What else happened in 1962?

In the news…

*Feb. 20 – John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the Earth. He goes around three times in 4 hours and 55 minutes aboard Friendship 7.


*Apr. 16 – Walter Cronkite takes over as anchorman of the CBS Evening News.*Apr. 21 – The Century 21 World’s Fair opens in Seattle.*May 19 – Marilyn Monroe sang “Happy Birthday” to JFK at Madison Square Garden.


*Jun. 25 – The US Supreme Court rules, in Engel v. Vitale, that mandatory prayers in public schools are unconstitutional.*Jul. 12 – The Rolling Stones perform for the first time at the Marquee Club in London.*Aug. 5 – Marilyn Monroe is found dead in her Los Angeles home.


*Aug. 16 – Ringo Starr replaces Pete Best as the drummer for The Beatles.*Sep. 27 – Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring is released, giving rise to the modern environmentalist movement.*Oct. 1 – Johnny Carson takes over as host of The Tonight Show.*Oct. 14 – The Cuban Missile Crisis begins. A U-2 flight over Cuba takes photos of Soviet nuclear weapons being installed. A stand-off ensues the next day between the US and the USSR, threatening the world with nuclear war.*Oct. 22 – In a televised address, JFK announces to the nation the existence of Soviet missiles in Cuba.


*Oct. 28 – Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announces that he has ordered the removal of Soviet missile bases in Cuba.*Nov. 6 – The UN General Assembly passes a resolution condemning South Africa’s racist apartheid policies, and calls for all UN member states to cease military and economic relations with the nation.*Nov. 7 – Richard Nixon loses the California governor’s race. In his concession speech, he states that this is his “last press conference” and that “you won’t have Dick Nixon to kick around any more”.


*Nov. 20 – The Cuban Missile Crisis ends. In response to the Soviet Union agreeing to remove its missiles from Cuba, JFK ends the quarantine of Cuba.

Famous Births…

*Jan. 17 – Jim Carrey, very funny guy.*Feb. 5 – Jennifer Jason Leigh, extremely talented and attractive actress.*Feb. 6 – Axl Rose, singer for Guns N’ Roses.*Feb. 7 – Eddie Izzard, British stand-up comedian. He’s one of the funniest men in the world. If you’ve never seen his stand-up, seek it out. You will be pleased.






*Feb. 22 – Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter.*Feb. 24 – Michelle Shocked, very cool singer-songwriter.*Feb. 27 – Adam Baldwin, very cool actor. He played Jayne Cobb on Firefly, the greatest television show of all time.


*Mar. 15 – Terence Trent D’Arby, rock star. He has one of the best male singing voices ever.*Mar. 21 – Matthew Broderick, cool actor. Hey, he was Ferris Bueller. He was cool in War Games, too.*Apr. 8 – Izzy Stradlin, guitarist for Guns N’ Roses.*Apr. 20 – Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf, member of Howard Stern’s Wack Pack.*May 9 – Dave Gahan, singer with Depeche Mode.*May 26 – Bobcat Goldthwait, really funny guy. Check out Shakes the Clown, it is a damn funny movie.*Jun. 8 – Nick Rhodes, keyboardist with Duran Duran.*Jul. 19 – Anthony Edwards, cool actor. He was Dr. Mark Greene on ER.*Jul. 23 – Eriq La Salle, cool actor. He was Dr. Peter Benton on ER.*Jul. 30 – Alton Brown, very cool cooking show host. He hosts Good Eats on the Food Network. This guy blows my mind with the stuff he comes up with.*Aug. 6 – Michelle Yeoh, cool actress and martial arts icon.*Aug. 28 – David Fincher, great filmmaker. Check out Seven and Fight Club.*Sep. 21 – Rob Morrow, cool actor. He was Dr. Joel Fleischman on Northern Exposure. I loved Northern Exposure.*Oct. 3 – Tommy Lee, drummer for Mötley Crüe and inadvertent porn star.*Oct. 11 – Joan Cusack, very cool and funny actress.*Oct. 16 – Flea, bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.*Oct. 17 – Mike Judge, creator of Beavis and Butthead & King of the Hill.*Oct. 19 – Evander Holyfield, great boxer and former World Heavyweight champion.*Nov. 1 – Anthony Kiedis, singer with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.*Nov. 11 – Demi Moore, very cool and attractive actress.*Nov. 14 – Laura San Giacomo, incredibly hot actress. The second best breasts in Hollywood after Mimi Rogers, even though we’ve never actually seen them.*Nov. 19 – Jodie Foster, amazingly talented and strikingly beautiful actress. She’s been awesome in more things than I can list here.*Nov. 28 – Jon Stewart, hugely funny host of The Daily Show. I’ve been a big fan since he had a little talk show on MTV back in 1993. Jon Stewart rocks!*Dec. 6 – Janine Turner, incredibly beautiful actress. She played Maggie O’Connell on Northern Exposure. Did I mention that I loved Northern Exposure?*Dec. 14 – Ginger Lynn, porn icon. She is one of the most beautiful women ever to do porn. I met her once and she is also a really nice person.

(above) Leo the Listmaker holding on to the delectable Ginger Lynn.(above) The delectable Ginger Lynn holding on to Leo the Listmaker.

Famous Deaths…

*Jan. 13 – Ernie Kovacs, amazingly innovative television comedy pioneer.


*Jan. 26 – Charles “Lucky” Luciano, famous mobster.*Apr. 10 – Michael Curtiz, great filmmaker. He made Casablanca and The Adventures of Robin Hood.*Apr. 10 – Stuart Sutcliffe, the original bassist for The Beatles.*Jul. 6 – William Faulkner, great American novelist.*Aug. 5 – Marilyn Monroe, pop culture icon, great movie star, and one of the most beautiful women of all time.*Aug. 9 – Hermann Hesse, great German author. Hesse is one of my favorite writers. I highly recommend both Steppenwolf and Siddhartha.*Aug. 23 – Hoot Gibson, silent-era cowboy star.
*Oct. 6 – Tod Browning, great filmmaker. Check out Dracula and Freaks. I highly recommend Freaks. That is one hell of a trippy movie.




*Nov. 7 – Eleanor Roosevelt, highly influential First Lady and wife of the greatest President in U.S. history.*Nov. 18 – Niels Bohr, one of the greatest physicists of the twentieth century.*Dec. 15 – Charles Laughton, great English actor and filmmaker.

In the world of television…

Shows premiering in 1962

The Beverly Hillbillies (Leo’s pick for Best New Show of 1962)


Combat!
The Jetsons


The Lucy Show


McHale’s Navy



Shows ending in 1962

Father Knows BestMaverick

Most Watched Shows of 1962

10. Gunsmoke9. The Dick Van Dyke Show8. The Danny Thomas Show7. Ben Casey6. The Andy Griffith Show5. The Lucy Show4. Bonanza3. The Red Skelton Show2. Candid Camera1. The Beverly Hillbillies

Emmy Winners of 1962

Best Drama – The Defenders (CBS)Best Comedy – The Dick Van Dyke Show (CBS)Best Actor in a Series – E.G. Marshall (The Defenders)Best Actress in a Series – Shirley Booth (Hazel)Best Supporting Actor in a Series – Don Knotts (The Andy Griffith Show)

In the world of books…

Great Books published in 1962

Sex and the Single Girl – Helen Gurley BrownFail-Safe – Eugene BurdickA Clockwork Orange – Anthony Burgess (Leo's pick for Best Book of 1962)Silent Spring – Rachel CarsonThe Man in the High Castle – Philip K. DickThe Spy Who Loved Me – Ian FlemingThe Other America: Poverty in the United States – Michael HarringtonThe Thin Red Line – James JonesOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – Ken KeseyA Wrinkle in Time – Madeleine L’EngleOne Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich – Aleksandr SolzhenitsynThe Guns of August – Barbara Tuchman

In the world of comics…

Marvel Comics publishes Tales to Astonish #27 in January, featuring the first appearance of Henry Pym, the future Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Goliath, and Yellowjacket.Marvel Comics publishes Fantastic Four #4 in May, featuring the first Silver Age appearance of Namor, the Sub-Mariner.Marvel Comics publishes Incredible Hulk #1 in May, featuring the first appearance of the Hulk.Marvel Comics publishes Fantastic Four #5 in June, featuring the first appearance of Dr. Doom, the FF’s arch-enemy and the prototype for Darth Vader.Marvel Comics publishes Journey Into Mystery #83 in August, featuring the first appearance of Thor.Marvel Comics publishes Amazing Fantasy #15 in August, featuring the first appearance of Spider-Man.Marvel Comics publishes Tales to Astonish #35 in September, featuring the first appearance of Henry Pym as Ant-Man.Marvel Comics publishes Journey Into Mystery #85 in October, featuring the first appearance of Loki, the arch-enemy of Thor.

In the world of sports…

*World Series – The New York Yankees win 4 games to 3 over the San Francisco Giants.*NBA Finals – The Boston Celtics win 4 games to 3 over the Los Angeles Lakers.*Boxing – On Sep. 25th, Sonny Liston knocks out Floyd Patterson two minutes and six seconds into the first round to become World Heavyweight Champion.


*NFL Championship – The Green Bay Packers win 16-7 over the New York Giants.*AFL Championship – The Dallas Texans win 20-17 over the Houston Oilers.*College Football champions – The USC Trojans.*Stanley Cup – The Toronto Maple Leafs win 4 games to 2 over the Chicago Blackhawks.*World Cup Soccer – Brazil wins 3-1 over Czechoslovakia.

Comments and opinions are encouraged and appreciated.