Significant Events
- Mar 15 Five research groups announce the discovery of anti-matter
- Oct 11 Second Vatican Council (21st ecumenical) convened by Pope John XXIII
- Oct 16 Cuban missile crisis begins as JFK is shown photos confirming the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba
- Oct 18 James Watson (US), Francis Crick (UK) and Maurice Wilkins (UK) win the Nobel Prize for Medicine for their work in determining the structure of DNA
- Oct 22 Cuban missile crisis: US President John F. Kennedy addresses TV about Russian missile bases in Cuba and imposes a naval blockade on Cuba, beginning the missile crisis
- Oct 24 Cuban missile crisis: Soviet ships approach but stop short of the US blockade of Cuba
- Oct 25 US Ambassador to the UN Adlai Stevenson demands USSR UN rep Zorin answer regarding Cuban missile bases saying "I am prepared to wait for my answer until hell freezes over"
- Oct 27 Black Saturday - Russian nuclear missile crisis in Cuba
1962 in Film & TV
- Apr 24 Massachusetts Institute of Technology sends TV signal by satellite for 1st time: California to Massachusetts
- Sep 23 ABC's 1st color TV series - The Jetsons by Hanna-Barbera first broadcast
- Oct 5 "Dr. No", 1st James Bond film based on the novel by Ian Fleming and starring Sean Connery and Ursula Andress, premieres in London
- Oct 24 "The Manchurian Candidate", directed by John Frankenheimer, starring Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey, is released
- Oct 31 "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" horror film released directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, based on novel by Henry Farrell
1962 in Music
- May 9 The Beatles sign their 1st contract with EMI Parlophone
- Jun 2 Ray Charles' cover "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" from his influential crossover album "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music" hits #1 on Billboard
- Jul 12 Rolling Stones 1st performance (Marquee Club, London)
- Oct 5 The Beatles release their first record, "Love Me Do"
- Oct 24 "The Manchurian Candidate", directed by John Frankenheimer, starring Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey, is released
1962 in Sport
- Mar 2 Wilt Chamberlain scores incredible 100 points in an NBA game
- Apr 13 Stan Musial scores his 1,869th run, a new NL record
- Jun 17 62nd US Golf Open: Jack Nicklaus wins his first major title after playoff with Arnold Palmer, shooting a 283 at Oakmont CC, Pennsylvania
Did You Know?
Brothers John and Clarence Anglin and fellow inmate Frank Morris escape from Alcatraz Island prison, the only ones to do so
On June 11, 1962
World Leaders in 1962
John F. Kennedy
35th US President
Mao Zedong
Chinese Revolutionary and Chairman of the Communist Party
Nikita Khrushchev
Soviet First Secretary
Famous People in 1962
Anne Bancroft
Oscar for Best Actress
John XXIII
Time Person
of the Year
Judy Garland
Grammy for Album of the Year
Darryl Strawberry
Evander Holyfield
Garth Brooks
Jerry Rice
Roger Clemens
Steve IrwinWould You Believe?
The first official Panda crossing is opened outside Waterloo station, London.
On April 2, 1962
Famous Weddings
- Mar 21 Academy award-winning actor Rex Harrison (54) weds actress and third wife Rachel Roberts (34) in Genoa, Italy
- May 4 Actor Christopher Plummer (32) weds columnist Patricia Lewis at the Marylebone Registry office in London
- May 14 Princess Sophia of Greece weds Don Juan Carlos of Spain
- Jun 10 NFL running back Gale Sayers (19) weds his high school sweetheart Linda McNeil
- Jun 17 Actor Jack Nicholson (25) weds Sandra Knight (22) in Los Angeles
Famous Divorces
- Sep 14 Actress Janet Leigh (35) divorces actor Tony Curtis (37) after 10 years of marriage
A. E. Douglass
Adolf Eichmann
Charles "Lucky" Luciano
Marilyn Monroe
Niels Bohr
William FaulknerArticles on Events in 1962
The Beatles? 'They have no future in show business'
In 1962, an unknown group called the Beatles travelled to London for a recording contract audition with one of the major record labels. They were rejected.
January 1, 1962
The 100-year Football Curse that Appears to be Working
S.L. Benfica has failed to win a European Championship since 1962, when former coach Béla Guttmann placed a 100 year curse on the club. Is the curse working?
May 2, 1962
The Man Who Saved The World
Many people think John F Kennedy saved the world with his handling of the Cuban missile crisis. But an unknown Russian sailor also played a dramatic role.
October 27, 1962