January 2nd 1960 - Johnny Cash plays the first of his jailhouse shows when he performs at San Quentin prison in San Rafael, California. Among those in the captive audience is Merle Haggard, who was serving time for burglary.

January 2nd 1960 - Senator John F Kennedy, announces his candidacy for the US Presidency

January 21st 1960 – Little Joe 1B, a Mercury spacecraft, lifts off from Wallops Island, Virginia with Miss Sam, a female rhesus monkey on board.
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January 21st 1960 – Avianca Flight 671 crashes and burns upon landing at Montego Bay, Jamaica, killing 37. It is the worst air disaster in Jamaica's history and the first for Avianca

Jan. 22, 1960: Michael Hutchence, who became famous as the lead singer of Australian band INXS, was born.

(He would take his own life in November 1997 at age 37. :\'( )

January 24th 1960 – Algerian War: Some units of European volunteers in Algiers stage an insurrection known as the "barricades week", during which they seize government buildings and clash with local police.

January 26th 1960 – Danny Heater sets a worldwide high school basketball scoring record when he records 135 points for Burnsville High School (West Virginia)

January 28th 1960 – The National Football League announced expansion teams for Dallas to start in the 1960 NFL season and Minneapolis-St. Paul for 1961 NFL season.

February 1st 1960 – Four black students stage the first of the Greensboro sit-ins at a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina.

February 3rd 1960 – British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan speaks of "a wind of change", an increasing national consciousness blowing through colonial Africa, signalling that his Government is likely to support decolonisation.

February 8th 1960 – Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom issues an Order-in-Council, stating that she and her family would be known as the House of Windsor, and that her descendants will take the name "Mountbatten-Windsor".

February 8th 1960 – The first eight brass star plaques are installed in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

February 13th 1960 – With the success of a nuclear test codenamed "Gerboise Bleue", France becomes the fourth country to possess nuclear weapons.

February 13th 1960 – Black college students stage the first of the Nashville sit-ins at three lunch counters in Nash

February 19th 1960 – China successfully launches the T-7, its first sounding rocket.

1960 – Forced out by the April Revolution, President of South Korea Syngman Rhee resigns after twelve years of dictatorial rule.

1960 – Formation of the western Indian states of Gujarat and Maharashtra. Also known as "Maharashtra Day".

1960 – Cold War: U-2 incident: Francis Gary Powers, in a Lockheed U-2 spyplane, is shot down over the Soviet Union, sparking a diplomatic crisis.

1960 – More than 20 million viewers watch the first televised royal wedding when Princess Margaret marries Anthony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey.

1960 – Cold War: U-2 Crisis of 1960 – Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announces that his nation is holding American U-2 pilot Gary Powers.

May 9th 1960 – The Food and Drug Administration announces it will approve birth control as an additional indication for Searle's Enovid, making Enovid the world's first approved oral contraceptive pill.

May 10th 1960 – The nuclear submarine USS Triton completes Operation Sandblast, the first underwater circumnavigation of the earth.

May 13th 1960 – Hundreds of University of California, Berkeley students congregate for the first day of protest against a visit by the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Thirty-one students are arrested, and the Free Speech Movement is born.

May 14th 1960 - The Silver Beats (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stu Sutcliffe, and Tommy Moore) performed at Lathom Hall, Seaforth, Liverpool. They played a few songs during the "interval" to audition for promoter Brian Kelly. Also appearing are Cliff Roberts & the Rockers, The Deltones, and Kingsize Taylor & the Dominoes. This is the only occasion on which the group uses the name "Silver Beats", quickly changing it back to "Silver Beetles".

May 16th 1960 – Theodore Maiman operates the first optical laser (a ruby laser), at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California.

6th June 1960 - Bing Crosby was presented with a Platinum disc to commemorate his 200 millionth record sold. The sales figures were a combined total of 2,600 recorded singles and 125 albums. Crosby's global lifetime sales on 179 labels in 28 countries totaled 400 million records.

June 11th 1960 - Drummer Tommy Moore made the fateful decision to quit The Beatles and return to his job of driving a forklift at Garston bottle works. He was briefly replaced by Norman Chapman, who was called into National Service after just three gigs. After going drummerless and mostly jobless for a few weeks, the band hired Pete Best on August 12th, only one day before they were to go to Hamburg to play a string of club dates.

June 23rd 1960 – The United States Food and Drug Administration declares Enovid to be the first officially approved combined oral contraceptive pill in the world.

June 25th 1960 – Two cryptographers working for the United States National Security Agency left for vacation to Mexico, and from there defected to the Soviet Union.

June 26th 1960 – Madagascar gains its independence from France.

June 30th 1960 – Congo gains independence from Belgium.

July 4th 1960 – Due to the post-Independence Day admission of Hawaii as the 50th U.S. state on August 21, 1959, the 50-star flag of the United States debuts in Philadelphia, almost ten and a half months later (see Flag Act).

July 8th 1960 – Francis Gary Powers is charged with espionage resulting from his flight over the Soviet Union.

July 11th 1960 – France legislates for the independence of Dahomey (later Benin), Upper Volta (later Burkina) and Niger.

July 11th 1960 – Congo Crisis: The State of Katanga breaks away from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

July 11th 1960 – To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is first published, in the United States.

July 11th 1960 - In Honolulu, HI, the first tournament held outside the continental U.S., sanctioned by the U.S. Golf Association, began.

July 11th 1960 – USS George Washington a modified Skipjack-class submarine successfully test fires the first ballistic missile while submerged.

July 18th 1960 - Brenda Lee went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'I'm Sorry' it made No.12 in the UK. Seeking publicity the 4' 11 tall singer was once billed as a 32-year- old midget and had the nickname Little Miss Dynamite.

July 19th 1960 - Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants became the first pitcher to get a one-hitter in his major league debut.

July 23rd 1960 - The Beatles performed at the Corporation's Grosvenor Ballroom, Grosvenor Road, Liscard, Wallasey, Cheshire.

July 24th 1960 - Jay Hebert won the PGA Championship by one stroke over Jim Ferrier.

July 25th 1960 - Roy Orbison reached No.2 on the US singles chart with ‘Only the Lonely,’ his first hit. The song was turned down by The Everly Brothers and Elvis Presley, so Orbison decided to record the song himself.

July 28th 1960 - Cliff Richard and the Shadows were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Please Don't Tease', the singers third UK No.1. The song was chosen for release by a poll of Cliff's fans.

July 28th 1960 - Roy Orbison entered the UK chart with 'Only The Lonely', which went on to give Roy his first of 3 UK chart toppers. As an operatic rock ballad, it was a sound unheard of at the time, and is seen as a seminal event in the evolution of Rock and Roll. Released as a 45rpm single by Monument Records in May, 1960, 'Only The Lonely' went to No. 2 on the United States. The song was turned down by The Everly Brothers and Elvis Presley, so Orbison decided to record the song himself.

July 30th 1960 - First AFL preseason game: Boston Patriots defeat Buffalo Bills in Buffalo, New York (28-7).

August 3rd 1960 – Niger officially gained independence from France as part of the decolonization of the French Community.

August 6th 1960 – Cuban Revolution: Cuba nationalizes American and foreign-owned property in the nation.

August 6th 1960 - Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL) beat Toronto Argonauts (Canadian Football League) 43-16 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

August 7th 1960 – Côte d'Ivoire becomes independent from France.

August 8th 1960 -Decca Records scrapped 25,000 copies of Ray Peterson's 'Tell Laura I Lover Her' because they felt the song, which recounts the last thoughts of a teenager dying from a car accident, was "too tasteless and vulgar". A cover version by Ricky Valance, went to No.1 on the UK chart a month later.

August 8th 1960 - 16-year old Brian Hyland went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini' it made No.8 in the UK.

August 8th 1960 – South Kasai secedes from the Congo.

August 12th 1960 - Pete Best auditioned to become The Silver Beatles' drummer and was asked to travel to Hamburg in Germany for the bands next set of dates. Before leaving for Hamburg, The Silver Beatles changed their name to simply, "The Beatles".

August 12th 1960 – Echo 1A, NASA's first successful communications satellite, is launched.

August 12th 1960 - Ralph Boston of the US sets long jump record at 26 feet 11.25 inches.

August 13th 1960 – The Central African Republic declares independence from France.

August 15th 1960 – Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) becomes independent from France.

August 15th 1960 -, Elvis Presley started a five week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'It's Now Or Never', also No.1 in the UK. The song which was based on the Italian song, 'O Sole Mio', gave Presley his first post-army No.1

August 15th 1960 - Chicago Bears beat New York Giants 16-7 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (NFL expo).

August 15th 1960 - Milwaukee Braves' Lew Burdette no-hits Philadelphia Phillies, 1-0.

August 17th 1960 - The Beatles began their first Hamburg engagement at the Indra Club, Grosse Freiheit, Hamburg, West Germany, playing the first of 48 nights at the Club. The owner, Bruno Koschmider, asked The Beatles to "Mach Shau", or really put on a show, which led to the band screaming, shouting, and leaping about the stage and sometimes playing lying on the floor. John Lennon once appeared wearing only his underwear and on another occasion, wearing a toilet seat around his neck. The Beatles lodged in a single room behind the screen of a nearby movie house.

August 17th 1960 – Decolonization: Gabon gains independence from France.

August 19th 1960 – Cold War: In Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union, downed American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers is sentenced to ten years imprisonment by the Soviet Union for espionage.

August 19th 1960 – Sputnik program: Korabl-Sputnik 2: The Soviet Union launches the satellite with the dogs Belka and Strelka, 40 mice, two rats and a variety of plants.

September 10th 1960 – At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Abebe Bikila becomes the first sub-Saharan African to win a gold medal, winning the marathon in bare feet.

September 10th 1960 - New York Yankees player Mickey Mantle hits 643-foot home run over right field roof in Detroit, Michigan.

September 11th 1960 - The Games of the XVII Olympiad close in Rome, Italy.

September 11th 1960 – The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is founded.

September 11th 1960 – Congo Crisis: With CIA help, Mobutu Sese Seko seizes power in a military coup, suspending parliament and the constitution.

September 18th 1960 - On his twenty-first birthday, Frankie Avalon was given $600,000 (£330,000) that he earned as a minor from such hits as his 1959 US No.1 single 'Venus').

September 18th 1960 – Fidel Castro arrives in New York City as the head of the Cuban delegation to the United Nations.

September 22nd 1960 – The Sudanese Republic is renamed Mali after the withdrawal of Senegal from the Mali Federation.

December 31, 1960: Last day on which the farthing, a coin first minted in England in the 13th century, is legal tender in the United Kingdom.

December 31, 1960: Last day on which the farthing, a coin first minted in England in the 13th century, is legal tender in the United Kingdom.
I still own one, but have no idea where it is now.

January 15th 1961 - The Supremes signed a world wide recording contract with Motown Records. Originally founded as the Primettes, they became the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and are, to date, America's most successful vocal group with 12 No.1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100.

January 17th 1961 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers a televised farewell address to the nation three days before leaving office, in which he warns against the accumulation of power by the "military–industrial complex" as well as the dangers of massive spending, especially deficit spending.

January 17th 1961 – Former Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba is murdered in circumstances suggesting the support and complicity of the governments of Belgium and the United States

January 20, 1961 - John F. Kennedy inaugurated as 35th President of the United States.

January 21st 1961 – Four hundred thirty-five workers are buried alive when a mine in Coalbrook, Free State collapses.

January 22nd 1961 - Wilma Rudolph set a world indoor record in the women’s 60-yard dash. She ran the race in 6.9 seconds.

January 25th 1961 – In Washington, D.C., President John F. Kennedy delivers the first live presidential television news conference.

January 26th 1961 - Elvis Presley was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Are You Lonesome Tonight'. The singers sixth UK No.1. The single included a spoken passage loosely based on Shakespeare.

January 26th 1961 – John F. Kennedy appoints Janet G. Travell to be his physician. This is the first time a woman holds the appointment of Physician to the President.

January 27th 1961 – The Soviet submarine S-80 sinks when its snorkel malfunctions, flooding the boat.

January 27th 1961 – Frank Sinatra played a benefit show at Carnegie Hall in New York City for Martin Luther King.

January 28th 1961 - Bob Dylan achieved his dream of meeting his idol Woody Guthrie when Guthrie was on weekend release from hospital where he was being treated for Huntington's Chorea. Dylan told him; ‘I was a Woody Guthrie jukebox’. Guthrie gave Dylan a card which said: ‘I ain't dead yet’.

January 31st 1961 - In Houston, TX, voters approved financing for a domed stadium.

February 3rd 1961 – The United States Air Forces begins Operation Looking Glass, and over the next 30 years, a "Doomsday Plane" is always in the air, with the capability of taking direct control of the United States' bombers and missiles in the event of the destruction of the SAC's command post.

February 10th 1961 - The American Football League's Los Angeles franchise was transferred to San Diego.

February 12th 1961– The Miracles' 'Shop Around' became Motown Record's first million-selling single. It was also the label's first No.1 hit on Billboard's R&B singles chart. In the following ten years, The Miracles would have six more million sellers.

February 12th 1961 – Soviet Union launches Venera 1 towards Venus.

February 13th 1961- Frank Sinatra launched his own record label, Reprise Records, in order to allow more artistic freedom for his own recordings. Hence, he garnered the nickname “The Chairman of the Board.” One of the label’s founding principles under Sinatra’s leadership was that each artist would have full creative freedom, and at some point complete ownership of their work. Reprise later became the home of many influential US acts such as Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Randy Newman and The Beach Boys.

February 13th 1961 – An allegedly 500,000-year-old rock is discovered near Olancha, California, US, that appears to anachronistically encase a spark plug.

February 14th 1961 - The Beatles performed at the Cassanova Club, Liverpool, and at Litherland Town Hall, Liverpool where they play a special Valentine's Day show. Paul McCartney sang Elvis Presley's "Wooden Heart", wearing wooden heart pinned to his coat, covered with satin and embroidered with the names "John", "Paul", "George", and "Pete". The heart was raffled off, and the winner also won a kiss from Paul

February 14th 1961 – Discovery of the chemical elements: Element 103, Lawrencium, is first synthesized at the University of California.

February 15th 1961 - Singer Jackie Wilson was left with a stomach wound after Juanita Jones a female fan went to his New York apartment demanding to see him. Jones' gun went off as he tried to disarm her.

February 15th 1961 – Sabena Flight 548 crashes in Belgium, killing 73, including the entire United States figure skating team along with several of their coaches and family members.

February 16th 1961 – The DuSable Museum of African American History is chartered.

February 16th 1961 – Explorer program: Explorer 9 (S-56a) is launched.

February 16th 1961 - Roy Hamilton performed "You Can Have Her" on "American Bandstand."

February 23rd 1961 - Petula Clark had her first UK No.1 single with 'Sailor'. During her career the former child actress achieved a total of 20 UK Top 40 hits and 2 US No.1 singles.

March 1st 1961 – Uganda becomes self-governing and holds its first elections.

March 1st 1961 - Elvis Presley signed a five-year movie deal with producer Hal Wallis.

March 1st 1961 – United States President John F. Kennedy establishes the Peace Corps.

March 2nd 1961 – The Everly Brothers had their third UK No.1 single with 'Walk Right Back' a song written by Sonny Curtis of The Crickets.

March 7th 1961 - The 100th episode of "The Rifleman" aired.

March 8th 1961 - The Beatles played at The Cavern Club in Liverpool at lunchtime. That night they performed twice: at Aintree Institute, Aintree, Liverpool, and at Hambleton Hall, Huyton, Liverpool.

March 9th 1961 – Sputnik 9 successfully launches, carrying a human dummy nicknamed Ivan Ivanovich, and demonstrating that Soviet Union was ready to begin human spaceflight.

March 10th 1961 - Paul Anka performed "The Story of My Love" on "American Bandstand."

March 12th 1961 – First winter ascent of the North Face of the Eiger.

March 14th 1951 – Korean War: For the second time, United Nations troops recapture Seoul.

March 14th 1961 - Jerry Butler performed "Find Another Girl" on "American Bandstand."

March 15th 1961 – South Africa withdraws from the Commonwealth of Nations.

March 20th 1961 - Elvis Presley started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Surrender', his fifth No.1 of the 60's. It also made No.1 in the UK. The song was based on the 1911 Italian song, 'Return To Sorrento.'

March 21st 1961 - The Beatles played their first ever evening show at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, supporting The Swinging Bluegenes, (later to become The Swinging Blue Jeans).

March 23rd 1961 - Elvis Presley had his seventh UK No.1 single with 'Wooden Heart.' The song was based on a German folk song and was featured in Presley's film GI Blues.

March 25th 1961 - Elvis Presley performed his last live show for the next eight years in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The show raised $62,000 for the U.S.S. Arizona memorial fund.

March 29th 1961 - Bobby "Blue" Bland performed "I Pity the Fool" on "American Bandstand."

March 29th 1961 – The Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, allowing residents of Washington, D.C., to vote in presidential elections.

March 30th 1961 - Joe Jones performed "California Sun" on "American Bandstand."

March 30th 1961 – The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs is signed in New York City.

March 30th 1961 - Rose (Originals) performed "Lonely Blue Nights" on "American Bandstand."

March 31st 1961 - Clarence "Frogman" Henry performed "(I Don't Know Why) But I Do" and "Ain't Got No Home" on "American Bandstand."

April 8th 1961 – A large explosion on board the MV Dara in the Persian Gulf kills 238.

April 10th 1961 - Gary Player of South Africa became the first foreign golfer to win the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia.

April 10th 1961 - U.S. President John F. Kennedy threw out the first pitch at Griffith Stadium. The Senators lost to the Chicago White Sox, 4-3

April 10th 1961 - U.S. President John F. Kennedy threw out the first pitch at Griffith Stadium. The Senators lost to the Chicago White Sox, 4-3

This team was the second "Washington Senators" franchise, an expansion team that year. 11 years later, they would become the Texas Rangers.

April 11th 1961 – The trial of Adolf Eichmann begins in Jerusalem.

April 11th 1961 - Bob Dylan made his professional singing debut in Greenwich Village. He opened for John Lee Hooker at Gerde's Folk City.

April 16th 1961 – In a nationally broadcast speech, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declares that he is a Marxist–Leninist and that Cuba is going to adopt Communism.

April 18th 1961 – CONCP is founded in Casablanca as a united front of African movements opposing Portuguese colonial rule.

April 18th 1961 – The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a cornerstone of modern international relations, is adopted.

April 19th 1961 - The Frogmen performed "Underwater" on "American Bandstand."

April 20th 1961 – Failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion of US-backed Cuban exiles against Cuba.

April 21st 1961 - Shep & the Limelites performed "Daddy's Home" on "American Bandstand".

April 23rd 1961 – Algiers putsch by French generals.

April 24th 1961 - Sandy Koufax (Los Angeles Dodgers) struck out 18 batters becoming the first major-league pitcher to do so on two different occasions.

April 24th 1961 -  Bob Dylan appeared on Harry Belafonte's album 'The Midnight Special' playing harmonica on the track 'Calypso King'; Dylan was paid a $50 session fee for this his first ever recording.

April 24th 1961 - Del Shannon started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Runaway', also a No.1 in the UK. Del was the first person to have a hit with a Beatles song in the US with his version of 'From Me To You.'

April 25th 1961 - Johnny Maestro performed "Model Girl" and "What a Surprise" on "American Bandstand."

April 25th 1961 – Robert Noyce is granted a patent for an integrated circuit.

April 25th 1961 - Faron Young performed "Hello Walls" on "American Bandstand."

April 25th 1961 - Elvis Presley made his last stage appearance for nearly eight years at Bloch Arena, HI.

April 26th 1961 - Bobby Rydell performed "That Old Black Magic" and "Cherie" on "American Bandstand."

April 27th 1961 – Sierra Leone is granted its independence from the United Kingdom, with Milton Margai as the first Prime Minister.

April 28th 1961 - The NFL chose Canton, Ohio, as the site for the Professional Football Hall of Fame.

May 4th, 1961:
American civil rights movement: The "Freedom Riders" began a bus trip through the South.
Malcolm Ross and Victor Prather attained a new altitude record for manned balloon flight ascending in the Strato-Lab V open gondola to 113,740 feet (34.67 km).

May 5th 1961 – The Mercury program: Mercury-Redstone 3: Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel into outer space, on a sub-orbital flight.

May 8th 1961 - The Regents performed "Barbara Ann" on American Bandstand.

May 8th 1961 - New Yorkers selected a new name for their new National League baseball franchise. They chose the Mets.

May 9th 1961 - Jim Gentile (Baltimore Orioles) set a major league baseball record when he hit a grand slam home run in two consecutive innings. The game was against the Minnesota Twins.

May 9th 1961 – FCC Chairman Newton N. Minow gives his Wasteland Speech.

May 12th 1961 - The Beatles in Hamburg, West Germany, signed a recording contract with producer Bert Kaempfert. That evening they played at The Top Ten Club, Reeperbahn, Hamburg.

May 15th 1961 - Gene McDaniels performed "A Tear" on American Bandstand.

May 16th 1961 – Park Chung-hee leads a coup d'état to overthrow the Second Republic of South Korea.

May 17th 1961 - The final episode of "You Bet Your Life"/"The Groucho Show" was taped.

May 28th 1961 – Peter Benenson's article The Forgotten Prisoners is published in several internationally read newspapers. This will later be thought of as the founding of the human rights organization Amnesty International.

May 30th 1961 – The long-time Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo is assassinated in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

May 30th 1961 - Johnny Burnette performed "Big Big World" on American Bandstand.

May 31st 1961 – In Moscow City Court, the Rokotov–Faibishenko show trial begins, despite the Khrushchev Thaw to reverse Stalinist elements in Soviet society.

May 31st 1961 – The Union of South Africa becomes the Republic of South Africa.

May 31st 1961 - Jimi Hendrix enlisted in the U.S. Army.

May 31st 1961 - Chuck Berry opened 'Berry Park', an amusement complex near St Louis. The park had its own zoo, golf course and ferris wheel.

June 1st 1961 - Tony Orlando performed "Halfway to Paradise" on "American Bandstand."

June 14th 1961 - The Cleftones performed "Heart and Soul" on "American Bandstand."

June 14th 1961 - Patsy Cline was seriously injured in a car accident. During her two month hospital stay, her song "I Fall to Pieces" gave the singer her first Country No.1 and also became a huge country-pop crossover hit.

June 19th 1961 - Pat Boone went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Moody River', the single reached No.18 in the UK. A tongue-in-cheek, heavy metal "comeback" was attempted by Boone in 1997 with an album called 'In a Metal Mood (No More Mr. Nice Guy)'.

June 19th 1961 – Kuwait declares independence from the United Kingdom.

June 22nd 1961 - The final episode of "You Bet Your Life"/"The Groucho Show" was aired.

June 23rd 1961 - The Fireballs performed "Quite a Party" on "American Bandstand."

June 23rd 1961 – Cold War: The Antarctic Treaty, which sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve and bans military activity on the continent, comes into force after the opening date for signature set for the December 1, 1959.

June 27th 1961 - Arthur Michael Ramsey was enthroned as the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury.

June 29th 1961 - Wanda Jackson performed "Right or Wrong" on "American Bandstand."

June 29th 1961 - Del Shannon was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Runaway.' His only UK No.1 and the first of 14 UK Top 40 hits.

June 30th 1961 - Clarence "Frogman" Henry performed "You Always Hurt the One You Love" and "Lonely Street" on "American Bandstand."

August 3rd 1961 – The New Democratic Party of Canada is founded by the merger of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and the Canadian Labour Congress.

August 10th 1961, Helen Shapiro was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'You Don't Know'. Aged 14, Shapiro became the youngest act ever to score a UK No.1.

August 10th 1961 – First use in Vietnam War of the Agent Orange by the U.S. Army.

August 11th 1961 – The former Portuguese territories in India of Dadra and Nagar Haveli are merged to create the Union Territory Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

August 21st 1961 -  Elvis Presley started a three-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Something For Everybody' his sixth US No.1 album.

August 21st 1961 -  Patsy Cline recorded the classic Willie Nelson song, ‘Crazy’. Cline was still on crutches after going through a car windshield in a head-on collision two months earlier and had difficulty reaching the high notes of the song at first due to her broken ribs. 'Crazy' spent 21 weeks on the chart and eventually became one of her signature tunes.

August 21st 1961 – Motown releases what would be its first #1 hit, "Please Mr. Postman" by The Marvelettes.

August 22nd 1961 – Ida Siekmann dies attempting to cross the Berlin Wall.

August 25th 1961 - After playing a lunchtime gig at The Cavern Club Liverpool, The Beatles played aboard the Merseyside riverboat M.V.Royal Iris supporting Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band.

August 25th 1961 – President Jânio Quadros of Brazil resigns after just seven months in power, initiating a political crisis that culminates in a military coup in 1964.

August 26th 1961 - The International Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto opened. The project had been approved on September 11, 1943.

August 28th 1961 - Joe Dowell went to No.1 on the US singles chart with his version of 'Wooden Heart'. The song is best known for its use in the 1960 Elvis Presley film G.I. Blues, which gave Elvis a No.1 hit in the United Kingdom.

September 1st 1961 – The first conference of the Non Aligned Countries is held in Belgrade.

September 1st 1961 – The Eritrean War of Independence officially begins with the shooting of the Ethiopian police by Hamid Idris Awate.

September 2nd 1961 - The estate of Ty Cobb was estimated at $11.78 million. Cobb had died two months earlier.

September 2nd 1961 - The U.S.S.R. resumed nuclear weapons testing. Test ban treaty negotiations had failed with the U.S. and Britain when the three nations could not agree upon the nature and frequency of on-site inspections.

September 5th 1961 - The U.S. government made airline hijacking a federal offense.

September 6th 1961 - Bob Dylan debuted at the Gaslight Cafe in New York City.

September 10th 1961 - Mickey Mantle tied a major league baseball record for home runs when he hit the 400th of his career.

September 10th 1961 – Italian Grand Prix, a crash causes the death of German Formula One driver Wolfgang von Trips and 13 spectators who are hit by his Ferrari.

September 11th 1961 – Hurricane Carla strikes the Texas coast as a Category 4 hurricane, the second strongest storm ever to hit the state.

September 12th 1961 – The African and Malagasy Union is founded.

September 15th 1961 - The U.S. resumed underground testing of nuclear weapons.

September 15th 1961, A group from Hawthorne, California called The Pendletones attend their first real recording session at Hite Morgan's studio in Los Angeles. The band recorded 'Surfin', a song that would help shape their career as The Beach Boys.

September 15th 1961 – Hurricane Carla strikes Texas with winds of 175 miles per hour.

September 17th 1961 - The Minnesota Vikings were debuted as the new National Football League (NFL) team.

September 17th 1961 – The world's first retractable-dome stadium, the Civic Arena, opens in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

September 18th 1961 – U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld dies in a plane crash while attempting to negotiate peace in the war-torn Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

September 18th 1961 – The NAFC and CCCF merge into CONCACAF.

September 19th 1961 - Troy Shondell performed "This Time" on "American Bandstand."

September 20th 1961 – Greek general Konstantinos Dovas becomes Prime Minister of Greece.

September 21st 1961, The Beatles played a lunchtime show at The Cavern Club in Liverpool. In the evening they appeared at Litherland Town Hall in Liverpool with Gerry & the Pacemakers, and Rory Storm & the Hurricanes, admission price was 3 shillings (15 pence).

September 21st 1961 – Maiden flight of the Boeing CH-47 Chinook transportation helicopter.

September 21st 1961 - Antonio Abertondo swam the English Channel (in both directions) in 24 hours and 25 minutes.

September 22nd 1961 - Lee Dorsey performed "Ya-Ya" on "American Bandstand."

September 22nd 1961 - U.S. President John F. Kennedy signed a congressional act that established the Peace Corps.

September 24th 1961 - "The Bullwinkle Show" premiered in prime time on NBC-TV. The show was originally on ABC in the afternoon as "Rocky and His Friends."

September 24th 1961, John Leyton was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Johnny Remember Me.' The UK singers only UK No.1 and producer, Joe Meek's first No.1 hit.

September 26th 1961, The Greenbriar Boys started a two-week residency at Gerde's Folk Club in New York. The opening act was Bob Dylan.

September 26th 1961 - Dion performed "Runaround Sue" on "American Bandstand."

September 27th 1961 - Chubby Checker performed "The Fly" on "American Bandstand."

September 27th 1961 – Sierra Leone joins the United Nations.

September 28th 1961 - "Dr. Kildare" premiered on NBC-TV.

September 28th 1961 - "Hazel" premiered on NBC-TV.

September 28th 1961 – A military coup in Damascus effectively ends the United Arab Republic, the union between Egypt and Syria.

September 29th 1961, Robert Shelton, wrote a glowing review of Bob Dylan's support slot at Gerde's Folk City in the New York Times, calling him ‘One of the most distinctive stylists to play Manhattan in months’. On the same day Dylan played harmonica at a recording session produced by John Hammond.

October 1st 1961 – The United States Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is formed, becoming the country's first centralized military espionage organization.

October 1st 1961 – East and West Cameroon merge to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon.

October 1st 1961: Roger Maris of the New York Yankees hit his 61st home run of the season, setting a record for most home runs in a single year. This was the final day of the regular season.

October 2nd 1961, Phil Spector and partner Lester Sill released the first single on their new label Philles, The Crystals’, ‘Oh Yeah Maybe Baby.’ A little over a year later, they had a No.1 hit with ‘He’s a Rebel,’ and soon after, ‘Da Doo Ron Ron’ and ‘Then He Kissed Me.’

October 7th 1961 - Elvis Presley's single "Little Sister" hit #5 in the U.S.

October 9th 1961, Ray Charles started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Hit The Road Jack', it reached No.6 on the UK chart.

Chico Marx, American actor, died of arteriosclerosis at age 74 on October 11, 1961.

October 11th 1961, The Highwaymen were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Michael'. The US group's only UK Top 40 hit. The Highwaymen were US college students who broke up when they graduated.

October 20th 1961, The Beatles played a lunchtime show at The Cavern Club, Liverpool and tonight they appeared at The Village Hall in Knotty Ash, Liverpool.

October 22nd 1961 - Chubby Checker appeared on the "Ed Sullivan Show" and performed "The Twist."

October 23rd 1961, Dion started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Runaround Sue', it reached No.11 in the UK.

October 27th 1961 - The American Basketball League began play.

October 27th 1961 – NASA tests the first Saturn I rocket in Mission Saturn-Apollo 1.

October 28th 1961 - Construction began on Municipal (Shea) Stadium for the New York Mets.

October 28th 1961, Raymond Jones went into Liverpool's NEMS Record store trying to buy The Beatles records that had been released in Germany. Shop manager Brian Epstein promised to investigate further.

October 29th 1961 – Syria exits from the United Arab Republic.

October 30th 1961:

Nuclear testing: The Soviet Union detonates the hydrogen bomb Tsar Bomba over Novaya Zemlya; at 50 megatons of yield, it remains the largest explosive device ever detonated, nuclear or otherwise.
Because of "violations of Vladimir Lenin's precepts", it is decreed that Joseph Stalin's body be removed from its place of honour inside Lenin's tomb and buried near the Kremlin Wall with a plain granite marker instead.

November 4th 1961, Cliff Richard scored his first UK No.1 album with his 5th release '21 Today'. The album was released on October 14, 1961, the exact date of Cliff Richard's 21st birthday. Side 1 of the album contained rock tunes while side 2 consisted of ballads.

November 9th 1961, Brian Epstein saw The Beatles playing live for the first time during a lunchtime session at The Cavern Liverpool. Epstein went on to be the group's manager. That night they appeared at Litherland Town Hall in Liverpool.

November 9th 1961 - The Professional Golfer's Association (PGA) eliminated its "caucasians only" rule.

November 10th 1961, Elvis Presley was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'His Latest Flame/Little Sister.' The singers ninth UK No.1.

November 11th 1961 – Thirteen Italian Air Force servicemen, deployed to the Congo as a part of the UN peacekeeping force are massacred by a mob in Kindu.

November 17th 1961, The Beatles played a lunchtime show at The Cavern Club in Liverpool. That night they played at the Village Hall, Knotty Ash, Liverpool.

November 18th 1961 – United States President John F. Kennedy sends 18,000 military advisors to South Vietnam.

November 25th 1961, The Everly Brothers started active service for the 8th Battalion Marine Corps Reserves, working as artillerymen.

November 25th 1961 - Bob Cousy (Boston Celtics) scored his 15,000th NBA career point.

November 29th 1961 – Project Mercury: Mercury-Atlas 5 Mission – Enos, a chimpanzee, is launched into space. The spacecraft orbits the Earth twice and splashes down off the coast of Puerto Rico.

December 1st 1961, The Beatles performed a lunchtime show at the The Cavern in Liverpool. That night they headlined a six-group Big Beat Session at the Tower Ballroom, New Brighton in Wallasey. Between 1961 -1963, The Beatles played at The Tower Ballroom on 27 occasions.

December 1st 1961 - Brian Epstein met with Decca representatives to discuss a deal for the Beatles.

December 2nd 1961 – In a nationally broadcast speech, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declares that he is a Marxist–Leninist and that Cuba is going to adopt Communism.

December 3rd 1961, Brian Epstein invited The Beatles into his office to discuss the possibility of becoming their manager. John Lennon, George Harrison and Pete Best arrived late for the 4pm meeting, (they had been drinking at the Grapes pub in Matthew Street), but Paul McCartney was not with them, because, as Harrison explained, he had just got up and was "taking a bath".

December 3rd 1961 - George Blanda (Houston Oilers) kicked a 55-yard field goal.

December 7th 1961 - Dick Dale & His Del-Tones performed "Let's Go Trippin'" on "American Bandstand."

December 8th 1961, The Beach Boys first single 'Surfin' was released on Candix Records, a small label based in Los Angeles. On the strength of the song’s performance in the Southern California market, Capitol Records signed the group. Other surfing songs would follow: 'Surfin’ Safari,' 'Surfin’ U.S.A.,'and 'Surfer Girl.'

December 9th 1961, The Beatles agent Sam Leach attempted to introduce the group to London agents by promoting a show at The Palais Ballroom in Aldershot, England. The show was not advertised properly and, as a result, only 18 people attended, (local newspaper, The Aldershot News, failed to publish the advertisement for the show). However, the band and friends had their own fun after the show, including a mock funeral for Paul McCartney.

December 9th 1961 – Tanganyika becomes independent from Britain.

December 29th 1961 - Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors) scored 60 points against the Los Angeles Lakers.

December 30th 1961 - Jack Nicklaus lost his first attempt at pro golf to Gary Player in an exhibition match in Miami, FL.

December 31st 1961, The Beach Boys made their live debut using their new name when they appeared at Long Beach Civic Auditorium, California.

December 31st 1961 - In the U.S., the Marshall Plan expired after distributing more than $12 billion in foreign aid.

January 1st 1962 – Western Samoa achieves independence from New Zealand; its name is changed to the Independent State of Western Samoa.

January 3rd 1962 - Work began on the Houston Astrodome.

January 11th 1962, Cliff Richard was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'The Young Ones'. It stayed at the top of the charts for six weeks and made Cliff the first UK artist to enter the chart at No.1.

January 11th 1962 – Cold War: While tied to its pier in Polyarny, the Soviet submarine B-37 is destroyed when fire breaks out in its torpedo compartment.

January 11th 1962 – An avalanche on Huascarán in Peru causes around 4,000 deaths.

January 12th 1962 – Vietnam War: Operation Chopper, the first American combat mission in the war, takes place.

January 13th 1962, Chubby Checker went back to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'The Twist'. The song first went to No.1 in Sept 1960 and became the only record in American chart history to top the charts on two separate occasions.

January 13th 1962, Cliff Richard scored his second UK No.1 album with 'The Young Ones', which spent six weeks at the top of the charts.

January 13th 1962 - Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors) scored 73 points against the Chicago Packers.

January 15th 1962 – The Derveni papyrus, Europe's oldest surviving manuscript dating to 340 BC, is found in northern Greece.

January 15th 1962 – Netherlands New Guinea Conflict: Indonesian Navy fast patrol boat RI Macan Tutul commanded by Commodore Yos Sudarso sunk in Arafura Sea by the Dutch Navy.

March 2nd 1962 – Wilt Chamberlain sets the single-game scoring record in the National Basketball Association by scoring 100 points.

March 2nd 1962 – Wilt Chamberlain sets the single-game scoring record in the National Basketball Association by scoring 100 points.

Amazing accomplishment!!


Also, rock star Jon Bon Jovi was born!

March 19th 1962, Bob Dylan's debut album Bob Dylan was released in the United States. Initially poor sales led the record to be known around Columbia Records as ‘Hammond's Folly’ (John Hammond was producer of Dylan’s early recordings and the man responsible for signing Dylan). The album was praised by the New York City weekly newspaper Village Voice as an ‘explosive country blues debut’, but featured only two Dylan original compositions, Talkin' New York and Song To Woody, the rest being old folk standards.

On March 21st 1962, the following famous people were born:

Matthew Broderick (American actor)
Rosie O'Donnell (American actress, TV host, and author)
Kathie Greenwood (Canadian comedian, actress, and screenwriter; has appeared as a performer on Whose Line Is It Anyway)
Mark Waid (American comic book writer; notable works include the DC Comics)


All four are currently still alive.

April 10th 1962: Dodger Stadium opened for business; in the very first game ever played there, the L.A. Dodgers lost to the Cincinnati Reds 6-3. :-\\

April 16th 1962 - Walter Cronkite began anchoring "The CBS Evening News".

May 1st 1962, The Beatles started a month long residency at The Star Club, Hamburg, Germany. American musicians including Ray Charles, Bo Diddley, Fats Domino, Everly Brothers, Bill Haley, Jimi Hendrix and Jerry Lee Lewis also all appeared here.

May 5th 1962, The soundtrack to West Side Story went to No.1 on the US album chart. It went on to spend a total of 54 weeks at the No.1 position.

June 24th 1962 - The New York Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers, 9-7, after 22 innings.

June 30th 1962 - Los Angeles Dodger Sandy Koufax pitched his first no-hitter in a game with the New York Mets.

August 5th 1962 – Apartheid in South Africa: Nelson Mandela is jailed. He would not be released until 1990.

August 11th 1962, Neil Sedaka started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Breaking Up Is Hard To Do', his first US No.1 as an artist. It reached No.7 on the UK chart.

August 11th 1962 - Andrian Nikolayev, of the Soviet Union, was launched on a 94-hour flight. He was the third Russian to go into space.

August 15th 1962 – James Joseph Dresnok defects to North Korea after running across the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Dresnok still resides in the capital, Pyongyang.

August 16th 1962, Brian Epstein told Pete Best that the other Beatles wanted him out of the group, and that he was being replaced. Epstein then asked Best to perform with The Beatles that night at the Riverpark Ballroom in Chester, Cheshire. Pete Best does not show up, drummer Johnny Hutchinson of The Big Three filled in the temporary vacancy.

August 16th 1962, Little Stevie Wonder (aged 12), released his first single, 'I Call It Pretty Music, (But The Old People Call It The Blues)', the single featured Marvin Gaye on drums.

August 16th 1962 – Eight years after the remaining French India territories were handed to India, the ratifications of the treaty are exchanged to make the transfer official.

August 17th 1962 – Peter Fechter is shot and bleeds to death while trying to cross the new Berlin Wall.

August 18th 1962, Ringo Starr made his debut with The Beatles at the horticultural society Dance, Birkenhead, England, having had a two-hour rehearsal in preparation. This was the first appearance of The Beatles as the world would come to know them: John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

August 22nd 1962 – The OAS attempts to assassinate French president Charles de Gaulle.

August 22nd 1962, The first TV appearance of The Beatles was recorded by Manchester based Granada TV, who filmed a lunchtime session at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, (the performance was shown on 17th October 1962).

August 23rd 1962 - The first live TV program was relayed between the U.S. and Europe through the U.S. Telstar satellite

August 23rd 1962 - John Lennon married Cynthia Powell at the Mount Pleasant Registry Office in Liverpool, England. He then played a gig that night with The Beatles at Liverpool's Riverpark Ballroom. They were divorced on November 8, 1968.

September 1st 1962, Tommy Roe went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Sheila', a No.3 hit in the UK. The record was a re-recorded version of a song that was first released in 1960 when Roe was part of a group called The Satins.

September 3rd 1962, After playing a lunchtime show at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, The Beatles played the first of three Monday night gigs at The Queen's Hall, Widnes, Cheshire. Also on the bill, Billy Kramer and the Coasters, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes and Sonny Kaye and the Reds. Tickets cost 3/6.

September 4th 1962, The Beatles first formal recording session at EMI's Abbey Road studios took place. George Martin was unhappy with a previous session on June 6, so he called The Beatles back into the studio to try again. They recorded six songs, including 'Love Me Do' and 'Please Please Me.'

September 11th 1962, After George Martin insisted that session drummer Andy White took Ringo Starr's place, The Beatles returned to EMI Studios in London for a third attempt at recording their first single. 'Love Me Do' was selected to be The Beatles' first A-side, with "P.S. I Love You" on the flip side (a reversal of the original plan). The single that was released on October 5th featured a version of ‘Love Me Do’ with Ringo on drums, but the album ‘Please Please Me’ included a version with Andy White on drums.

September 17th 1962, The Beatles played the last of three Monday night gigs at The Queen's Hall, Widnes, Cheshire. Also on the bill, Billy Kramer and the Coasters, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes and Sonny Kaye and the Reds. Tickets cost 3/6.

September 22nd 1962 - Bob Dylan made his first appearance at Carnegie Hall.

September 22nd 1962, The Springfields (Dusty Springfield her brother Tom and their friend, Tim Field) had 'Silver Threads and Golden Needles', enter the US Top 20 and became the first British vocal group to chart that high in America.

September 25th 1962 - A black church is destroyed by fire in Macon, Georgia, USA.

September 25th 1962 – The North Yemen Civil War begins when Abdullah al-Sallal dethrones the newly crowned Imam al-Badr and declares Yemen a republic under his presidency.

September 25th 1962 – The People's Democratic Republic of Algeria is formally proclaimed. Ferhat Abbas is elected President of the provisional government.

September 25th 1962 - "My Fair Lady" closed after a 6½ year run on Broadway. The show, at the time, held the record for the longest-running musical.

October 4th 1962 - Whitey Ford's World Series 33 2/3 scoreless inning streak ends (World Series #59).

October 4th 1962, The Tornadoes were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with the instrumental, 'Telstar', (named after a communication satellite). The track went on to be the first major hit from a UK act on the American chart also reaching No.1.

October 6th 1962 - Robert Goulet began the role of Sir Lancelot in "Camelot".

October 8th 1962 – Spiegel scandal: Der Spiegel publishes the article "Bedingt abwehrbereit" ("Conditionally prepared for defense") about a NATO manoeuvre called "Fallex 62", which uncovered the sorry state of the Bundeswehr (Germany's army) facing the perceived communist threat from the east at the time. The magazine is soon accused of treason.

October 10th 1962 - The BBC banned the song "Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Pickett.

October 11th 1962, The Beatles made their first appearance on the UK singles chart with 'Love Me Do' which peaked at No. 4 on the chart.

October 12th 1962 - Little Richard headlined a concert in New Brighton. One of the opening acts was the Beatles.

October 13th 1962 - At the Riverside International Raceway in California, the Los Angeles Times Three-Hour Invitational Grand Prix race is held. 1963 model production Corvettes make their racing debut, as does the Ford-powered Cobra. Finishing 1st overall is the Mickey Thompson #119 black Corvette Z06, driven by Doug Hooper. He averages 84-mph over the 250-mile course. The 260-ci Cobra leads by about one mile after one hour of racing when its rear suspension fails.

October 13th 1962, Don Everly collapsed during rehearsals on stage at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London on the eve of a 22 date Everly Brothers UK tour. He was flown back to the US for treatment and the tour continued with Phil Everly performing solo.

October 13th 1962 – The Pacific Northwest experiences a cyclone the equal of a Cat 3 hurricane. Winds measured above 150 mph at several locations; 46 people died.

October 16th 1962 - New York Yankees (20th championship) beat San Francisco Giants 4 games to 3 in 59th World Series (New York Yankees appear in 12 and win 9 of last 14 World Series).

October 24th 1962, US Soul singer James Brown recorded his legendary 'Live At The Apollo' album. The album was listed at No.24 in Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

October 25th 1962 – Cuban Missile Crisis: Adlai Stevenson shows photos at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council proving that Soviet missiles are installed in Cuba.

October 26th 1962, The Rolling Stones (known as The Rollin' Stones), and consisting of Keith Richard, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones pianist Ian Stewart and drummer Tony Chapman recorded their first demo tape at Curly Clayton Studios in Highbury, London. They recorded three songs, Jimmy Reed's 'Close Together', Bo Diddley's 'You Cant Judge A Book By The Cover' and Muddy Waters' 'Soon Forgotten.'

October 27th 1962 - The Soviet Union adds to the Cuban Missile Crisis by calling for the dismantling of U.S. missile basis in Turkey. U.S. President Kennedy agreed to the new aspect of the agreement.

October 28th 1962, The Beatles played at the Empire in Liverpool, their first gig at Liverpool's top theatre. Eight acts were on the bill including Little Richard, Craig Douglas, Jet Harris and Kenny Lynch & Sounds Incorporated.

October 28th 1962 - New York Giants' Y.A. Tittle passes for seven touchdowns versus Washington Redskins (49-34).

October 31st 1952, Pianist Johnnie Johnson hired 26 year old Chuck Berry as a guitarist in his band. While playing evening gigs in the St. Louis area, Berry kept his day job as a hairdresser for the next three years.

November 2nd 1962 - The Elvis Presley film "Girls! Girls! Girls!" premiered.

November 3rd 1962 - Wilt Chamberlain of NBA San Francisco Warriors scores 72 points vs Los Angeles Lakers.

November 3rd 1962, The Crystals started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'He's A Rebel', it made No.19 on the UK chart.

November 9th 1962 - Motown Records released "You've Really Got a Hold on Me," by the Miracles.

November 9th 1962 - Dion performed "Love Came to Me" on "American Bandstand."

November 10th 1962 - Glenn Hall (Chicago Black Hawks) missed a game due to a back injury. The missed game ended a streak of 503 consecutive games played over seven years.

November 12th 1962, The Beatles appeared at the Star Club, Hamburg, Germany, sharing the bill with Little Richard.

November 14th 1962 - Bob Dylan recorded the song "Mixed-Up Confusion". It was released as a single on December 14, 1962.

November 14th 1962, The Beatles played the final show of a 14 night run at the Star-Club, Hamburg, West Germany.

November 17th 1962: President John F. Kennedy dedicates Washington Dulles International Airport, serving the Washington, D.C., region.

January 8th 1963: Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is exhibited in the United States for the first time, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

March 5th 1963: American country music stars Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Cowboy Copas and their pilot Randy Hughes are killed in a plane crash in Camden, Tennessee. :\'(

April 30th 1963 – The Bristol Bus Boycott is held in Bristol to protest the Bristol Omnibus Company's refusal to employ Black or Asian bus crews, drawing national attention to racial discrimination in the United Kingdom.

May 4th 1963 - Pitcher Bob Shaw sets record of five balks in a game.

May 15th 1963, During a UK tour, The Beatles performed at the Royalty Theatre in Chester. The set list was: ‘Some Other Guy’, ‘Thank You Girl’, ‘Do You Want to Know a Secret’, ‘Please Please Me’, ‘You Really Got a Hold on Me’, ‘I Saw Her Standing There’, and ‘From Me To You’.

June 9th 1963, The Beatles on the last night of their tour with Roy Orbison, performed at King George's Hall, Blackburn, Lancashire. It was during this tour that The Beatles' fans started throwing jelly babies at them while they were on stage, after an off-the-cuff remark on television that George Harrison enjoyed eating them.

June 9th 1963 - First Sunday night game in baseball: San Francisco Giants lose to Houston Colts 3-0.

June 10th 1963 – The Equal Pay Act of 1963, aimed at abolishing wage disparity based on sex, was signed into law by John F. Kennedy as part of his New Frontier Program.

June 21st 1963, The Rolling Stones played at Ricky Tick Club, Star and Garter Hotel, Windsor, Berks. The influential 1960s rhythm & blues club in Windsor, Berkshire, was the host to many important acts such as The Stones, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and Cream.

June 21st 1963 – Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini is elected as Pope Paul VI.

October 23rd 1963, Bob Dylan recorded 'The Times They Are A-Changin' at Columbia Recording Studios in New York City. Dylan wrote the song as a deliberate attempt to create an anthem of change for the time, influenced by Irish and Scottish ballads. In January 1984, a young Steve Jobs would recite the second verse of 'The Times They Are a-Changin' during his opening of the 1984 Annual Apple Shareholders Meeting, where he famously unveiled the Macintosh computer for the first time.

October 23rd 1963, The Beatles completed the final session for their second album 'With the Beatles' recording 'I Wanna Be Your Man.' The group then drove to London airport for a flight to Stockholm, Sweden to start their first foreign tour. The Fab four were met at Stockholm airport by hundreds of girl fans that had taken the day of school.

October 23rd 1963, The Everly Brothers, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Mickie Most, The Rolling Stones, Julie Grant and The Flintstones all appeared at Odeon Theatre, Nottingham, England.

October 24th 1963, On the first day of their first foreign tour, The Beatles spent the day in Stockholm, Sweden, recording a performance for a radio program entitled "The Beatles popgrupp fran Liverpool pa besok i Stockholm", (The Beatles pop group from Liverpool visiting Stockholm). The Beatles, enthused by the chance to play before an audience that wasn't screaming, played seven songs, ‘I Saw Her Standing There’, ‘From Me to You’ ‘Money’, ‘You Really Got a Hold On Me’, ‘She Loves You’, ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ and ‘Twist and Shout.’

October 31st 1963, The Beatles returned to London from Sweden and were greeted by hundreds of screaming fans and a mob of photographers and journalists. American television host Ed Sullivan was at Heathrow as The Beatles arrived, and was struck by the sight of Beatlemania in full swing; he decided to look into getting this group to appear on his US television program.

November 1st 1963 - The USSR launched Polyot I. It was the first satellite capable of maneuvering in all directions and able to change its orbit.

November 7th 1963 - The comedy "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" premiered in Hollywood.

November 7th 1963 - Elston Howard, of the New York Yankees, became the first black player to be named the American League's Most Valuable Player.

November 21st 1963 - U.S. President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline, arrived in San Antonio, TX. They were beginning an ill-fated, two-day tour of Texas that would end in Dallas.

November 21st 1963 - U.S. President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline, arrived in San Antonio, TX. They were beginning an ill-fated, two-day tour of Texas that would end in Dallas.



November 22, 1963 - Oswald shot Kennedy. Two days later, Jack Ruby shot Oswald.

November 22, 1963 - Oswald shot Kennedy. Two days later, Jack Ruby shot Oswald.

:\'(

The most recent time that a sitting U.S. President died.


My parents say that they have memories of hearing about it at school (that is, their respective schools), which makes sense since that day was a Friday. Of course it was still very very sad.

November 23rd 1963 – The BBC broadcasts the first episode of An Unearthly Child (starring William Hartnell), the first story from the first series of Doctor Who, which is now the world's longest running science fiction drama.

November 22, 1963 - Oswald shot Kennedy. Two days later, Jack Ruby shot Oswald.

Yep, today is the 55th anniversary of Oswald being nixed. :P

December 2nd 1963, The Beatles recorded an appearance on the UK TV comedy program The Morecambe and Wise Show. The Beatles played ‘This Boy’, ‘All My Loving’, and ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ and also participate in comedy sketches with Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise. The program was broadcast on April 18, 1964.

December 22nd 1963, The Beatles appeared at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool. This appearance was the second concert-only preview of their ‘The Beatles' Christmas Show’, which would open in London in two days.

January 8th 1964: President Lyndon B. Johnson declares a "War on Poverty" in the United States.

January 11th 1964: Surgeon General of the United States Dr. Luther Terry, M.D., publishes the landmark report Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the United States saying that smoking may be hazardous to health, sparking national and worldwide anti-smoking efforts.

January 16th 1964: Hello Dolly! opened on Broadway, beginning a run of 2,844 performances.

February 9th 1964: The Beatles made their historic appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, performing before a "record-busting" audience of 73 million viewers across the USA.

February 9th 1964: The Beatles made their historic appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, performing before a "record-busting" audience of 73 million viewers across the USA.


Beat(les) me to it. Interestingly enough, 55 years to the day, K-pop girl group BLACKPINK made their U.S. debut at a Universal Music Group showcase (more of them to come, including Good Morning America, Colbert, Coachella and a world tour)… then BTS will be at the Grammys.

The British Invasion / K-pop parallels are hard to ignore, especially BTS and Beatlemania.

Any band that says they're not influenced by The Beatles is lying. The mere concept of forming a band means you're influenced by the Fab Four.

Beat(les) me to it. Interestingly enough, 55 years to the day, K-pop girl group BLACKPINK made their U.S. debut at a Universal Music Group showcase (more of them to come, including Good Morning America, Colbert, Coachella and a world tour)… then BTS will be at the Grammys.

The British Invasion / K-pop parallels are hard to ignore, especially BTS and Beatlemania.

Any band that says they're not influenced by The Beatles is lying. The mere concept of forming a band means you're influenced by the Fab Four.

Well, I was unaware of that part. Of course the British Invasion was probably much more popular in the States at the time anyway.

February 28th 1964: U.S. President Lyndon Johnson, who had succeeded to the American presidency three months earlier upon the death of John F. Kennedy, began his campaign to win the office in the 1964 election. Speaking to 3,000 Florida Democrats at a fundraising dinner in Miami Beach, Florida, Johnson emphasized his commitment to civil rights and remarked that "full participation in our society can no longer be reserved to men of one color", adding that his administration would push for equal rights "until we have eliminated the last barrier of intolerance." Also that day, The Dow Jones Industrial Average passed the 800 mark for the first time, rising to 800.14 in the last hour of trading to close at that exact value.


The next day, Leap Day, LBJ announced that the United States had developed a jet airplane (the A-11), capable of sustained flight at more than 2,000 miles per hour (3,200 km/h) and of altitudes of more than 70,000 feet (21,000 m). The revelation of the existence of the Lockheed A-12 (which had first flown in 1962) was made after Republican challenger Barry Goldwater had said in speeches that Democrats had neglected the defense of the United States.