Historical Events
- 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 passes after an 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", live from New York; broadcast draws 73.7 million television viewers
- Apr 13 36th Academy Awards: "Tom Jones" (Best Film), Patricia Neal (Hud) and Sidney Poitier (Lilies Of The Field) win; Poitier first Black actor in a leading role to win a competitive Oscar
- Apr 25 11th National Film Awards (India): "Shehar Aur Sapna" wins the Golden Lotus
- Jun 29 1st draft of Star Trek's pilot "Cage" released
- Aug 27 Walt Disney's "Mary Poppins" directed by Robert Stevenson, starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke premieres in Los Angeles
- Oct 21 Film version of "My Fair Lady" directed by George Cukor and starring Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn premieres in New York (Academy Awards Best Picture 1965)
- Oct 31 Barbra Streisand's "People" album goes #1 for 5 weeks
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
World Leaders in 1964
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
- 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
- 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
- Aug 26 American actress Jayne Mansfield and Hungarian-American bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay's Mexican divorce is recognized by the state of California
More Weddings & Divorces
Articles and Photos
The Beatles on Ed Sullivan
The Beatles with TV host Ed Sullivan during their first appearance on his show in February 1964February 9Nelson 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 12Windmill 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