50 Fun Facts About 1962

Which October 1962 confrontation brought the world closest to nuclear war?

The stand-off between the US and USSR lasted 12 days in October.

Which three major US retailers opened their first stores in 1962?

Target's first store opened in Roseville, Minnesota; Kohl's also opened its first department store that year.

Which Pacific nation became independent from New Zealand on January 1, 1962?

It was the first of several independence days that year.

Which Cuban leader did the Vatican announce had been excommunicated in January 1962?

The reason given was preaching communism and interfering with Catholic churches in Cuba.

Aboard which capsule did John Glenn become the first American to orbit Earth on February 20?

He circled the planet three times in under five hours.

Which first lady gave television viewers a tour of the White House in February 1962?

The broadcast was a landmark of early-1960s television.

Which French designer launched his own fashion house in 1962?

He had previously headed the House of Dior.

Which 1962 agreement ended the Algerian War?

Algeria formally became independent from France on July 5.

Who became Algeria's first president in 1962?

A referendum that July backed independence with a 99% majority.

Which film won Best Picture at the 34th Academy Awards in April 1962?

Lawrence of Arabia only premiered that December.

Which landmark opened with the Century 21 Exposition World's Fair in April 1962?

The fair ran in Seattle through the year.

Which club beat Real Madrid 5–3 in Amsterdam to win the 1961–62 European Cup?

The final was played at the Olympic Stadium.

Which country hosted the 1962 FIFA World Cup?

Brazil beat Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the final to retain the trophy.

Whom did Brazil beat in the 1962 World Cup final?

The score was 3–1.

Which composer's War Requiem premiered at the new Coventry Cathedral in May 1962?

The cathedral was consecrated on May 25 and the premiere followed on May 30.

Which prison did Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers escape from in June 1962?

It was never confirmed whether they reached the shore.

Which student group completed the Port Huron Statement in June 1962?

It became a founding document of the New Left.

Which two countries gained full independence from Belgium on July 1, 1962?

Both had been administered as a single trust territory.

What was Telstar, launched by AT&T on July 10, 1962?

It relayed the first live transatlantic television signal on July 23.

At which London venue did the Rolling Stones make their debut on July 12, 1962?

They opened for Long John Baldry.

Which British prime minister sacked a third of his cabinet in the 1962 'Night of the Long Knives'?

The press borrowed the phrase from Nazi Germany's 1934 purge.

Which 4,645-mile road officially opened end to end on July 30, 1962?

Completing the Rogers Pass section made it the world's longest uninterrupted highway at the time.

How old was Marilyn Monroe when she was found dead in August 1962?

Her death at her Brentwood home was officially ruled a probable suicide.

Near which town was Nelson Mandela arrested in August 1962?

He was charged with incitement to rebellion and sentenced to prison on November 7.

Which Caribbean island became independent from Britain on August 6, 1962?

Trinidad and Tobago followed on August 31.

Which two monsters met in a Japanese film released in August 1962, the first of each in colour?

It was the third film in both franchises.

Which French president survived a machine-gun attack on his car at Petit-Clamart in August 1962?

The mastermind, Jean Bastien-Thiry, was later executed.

Which NASA probe, launched in August 1962, first sent back data from another planet?

It flew past Venus in December; Mariner 1 had to be destroyed minutes after launch in July.

Where did Bob Dylan premiere 'A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall' in September 1962?

The New York concert came weeks before the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Alouette 1, launched in September 1962, was the first satellite built by which country?

It was the first satellite built outside the United States and the Soviet Union.

Who became the first black student to register at the University of Mississippi in 1962?

Federal marshals escorted him through the violent 'Ole Miss riot'.

Who took over as permanent host of NBC's The Tonight Show in 1962?

He would hold the job for 30 years.

How many times did Walter Schirra orbit Earth in Sigma 7 on October 3, 1962?

Scott Carpenter had managed three orbits in Aurora 7 that May.

Which African country became independent of the UK on October 9, 1962?

It remained within the Commonwealth of Nations.

Which pope convened the Second Vatican Council on October 11, 1962?

It was the first ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church in 92 years.

Which German magazine had its Hamburg offices occupied by police in October 1962?

It had published NATO criticism of the Bundeswehr's poor preparedness.

Which two nations fought a border war that erupted on October 20, 1962?

It ended on November 21 with India surrendering Aksai Chin.

Which Soviet submarine officer refused to launch nuclear torpedoes on October 27, 1962?

His refusal aboard B-59 is widely seen as crucial in averting worldwide nuclear war.

From which country did Kennedy secretly agree to withdraw US missiles to end the crisis?

Khrushchev announced the removal of Soviet bases from Cuba on October 28.

Which Solzhenitsyn novella about the gulag was published in Novy Mir in November 1962?

Its publication was an unprecedented official acknowledgement of the camps.

Which term was first recorded in a New York Times report on a John Mauchly speech in November 1962?

Mauchly was a computing pioneer who co-designed ENIAC.

Which satirical BBC show hosted by David Frost first aired on November 24, 1962?

It is seen as a groundbreaking comedy program.

Britain and France signed an agreement in November 1962 to develop which aircraft?

The supersonic airliner would not fly commercially until 1976.

Who was elected UN Secretary-General on November 30, 1962?

He came from Burma and had been acting in the role since Hammarskjöld's death.

Which David Lean epic premiered in London on December 10, 1962?

Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif and Alec Guinness starred; it opened in the US six days later.

Who won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature?

Linus Pauling took the Peace Prize the same year.

Which trio shared the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the structure of DNA?

Max Perutz and John Kendrew took the Chemistry prize that year.

Which Top Gun star was born on July 3, 1962?

Jim Carrey, Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Moore and Jodie Foster were also born that year.

Which actress and director, later of Silence of the Lambs fame, was born on November 19, 1962?

Demi Moore had been born eight days earlier, on November 11.

Which former First Lady died on November 7, 1962?

Physicist Niels Bohr died later the same month.