World Changing Event: The Civil Rights Act was signed by President Lyndon Johnson, outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
The Top Song was I Want To Hold Your Hand by The Beatles
The Movies to Watch include Mary Poppins, My Fair Lady, and Goldfinger.
The Most Famous Person in America was probably Martin Luther King.
The Most Famous People in the World were probably The Beatles.
Notable books include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl and The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.
The price of 1/2 gallon Holland Dutch Treat ice cream in 1964 was 59 cents. Bulova Hi-Fi Record Player: $59.00
The Creepy Crawlers activity toy (die-cast hot plate) was introduced.
The Fab Four were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr- The Beatles
The Funny Late Show Host: Steve Allen The Funny Lady was: Moms Mabley
The Conversation: The US Surgeon General warned about smoking-related health hazards. Were cigarettes really bad for us?
January 8 – President Johnson Declares War on Poverty: In his State of the Union address, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced initiatives to eliminate poverty in the United States.
January 9 – Panama Canal Zone Riots: Clashes between U.S. troops and Panamanian civilians in the Panama Canal Zone resulted in 21 Panamanian and 4 U.S. deaths, escalating tensions between the two nations.
January 11 – Surgeon General’s Smoking Report: The U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry released a landmark report stating that smoking may be hazardous to health, the first such acknowledgment by the government.
February 9 – The Beatles’ First Appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show”: The Beatles performed live from New York, drawing an estimated 73.7 million television viewers and igniting Beatlemania in the U.S.
March 6 – Cassius Clay Becomes Muhammad Ali: Boxing legend Cassius Clay announced his conversion to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali, calling his former title a “slave name.”
March 27 – Great Alaska Earthquake: A magnitude 9.2 earthquake struck Alaska, causing 139 deaths and significant damage, marking the largest U.S. earthquake and the second most recorded.
April 13 – 36th Academy Awards: Tom Jones won Best Film, Patricia Neal (for Hud) and Sidney Poitier (for Lilies of the Field) received acting honors; Poitier became the first Black actor in a leading role to win a competitive Oscar.
June 21 – Murders of Civil Rights Workers in Mississippi: Three civil rights workers—James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner—disappeared in Philadelphia, Mississippi; their bodies were later found buried in an earthen dam, highlighting racial violence in the South.
July 2 – Civil Rights Act Signed into Law: President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, abolishing racial segregation in public schools, accommodations, and voting registration.
August 4 – Gulf of Tonkin Incident: Reports of attacks on U.S. naval vessels by North Vietnamese forces in the Gulf of Tonkin led to increased U.S. involvement in Vietnam.
August 7 – Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Passed: The U.S. Congress passed the resolution, authorizing President Johnson to take all necessary measures to repel armed attacks against U.S. forces, effectively escalating the Vietnam War.
October 14 – Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to Martin Luther King Jr.: Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent struggle against racial inequality.
October 16 – China’s First Nuclear Test: The People’s Republic of China successfully detonated its first atomic bomb, becoming the world’s fifth nuclear power.
November 3 – Lyndon B. Johnson Re-Elected as U.S. President: President Johnson won a landslide victory over Republican candidate Barry Goldwater, securing his first full term in office.
December 10 – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Receives Nobel Peace Prize: King was honored in Oslo, Norway, becoming the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
December 14 – Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States: The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ruling that Congress could use its power to regulate interstate commerce to prohibit racial discrimination in public accommodations.
Freedom Summer in Mississippi: A campaign to register African-American voters in Mississippi faced violent resistance, including the murders of civil rights workers, but brought national attention to the civil rights movement.
British Invasion of Music in the U.S.: British bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones dominated American music charts, significantly influencing the global music scene. Economic Opportunity Act Enacted: As part of the War on Poverty, the act provided federal funds for vocational training, established Job Corps, and aimed to eliminate poverty and expand educational opportunities.
Race Riots in U.S. Cities: Incidents of racial violence and protests erupted in cities like Harlem and Philadelphia, highlighting ongoing racial tensions and the struggle for civil rights. Introduction of the Ford Mustang: Ford Motor Company introduced the Mustang, creating a new class of automobiles known as the “pony car” and achieving significant commercial success.
Tokyo Hosted Summer Olympics: The 1964 Summer Olympics were held in Tokyo, Japan, marking the first time the Olympics took place in Asia and showcasing Japan’s post-war recovery and technological advancements. Introduction of Pop-Tarts: Kellogg’s launched Pop-Tarts, an iconic toaster pastry that quickly became a breakfast favorite in American households.
Berkeley Free Speech Movement: Students at the University of California, Berkeley, initiated protests demanding academic freedom and free speech, influencing future student movements. Publication of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory*: Roald Dahl’s classic children’s book was published, introducing the magical world of Willy Wonka and his chocolate factory.
Top Ten Baby Names of 1964
Lisa, Mary, Susan, Karen, Patricia, Michael, John, David, James, Robert
The Sex Symbols, Hotties and Fashion Icons
Ursula 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 Hunks
Sean Connery, Elvis Presley, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Paul McCartney
“The Quotes”
“Skipper!” – Gilligan
“Does she or doesn’t she?” -Clairol
“Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here! This is the War Room!” – Peter Sellers, in ‘Dr. Strangelove’
“Come alive! You’re in the Pepsi generation.” – Pepsi
“A martini. Shaken, not stirred.” – Sean Connery, as James Bond, in ‘Goldfinger’
“Please don’t squeeze the Charmin.” – Dick Wilson, as Mr. George Whipple
“Let your fingers do the walking” -Yellow Pages
“Put a tiger in your tank.” – Esso (later Exxon)
Time Magazine’s Man of the Year
Lyndon B. Johnson
Miss America
Donna Axum (El Dorado, AR)
Miss USA
Bobbie Johnson (District of Colombia)
The Scandals
Audrey 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 Scary
In 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.
Hope
The 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 Facts
The 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
The Updated Hippocratic Oath, rewritten in 1964 by Louis Lasagna
I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant: I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow. I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism. I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon’s knife or the chemist’s drug. I will not be ashamed to say “I know not,” nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient’s recovery. I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God. I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person’s family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems if I am to care adequately for the sick. I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure. I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm. If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.
Nobel Prize Winners
Physics – Charles Hard Townes, Nicolay Gennadiyevich Basov, Aleksandr Prokhorov Chemistry – Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Physiology or Medicine – Konrad Bloch, Feodor Lynen Literature – Jean-Paul Sartre Peace – Martin Luther King Jr. *Jean-Paul Sartre declined his prize, saying “A writer should not allow himself to be turned into an institution”.
The Habits
Troll Dolls (Year 2) Watching the cool kids drive their Ford Mustangs Reading The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.
1st Appearances & 1964’s Most Popular Christmas Gifts, Toys and Presents
Easy 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 Winner
Tom Jones (presented in 1964)
Broadway Shows
Hello, Dolly! (Musical) Opened on January 16, 1964, and closed on December 27, 1970 Funny Girl (Musical) Opened on March 26, 1964 and closed on July 1, 1967 Fiddler on the Roof (Musical) Opened on September 22, 1964, and closed on July 2, 1972
Popular and Best-selling Books From 1964
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway Armageddon by Leon Uris Richard Scarry’s Best Mother Goose Ever by Richard Scarry Candy by Terry Southern and Mason Hoffenberg Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang by Ian Fleming Convention by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II Come Back, Dr. Caligari by Donald Barthelme The Giving Tree – Shel Silverstein The Group – Mary McCarthy Herzog by Saul Bellow How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss It’s Like This, Cat by Emily Cheney Neville Last Exit To Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr. The Man by Irving Wallace The Martyred by Richard E. Kim The Rector of Justin by Louis Auchincloss This Rough Magicby Mary Stewart The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré The Virtue of Selfishness by Ayn Rand You Only Live Twice by Ian Fleming
1964 Most Popular TV Shows
1. Bonanza (NBC) 2. Bewitched (ABC) 3. Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. (CBS) 4. The Andy Griffith Show (CBS) 5. The Fugitive (ABC) 6. The Red Skelton Show (CBS) 7. The Dick Van Dyke Show (CBS) 8. The Lucy Show (CBS) 9. Peyton Place II (ABC) 10. Combat (ABC)
World Series Champions: St. Louis Cardinals NFL Champions: Cleveland Browns AFL Champions: Buffalo Bills NBA Champions: Boston Celtics Stanley Cup Champs: Toronto Maple Leafs U.S. Open Golf Ken Venturi U.S. Tennis: (Men/Ladies) Roy Emerson/Maria Bueno Wimbledon (Men/Women): Roy Emerson/Maria Bueno NCAA Football Champions: Alabama & Arkansas & Notre Dame NCAA Basketball Champions: UCLA Kentucky Derby: Northern Dancer
