1964 Fun Facts, Trivia and History |
Quick Facts from 1964 |
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Top Ten Baby Names of 1964Lisa, Mary, Susan, Karen, Patricia, Michael, John, David, James, Robert |
The Sex Symbols, Hotties and Fashion IconsUrsula Andress, Brigitte Bardot, Carroll Baker, Honor Blackman, Claudia Cardinale, Doris Day, Catherine Deneuve, Angie Dickinson, Shirley Eaton, Annette Funicello, Sophia Loren, Tina Louise, Babette March, Ann-Margret, Julie Newmar, Kim Novak, Elke Sommer, Elizabeth Taylor, Veruschka |
Sex Symbols and Hollywood HunksSean Connery, Elvis Presley, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Paul McCartney |
“The Quotes”“Skipper!” “Does she or doesn’t she?” “Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here! This is the War Room!” “Come alive! You’re in the Pepsi generation.” “A martini. Shaken, not stirred.” “Please don’t squeeze the Charmin.” “Let your fingers do the walking” “Put a tiger in your tank.” |
Time Magazine’s Man of the YearLyndon B. Johnson |
Miss AmericaDonna Axum (El Dorado, AR) |
Miss USABobbie Johnson (District of Colombia) |
The ScandalsAudrey Hepburn did not get an Oscar nomination for her performance in My Fair Lady. Marni Nixon did the singing, so the Academy figured it was “half a performance.” Pop Star Death: Sam Cooke (murder, he was drinking and there was a misunderstanding) The FBI sent a letter to Martin Luther King Jr., and it suggested that he commit suicide. Kitty Genovese was murdered in 1964, and up to ~37 witnesses nearby did not act. The incident helped create the 911 emergency phone call system. “Daisy” Attack Ad from the 1964 Presidential Election against Barry Goldwater only ran once. Fashion designers Andre Courreges and Mary Quant introduced the miniskirt, scandalizing society. U.S. paper currency is made Legal Tender for all Debts, Public and Private. According to the U.S. Constitution, it must be backed by gold. It isn’t anymore. |
The ScaryIn 1964, Three young Ph.D. grads were paid to develop a nuclear weapon design with public information in The Nth Country Experiment. They did so in less than three years. The report was classified. Earthquake: The Great Alaskan Earthquake of 1964 was a magnitude 9.2 megathrust earthquake, lasting 4 minutes and 39 seconds. It was the most powerful earthquake recorded in North American history, and 139 people died. |
HopeThe Hiroshima Flame of Peace was lit on August 1, 1964, in the hope of a world without nuclear weapons, and it will continue to burn until nuclear weapons are abolished worldwide. #peace |
1964 Pop Culture FactsThe three rings around the Unisphere, the Queens, NY centerpiece for the 1964 World’s Fair, represented the orbital flights of Yuri Garagrin, the first man in space, John Glenn, the first American in space, and Telestar, the first active communications satellite. Mr. Potato Head kits came without a body from 1952 until 1964. Real #potatoes were used until then. The FBI spent four months investigating the song Louie Louie by The Kingsmen after receiving complaints about obscene lyrics. The investigation ended without persecution. The Beatles are the only artists to hold all top 5 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 on the same week, April 4, 1964. #1. Can’t Buy Me Love, #2. Twist and Shout, #3. She Loves You, #4. I Want to Hold Your Hand, #5. Please, Please Me. In 1964, the best-selling Beatles merchandise was the “I Love Ringo” lapel pins. The Beatles had 7 ‘Platinum’ Albums in 1964 – Introducing… The Beatles, Meet the Beatles!, The Beatles’ Second Album, A Hard Day’s Night, Something New, Beatles for Sale, and Beatles ’65 sold over one million copies. Feb 9 – The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. President Lyndon Johnson declared a “War on Poverty” in his first State of the Union Address. The film The Battle of the Bulge was so historically inaccurate that President Dwight D Eisenhower came out of retirement and held a press conference just to denounce the film. The US had no Vice President for all of 1964. Lyndon Johnson never named a replacement. Hubert Humphrey became VP when he was inaugurated in 1965. Jack White’s iconic guitar originally came from Montgomery Ward and was sold for $99 in 1964, Soviet gymnast Larissa Latynina holds the record for the most Olympic medals ever won by a female. Competing in three Olympics between 1956 and 1964, she won 18 medals. Jazz artist Dizzy Gillespie ran for president, promising to rename the White House “the Blues House” and appoint Ray Charles, librarian of Congress, Miles Davis, head of the CIA, and Malcolm X, attorney general. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’, co-written by Phil Spector, was first performed by the Righteous Brothers. The song has received more airplay on radio and television than any other song in the 1900s. The Ford Mustang was introduced. The Sharpie marker was introduced. The Extra Fine Point came out in 1979, and the Ultra Fine Point was released in 1989. The BASIC (Beginner’s All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) computer language was created. Hello, Dolly! opened in New York’s St. James Theatre. Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was published. Merv Griffin’s game show Jeopardy! debuted on NBC. Art Fleming was the first host. David Bowie’s first TV appearance was in 1964; he was interviewed on the BBC’s Tonight as the founder of ‘The Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men’. Robert Moog developed his first electronic music synthesizer. RCA created the first music synthesizer in 1953 Mary Poppins premiered in theaters on August 27. |
The Updated Hippocratic Oath, rewritten in 1964 by Louis LasagnaI swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant: |
Nobel Prize WinnersPhysics – Charles Hard Townes, Nicolay Gennadiyevich Basov, Aleksandr Prokhorov |
The HabitsTroll Dolls (Year 2) |
1st Appearances & 1964’s Most Popular Christmas Gifts, Toys and PresentsEasy Bake Oven, G.I. Joe, Rat Fink Collectible Hot Rod Figures, Password Game, Mighty Tonka Dump Truck (continued to be made popular in the 1970s due to the elephant stepping on it during a commercial), PLASTIC Mr. Potato Head, Wham-O Professional Frisbees, Monster Magnet, Rube Goldberg’s Animated Hobby Kit, Hand’s Down (with Slam-O-Matic) |
Best Film Oscar WinnerTom Jones (presented in 1964) |
Broadway ShowsHello, Dolly! (Musical) Opened on January 16, 1964, and closed on December 27, 1970 |
Popular and Best-selling Books From 1964A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway |
1964 Most Popular TV Shows1. Bonanza (NBC) |
1964 Billboard Number One SongsDecember 7, 1963 – January 3, 1964: January 4 – January 31: February 1 – March 20: March 21 – April 3: April 4 – May 8: May 9 – May 15: May 16 – May 29: May 30 – June 5: June 6 – June 26: June 27 – July 3: July 4 – July 17: July 18 – July 31: August 1 – August 14: August 15 – August 21: August 22 – September 14: September 5 – September 25: September 26 – October 16: October 17 – October 30: October 31 – November 27: November 28 – December 4: December 5 – December 11: December 12 – December 18: December 19 – December 25: December 26, 1964 – January 15, 1965: |
SportsWorld Series Champions: St. Louis Cardinals |
More 1964 Facts & History Resources:BabyBoomers.com (1964) |