Important Events in 1964
- Jan 11 First government report by US Surgeon General Luther Terry warning that smoking may be hazardous
- Jun 1 Kenya becomes a republic with Jomo Kenyatta as its 1st President
- Jun 12 Nelson Mandela is sentenced to life in prison in South Africa
- Jun 29 Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed after 83-day filibuster in the US Senate
- Jul 2 US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act into law
- Dec 10 Nobel Peace Prize presented to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Oslo, Norway
More Historical Events
1964 in Film & TV
- Jan 29 "Dr Strangelove", directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Peter Sellers and George C. Scott, premieres
- Feb 9 1st appearance of the Beatles on the "ed sullivan Show", from New York, draws 73.7 million television viewers
- Apr 13 36th Academy Awards: "Tom Jones", Best Film, Patricia Neal and Sidney Poitier win Best Actor/Actress, Poitier first black actor to win
- Apr 25 11th National Film Awards (India): "Shehar Aur Sapna" wins the Golden Lotus
1964 in Music
- Sep 17 Beatles are paid a then record $150,000 for a concert (Kansas)
- Dec 9 John Coltrane's Quartet records their greatest work "A Love Supreme" at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
1964 in Sport
- Mar 6 Boxing legend Cassius Clay joins the Nation of Islam and changes his name to "Muhammad Ali", calling his former title a "slave name"
- Jul 14 51st Tour de France: Jacques Anquetil of France wins 4th consecutive Tour and is first to claim 5 titles
- Oct 25 Dutchman Anton Geesink is 1st non-Japanese Olympic judo gold medal winner
- Nov 15 Mickey Wright shoots a 62, lowest golf score for a woman pro at the Tall City Open, Midland, Texas
Did You Know?
The Great Alaska Earthquake (9.2 magnitude) and resulting tsunami kill 139 people in the largest US earthquake and second largest ever recorded
On March 27, 1964
Famous People in 1964
Barbra Streisand
Grammy for Album of the YearJulie Andrews
Oscar for Best ActressRex Harrison
Oscar for Best Actor
World Leaders in 1964
Lyndon B. Johnson
36th US PresidentMao Zedong
Chinese Revolutionary and Chairman of the Communist PartyNikita Khrushchev
Soviet First Secretary
Would You Believe?
Prometheus, the world's oldest tree aged at least 4,862 years old, is accidentally cut down in Nevada, USA
On August 6, 1964
Famous Weddings in 1964
- Jan 25 Comedian and actor Bill Cosby marries Camille Olivia Hanks
- Jan 25 MLB outfielder Pete Rose (22) weds first wife Karolyn Englehardt
- Feb 19 Actor Peter Sellers (38) weds actress Britt Ekland in London, England
Famous Divorces in 1964
- Mar 6 Actress Elizabeth Taylor's 4th divorce from entertainer Eddie Fisher
- Jul 28 Broadway musical actress-singer Ethel Merman (56) divorces academy award-winning actor Ernest Borgnine (47) after 32 days of marriage
More Weddings & Divorces
1964 in Articles and Photos
The Beatles on Ed Sullivan
The Beatles with TV host Ed Sullivan during their first appearance on his show in February 1964
February 9, 1964Nelson Mandela Begins 27 Years in Jail
Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment on this day and sent to Robben Island, seven miles off Cape Town. It caused international outrage.
June 12, 1964Windmill Girls Get Dressed And Leave Town
Undressed but unmoving, the Windmill Girls were a big hit at a London theatre that used the slogan, ‘We never closed.’ But on this day it did.
October 31, 1964