What Happened In 1963?
63 Trivia Questions and Answers for 1963 History
1. What was the Biggest Number One Song of 1963?
Sugar Shack by Jimmy Gilmer and The Fireballs
2. Disney’s Son of Flubber was a sequel to what 1961 film?
The Absent-Minded Professor
3. This crime drama television show, based on the real-life story of Sam Sheppard, ran from September 1963 through August 1967.
The Fugitive
4. What was the Bestselling Fiction Book in 1963?
The Shoes of the Fisherman by Morris L. West
5. In 1963, what was the average life expectancy in the United States?
Men – 66.6 years, Women – 73.4 years.
6. What was the highest-grossing film of 1963?
Cleopatra (2nd place: From Russia With Love) 3rd place: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World)
7. Cleopatra was the most expensive film ever made up to that point and almost bankrupted what film studio?
20th Century Fox
8. Who was the Time Magazine Man of the Year in 1963?
Martin Luthor King Jr
9. Who was President of the United States in 1963?
John F. Kennedy (January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963) and Lyndon B. Johnson (November 22, 1963 – January 20, 1969)
10. 1963 Catchphrase: Who said, “And that’s the way it is.”?
Walter Cronkite on (CBS) Evening News
11. Who won the Stanley Cup in 1963?
In 1963, The Toronto Maple Leafs won over the Detroit Red Wings (4 games to 1)
12. How much was a 5-pound bag of flour in 1963?
57 cents
13. How much did a Loaf of Bread cost in 1963?
22 cents
14. How many people lived in the United States in 1963?
The population was an estimated 189,241,798 people.
15. How many people lived in the World in 1963?
The estimated world population in 1963 was 3,201,178,277 people.
16. To the nearest quarter, what was the average movie theater ticket price in 1963?
75 cents
17. Name the 13-year-old boy and his song who reached the number one spot on Billboard’s Top 100 singles chart.
‘Little’ Stevie Wonder, Fingertips.
18. Name the the15-year-old girl and her song who reached the number one spot on Billboard’s Top 100 singles chart.
Little Peggy March, I Will Follow Him
19. This famous piece of art was on display at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC and then for a month at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, before returning home in Europe. Name it.
Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci
20. On March 5, 1963, a plane crash near Camden, Tennessee killed performers Hawkshaw Hawkins, Cowboy Copas, and what Country/Pop singing star?
Patsy Cline (September 8, 1932 – March 5, 1963)
21. This famous prison, the subject of many books and films, closed on March 21, 1963. Name that prison.
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. Today, Alcatraz is a public museum and one of San Francisco’s major tourist attractions, attracting over a million visitors annually.
22. Coca-Cola Company introduced its first diet drink in 1963. What was it called?
Tab
23. This now 118,000 square foot location opened in Canton, Ohio with 17 charter members. Name that place of honor.
Pro Football Hall of Fame
24. This 1963 cartoon is often credited for creating the aesthetic that later became familiar worldwide as anime. Name the character.
Astro Boy
25. On April 9, 1963, this popular children’s book by Maurice Sendak was first published. What book?
Where The Wild Things Are
26. What was the title of singer-songwriter Bob Dylan’s second studio album, which opened with the song Blowin’ in the Wind?
The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
27. Where did US President Kennedy delivered his famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech?
In front of the Berlin Wall in West Berlin, West Germany.
28. Within 10,000, how many official Major League Baseball games had been played by September 1963?
100,000 as of September 6, 1963.
29. Can you name all five members of The Jetsons’ cartoon family, including their dog?
George Jetson, his boy Elroy, daughter Judy, and Jane his wife. Astro was the dog.
30. These two iconic rock bands performed on the same bill, only once together, at a concert at Royal Albert Hall in London in September 1963. Name the bands.
The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.
31. Leave It to Beaver (1957–1963) ran on ABC for every season, except the first. What network did Leave It to Beaver debut on?
CBS
32. This actress started as an original Mouseketeer, but went on to be a star in various “Beach Party” movies in 1963 through 1967? Name that actress.
Annette Funicello (October 22, 1942 – April 8, 2013)
33. Who won the 1963 World Series?
In 1963, The Los Angeles Dodgers won, beating the New York Yankees (4 games to 0)
34. Name the television show in which the lead actress played Patty and Cathy Lane.
The Patty Duke Show
35. Ths lake began to form inside Arizona’s Glen Canyon, due to construction of the Glen Canyon Dam, off the Colorado River.
Lake Powell
36. Can you name cartoon character Huckleberry Hound’s favorite song?
My Darling, Clementine
37. Name the two countries making up the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.
Haiti and the Dominican Republic
38. Name the first Major League Baseball team to play a regular-season game with a team composed entirely of rookies, including Jor Morgan.
The Houston Colt .45s (Houston Oilers)
39. How much did a gallon of gas cost in 1963?
$0.30 per gallon
40. What was the Top-Rated TV Show in the 1962/1963 season?
The Beverly Hillbillies (CBS)
41. Mary Kay Ash founded her MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) company in 1963. What was it called?
Mary Kay Cosmetics
42. Born in 1963, this American NBA basketball player was nicknamed “The Mailman”. Name him.
Karl Malone
43. This syndicated comic strip, by Scottish cartoonist Alex Graham, featured a dog, who’s name was also the title of the comic. Name that dog.
Fred Bassett
44. This handy computer device was first made of wood in 1963, and we still use it today. What is it?
Computer Mouse.
45. “Towser the Mouser” was a Scottish cat who earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for doing what?
For catching 28,899 mice over more than 23 years (Born in 1963, she died in 1987)
46. Today it is the MetLife Building, at 200 Park Avenue at East 45th Street in Midtown Manhattan, but what was it called in 1963, when it was built?
The Pan Am Building, (then) headquarters of Pan American World Airways.
47. Name two of the original five members in the first Marvel Avengers comic book.
Iron Man, the Wasp, the Hulk, Thor, and Ant-Man. Captain America joined in issue #4.
48. On December 25, 1963, Walt Disney released its 18th feature-length animated motion picture, based on T.H. White’s novel of the same name. What was it called?
The Sword in the Stone
49. Who was the American Vice-President in 1963?
Lyndon B. Johnson (January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963)
The office of vice president was vacant from November 22, 1963 – January 20, 1965
50. Which famous writer did NOT pass away on November 22, 1963: Aldous Huxley (Brave New World), William Faulkner (The Sound and the Fury), or C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia)?
William Faulkner (September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962)
51. Where did Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. deliver his “I Have a Dream” speech?
On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.
52. In what country did the Great Train Robbery take place? Yes, they were still robbing trains in 1963.
England (at Bridego Railway Bridge, Ledburn, near Mentmore in Buckinghamshire) £2.6 million (about 46 million in 2020) was stolen.
53. What did the Abington School District v. Schempp US Supreme Court case do?
The Supreme Court ruled that state-mandated Bible reading in public schools is unconstitutional.
54. Name the well-known Hollywood trio that appeared (uncredited) as firemen in It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World.
The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Joe DeRita)
55. They called themselves Consumer Value Stores when they opened in 1963. They officially changed their name in 1996. Name that retailer.
Now CVS and “Convenience, Value, and Service”
56. Only a handful of people received an Honorary Citizenship of the United States; the first was in 1963. Name that recipient.
Sir Winston Churchill (November 30, 1874 – January 24, 1965)
57. When the show debuted in 1963, who was the host for Let’s Make A Deal?
Monty Hall
58. This book by Betty Friedan is credited with launching the Modern Women’s Movement in the United States. Name that book.
The Feminine Mystique
59. The ABC series, which ran from 1963 through 1965, is often compared to The Twilight Zone, but with a greater emphasis on science fiction stories. Name that show.
The Outer Limits
60. Name the film or actress who set the (then) Guinness World Record for “Most Costume Changes in a Film” in 1963.
Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra, with 65 costume changes.
61. Which celebrity was NOT born in 1963: Michael Jordan, Larry the Cable Guy, Charles Barkley, or Brooke Shields?
Brooke Shields (born May 31, 1965)
62. What animal education show, originally hosted by Marlin Perkins, debuted on (NBC) (later in syndication) in 1963?
Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom
63. In Bye, Bye, Birdie, who was the rock star based on?
Elvis Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977)
Trivia Team Bonus Questions:
1. In Bye, Bye, Birdie, the rock star character’s name, “Conrad Birdie” – who was the real-life music star that his name is based on?
Conway Twitty (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993)
2. What Horse won the Kentucky Derby in 1963?
Chateaugay
3. In the cartoon Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales, Tennessee had a best friend. Who and/or what was he?
Chumley, a walrus.
4. Who were the 1963 NFL Champions?
Chicago Bears
5. Who was the Pope in 1963?
Pope John XXIII, from October 28, 1958 – June 3, 1963, and Pope Paul VI, from June 21, 1963 – August 6, 1978
6. TV’s Astro Boy was set in the not-too-distant future from 1963. In what year was it originally set?
2000
7. American artist Harvey Ball created what famous pop culture icon in 1963? Hint: It is usually yellow.
The Smiley Face. He never applied for a trademark for the smiley image.
8. Which of the following actors did NOT appear in Cleopatra: Rex Harrison, John Derek, Roddy McDowall, or Martin Landau?
John Derek
9. Who were the 1963 NBA Champions?
For the 1962-63 Season, Champion Boston Celtics won 4 games to 2 over the Los Angeles Lakers
10. On The Dick Van Dyke Show, name the town that Rob, Laura, and son Ritchie Petrie lived in.
New Rochelle, New York.
