Historical Events
- May 27 Jomo Kenyatta elected 1st Prime Minister of Kenya
- Jun 5 State of siege proclaimed in Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini arrested
- Jun 10 US Equal Pay Act signed into law by President John F. Kennedy
- Jun 11 US President JFK says segregation is morally wrong and that it is "time to act"
- Jun 16 Soviet space mission Vostok 6 is launched with Valentina Tereshkova onboard, who becomes the 1st woman in space
- Jul 22 Sarawak achieves independence from British colonial rule
- Aug 28 Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his "I have a dream" speech addressing the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom civil rights march at Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C.
- Sep 16 Federation of Malaysia formed by Malaya, Singapore, British North Borneo (Sabah) and Sarawak
- Nov 22 US President John F. Kennedy assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald while riding in an open-topped motorcade in Dallas, Texas
- More Historical Events
1963 in Film & TV
- Aug 24 24th Venice Film Festival: "Hands Over the City" directed by Francesco Rosi wins Golden Lion
1963 in Music
- Jan 16 Los Angeles night club and music venue The Whiskey A-Go-Go opens (inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2006)
- Feb 16 Beatles top British rock charts with "Please, Please Me"
- Feb 23 Luciano Pavarotti makes his debut at the Vienna State Opera in "La traviata"
- Mar 22 The Beatles release their 1st album, "Please Please Me"
- May 10 Decca signs Rolling Stones on advice of Beatle George Harrison
- Jun 22 "Little" Stevie Wonder aged 13 releases his first single "Fingertips" (first live non-studio recording to go to No. 1 on Billboard)
- Oct 17 The Beatles record "I Want to Hold Your Hand" at EMI Studios in London
Did You Know?
Did You Know?Hotline communication link between the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and the Kremlin in Moscow installed. Often known as the "red telephone" no phones were ever used, relying instead on Teletype equipment, fax machines and most recently secure email.
On August 30, 1963
Michael Jordan
Kevin Smith
Natasha Richardson
Mikael Pernfors
Whitney Houston
Sridevi Kapoor
Martin Luther King Jr.
Patricia Neal
Pete Rozelle
Sidney PoitierWorld Leaders in 1963
John F. Kennedy
Mao Zedong
Nikita Khrushchev
Would You Believe?
John Lennon utters his infamous line at a Royal Variety Performance "Will the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands? And for the rest of you, if you’ll just rattle your jewelry…" in London
On November 4, 1963
Famous Weddings
- Jan 12 Country singer Willie Nelson (29) weds singer Shirley Collie (31) in Las Vegas; divorce in 1971
- Jan 12 Actor and comedian Bob Newhart (33) weds Virginia "Ginnie" Quinn
- Feb 2 Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola (23) weds documentary filmmaker Eleanor Jessie Neil (26) in Las Vegas, Nevada
More Weddings & Divorces
Robert Frost
Sylvia Plath
Patsy Cline
Edith Piaf
Lee Harvey Oswald1963 in Pictures
Closure of Alcatraz
The last prisoners walk down Broadway as Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary closesMarch 21Vietnamese Monk Burns Himself Alive
Thích Quảng Đức moments after setting fire to himself in Saigon as an act of protestJune 11Kennedy's Clarion Call for Freedom
Former US President John F. Kennedy was renowned for his oratory – typified by his electrifying "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech delivered on this day.June 26March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
Civil rights leaders link arms in front of marchers on Constitution AvenueAugust 28The Assassination of President Kennedy
The shocking public killing of President Kennedy in 1963 was a momentous event in world history, giving birth to dozens of conspiracy theories.November 22Assassination of John F. Kennedy
Kennedy in his motorcade in Dallas, Texas, moments before he was assassinatedNovember 22
