1963 History, Trivia and Fun Facts |
Quick Facts from 1963: |
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Top Ten Baby Names of 1963: Lisa, Mary, Susan, Karen, Linda, Michael, John, David, James, Robert |
The Hotties, Sex Symbols and Fashion Icons: LizTsUrsula Andress, Brigitte Bardot, Carroll Baker, Honor Blackman, Claudia Cardinale, Doris Day, Angie Dickinson, Annette Funicello, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Jayne Mansfield, Ann-Margret, Julie Newmar, Kim Novak, Leslie Parrish, Elke Sommer, Stella Stevens, Elizabeth Taylor, Veruschka |
Sex Symbols and Hollywood Hunks: Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Sean Connery, Elvis Presley, Gregory Peck |
“The Quotes:” In 1963, Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry remarked, “They’ll put a man on the moon before I hit a home run.” On July 20, 1969, a few hours after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, Perry hit his first and only home run. “Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Meyer wiener. That is what I truly want to be.” |
Time Magazine’s Man of the Year: Martin Luther King, Jr |
Miss America: Jacquelyn Mayer (Sandusky, OH) |
Miss USA: Marite Ozers (Illinois) |
The Tragedy: Airplane Celebrity Death: Patsy Cline |
Presidential Assassination: John F Kennedy & Magic Bullet Theory The JFK assassination is the mother of all modern conspiracy theories. |
US Politics: January 20, 1965 (Wednesday) Second inauguration of Lyndon B. Johnson |
Pop Culture Facts: Valentia Tershkova was the first woman in space, on the Vostok 6. She orbited Earth 48 times. Kodak introduced the Instamatic camera. ‘Ma’ Bell Telephone introduced the push button telephone Boxer Sonny Liston was the first to win a million dollars in a single bout when he beat Floyd Patterson, in Chicago on September 25th. Elizabeth Taylor was the first actress to earn $1,000,000 for a single film – ‘Cleopatra.’ Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc publicly immolated himself on a street in Saigon to protest the anti-Buddhist policies of President Ngo Dinh Diem. Mississippi physician James D. Hardy performed the first successful lung transplant. |
Doomsday Clock: |
The Habits: Troll Dolls were everywhere. Betty Friedan’s ‘The Feminine Mystique’ helped establish the Feminist Movement. |
1st appearances & 1963’s Most Popular Christmas gifts, toys and presents: Mouse Trap, Allan Sherwood (Barbie and Ken’s friend), Easy-Bake Oven, Big Loo. ‘Dam Things’ trolls were the original Troll Dolls, first created in the 1950s. They got much cuter, and were produced by several companies by the early 1960s. |
Best Film Oscar Winner: Lawrence of Arabia (presented in 1963) |
Broadway Show – Barefoot in the Park (Play) Opened on October 23, 1963 and Closed: June 25, 1967 |
Popular and Notable Books From 1963: Babies So Tall Board Book by Gyo Fujikawa The Battle of the Villa Fiorita by Rumer Godden The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book by Richard Scarry Caravans by James A. Michener Cat’s Cradle – Kurt Vonnegut City of Night by John Rechy Elizabeth Appleton by John O’Hara The Feminine Mystique – Betty Friedan The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin The Glass-Blowers by Daphne du Maurier Grandmother and the Priests by Taylor Caldwell The Group by Mary McCarthy Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss I Am a Bunny by Ole Risom and Richard Scarry On Her Majesty’s Secret Service by Ian Fleming Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters, and Seymour-An Introduction by J.D. Salinger The Sand Pebbles by Richard McKenna Seven Days in May by Fletcher Knebel The Shoes of the Fisherman by Morris West Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak |
1963 Most Popular TV shows: 1. Beverly Hillbillies (CBS) 2. Bonanza (NBC) 3. The Dick Van Dyke Show (CBS) 4. Petticoat Junction (CBS) 5. The Andy Griffith Show (CBS) 6. The Lucy Show (CBS) 7. Candid Camera (CBS) 8. The Ed Sullivan Show (CBS) 9. The Danny Thomas Show (CBS) 10. My Favorite Martian (CBS) |
1963 Billboard Number One Songs December 22, 1962 – January 11, 1963: January 12 – January 25: January 26 – February 8: February 9 – March 1: March 2 – March 22: March 23 – March 29: March 30 – April 26: April 27 – May 17: May 18 – May 30: June 1 – June 14: June 15 – July 5: July 6 – July 19: July 20 – August 2: August 3 – August 9: August 10 – August 30: August 31 – September 20: September 21 – October 11: October 12 – November 15: November 16 – November 22: November 23 – December 6: December 7, 1963 – January 3, 1964: |
Sports: World Series Champions: Los Angeles Dodgers NFL Champions: Chicago Bears AFL Champions: San Diego Chargers NBA Champions: Boston Celtics Stanley Cup Champs: Toronto Maple Leafs U.S. Open Golf Julius Boros U.S. Tennis: (Men/Ladies) Rafael Osuna/Maria Bueno Wimbledon (Men/Women): Chuck McKinley/Margaret Smoth NCAA Football Champions: Texas NCAA Basketball Champions: Loyola Kentucky Derby: Chateaugay |