose.