This Day in History
Here are events that happened while the class of 1962 was at Northeastern.
Today is March 13th! On this day in 1961...
Rick Nelson recorded Travelin' Man.
- January 1, 1959
- Cuban President Batista resigns and flees -- Castro takes over
- January 2, 1960
- Sen. John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination.
- January 3, 1959
- Alaska becomes the 49th state
- January 3, 1961
- U.S. breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba
- January 4, 1958
- The Soviet satellite Sputknik I fell to the earth from its orbit. The craft had been launched on October 4, 1957.
- January 5, 1959
- It Doesn't Matter Anymore backed by Raining in My Heart was released by Coral Records. It was the last release of Buddy Holly before his death.
- January 6, 1958
- Gibson patents the Flying V Guitar
- January 7, 1959
- The United States recognized Fidel Castro's new government in Cuba.
- January 8, 1959
- Charles De Gaulle was inaugurated as president of France's Fifth Republic.
- January 9, 1959
- Rawhide with Clint Eastwood premieres on CBS TV
- January 10, 1958
- Jerry Lee Lewis' Great Balls of Fire reaches #1
- January 11, 1958
- Seahunt debuted on CBS-TV. The show was aired on the network for four years.
- January 12, 1959
- Berry Gordy borrowed $800 to found the Motown record empire.
- January 13, 1962
- Comedian Ernie Kovacs died in a car crash in west Los Angeles.
- January 14, 1960
- Elvis Presley was promoted to Sergeant in the U.S. Army.
- January 15, 1961
- Motown Records signed The Supremes.
- January 16, 1961
- Mickey Mantle signed a contract that made him the highest paid baseball player in the American League at $75,000 for the 1961 season.
- January 17, 1961
- In his farewell address, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned against the rise of the military-industrial complex.
- January 18, 1958
- Willie O'Ree became made his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins. He was the first black player to enter the league.
- January 19, 1961
- The first episode for Dick Van Dyke Show is filmed
- January 20, 1961
- Robert Frost recites The Gift Outright at John F. Kennedy's inauguration as president of U.S.
- January 21, 1962
- Jackie Wilson appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.
- January 22, 1960
- Sam Cooke signed a deal with RCA Records.
- January 23, 1962
- Bob Feller & Jackie Robinson elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
- January 24, 1962
- Brian Epstein signed with the Beatles as their manager and began to direct their image away from leather jackets. He led them toward a smarter stage presentation, with matching suits and bows to the audience.
- January 25, 1959
- American Airlines opened the jet age in the United States with the first scheduled transcontinental flight of a Boeing 707.
- January 26, 1962
- The United States launched Ranger 3 to land scientific instruments on the moon, but the probe missed its target by some 22,000 miles.
- January 27, 1961
- Leontyne Price made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.
- January 28, 1960
- The first photograph bounced off of the moon.
- January 29, 1958
- Actors Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were married.
- January 30, 1962
- Two members of the Flying Wallendas high-wire act were killed when their seven-person pyramid collapsed during a performance in Detroit.
- January 31, 1959
- Former Red Sox Joe Cronin signs a seven-year deal to become the American League president.
- February 1, 1958
- Egypt and Syria merge into United Arab Republic
- February 2, 1959
- Frankie Avalon's Venus and the Coasters song, Charlie Brown, were released.
- February 3, 1959
- A plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, claimed the lives of rock-and-roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. The Big Bopper Richardson.
- February 4, 1958
- You could buy a loaf of bread for 19 cents.
- February 5, 1958
- Gamel Abdel Nasser was nominated to become the first president of the new United Arab Republic.
- February 6, 1959
- The United States successfully test-fired for the first time a Titan intercontinental ballistic missile from Cape Canaveral.
- February 7, 1959
- Buddy Holly's funeral was held in Lubbock, TX.
- February 8, 1960
- The House of Representatives Special Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight opened hearings on disc jockey payola.
- February 9, 1960
- The first star was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star was for Joanne Woodward.
- February 10, 1962
- The Soviet Union exchanged captured American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers for Rudolph Ivanovich Abel, a Soviet spy held by the United States
- February 11, 1960
- Jack Paar walked off while live on the air on the Tonight Show with four minutes left. He did this in response to sensors cutting out a for minute joke from the show the night before.
- February 12, 1961
- The Miracles' Shop Around became Motown's first million-selling single.
- February 13, 1960
- France exploded its first atomic bomb.
- February 14, 1962
- First lady Jacqueline Kennedy conducted a televised tour of the White House.
- February 15, 1958
- The Dick Clark Show debuted on ABC-TV. Connie Francis, Pat Boone and Jerry Lee Lewis were the first performers to appear on the show.
- February 16, 1958
- 19.4 inches of snow fell in Boston. It was the greatest 24 hour snowfall ever recorded (until January 1978).
- February 16, 1959
- Fidel Castro became premier of Cuba after the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista.
- February 17, 1960
- The Everly Brothers signed with Warner Bros. Records in a 10-year contract worth $1 million.
- February 18, 1960
- The 8th Winter Olympic Games were opened in Squaw Valley, Calif., by Vice President Nixon.
- February 19, 1959
- An agreement was signed by Britain, Turkey and Greece granting Cyprus its independence.
- February 20, 1962
- Lt. Col. John H. Glenn, Jr., is first American to orbit Earth three times in 4 hr 55 min
- February 21, 1959
- Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Platters was a top 10 song.
- February 22, 1962
- Wilt Chamberlain sets NBA record with 34 free throw attempts
- February 23, 1958
- Juan Fangio, 5-time world diving champion, was kidnapped by Cuban rebels.
- February 24, 1962
- US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- February 25, 1961
- A first class stamp cost 4 cents.
- February 26, 1959
- Lou Costello, actor (Abbott & Costello), dies at 52
- February 27, 1960
- The U.S. Olympic hockey team defeated the Soviet Union 3-2 at the Winter Games in Squaw Valley, Calif. The U.S. team went on to win the gold medal.
- February 28, 1959
- Cash Box magazine began using a red 'bullet' on its record charts to indicate the records that have the strongest upward movement each week.
- February 29, 1960
- The first Playboy Club, featuring bunnies, opens in Chicago
- March 1, 1961
- President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps.
- March 2, 1962
- Wilt 'The Stilt' Chamberlain scored 100 points against the New York Knicks 169-147. Chamberlain broke several NBA records in the game.
- March 3, 1959
- The San Francisco Giants had their new stadium officially named Candlestick Park.
- March 4, 1960
- A powerful nor'easter that started on the 3rd ended up dumping 20 inches of snow on Boston.
- March 5, 1960
- Elvis Presley was honorably discharged from the Army.
- March 6, 1960
- The United States announced that it would send 3,500 troops to Vietnam.
- March 7, 1962
- Beatles made their broadcasting debut on BBC radio
- March 8, 1962
- The Beatles performed for the first time on the BBC in Great Britain. The show was Teenager's Turn.
- March 9, 1961
- The Supremes released their first single, I Want A Guy.
- March 10, 1959
- Sweet Bird of Youth, a play by Tennessee Williams, opened in New York City.
- March 11, 1959
- The Lorraine Hansberry drama A Raisin in the Sun opened at New York's Ethel Barrymore Theater.
- March 12, 1959
- The U.S. House joined the U.S. Senate in approving the statehood of Hawaii.
- March 13, 1961
- Rick Nelson recorded Travelin' Man.
- March 14, 1958
- The U.S. government suspended arms shipments to the Batista government of Cuba.
- March 15, 1960
- Ten nations met in Geneva to discuss disarmament.
- March 16, 1959
- John Sailling, last documented Civil War vet, dies at 111
- March 17, 1961
- The U.S. increased military aid and technicians to Laos.
- March 18, 1959
- President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Hawaii statehood bill.
- March 19, 1958
- Our Song was released by Tom and Jerry. Later they used their real names, which were Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.
- March 20, 1961
- Ricky Nelson recorded Hello Mary Lou.
- March 21, 1960
- Police fired on demonstrators in Sharpeville, South Africa, killing some 70 people.
- March 22, 1960
- A.L. Schawlow & C.H. Townes obtained a patent for the laser. It was the first patent for any laser.
- March 23, 1961
- Elvis Presley recorded Can't Help Falling in Love.
- March 24, 1958
- Elvis Presley is inducted into the U.S. Army
- March 25, 1960
- Roy Orbison recorded Only the Lonely.
- March 26, 1958
- The Bridge on the River Kwai got the Academy Award for Best Picture of 1957
- March 27, 1958
- Khrushchev becomes premier of Soviet Union as Bulganin resigns
- March 28, 1962
- The U.S. Air Force announced research into the use of lasers to intercept missiles and satellites.
- March 29, 1962
- Jack Paar hosted NBC's Tonight show for the final time.
- March 30, 1961
- Blue Moon by Marcels was a top 10 song.
- March 31, 1959
- Tibet's Dalai Lama escapes to India
- April 1, 1960
- The first weather satellite, TIROS-1, was launched from Cape Canaveral.
- April 2, 1958
- The National Advisory Council on Aeronautics was renamed NASA.
- April 3, 1960
- The Everly Brothers made their British concert debut.
- April 4, 1960
- Ben Hur won the Academy Award for Best Picture of 1959
- April 5, 1962
- Duke of Earl by Gene Chandler was a top 10 song.
- April 6, 1959
- Gigi won the Academy Award for Best Picture of 1958
- April 7, 1959
- Oklahoma ends prohibition, after 51 years
- April 8, 1962
- Bay of Pigs invaders got thirty years imprisonment in Cuba.
- April 9, 1959
- NASA announced the selection of America's first seven astronauts: Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard and Donald Slayton.
- April 9, 1959
- The Boston Celtics beat the Minneapolis Lakers 4 games to 0 to win the NBA championship
- April 9, 1960
- The Boston Celtics beat the St Louis Hawks 4 games to 3 to win the NBA championship
- April 10, 1959
- Japan's Crown Prince Akihito married a commoner, Michiko Shoda.
- April 11, 1961
- The Boston Celtics beat the St Louis Hawks 4 games to 1 to win the NBA championship
- April 12, 1958
- The St Louis Hawks beat the Boston Celtics 4 games to 2 to win the NBA Championship
- April 12, 1961
- Moscow announces putting first man in orbit around Earth, Maj. Yuri A. Gagarin
- April 13, 1962
- In the U.S., major steel companies rescinded announced price increases. The John F. Kennedy administration had been applying pressure against the price increases.
- April 14, 1960
- The musical Bye Bye Birdie opened in New York City.
- April 15, 1959
- Cuban leader Fidel Castro arrived in Washington, D.C., to begin a goodwill tour of the United States.
- April 16, 1962
- Walter Cronkite succeeded Douglas Edwards as anchorman of The CBS Evening News.
- April 17, 1961
- Cuba invaded at Bay of Pigs by an estimated 1,200 anti-Castro exiles aided by U.S.; invasion crushed
- April 18, 1962
- The Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 3 to win the NBA championship
- April 19, 1960
- Baseball uniforms began displaying player's names on their backs.
- April 20, 1961
- FM stereo broadcasting was approved by the FCC.
- April 21, 1959
- The largest fish ever hooked by a rod and reel was landed by Alfred Dean in South Australia. It was a 16-foot, 10-inch white shark that weighed in at 2,664 pounds.
- April 22, 1962
- The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance opened in theaters around the country.
- April 23, 1962
- Ranger 4, the first US satellite to reach Moon launched from Cape Canaveral
- April 24, 1962
- The Massachusetts Institute of Technology achieved the first satellite relay of a television signal, between Camp Parks, Calif., and Westford, Mass.
- April 25, 1959
- St. Lawrence Seaway opens, allowing ocean ships to reach Midwest
- April 26, 1962
- Red Sox Bill Monbouquette piches a no-hitter against the White Sox (1-0)
- April 27, 1960
- The submarine Tullibee was launched from Groton, CT. It was the first sub to be equipped with closed-circuit television.
- April 28, 1959
- Arthur Godfrey was seen for the last time in the final broadcast of Arthur Godfrey and His Friends on CBS-TV.
- April 29, 1961
- ABC's Wide World of Sports premiered.
- April 30, 1958
- Ted Williams is 10th major league player to get 1,000 extra-base hits
- May 1, 1960
- The Soviet Union shot down an American U-2 reconnaissance plane near Sverdlovsk and captured its pilot, Francis Gary Powers.
- May 2, 1960
- Caryl Chessman was executed. He was a convicted sex offender and had become a best selling author while on death row.
- May 3, 1960
- The Fantaskicks opened. The show became the longest-running musical in theatre history on May 13, 1984 with performance number 10,000.
- May 4, 1959
- Henry Mancini won best Album of the Year (for The Music From Peter Gunn) at the 1st Annual Grammy Awards. Other winners included Perry Como for Catch a Falling Star and The Kingston Trio for Tom Dooley.
- May 5, 1961
- First U.S. spaceman, Navy Cmdr. Alan B. Shepard, Jr., rockets 116.5 miles up in 302-mile trip
- May 6, 1960
- Britain's Princess Margaret married Anthony Armstrong Jones, a commoner, at Westminster Abbey. They divorced in 1978
- May 7, 1960
- Leonid Brezhnev replaced Marshal Kliment Voroshilov as president of the Supreme Soviet.
- May 8, 1958
- Vice President Nixon was shoved, stoned, booed and spat upon by anti-American protesters in Lima, Peru.
- May 9, 1960
- The Food and Drug Administration approved use of a birth control pill.
- May 10, 1960
- The USS Nautilus completed the first circumnavigation of the globe under water.
- May 11, 1960
- Israeli soldiers captured Adolf Eichmann in Buenos Aires.
- May 12, 1960
- Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley appeared on the same TV special and performed the other's hit. Elvis sang Witchcraft and Sinatra sang Love Me Tender.
- May 13, 1958
- Vice President Nixon's limousine was battered by rocks thrown by anti-U.S. demonstrators in Caracas, Venezuela.
- May 14, 1961
- A bus carrying Freedom Riders was bombed and burned in Alabama.
- May 15, 1958
- Sputnik III, the first space laboratory, was launched in the Soviet Union.
- May 16, 1960
- Khrushchev kills Paris summit conference because of U-2
- May 17, 1961
- Castro offers to exchange Bay of Pigs prisoners for 500 bulldozers
- May 18, 1962
- The average cost of a home in the U.S. was $19,000.
- May 19, 1962
- Actress Marilyn Monroe performed a rendition of Happy Birthday for President Kennedy during a fund-raiser at New York's Madison Square Garden.
- May 20, 1961
- a white mob attacked a busload of Freedom Riders in Montgomery, Ala., prompting the federal government to send in United States marshals to restore order.
- May 21, 1959
- The musical Gypsy, inspired by the life of stripper Gypsy Rose Lee, opened on Broadway.
- May 22, 1958
- Jerry Lee Lewis announced that he had married his 13-year-old cousin, Myra
- May 23, 1960
- Top Nazi murderer of Jews, Adolf Eichmann, captured by Israelis in Argentina and executed in Israel in 1962.
- May 24, 1958
- United Press International was formed through a merger of the United Press and the International News Service.
- May 25, 1961
- President Kennedy asked the nation to work toward putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade.
- May 26, 1959
- The word Frisbee became a registered trademark of Wham-O.
- May 27, 1960
- A military coup overthrew the democratic government of Turkey.
- May 28, 1957
- The National League approved the move of the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants baseball teams to Los Angeles and San Francisco, respectively.
- May 29, 1962
- Buck (John) O'Neil became the first black coach in major league baseball when he accepted the job with the Chicago Cubs.
- May 30, 1959
- Ted Williams celebrates his 20th season by clouting a dramatic home run in an 8–3 Boston win in a doubleheader nitecap against Baltimore.
- May 31, 1961
- South Africa became an independent republic.
- June 1, 1958
- Gen. Charles de Gaulle becomes French premier, remaining in power until 1969.
- June 2, 1958
- Brooks Robinson, hits into 1st of record 4 triple plays
- June 3, 1959
- The first class to graduated from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO.
- June 4, 1961
- Tossin' and Turnin' by Bobby Lewis was a top 10 song.
- June 5, 1960
- George Gobel Show, last airs on CBS-TV
- June 6, 1960
- Roy Orbison's Only The Lonely was released in the U.S.
- June 7, 1961
- Minimum wage was $1.15/hr
- June 8, 1961
- The Milwaukee Braves set a major league baseball record when four consecutive home runs in the seventh inning.
- June 9, 1958
- Actor Robert Donat dies
- June 10, 1961
- Psychologist Carl Jung died on this day
- June 11, 1959
- Postmaster General bans D H Lawrence's book, Lady Chatterley's Lover (overruled by US Court of Appeals in Mar 1960)
- June 12, 1959
- Bo Diddley released Go Go Bo Diddley.
- June 13, 1962
- Three convicts, Frank Lee Morris, and the brothers Anglin, escaped from Alcatraz on this day with a crude rowboat. They are the only prisoners believed to have successfully escaped.
- June 14, 1961
- Patsy Cline sustained serious head injuries and a fractured hip in a car accident in Madison, TN.
- June 15, 1958
- Jan & Dean's Surf City was released.
- June 16, 1961
- Soviet ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev defected to the West while his troupe was in Paris.
- June 17, 1960
- Ted Williams hit his 500th HR
- June 18, 1959
- The first telecast received from England was broadcast in the U.S. over NBC-TV.
- June 19, 1961
- The Supreme Court struck down a provision in Maryland's constitution requiring state officeholders to profess a belief in God.
- June 20, 1961
- The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark was a bestselling book.
- June 21, 1958
- Bobby Darin recorded Splish Splash.
- June 22, 1958
- Game in KC between A's & Red Sox delayed 29 minutes due to tornado
- June 23, 1958
- Federal judge rules race separation must end in 2 years in Little Rock
- June 24, 1961
- Iraq demands dominion over Kuwait
- June 25, 1962
- The Supreme Court ruled that the use of an unofficial, nondenominational prayer in New York public schools was unconstitutional.
- June 26, 1961
- A Kuwaiti vote opposed Iraq's annexation plans.
- June 27, 1961
- Arthur Michael Ramsey was enthroned as the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury.
- June 28, 1960
- In Cuba, Fidel Castro confiscated American-owned oil refineries without compensation.
- June 29, 1961
- Gas prices averaged $0.31 a gallon.
- June 30, 1962
- Los Angeles Dodger Sandy Koufax pitched his first no-hitter in a game with the New York Mets.
- July 1, 1961
- Diana, the future Princess of Wales, was born near Sandringham, England.
- July 2, 1961
- Author Ernest Hemingway shot himself to death at his home in Ketchum, Idaho.
- July 3, 1962
- France transfers sovereignty to new republic of Algeria
- July 4, 1959
- America's 49-star flag, honoring Alaskan statehood, was officially unfurled.
- July 4, 1960
- America's 50-star flag, honoring Hawaiian statehood, was officially unfurled.
- July 5, 1962
- Algeria became independent after 132 years of French rule.
- July 6, 1962
- William Faulkner died in a hospital where he was being treated for alcoholism.
- July 7, 1961
- James R Hoffa elected chairman of Teamsters
- July 8, 1958
- The first gold record album was presented by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The award went to the soundtrack Oklahoma!
- July 9, 1958
- Johnny Cash signed with Columbia Records
- July 10, 1962
- The Telstar communications satellite was launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
- July 11, 1959
- Joan Baez made her first recording. It was a duet with Bob Gibson which was recorded live at the Newport Folk Festival.
- July 12, 1960
- The first Etch-A-Sketch went on sale.
- July 13, 1960
- John F. Kennedy won the Democratic presidential nomination at his party's convention in Los Angeles.
- July 14, 1958
- The army of Iraq overthrew the monarchy.
- July 15, 1958
- Eisenhower orders U.S. Marines into Lebanon at request of President Chamoun, who fears overthrow
- July 16, 1961
- Catch-22 by Joseph Heller was a bestselling book.
- July 17, 1960
- Francis Gary Powers pled guilty to spying charges in a Moscow court after his U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union.
- July 18, 1959
- William Wright becomes the first black to win a major golf tournament
- July 19, 1960
- Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants became the first pitcher to get a one-hitter in his major league debut.
- July 20, 1962
- Pope John XXIII sent invitations to all "separated Christian churches and communities" asking each to send delegate-observers to the upcoming Vatican II Ecumenical Council in Rome.
- July 21, 1959
- Pumpsie Green pinch runs for the Red Sox, who become the last major-league team to play a black player.
- July 21, 1961
- Virgil Grissom becomes second American astronaut, making 118-mile-high, 303-mile-long rocket flight over Atlantic
- July 22, 1958
- US performs atmospheric nuclear Test at Bikini Island
- July 23, 1962
- The Telstar communications satellite sent the first live TV broadcast to Europe.
- July 24, 1959
- During a visit to the Soviet Union, Vice President Richard M. Nixon got into a kitchen debate with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev at a U.S. exhibition.
- July 25, 1962
- The Elvis Presley film Kid Galahad premiered.
- July 26, 1961
- A loaf of bread would cost you 21 cents.
- July 27, 1960
- Vice President Nixon was nominated for president at the Republican national convention in Chicago.
- July 28, 1959
- In preparation for statehood, Hawaiians voted to send the first Chinese-American, Hiram L. Fong, to the Senate and the first Japanese-American, Daniel K. Inouye, to the House of Representatives.
- July 29, 1958
- President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, which created NASA.
- July 30, 1960
- In the first AFL preseason game, the Boston Patriots defeat Bills in Buffalo (28-7)
- July 31, 1961
- The first tie in All-Star Game major league baseball history was recorded when it was stopped in the 9th inning due to rain at Boston's Fenway Park.
- August 1, 1960
- Chubby Checker's The Twist was released.
- August 2, 1961
- The Beatles began their engagement as regular headliners at Liverpool's Cavern Club. They performed about 300 shows over the next two years.
- August 3, 1958
- The nuclear-powered submarine Nautilus became the first vessel to cross the North Pole underwater.
- August 4, 1958
- Billboard Magazine introduced its Hot 100 record chart, which was part popularity and a barometer of the movement of potential hits. The first number one song was Ricky Nelson's Poor Little Fool.
- August 5, 1962
- Actress Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her Los Angeles home at age 36. Her death was ruled a probable suicide from an overdose of sleeping pills.
- August 6, 1961
- Gherman Stepanovich Titov is launched in Soviet spaceship Vostok II: makes 171/2 orbits in 25 hours, covering 434,960 miles before landing safely
- August 7, 1960
- Cuba begins confiscation of $770 million of U.S. property
- August 8, 1960
- 25,000 copies of Tell Laura I Love Her were destroyed by Decca Records. It was said that the song was too tasteless and vulgar for English sensibility.
- August 9, 1962
- German author Hermann Hesse died
- August 10, 1961
- England applies for membership in the European Common Market
- August 11, 1960
- The African republic of Chad gained independence from France
- August 12, 1960
- The first balloon satellite, the Echo 1, was launched by the United States from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
- August 13, 1961
- East Germans erect Berlin Wall between East and West Berlin to halt flood of refugees
- August 14, 1959
- The first meeting was held to organize the American Football League.
- August 15, 1961
- East German workers began construction of the Berlin Wall.
- August 16, 1960
- Britain granted independence to Cyprus.
- August 17, 1962
- East German border guards shot and mortally wounded 18-year-old Peter Fechter, who had attempted to cross over the Berlin Wall into the western sector.
- August 18, 1958
- The novel Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov was published.
- August 19, 1960
- American U-2 spy plane, piloted by Francis Gary Powers sentenced to prison for 10 years freed in February 1962 in exchange for Soviet spy.
- August 20, 1960
- Connie Francis begins working on the film Where the Boys Are.
- August 21, 1959
- Hawaii becomes the 50th state
- August 22, 1959
- Stephen Rockefeller married Anne Marie Rasmussen. Anne had once been a maid for the powerful and wealthy Rockefeller family.
- August 23, 1960
- Broadway librettist Oscar Hammerstein II died in Doylestown, Pa.
- August 24, 1959
- Three days after Hawaiian statehood, Hiram L. Fong was sworn in as the first Chinese-American U.S. senator, while Daniel K. Inouye was sworn in as the first Japanese-American U.S. representative.
- August 25, 1960
- 17th summer olympics opens in Rome
- August 26, 1961
- The International Hockey Hall of Fame opened in Toronto.
- August 27, 1962
- The United States launched the Mariner 2 space probe, which flew past Venus the following December.
- August 28, 1961
- Please Mr. Postman was released by the Marvelettes.
- August 29, 1958
- George Harrison joined the band Quarrymen. John Lennon and Paul McCartney were also members.
- August 30, 1960
- A partial blockade was imposed on West Berlin by East Germany.
- August 31, 1962
- The Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago became independent within the British Commonwealth.
- September 1, 1961
- The first conference of neutral countries held in Belgrade
- September 2, 1962
- Ken Hubbs, of the Chicago Cubs, set a major-league baseball fielding record when he played errorless for his 74th consecutive game.
- September 3, 1962
- Poet e.e. cummings died
- September 4, 1959
- Mack the Knife by Bobby Darin was banned by a radio station in New York City.
- September 5, 1958
- The novel Doctor Zhivago by Russian author Boris Pasternak was published in the United States for the first time.
- September 6, 1959
- The first Barbie Doll was sold by Mattel Toy Corporation.
- September 7, 1962
- Writer Isak Dinesen died at 77.
- September 8, 1960
- NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL, was dedicated by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The facility had been activated in July earlier that year.
- September 9, 1960
- 4th American Football League season begins - Denver beat Boston 13-10
- September 10, 1961
- Mickey Mantle tied a major league baseball record for home runs when he hit the 400th of his career.
- September 11, 1962
- The Beatles recorded their first single, Love Me Do and P.S. I Love You, at EMI studios in London.
- September 12, 1960
- Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy addressed the issue of his Roman Catholic faith, telling a Protestant group in Houston, I do not speak for my church on public matters, and the church does not speak for me.
- September 13, 1960
- The U.S. Federal Communications Commission banned payola.
- September 14, 1959
- The Soviet space probe Luna 2 became the first man-made object to reach the moon as it crashed onto the lunar surface.
- September 15, 1962
- The Beatles were called a nothing group after an interview with Peter Jones of the London Daily Mirror.
- September 16, 1959
- WWII movie Ten Seconds to Hell opened in theaters.
- September 17, 1961
- The Minnesota Vikings were debuted as the new National Football League (NFL) team.
- September 18, 1961
- United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold was killed in a plane crash in northern Rhodesia.
- September 19, 1959
- Nikita Khruschev was not allowed to visit Disneyland due to security reasons. Khrushchev reacted angrily.
- September 20, 1962
- Black student James Meredith was blocked from enrolling at the University of Mississippi by Governor Ross R. Barnett. (Meredith was later admitted.)
- September 21, 1961
- Earle Dickson, inventor (band-aid), dies at 68
- September 22, 1958
- Sherman Adams, assistant to President Eisenhower, resigned amid charges of improperly using his influence to help an industrialist.
- September 23, 1962
- The Jetsons premiered on ABC-TV. It was the first program on the network to be carried in color.
- September 24, 1960
- The first nuclear powered aircraft carrier was launched. The USS Enterprise set out from Newport News, VA.
- September 25, 1960
- Chubby Checker's Twist, hits #1
- September 26, 1960
- The first televised debate between presidential candidates Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy took place in Chicago.
- September 27, 1961
- Sandy Koufax sets NL strikeout season record at 269
- September 28, 1960
- At Fenway, in his final major league plate appearance, Ted Williams hits a home run behind the Boston bullpen. It is Williams' 521st and last home run, putting him 3rd on the all-time list. The Splendid Splinter retires.
- September 29, 1958
- The US Supreme Court rules unanimously that Little Rock, Ark., schools must integrate
- September 30, 1962
- Black student James Meredith succeeded on his fourth try in registering for classes at the University of Mississippi.
- October 1, 1962
- James H. Meredith, escorted by federal marshals, registers at University of Mississippi
- October 2, 1958
- The former French colony of Guinea in West Africa proclaimed its independence.
- October 3, 1961
- The Dick Van Dyke Show debuted on CBS-TV.
- October 4, 1958
- The first trans-Atlantic passenger jetliner service was begun by British Overseas Airways Corp. with flights between London and New York.
- October 5, 1962
- The Beatles' first hit, Love Me Do, was released in the United Kingdom.
- October 6, 1961
- U.S. president John F. Kennedy advised American families to build or buy bomb shelters to protect them in the event of a nuclear exchange with the Soviet Union.
- October 7, 1958
- Potter Stewart appointed to US Supreme Court
- October 8, 1959
- The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago White Sox 4 games to 2 to win the World Series
- October 9, 1958
- New York Yankees beat the Milwaukee Braves 4 games to 3 to win the World Series
- October 9, 1958
- Pope Pius XII died, 19 years after he was elevated to the papacy. He was succeeded by Pope John XXIII.
- October 9, 1961
- New York Yankees beat the Cincinnati Reds 4 games to 1 to win the World Series
- October 10, 1959
- Pan American World Airways announced the beginning of the first global airline service.
- October 11, 1962
- Pope John XXIII opens Second Vatican Council. Council holds four sessions, finally closing Dec. 8, 1965.
- October 12, 1960
- Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev disrupted a U.N. General Assembly session by pounding his desk with a shoe during a dispute.
- October 13, 1960
- The Pittsburg Pirates beat the New York Yankees 4 games to 3 to win the World Series
- October 14, 1960
- Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy suggested formation of a Peace Corps during a talk at the University of Michigan.
- October 15, 1961
- Amnesty International, the worldwide organization to advocate human rights, was established in London
- October 16, 1962
- New York Yankees beat the San Francisco Giants 4 games to 3 to win the World Series
- October 17, 1960
- Billboard reported that Dion and the Belmonts were breaking up.
- October 18, 1958
- The first computer-arranged marriage took place on Art Linkletter's show.
- October 19, 1960
- The United States imposed an embargo on exports to Cuba covering all commodities except medical supplies and certain food products.
- October 20, 1960
- The Elvis Presley film G.I. Blues premiered.
- October 21, 1960
- Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Richard M. Nixon clashed in their fourth and final presidential debate.
- October 22, 1962
- President Kennedy announced an air and naval blockade of Cuba, following the discovery of Soviet missile bases on the island.
- October 23, 1962
- During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the U.S. quarantine of Cuba was approved by the Council of the Organization of American States (OAS).
- October 24, 1962
- The U.S. blockade of Cuba during the missile crisis officially began under a proclamation signed by President Kennedy
- October 25, 1962
- U.S. ambassador Adlai E. Stevenson presented photographic evidence of Soviet missile bases in Cuba to the U.N. Security Council.
- October 26, 1962
- In one of the most dramatic verbal confrontations of the Cold War, American U.N. Ambassador Adlai Stevenson asked his Soviet counterpart during a Security Council debate whether the USSR had placed missiles in Cuba. Don't wait for the translation - yes or no? Stevenson said. I am prepared to wait for my answer until hell freezes over.
- October 27, 1960
- Ben E. King records his first solo songs, Spanish Harlem and Stand by Me.
- October 28, 1958
- The Roman Catholic patriarch of Venice, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, was elected Pope, taking the name John XXIII.
- October 29, 1961
- USSR fires 50-megaton hydrogen bomb, biggest explosion in history
- October 30, 1961
- The Soviet Union tested a hydrogen bomb with a force estimated at 58 megatons.
- October 31, 1961
- In the Soviet Union, the body of Joseph Stalin was removed from Lenin's Tomb where it was on public display.
- November 1, 1959
- Jacques Plante, of the Montreal Canadiens, became the first goalie in the NHL to wear a mask.
- November 2, 1959
- Charles Van Doren admitted to a House subcommittee that he had the questions and answers in advance of his appearances on the NBC-TV game show Twenty-One.
- November 3, 1960
- Tammy Grimes' Unsinkable Molly Brown, premieres in NYC
- November 4, 1961
- Bob Dylan made his concert hall debut in New York City. The show was seen by 50 people who paid two dollars each.
- November 5, 1960
- Johnny Horton was killed in an auto accident in Texas at the age of 33. He had the hit Battle of New Orleans.
- November 6, 1962
- The UN General Assembly adopts a resolution that condemned South Africa's racist apartheid policies.
- November 7, 1962
- Richard M. Nixon, who failed in a bid to become governor of California, held what he called his last press conference, telling reporters, You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore.
- November 8, 1960
- Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kennedy defeated Vice President Richard M. Nixon for the presidency.
- November 9, 1961
- The Professional Golfer's Association (PGA) eliminated is caucasians only rule.
- November 10, 1960
- Senate passes landmark Civil Rights Bill
- November 11, 1959
- The first episode of Rocky and His Friends aired.
- November 12, 1960
- The test launch of Mercury-Redstone 1 fails at 10 cm altitude
- November 13, 1961
- The Tokens' The Lion Sleeps Tonight was released.
- November 14, 1961
- The Elvis Presley film Blue Hawaii premiered.
- November 15, 1958
- Actor Tyrone Power dies of a heart attack at 44
- November 16, 1961
- House Speaker Sam Rayburn died in Bonham, Texas.
- November 17, 1962
- Washington's Dulles International Airport was dedicated by President Kennedy.
- November 18, 1961
- JFK sends 18,000 military advisors to South Vietnam
- November 19, 1959
- Ford Motor Co. announced it was halting production of the unpopular Edsel.
- November 20, 1962
- The Cuban Missile Crisis ended. The Soviet Union removed its missiles and bombers from Cuba and the U.S. ended its blockade of the island.
- November 21, 1959
- Jack Benny (violin) & Richard Nixon (piano) play their famed duet
- November 22, 1961
- The film, A Man for All Seasons, opened in New York City.
- November 23, 1960
- Tinseltown dedicated its Walk of Fame at Hollywood Blvd & Vine St
- November 24, 1960
- Wilt Chamberlainset an NBA record getting 55 rebounds in a game
- November 25, 1961
- The Everly Brothers were inducted into the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves.
- November 26, 1961
- Pro Baseball Rules Committee votes 8-1 against legalizing the spitball
- November 27, 1960
- CBS radio cancels Have Gun Will Travel.
- November 28, 1958
- The African nation of Chad became an autonomous republic within the French community.
- November 29, 1961
- Enos the chimp was launched from Cape Canaveral aboard the Mercury-Atlas 5 spacecraft, which orbited Earth twice before returning.
- November 30, 1958
- Coed Records released 16 Candles by the Crests.
- December 1, 1959
- Representatives of 12 countries, including the United States, signed a treaty in Washington setting aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve, free from military activity.
- December 2, 1961
- Cuban leader Fidel Castro declared himself a Marxist-Leninist who would lead Cuba to Communism.
- December 3, 1960
- The musical Camelot by Lerner and Loewe opened on Broadway.
- December 4, 1961
- Gene Chandler's Duke of Earl was released.
- December 5, 1961
- United Nations forces launched an attack in Katanga, the Congo, near Elizabethville.
- December 6, 1960
- Gene Autry and Bob Reynolds were granted the Los Angeles Angels baseball franchise by the American League.
- December 7, 1960
- Ivory Coast claims independence from France
- December 8, 1961
- Surfin', the Beach Boys first recording, was released.
- December 9, 1958
- Robert H.W. Welch Jr. and 11 other men met in Indianapolis to form the anti-Communist John Birch Society.
- December 10, 1958
- The first domestic passenger jet flight took place in the United States as a National Airlines Boeing 707 flew 111 passengers from New York City to Miami.
- December 11, 1961
- A U.S. aircraft carrier carrying Army helicopters arrived in Saigon - the first direct American military support for South Vietnam's battle against Communist guerrillas.
- December 12, 1961
- Martin Luther King Jr & 700 demonstraters arrested in Albany, Ga
- December 13, 1961
- The Beatles signed with manager Brian Epstein.
- December 14, 1961
- Jimmy Dean's Big Bad John is first country song to get a gold record
- December 15, 1961
- Former Nazi official Adolf Eichmann was sentenced to death by an Israeli court.
- December 16, 1960
- A United Air Lines DC-8 and a TWA Super Constellation collided over New York City, killing 134 people.
- December 17, 1959
- The film On the Beach premiered in New York City and in 17 other cities. It was the first motion picture to debut simultaneously in major cities around the world.
- December 18, 1961
- For the second consecutive year, AP names Wilma Rudolph female athlete of year
- December 19, 1959
- Walter Williams died in Houston, TX, at the age of 117. He was said to be the last surviving veteran of the U.S. Civil War.
- December 20, 1961
- Lover Come Back with Doris Day and Rock Hudson opened in theaters.
- December 21, 1958
- de Gaulle elected president of 5th Republic
- December 22, 1961
- James Davis became the first U.S. soldier to die in Vietnam, while U.S. involvement was still limited to the provision of military advisers.
- December 23, 1959
- The Drifters recorded This Magic Moment.
- December 24, 1962
- Cuba releases 1,113 prisoners of 1961 invasion attempt
- December 25, 1959
- Sony brings transistor TV 8-301 to the market
- December 26, 1961
- Jay & the Americans recorded She Cried.
- December 27, 1959
- Baltimore Colts beat the NY Giants 31-16 in NFL championship game
- December 28, 1958
- Chipmunks (Alvin, Simon & Theodore with David Seville) hit #1
- December 29, 1958
- Baltimore Colts beat NY Giants 23-17 in NFL championship game
- December 30, 1961
- Jack Nicklaus lost his first attempt at pro golf to Gary Player in an exhibition match in Miami, FL.
- December 31, 1961
- In the U.S., the Marshall Plan expired after distributing more than $12 billion in foreign aid.