Event of Interest
Jan 1 American actor George Murphy begins his term as Senator of California
George Murphy
- Jan 10 WKBD TV channel 50 in Detroit, MI (IND) begins broadcasting
Event of Interest
Feb 1 Peter Jennings, 26, becomes anchor of ABC's nightly news
Peter Jennings
- Feb 7 WVIZ TV channel 25 in Cleveland, Ohio (PBS) begins broadcasting
Event of Interest
Feb 8 The Supremes release "Stop In the Name of Love"
Diana Ross
Golden Globes
Feb 8 22nd Golden Globes: "Becket", Peter O'Toole, & Anne Bancroft win
Anne Bancroft
Peter O'Toole
- Feb 12 KHFI (now KBVO) TV channel 42 in Austin, TX (NBC) begins broadcasting
Event of Interest
Feb 27 Hugh Martin and Timothy Gray's musical "High Spirits", based on Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit", closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 375 performances
Noël Coward
- Mar 1 WPSX TV channel 3 in Clearfield, PA (PBS) begins broadcasting
Film Release
Mar 2 One of the most popular musical films of all time, "The Sound of Music", starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, is released (Academy Awards Best Picture 1966)
Christopher Plummer
Julie Andrews
Academy Awards
Apr 5 37th Academy Awards: "My Fair Lady", Rex Harrison (My Fair Lady) & Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins) win awards
Julie Andrews
Rex Harrison
- Apr 24 "Comedy in Music-Opus 2" closes at John Golden NYC after 192 performances
Television Premiere
Apr 28 "My Name is Barbra", Barbra Streisand's first television special, premieres on CBS
Barbra Streisand
- May 3 KTCI TV channel 17 in St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN (PBS) 1st broadcast
- May 7 WAOW TV channel 9 in Wausau, WI (ABC) begins broadcasting
- May 16 WNJU TV channel 47 in NY-Linden, NY (TEL) begins broadcasting
- May 16 18th Cannes Film Festival: "The Knack...and How to Get It" directed by Richard Lester wins the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film
- May 18 Gene Roddenberry suggests 16 names for Star Trek Captain; they include Kirk
- May 18 WTAF TV channel 29 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (IND) begins broadcasting
- May 22 "Super-cali-fragil-istic-expi-ali-docious", from the film "Mary Poppin" hits #66
- May 31 12th National Film Awards (India): "Charulata" wins the Golden Lotus
- Jun 7 Sony Corp introduced its home video tape recorder, priced at $995
- Jun 25 15th Berlin International Film Festival: "Alphaville" wins the Golden Bear
- Jul 1 KUID TV channel 12 in Moscow, ID (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Jul 17 WLCY (now WTSP) TV channel 10 in St Petersburg-Tampa, Florida (ABC) begins
- Jul 19 Shooting begins on Star Trek 2nd pilot "Where No Man Has Gone Before"
- Jul 29 Beatles movie "Help" premieres, Queen Elizabeth attends
- Aug 11 "Help" a musical comedy film featuring the Beatles released in the US
- Aug 24 26th Venice Film Festival: "Sandra" directed by Luchino Visconti wins Golden Lion
- Aug 27 WTVI TV channel 42 in Charlotte, North Carolina (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Sep 4 KREZ TV channel 6 in Durango, CO (CBS/NBC) begins broadcasting
- Sep 6 KLNE TV channel 3 in Lexington, NB (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Sep 10 WUND TV channel 2 in Columbia, NC (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Sep 12 WCEE TV channel 23 in Rockford, IL (CBS) begins broadcasting
Emmy Awards
Sep 12 17th Emmy Awards: "The Dick Van Dyke Show" & Dick Van Dyke win
Carl Reiner
Dick Van Dyke
Television Premiere
Sep 18 TV comedy "Get Smart" created by Mel Brooks and starring Don Adams premieres
Mel Brooks
Television Premiere
Sep 18 TV sitcom "I Dream of Jeannie", starring Barbara Eden as a 2,000-year-old genie, and Larry Hagman as an astronaut who becomes her master, premieres on NBC
- Sep 20 WXXW (now WYCC) TV channel 20 in Chicago, IL (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Sep 25 Beatle cartoon show begins in US
- Sep 29 WLVT TV channel 39 in Allentown, PA (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Oct 6 The Supremes release "I Hear a Symphony"
- Oct 10 The Supremes appear on the "The Ed Sullivan Show"
- Oct 15 WEMT (now WVII) TV channel 7 in Bangor, ME (ABC) begins broadcasting
- Oct 17 WBMG TV channel 42 in Birmingham, AL (CBS) begins broadcasting
- Oct 21 KTWU TV channel 11 in Topeka, KS (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Oct 27 WCFT-TV channel 33 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama (CBS) begins broadcasting
Film Release
Nov 5 "Pierrot le Fou", directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina, is released
Jean-Paul Belmondo
Jean-Luc Godard
- Nov 8 "Days of Our Lives" premieres on TV
- Nov 13 Director Kenneth Tynan says the word "F*ck" on BBC
- Nov 14 KCST TV channel 39 in San Diego, CA (NBC) begins broadcasting
- Nov 16 Walt Disney launches Epcot Center: Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow
- Nov 19 ABC radio begins weekly "Vietnam Update" report
- Nov 20 WCNY TV channel 24 in Syracuse, NY (PBS) begins broadcasting
Event of Interest
Nov 22 "Miss Goodall and the Wild Chimpanzees" broadcast on CBS, watched by 25 million, brings Jane Goodall to international attention
Jane Goodall
Event of Interest
Dec 9 "A Charlie Brown Christmas", the first Peanuts animated special premieres on CBS in the US
Charles M. Schulz
Music Concert
Dec 17 The Houston Astrodome opens; 1st event is a concert by Judy Garland with The Supremes as opening act
Judy Garland
Diana Ross
Film Premier
Dec 22 "Doctor Zhivago" based on the novel by Boris Pasternak, directed by David Lean and starring Omar Sharif and Julie Christie premieres in NYC
Film Premier
Dec 29 "Thunderball", 4th James Bond film starring Sean Connery and Claudine Auger premieres in Tokyo
Sean Connery
- Dec 29 CBS purchases NFL TV rights for 1966-68 at $18.8 million per year
- Dec 29 The Supremes release "My World is Empty Without You"