What else happened in 1963?
In the news…
*Mar. 5 – Patsy Cline is killed in a plane crash.
*Mar. 20 – The first large “Pop art” exhibition opened at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, featuring works by such artists as Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns.
*Mar. 21 – Alcatraz, the famous prison, closes.
*Mar. 22 – The Beatles release the album Please Please Me.
*Apr. 16 – Martin Luther King, Jr. composes his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
*May 2 – Thousands of African Americans are arrested while protesting segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. Sheriff Eugene “Bull” Connor later unleashes fire hoses and police dogs on the demonstrators.
*Jun. 11 – Buddhist monk Thích Quang Ðuc sets himself on fire in Saigon to protest the oppression of Buddhists by the Ngo Dinh Diem administration.
*Jun. 11 – Alabama Governor George C. Wallace stands in the door of the University of Alabama to protest integration.
*Jun. 12 – Medgar Evers is murdered in Jackson, Mississippi. His killer is not convicted until 1994, 31 years later.
*Jun. 16 – Vostok 6 carries Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman cosmonaut, into space.
*Jun. 26 – JFK calls himself a jelly doughnut in a famous speech in West Berlin.
*Aug. 28 – Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers his “I Have A Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
*Sep. 15 – The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, in Birmingham, kills 4 little girls and injures another 22 people.
*Oct. 13 – “Beatlemania” is coined after the Beatles appear at the Palladium.
*Nov. 22 – US President John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in as the 36th President of the US.
*Nov. 23 – The first episode of the BBC television series Doctor Who is broadcast in the UK.
*Nov. 24 – Lee Harvey Oswald is shot dead by Jack Ruby on live television.
Famous Births…
*Jan. 2 – Edgar Martinez, the best DH in baseball history.
*Jan. 4 – Dave Foley, one of the Kids in the Hall.
*Feb. 17 – Michael Jordan, legendary basketball player.
*Mar. 20 – David Thewlis, the most underrated actor working in movies today. Check out Mike Leigh’s Naked. This guy is utterly brilliant.
*Mar. 27 – Quentin Tarantino, great filmmaker and brilliant screenwriter. He is one of the best writers of dialogue in the world. Check out Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, and the Kill Bill saga. I love Quentin!
*Apr. 18 – Conan O’Brien, very cool talk show host.
*Apr. 26 – Jet Li, awesome martial arts star.
*May 24 – Michael Chabon, excellent author. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay rocks!!!
*May 25 – Mike Myers, SNL alum and extremely funny guy.
*May 31 – Wesley Willis, highly original and incredibly odd artist and musician.
*Jun. 1 – Mike Joyce, drummer for The Smiths.
*Jun. 9 – Johnny Depp, extremely cool guy and the best actor of his generation. Among his many great roles, my favorite would have to be Ed Wood.
*Jun. 15 – Helen Hunt, very cool and attractive actress.
*Jul. 5 – Edie Falco, incredibly talented actress. She plays Carmela Soprano on The Sopranos.
*Jul. 16 – Phoebe Cates, extremely talented and stunningly beautiful actress. Her topless scene in Fast Times at Ridgemont High is legendary.
*Jul. 30 – Lisa Kudrow, very funny actress. She was Phoebe on Friends. I miss Friends.
*Aug. 16 – Steve Carell, amazingly funny actor. Check out The Office, The 40 Year Old Virgin, and Anchorman.
*Aug. 28 – Jennifer Coolidge, insanely funny actress. She was Stifler’s mom, she’s had great roles in all of the Christopher Guest mockumentaries, and she was the best thing about the Friends spinoff Joey.
*Aug. 29 – Elizabeth Fraser, singer for the Cocteau Twins and one of the greatest female vocalists in the world.
*Sep. 7 – W. Earl Brown, very cool actor. He was Dan Dority on Deadwood. Deadwood absolutely rocked!!!
*Sep. 29 – Les Claypool, leader of Primus and the greatest bass player of all time.
*Oct. 14 – Lori Petty, very cool actress. Tank Girl was awesome!!!
*Oct. 17 – Norm MacDonald, incredibly funny guy and the best Weekend Update anchor in SNL history. Yes, I said the best!
*Oct. 26 – Natalie Merchant, singer for 10,000 Maniacs.
*Oct. 31 – Johnny Marr, guitarist for The Smiths and half of one of the greatest songwriting teams of all time.
*Dec. 18 – Brad Pitt, cool actor. Check out Twelve Monkeys and Fight Club.
Famous Deaths…
*Jan. 29 – Robert Frost, great American poet.
*Feb. 11 – Sylvia Plath, great American poet.
*Mar. 5 – Patsy Cline, amazing Country singer and one of the great female vocalists of the 20th century.
*Jun. 12 – Medgar Evers, civil rights activist.
*Aug. 10 – Estes Kefauver, great American legislator.
*Aug. 17 – Richard Barthelmess, great silent film star.
*Oct. 11 – Edith Piaf, amazing French singer. I love Edith Piaf. Check out the songs “La vie en rose”, “Milord”, and “Non, je ne regrette rien.”
*Oct. 11 – Jean Cocteau, brilliant French poet, novelist, and filmmaker. Check out his Beauty and the Beast.
*Nov. 13 – Margaret Murray, one of the founders of modern neo-paganism.
*Nov. 22 – Aldous Huxley, great novelist.
*Nov. 22 – John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States.
*Dec. 26 – “Gorgeous” George Wagner, famous professional wrestler.
In the world of television…
Shows premiering in 1963
Doctor Who
The French Chef
The Fugitive
General Hospital
Let’s Make a Deal
My Favorite Martian
The Outer Limits (Leo's pick for Best New TV Series of 1963)
The Patty Duke Show
Petticoat Junction
Ready Steady Go!
Wild Kingdom
Shows ending in 1963
Car 54 Where Are You?
Dennis the Menace
The Jetsons
Leave It to Beaver
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
The Rifleman
The Untouchables
Most Watched Shows of 1963
10. My Favorite Martian
9. The Danny Thomas Show
8. The Ed Sullivan Show
7. Candid Camera
6. The Lucy Show
5. The Andy Griffith Show
4. Petticoat Junction
3. The Dick Van Dyke Show
2. Bonanza
1. The Beverly Hillbillies
Emmy Winners of 1963
Best Drama – The Defenders (CBS)
Best Comedy – The Dick Van Dyke Show (CBS)
Best Actor in a Series – Dick Van Dyke (The Dick Van Dyke Show)
Best Actress in a Series – Mary Tyler Moore (The Dick Van Dyke Show)
In the world of books…
Great Books published in 1963
Planet of the Apes – Pierre Boulle
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – Ian Fleming
The Feminine Mystique – Betty Friedan
Orphans of the Sky – Robert A. Heinlein
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold – John le Carré
The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath
V. – Thomas Pynchon (Leo's pick for Best Book of 1963)
Where the Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak
Cat’s Cradle – Kurt Vonnegut
In the world of comics…
Marvel Comics publishes Amazing Spider-Man #1 in March, starting Spider-Man’s first title of his own.
Marvel Comics publishes Tales of Suspense #39 in March, featuring the first appearance of Iron Man.
Marvel Comics publishes Fantastic Four #13 in April, featuring the first appearance of Uatu, the Watcher.
Marvel Comics publishes Sgt. Fury #1 in May, featuring the first appearance of Nick Fury.
DC Comics publishes My Greatest Adventure #80 in June, featuring the first appearance of the Doom Patrol.
Marvel Comics publishes Tales to Astonish #44 in June, featuring the first appearance of the Wasp.
Marvel Comics publishes Amazing Spider-Man #3 in July, featuring the first appearance of Dr. Octopus.
Marvel Comics publishes Strange Tales #110 in July, featuring the first appearance of Dr. Strange.
DC Comics publishes House of Secrets #61 in August, featuring the first appearance of Eclipso.
Marvel Comics publishes Strange Tales #111 in August, featuring the first appearance of Baron Mordo, the arch-enemy of Dr. Strange.
DC Comics publishes Justice League of America #21 in August, featuring the first JLA/JSA crossover.
Marvel Comics publishes Amazing Spider-Man #4 in September, featuring the first appearance of Sandman, one of Spider-Man’s primary foes.
Marvel Comics publishes Avengers #1 in September, featuring the first appearance of the Avengers.
Marvel Comics publishes X-Men #1 in September, featuring the first appearances of Angel, The Beast, Iceman, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Prof. Charles Xavier, and Magneto.
Marvel Comics publishes Tales to Astonish #49 in November, featuring the first appearance of Hank Pym as Giant-Man.
In the world of sports…
*World Series – The Los Angeles Dodgers win 4 games to 0 over the New York Yankees.
*NBA Finals – The Boston Celtics win 4 games to 2 over the Los Angeles Lakers.
*Boxing – On July 22, Sonny Liston knocks out Floyd Patterson in their rematch, holding on to the World Heavyweight title.
*NFL Championship – The Chicago Bears win 14-10 over the New York Giants.
*AFL Championship – The San Diego Chargers win 51-10 over the Boston Patriots.
*College Football champions – The Texas Longhorns.
*Stanley Cup – The Toronto Maple Leafs win 4 games to 1 over the Detroit Red Wings.
Comments and opinions are encouraged and appreciated
Sunday, March 25, 2007
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