I don't know if this question is better suited to /r/askhistorians or /r/socialscience or /r/AskEconomics but I'm curious about the precursors of Beatle mania. Was the phenomenon based on an uptick in television sales, was it the power of the radio DJ? What were the reactions of older people to the reaction of young people to the Beatles?
From what I've gathered their reception was not predicted. Why wasn't it predicted? Was there a backlash from young men against the Beatles, similar to how we see a backlash from guy against boy bands and people like Justin Bieber these days?
The phenomenon of girls screaming and fainting about singers/multimedia stars can be traced to an origin in 1928 America, with the sudden wild popularity of Rudy Vallée on radio. This led to sold-out vaudeville tours, his appearance as an animated and live character in Betty Boop cartoons, sporadic movie appearances (he starred in several) and the release of his first autobiography in 1929. He's the source of the story of a fan swearing to never wash her hand again after shaking hands with him.
While Russ Columbo and Bing Crosby were popular, they never quite hit the hysterical note with their fans. The next one who did was Frank Sinatra c.1940, followed by the Elvis Presley mania in the mid 1950s. The Beatles were just a repeat of these three earlier fanaticisms.
Although this is not a scholarly piece, I think you might like to read Steve Greenberg's Billboard article on the subject : the popularity of transistor radios (so that kids don't have to listen to the same music than their parents anymore) and a particular desire to change the nation's mind after the Kennedy assassination might have played an important role.