1963 Oscars 35th Academy AwardsWinners Announced: April 8, 1963Held at: Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, CaliforniaHost: Frank SinatraEligibility Year: 1962Cinematic Highlights and AchievementsLawrence of Arabia Sweeps: The epic Lawrence of Arabia was the night’s big winner, capturing seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for David Lean.Gregory Peck’s Moment: Peck won Best Actor […]
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The Beatles’ First Album: “Please Please Me”The Beatles’ first album, “Please Please Me,” marked the beginning of their unprecedented musical success and influence, and it was released in the United Kingdom on March 22, 1963.The Beatles, consisting of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, formed in Liverpool, England, in 1960. Under Brian
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Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary ClosedAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary, a maximum-security prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, closed on March 21, 1963, after 29 years of operation, due to high operating costs and deteriorating facilities.Alcatraz was a military prison before becoming a federal penitentiary in 1934. The isolated island location and the frigid waters surrounding it
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The Profumo Affair The Profumo Affair was a political scandal in the United Kingdom that occurred in 1963, involving the Secretary of State for War, John Profumo, and his extramarital affair with a young woman named Christine Keeler. In 1961, John Profumo, a member of the British Conservative Party and an influential politician, began an
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Country Icon Patsy Cline’s Plane CrashCountry music star Patsy Cline died in a plane crash in 1963, along with fellow musicians Hawkshaw Hawkins, Cowboy Copas, and pilot Randy Hughes.On March 5, 1963, Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins, and Cowboy Copas were traveling from Kansas City, Kansas, to Nashville, Tennessee, after performing at a benefit concert. The
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Betty Friedan’s “The Feminine Mystique”The publication of Betty Friedan’s “The Feminine Mystique” on February 19, 1963, became a pivotal moment in the feminist movement, exposing the dissatisfaction and frustration of American housewives.Betty Friedan, an American feminist writer and activist, surveyed her former college classmates at Smith College for their 15-year reunion in 1957. She discovered
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Top Oldies Songs from 1959 to 1963: Pre-Beatles Pop, Girl Groups, Doo-Wop, Surf Rock, Soul, and Instrumentals The top oldies from 1959 to 1963 came from one of pop music’s most underrated transition eras. Rock and roll had survived its first explosion, doo-wop was still strong, girl groups were rising, teen idols were everywhere, surf
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1962 Billboard Number One Hits: Every Hot 100 Chart-TopperThe 1962 Billboard Number One Hits list captured American pop just before the British Invasion, with dance crazes, teen idols, soul, girl groups, country-pop, instrumentals, early Motown energy, and novelty records all reaching No. 1. The Tokens opened the year with The Lion Sleeps Tonight, Chubby Checker
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1962 History, Facts, and TriviaIn 1962, the world came closer to nuclear war than it has before or since. For thirteen days in October, the United States and the Soviet Union faced each other over Soviet missiles in Cuba, and the outcome depended in part on decisions made by individual people in submarines and in
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1962 Music Hits: Twist Records, Surf Rock, Girl Groups, Soul, Teen Idols, and Early ’60s Pop1962 music hits caught pop music in motion. The Twist was still going strong, surf rock was starting to rise, girl groups were moving toward their golden age, country and folk crossed into pop, and instrumental records could still become
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By John F. Kennedy President Pitzer, Mr. Vice President, Governor, Congressman Thomas, Senator Wiley, and Congressman Miller, Mr. Webb, Mr. Bell, scientists, distinguished guests, and ladies and gentlemen: I appreciate your president having made me an honorary visiting professor, and I will assure you that my first lecture will be very brief. I am delighted
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1962 Grammy Award WinnersWinners Announced: May 29, 1962Held at: Chicago, Los Angeles and New YorkHost: Frank SinatraEligibility Year: December 1, 1960 – November 30, 1961Music Highlights and AchievementsSinatra’s Hosting Charm: The Rat Pack’s very own Frank Sinatra took on the hosting duties, adding a layer of elegance and swagger to the ceremony.Henry Mancini’s Night: Composer
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Duty, Honor, Countryby General Douglas MacArthurHis Sylvanus Thayer Award Acceptance Address on May 12, 1962General Westmoreland, General Grove, distinguished guests, and gentlemen of the Corps!As I was leaving the hotel this morning, a doorman asked me, “Where are you bound for, General?” And when I replied, “West Point,” he remarked, “Beautiful place. Have you ever
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1962 Oscars 34th Academy AwardsWinners Announced: April 9, 1962Held at: Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, CaliforniaHost: Bob HopeEligibility Year: 1961Cinematic Highlights and AchievementsWest Side Story Sweeps: The musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet took home 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director for Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, and Best Supporting Actress
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1961 Billboard Number One Hits: Every Hot 100 Chart-TopperThe 1961 Billboard Number One Hits list captured early-1960s pop before the British Invasion, when teen idols, vocal groups, instrumentals, dance records, country crossover, early Motown, R&B, and story songs all reached No. 1. Elvis Presley opened the year with Are You Lonesome Tonight?, Bobby Lewis ruled
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1961 Trivia, History, and Fun FactsIn 1961, Yuri Gagarin orbited the Earth, and the Space Race had a clear leader. Alan Shepard followed fifteen minutes into space, and the gap began to close. John F. Kennedy was inaugurated and, within three months, had authorized the Bay of Pigs invasion, which failed spectacularly. The Berlin Wall
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1961 Music Hits: Soul, Doo-Wop, Teen Pop, Country Crossover, Dance Crazes, and Early Rock Classics1961 music hits captured pop music right before the British Invasion changed the whole conversation. American radio was packed with doo-wop groups, teen idols, early Motown, soul singers, country crossover hits, jazz instrumentals, novelty records, and dance songs that kept teenagers
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Non-Aligned Movement During the Belgrade ConferenceThe Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was established during the height of the Cold War as an organization of countries that did not want to formally align themselves with either the United States or the Soviet Union. The NAM sought to promote the interests of its members, many of which were newly
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We Choose To Go To The Moonby President John F. KennedyMay 25, 1961We’re here to mark that day in history when the Allied armies joined in battle to reclaim this continent to liberty. For four long years, much of Europe had been under a terrible shadow. Free nations had fallen, Jews cried out in the
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1961 Oscars 33rd Academy AwardsWinners Announced: April 17, 1961Held at: Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, CaliforniaHost: Bob HopeEligibility Year: 1960Cinematic Highlights and AchievementsThe Apartment Dominates: Billy Wilder’s The Apartment swept the Oscars with five wins, including Best Picture and Best Director. The wins extended to its stars, Jack Lemmon for Best Actor and Shirley
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1961 Grammy Award WinnersWinners Announced: April 12, 1961Held in: Los Angeles and New YorkHost/Emcee: Mort SahlEligibility Year: September 1, 1959 – November 30, 1960Highlights and AchievementsRay Charles Makes Waves: The man behind hits like What’d I Say won two awards, including Best Vocal Performance Single Record or Track, Male for Georgia On My Mind.First Female
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Trial and Execution of Adolf EichmannAdolf Eichmann, one of the key architects of the Holocaust, was captured, tried, and executed in a series of events that captured international attention and impacted public perceptions of the Holocaust, war crimes trials, and the State of Israel. His trial, which began on April 11, 1961, in Jerusalem, was
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Inauguration Address by John F. Kennedy on January 20, 1961, in Washington, DC Vice President Johnson, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, President Eisenhower, Vice President Nixon, President Truman, reverend clergy, fellow citizens: We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom – symbolizing an end as well as a beginning –
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Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Farewell Address Given on January 17, 1961, in Washington, D.C. My fellow Americans: Three days from now, after half a century in the service of our country, I shall lay down the responsibilities of office as, in traditional and solemn ceremony, the authority of the Presidency is vested in my successor. This
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1960 Billboard Number One Hits: Every Hot 100 Chart-TopperThe 1960 Billboard Number One Hits list captured early-1960s pop just before Motown, surf music, girl groups, and the British Invasion reshaped the chart. Country story songs, teen tragedy records, instrumentals, Elvis Presley, dance records, novelty songs, R&B crossovers, and romantic ballads all reached No. 1. Marty
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1960 Trivia, History, and Fun FactsQuick Facts from 1960World Changing Event: The FDA approved the first oral contraceptive pill on May 9, 1960. Within five years, 6.5 million American women were using it. Few inventions in history changed society as rapidly or as fundamentally.Top Song: The Theme from “A Summer Place” by Percy Faith and
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1960 Music Hits: Top Songs, Radio Favorites, and Pop Classics 1960 music sat right at the crossroads between the 1950s rock-and-roll era and the smoother pop, soul, dance, and teen-idol sounds of the early 1960s. Chubby Checker, Elvis Presley, Brenda Lee, Sam Cooke, The Drifters, Ray Charles, Roy Orbison, Bobby Rydell, Connie Francis, and The
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John F. Kennedy’s ElectionThe 1960 United States presidential election marked the beginning of a new era in American politics, as John F. Kennedy, a young and charismatic senator from Massachusetts, won the election to become the 35th President of the United States. His election campaign and subsequent victory significantly impacted American society and pop culture.Date:
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Organization of Petroleum Exporting CountriesThe Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is an influential international organization founded on September 14, 1960, in Baghdad, Iraq. It was established to coordinate and unify petroleum policies among member countries to secure stable oil prices and steady supply to oil-consuming nations.The founding members of OPEC were Iran, Iraq, Kuwait,
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1960 Rome OlympicsThe 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, were held in Rome, Italy, from August 25 to September 11, 1960. This historic event marked the first time that the Summer Olympics were held in Rome and showcased numerous athletic achievements, political and social developments, and the rise of
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