Bigger than The Beatles? One Direction Make US Chart History

One Direction has cemented their status as the world's biggest boy band after making US chart history.

The boy band, which is made up of Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, became the first group to score four consecutive number one debuts on the US Billboard 200 album chart, after their latest album "Four" climbed to the summit.

According to stats compiled by Nielsen SoundScan, Four, which features hits including "Steal My Girl" and "Ready to Run", knocked Taylor Swift off the top spot and sold 387,000 copies in its first week.

Their previous albums, 2011's "Up All Night", 2012's "Take Me Home" and 2013's "Midnight Memories", also reached top spots on the Billboard album chart.

One Direction skyrocketed to fame after coming third on X Factor in 2010, where they were put together by music mogul Simon Cowell.

Not only does the quintet have a combined fortune of £70m, they have a dedicated global fan base affectionately known as the Directioners.

Earlier this year, Styles boldly claimed that their success had surpassed that of British rock legends, the Beatles.

Speaking to Top of the Pops magazine, the 21-year-old hunk said that they often provoked the same level of hysteria that the Beatles had, referring to when the Fab Four arrived at John F Kennedy Airport for their first ever US tour in 1964.

"Stepping off the plane, the girls, the madness, it was exactly the same as when we got there – just 50 years earlier," he said.

"But none of us think we're in the same league as them music-wise. We'd be total fools if we did. Fame-wise it's probably even bigger, but we don't stand anywhere near them in terms of music."

One Direction are still on a high following their three wins at the 2014 American Music Awards.

They were crowned artists of the year and also took home the coveted album of the year award for Midnight Memories. They were also name favourite pop/rock album.

"This has been a real perfect day... America feels like a second home to us," Liam Payne said.