What Happened in February 1962

Historical Events

  • Feb 1 "New Faces of '62" opens at Alvin Theater, NYC; runs for 28 performances
  • Feb 1 "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", the debut novel by Ken Kesey is published by Viking Press
  • Feb 1 MLB's National League releases its first 162-game schedule due to expansion (18 games between opponents)
  • Feb 2 1st pole vault over 16' (4.88m) (John Uelses-16', Melrose Games)
  • Feb 2 8 of 9 planets align for 1st time in 400 years
  • Feb 2 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
  • Feb 3 John Uelses pole vaults record 489 cm

Trade Banned with Cuba

Feb 3 US President John F. Kennedy bans all trade with Cuba except for food & drugs

  • Feb 4 "Gay Life" closes at Shubert Theater NYC after 113 performances
  • Feb 4 Russian newspaper Izvestia reports baseball is an old Russian game
  • Feb 4 US female Figure Skating championship won by Barbara Roles
  • Feb 4 US male Figure Skating championship won by Monty Hoyt
  • Feb 5 Black and White parents stage an overnight sit-in after school board denies transfer requests of nine Black families for their children to be transferred to newer school facility in Englewood, New Jersey

Event of Interest

Feb 5 French President Charles de Gaulle calls for Algeria's independence

  • Feb 5 Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn all within 16 degrees
  • Feb 6 Schoolman Athletic Field in the Bronx named
  • Feb 7 Gas explosion in Luisanthal coal mine Voelklingen Germany kills 298
  • Feb 7 US President JFK begins blockade of Cuba by banning all Cuban imports and exports.
  • Feb 8 In Paris, 8 people killed at a protest against independence for the French colony Algeria
  • Feb 8 KACB TV channel 3 in San Angelo, TX (NBC) begins broadcasting
  • Feb 8 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
  • Feb 9 Jamaica signs agreement to become independent
  • Feb 9 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
  • Feb 10 Jim Beatty sets American indoor mile record (3:58.9) in LA
  • Feb 10 USSR swaps spy Francis Gary Power to US for Rudolph Abel
  • Feb 12 Bus boycott starts in Macon, Georgia

Film and TV History

Feb 14 US 1st lady Jacqueline Kennedy conducts White House tour on TV

  • Feb 15 Lawsuit is filed on behalf of nine families whose requests for children to be transferred to newer school facility in Englewood, New Jersey; parents charge denial was "racial segregation"
  • Feb 15 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
  • Feb 16 "La Jetée", French film directed by Chris Marker, starring Hélène Chatelain, Davos Hanich and Jacques Ledoux, is released

Music Premiere

Feb 16 Darius Milhaud's 12th Symphony premieres

  • Feb 17 Storm in Hamburg kills 265
  • Feb 18 4th Daytona 500: Race winner Fireball Roberts dominates the event, leading 144 of the 200 laps
  • Feb 18 France & Algerian Muslims negotiate truce to end 7 year war
  • Feb 19 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
  • Feb 21 Minister De Pous confirms natural gas reserves in Groningen, Netherlands

NBA Record

Feb 22 Philadelphia center Wilt Chamberlain sets NBA record with 34 free-throw attempts (converts 19) in Warriors 139-121 win over St. Louis Hawks at Philadelphia Civic Center

  • Feb 23 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
  • Feb 24 "New Faces of '62" closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 28 performances
  • Feb 24 "Sail Away" closes at Broadhurst Theater NYC after 167 performances
  • Feb 24 General mobilization in Indonesia over New Guinea
  • Feb 24 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
  • Feb 25 India Congress Party wins elections
  • Feb 25 Mike O'Hara completes record 97th marathon
  • Feb 25 Philadelphia center Wilt Chamberlain scores 67 points against NY Knicks at Philadelphia Civic Center for the second successive year; Warriors lose 149-135

Oh Dad, Poor Dad

Feb 26 Arthur Kopit's play "Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad" premieres in NYC

  • Feb 26 US Supreme court disallows race separation on public transportation

Assassination Attempt

Feb 27 South Vietnam President Ngô Đình Diệm's palace bombed by dissident air pilots in a failed assassination attempt

  • Feb 28 WMGM-AM in New York City changes call letters to WHN
1962 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Feb 1 José Luis Cuciuffo, Argentinian soccer defender (21 caps; Vélez Sársfield, Boca Juniors, Nîmes Olympique), born in Córdoba, Argentina (d. 2004)
  • Feb 1 Manuel Amoros, French soccer defender (82 caps; Monaco, Marseille), born in Nîmes, France
  • Feb 1 Takashi Murakami, Japanese artist (Superflat), born in Tokyo, Japan
  • Feb 1 Tomoyasu Hotei, Japanese rock guitarist and songwriter, born in Takasaki, Japan
  • Feb 2 Andy Fordham, English darts player (BDO World Champion 2004), born in Bristol, England (d. 2021)
  • Feb 2 Michael T. Weiss, American actor (Jarod-Pretender, Days of our Lives), born in Chicago, Illinois
  • Feb 4 Alfred Twardecki, Polish historian of antiquity, born in Warsaw, Poland

Clint Black (62 years old)

Feb 4 American country vocalist ("Killin' Time"; "Nothin' But the Taillights"), born in Long Branch, New Jersey

  • Feb 4 Dan Plesac, American MLB pitcher (Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates), born in Gary, Indiana
  • Feb 4 Michael Riley, Canadian actor (Power Play; Cube Zero; Supervolcano), born in London, Ontario
  • Feb 5 Jennifer Jason Leigh [Morrow], American actress (Single White Female, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle), born in Los Angeles, California
  • Feb 5 Tommy Skeoch, American guitarist (Tesla, 1984-2006 - Psychotic Supper), born in Santa Monica, California

Axl Rose (62 years old)

Feb 6 American rock singer-songwriter (Guns & Roses - "Welcome to the Jungle"), born in Lafayette, Indiana

  • Feb 7 Alan Sippy, cricketer (dashing Bombay lefty batsman of 1980's)
  • Feb 7 David Bryan [Rashbaum], American rock keyboardist (Bon Jovi - "You Give Love a Bad Name"), and theatrical composer (Memphis; The Toxic Avenger), born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey
  • Feb 7 Eddie Izzard, British actor and comedian

Garth Brooks (62 years old)

Feb 7 American country singer (No Fences; "Friends In Low Places"), born in Tulsa, Oklahoma

  • Feb 9 Anik Bissonnette, Canadian ballet dancer (Les Grands Ballets Canadiens), born in Montreal, Quebec
  • Feb 9 Diego Perez, Spanish tennis star
  • Feb 9 Martin D Lascelles, grandson of English princess Mary
  • Feb 10 Bobby Czyz, American boxer, born in Orange, New Jersey
  • Feb 10 Cliff Burton, American bass guitarist (Metallica), born in Castro Valley, California (d. 1986)
  • Feb 11 Eric Vanderaerden, Belgian cyclist, born in Herk-de-Stad, Belgium
  • Feb 11 Scott Kolden, American actor (Scott-Me & the Champ), born in Torrance, California

Sheryl Crow (62 years old)

Feb 11 American Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter ("All I Want to Do"; "If It Makes You Happy"), born in Kennett, Missouri

  • Feb 11 Tammy Baldwin, American politician (Senator-D-Wisconsin 2013-), born in Madison, Wisconsin
  • Feb 12 Jimmy Kirkwood, Irish-born field hockey player, born in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
  • Feb 13 Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, Puerto Rican politician and lawyer, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico
  • Feb 13 Hugh Dennis, English comedian and actor (Not Going out), born in Kettering, England
  • Feb 13 Jackie Silva, Brazilian volleyballer (Olympic gold 1996), born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • Feb 14 Kevyn Aucoin, American cosmetologist, born in Shreveport, Louisiana (d. 2002)
  • Feb 14 Michael Higgs, English actor, born in Birmingham, United Kingdom
  • Feb 14 Sakina Jaffrey, American actress, born in New York City
  • Feb 15 Renee Props, American actress (Elly Snyder-As the World Turns), born in Oklahoma
  • Feb 16 Alexa Kenin, American actress (Mousie-Coed Fever), born in New York City
  • Feb 16 John Balance [Geoffrey Rushton], British poet and industrial rock musician (Coil; Psychic TV), born in Mansfield, England (d. 2004)
  • Feb 16 Tony Kiley, British rock drummer (Blow Monkeys - "Wicked Ways"), born in England
  • Feb 17 Alison Hargreaves, British mountaineer and 1st woman to climb Mount Everest alone without bottled oxygen (1995), born in Derbyshire, England (d. 1995)
  • Feb 17 David McComb, Australian singer-songwriter, and guitarist (The Triffids, 1976-89; The Blackeyed Susans, 1989–93), born in Perth, Australia (d. 1999)
  • Feb 17 Lou Diamond Phillips, Filipino American actor (La Bamba, Stand & Deliver), born at Subic Bay Naval Station, Philippines
  • Feb 17 Samuel Bayer, American music video director, born in Syracuse, New York
  • Feb 17 Tony Blain, New Zealand cricket wicket-keeper (11 Tests, 21 dismissals, 2 x 50s; Central Districts CA, Canterbury CA), born in Nelson, New Zealand
  • Feb 18 Gary Reasons, American NFL linebacker (NY Giants), born in Crowley, Texas
  • Feb 18 Julie Strain, American actress (Witchcraft IV), born in Concord, California
  • Feb 18 Simon Fletcher, American NFL linebacker (Denver Broncos), born in Bay City, Texas
  • Feb 19 Alvaro Espinoza, Venezuelan baseball shortstop (NY Yanks, NY Mets)

Hana Mandlikova (62 years old)

Feb 19 Czech tennis player (4 Grand Slam titles), born in Prague, Czech Republic

  • Feb 19 John Laroche, American orchid poacher
  • Feb 20 Adam Schreiber, NFL center/guard (Atlanta Falcons, NY Giants)
  • Feb 20 Joel Ellis, American glam-metal singer (Cats In Boots; Heavy Bones), born in Cleveland, Ohio
  • Feb 20 Kenn Nesbitt, American children's author
  • Feb 20 Ria Coyne, American comedienne (Betsy-Batman Forever), born in Scranton, Pennsylvania
  • Feb 21 Chuck Palahniuk, American writer (Fight Club), born in Pasco, Washington
  • Feb 21 David Foster Wallace, American writer (Infinite Jest, The Broom of the System), born in Ithaca, New York (d. 2008)
  • Feb 21 Mark Arm [McLaughlin], American grunge rock singer-songwriter, (Green River; Mudhoney), born at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
  • Feb 21 Vanessa Feltz, British television presenter (The Big Breakfast), born in London, England
  • Feb 22 Lenda Murray, American body builder (4X Ms Olympia), born in Detroit, Michigan
  • Feb 22 Les Wallace, Scottish darts player (BDO World Champion 1997), born in Forres, Scotland

Steve Irwin (1962-2006)

Feb 22 Australian naturalist and TV personality (The Crocodile Hunter), born in Melbourne, Victoria

  • Feb 23 Michael Wilton, American heavy metal guitarist (Queensrÿche), born in San Francisco, California
  • Feb 24 Kelly Craft, American diplomat, US ambassador to the UN (2019-), born in Lexington, Kentucky
  • Feb 24 Michelle Shocked [Johnston], American Grammy Award-winning contemporary folk singer-songwriter ("Anchorage"; 33 RPM Soul"), born in Dallas, Texas
  • Feb 24 Outi Mäenpää, Finnish actress
  • Feb 25 Birgit Fischer, German kayaker (Olympic 4 x gold GDR 1988; 5 x gold FRG 1992, 96, 2000, 04; World C'ship gold x 17 GDR, 10 x FRG), born in Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany
  • Feb 25 Foster Sylvers, American singer (Sylvers), born in Pasadena, California
  • Feb 25 LaVerne Butler, American jazz singer, born in Shreveport, Louisiana
  • Feb 26 Dave Palone, American harness racing trainer & driver (US Pacing Triple Crown 1996, 2005), born in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania
  • Feb 26 Sheila Cornell, American softball infielder (Olympic gold 1996), born in Los Angeles, California
  • Feb 27 Adam Baldwin, American actor (Full Metal Jacket, My Bodyguard), born in Winnetka, Illinois
  • Feb 27 Grant Show, American actor (Jack Hanson-Melrose Place), born in Detroit, Michigan
  • Feb 27 Kory Tarpenning, American pole vaulter, born in Portland, Oregon
  • Feb 28 Rae Dawn Chong, actress (Quest for Fire), born in Edmonton, Alberta
Born in 1962

Famous Deaths

  • Feb 3 Werner Bock, German writer, dies at 68
  • Feb 5 Jacques Ibert, French composer (Escales), dies at 71
  • Feb 7 Clara Nordström, German writer and translator (b. 1886)
  • Feb 9 Harriet Ware (Krumbhaar), American concert pianist, composer (Women's Triumphal March; The Rose Is Red; The Varying Shore), and music educator, dies at 84
  • Feb 10 Willem Paerels, Dutch-Belgian painter and graphic artist, dies at 83
  • Feb 15 Vladimir Sokoloff, Russian actor (Road to Morocco, Cloak & Dagger), dies at 72
  • Feb 17 Bruno Walter, German-French opera and symphony conductor (Vienna Philharmonic; NY Philharmonic), dies at 85
  • Feb 17 Joseph Kearns, American actor (George-Dennis the Menace), des at 55
  • Feb 19 Albert Elkus, American composer, dies at 77

Georgios Papanicolaou (1883-1962)

Feb 19 Greek-American doctor, cytopathologist, and inventor of the Pap smear, dies at 78

  • Feb 19 James Barton, American actor (Tobacco Road, Iceman Cometh), dies at 71
  • Feb 20 Halliwell Hobbes, British actor (Gaslight, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde), dies at 84
  • Feb 25 Wilhelm Pessler, German sociologist and historian, dies at 81
  • Feb 26 Carl Ehrenberg, German composer, kapellmeister, and pedagogue, dies at 83
  • Feb 27 Willie Best, actor (Charlie-My Little Margie), dies at 45
  • Feb 28 Harold Ogden "Chic" Johnson, American comedian (Olsen & Johnson), dies at 70