What Happened in January 1962

Historical Events

  • Jan 1 28th Orange Bowl: #4 LSU beats #7 Colorado, 25-7
  • Jan 1 28th Sugar Bowl: #1 Alabama beats #9 Arkansas, 10-3`
  • Jan 1 48th Rose Bowl: #6 Minnesota beats #16 UCLA, 21-3

The Beatles? 'They have no future in show business'

Jan 1 Beatles' Decca Records audition is unsuccessful - they are told “guitar groups are on the way out..."

  • Jan 1 Rwanda granted internal self-government by Belgium
  • Jan 1 United States Navy SEALs established.
  • Jan 1 Western Samoa gains independence from New Zealand Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili II becomes co-chief of Western Samoa
  • Jan 2 Nighttime version of "Password" with Allen Ludden premieres on CBS
  • Jan 3 Ground is broken for the Houston Astrodome, a multi-purpose domed stadium, in Houston, Texas
  • Jan 4 1st automated (unmanned) subway train in New York City
  • Jan 7 1st AFL All Star Game, Balboa Stadium, San Diego, California: Western Division beats Eastern Division, 47-27; MVP Cotton Davidson, Dallas Texans, QB

Sukarno Attempt Fails

Jan 7 Assassination attempt fails on Indonesian President Sukarno

  • Jan 7 Bollingen Prize for poetry awarded to John Hall Wheelock [1]

Nicklaus Turns Professional

Jan 8 21-year-old future Hall of Fame golfer Jack Nicklaus makes his first professional appearance; tied 50th in Los Angeles Open

  • Jan 8 Dutch express train crashes into slow commuter train, 93 die (Neth)
  • Jan 9 Mister M (Dr X) beats Verne Gagne in Minneapolis, to become NWA champ
  • Jan 9 NFL prohibits grabbing of face masks
  • Jan 9 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
  • Jan 10 Eruptions on Mount Huascaran in Peru destroy 7 villages & kill 3,500
  • Jan 11 Landslide at dormant volcano Huascaran in Peru kills an estimated 4,000
  • Jan 12 Operation Chopper begins, America's first combat mission in the Vietnam War

Agent Orange in Vietnam

Jan 12 Operation Ranch Hand begins, a US Air Force operation to spray South Vietnamese forests with defoliants such as Agent Orange

"The Twist"

Jan 13 Chubby Checker's song "The Twist", credited with starting the Twist dance craze, goes to #1 in the charts two years after first reaching number one spot

Music History

Jan 13 Jule Styne, Betty Comden and Adolph Green's musical "Do Re Mi" starring Phil Silvers and Nancy Walker, closes at the 54th Street Theater, NYC, after 400 performances

Chamberlain Scores 73 Points

Jan 13 Philadelphia center Wilt Chamberlain scores 73 points in Warriors' 135-117 win over Chicago Packers; at the time, most points scored in NBA regulation game, and remains tied for 3rd-highest total

12th NFL Pro Bowl

Jan 14 12th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: Western Conference beats Eastern Conference, 31-30; MVPs: Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns, RB; Henry Jordan, Green Bay Packers, DT

1st Leg of Laver Grand Slam

Jan 15 50th Australian Championships Men's Tennis: Rod Laver takes the 1st leg of his 1st Grand Slam; beats fellow Queenslander Roy Emerson 8-6, 0-6, 6-4, 6-4

  • Jan 15 50th Australian Championships Women's Tennis: Margaret Smith beats Jan Lehane O'Neill in the final for 3rd straight year 6-0, 6-2
  • Jan 15 Battle of Arafura Sea: Dutch destroyers intercept and destroy three Indonesian torpedo boats attempting to land marines on the territory of Netherlands New Guinea as part of the Soviet-Indonesian Operation Trikora

Coco The Clown

Jan 15 Coco the Clown [Nicolai Poliakoff] is the subject of the BBC TV programme "This is Your Life"

  • Jan 15 Derveni Papyrus rediscovered - Europe's oldest surviving manuscript from c. 340 B.C., commentary on a Orphic poem, found in a tomb in Derveni, Northern Greece [1]

12th NBA All-Star Game

Jan 16 12th NBA All-Star Game, St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, Mo: West beats East, 150-130; MVP: Bob Pettit, St. Louis Hawks, C; All-Star record 27 rebounds

  • Jan 16 Shooting begins on "Dr No" the first James Bond film
  • Jan 16 Suit accuses NYC Board of Education uses "racial quotas"

Armstrong Pilots X-15

Jan 17 NASA civilian pilot Neil Armstrong takes hypersonic research plane X-15 to 40,690m

  • Jan 17 Roy Harris' 8th Symphony, premieres in San Francisco
  • Jan 18 Southern University, Baton Rouge, closed due to demonstrations
  • Jan 18 US begins spraying foliage in Vietnam to reveal Viet Cong guerrillas
  • Jan 18 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
  • Jan 20 "Kean" closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 92 performances
  • Jan 21 Snow falls in San Francisco

JFK Visit

Jan 21 US President John F. Kennedy arrives in Uruguay

  • Jan 22 The Organization of American States suspends Cuba's membership.

Philby Defects

Jan 23 British intelligence officer Kim Philby defects to USSR

  • Jan 23 Film "Jules et Jim", based on the novel by Henri-Pierre Roché, directed by François Truffaut and starring Jeanne Moreau is released
  • Jan 23 Libya, Morocco, Algeria. and Tunisia plan to form United Arab Maghreb; planning continues until an agreement is reached in 1989
  • Jan 24 28 refugees escape from East to West Germany

Epstein Signs with Beatles

Jan 24 Brian Epstein signs management contract with the Beatles

First African American Inductee

Jan 24 Jackie Robinson is 1st African American elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame; Bob Feller is also elected

Catholic Bishop Bans "The Twist"

Jan 26 Bishop Burke of Buffalo Catholic dioceses declares Chubby Checker's "The Twist" to be impure and bans it from all Catholic schools

  • Jan 26 Canadian Marine Service renamed Coast Guard
  • Jan 26 David Diamond's 7th Symphony premieres with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy
  • Jan 26 US launches Ranger 3, misses Moon by 22,000-mi (37,000-km)
  • Jan 27 "Family Affair" opens at Billy Rose Theater NYC for 65 performances
  • Jan 28 Johanne Relleke gets stung by bees 2,443 times in Rhodesia & survives
  • Jan 30 2 members of Flying Wallendas' high-wire act killed when their 7-person pyramid collapsed during a performance in Detroit
  • Jan 30 Laughter epidemic begins at a girls' mission school in Kashasha, Tanganyika, goes on to affect 14 schools and over 1000 people

Portugal Censured Over Angola

Jan 30 UN General Assembly censures Portugal over Angola

  • Jan 30 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
  • Jan 31 Samuel Gravely assumes command of destroyer escort "USS Falgout", first African American to command a combat ship
  • Jan 31 USAF General Charles P. Cabell ends term as deputy director of CIA
1962 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Jan 1 Ari Up [Forster], German punk rock singer (The Slits - "In the Beginning There Was Rhythm"), born in Munich, West Germany (d. 2010)
  • Jan 1 Pierce Holt, American NFL defensive lineman (Pro Bowl, All-Pro selection 1992; San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons), born in Marlin, Texas
  • Jan 1 Ravshanbek Aliyev, Kirgiz, cosmonaut
  • Jan 3 Darren Daulton, American baseball catcher (MLB All-Star 1992, 93, 95; World Series 1997; Silver Slugger Award 1992; Philadelphia Phillies), born in Arkansas City, Kansas (d. 2017)
  • Jan 3 Francesca Lia Block, American author
  • Jan 3 Gavin Hastings, Scottish rugby union fullback and captain (61 caps Scotland, 6 caps British Lions; Watsonians, London Scottish, Cambridge University), born in Edinburgh, Scotland
  • Jan 3 Guy Pratt, English session and touring rock bassist (Icehouse; Pink Floyd, 1987-94), and soundtrack composer, born in London, England
  • Jan 4 Joe Kleine, American NBA center, 1985-2000 (Olympic gold, 1984; Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls, and 4 other teams), born in Colorado Springs, Colorado
  • Jan 4 Laila Eloui, Egyptian film actress, born in Cairo, Egypt
  • Jan 4 Martin McAloon, British power-pop bassist (Prefab Sprout - "2 Wheels Good"), born in Durham, England
  • Jan 4 Patrick Cassidy, American actor and composer (Fever Pitch; Off the Wall), born in Los Angeles, California
  • Jan 4 Peter Steele [Petrus Ratajczyk], American heavy metal singer-songwriter, and bassist (Type O Negative), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2010)
  • Jan 4 Pierre Kezdy, American punk-rock bass player (Naked Raygun), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2020)
  • Jan 5 Brendon Kuruppu, Sri Lankan cricketer (Sri Lankan batsman, 201* debut v NZ 1987), born in Colombo, Sri Lanka
  • Jan 5 Danny Jackson, American baseball pitcher (Royals/Phillies/Cardinals), born in San Antonio, Texas
  • Jan 5 Suzy Amis, American actress (Blame it on Rio; Where the Heart Is; Titanic), vegan and environmental activist, born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Michael Houser (1962-2002)

Jan 6 American guitarist (Widespread Panic), born in Boone, North Carolina

  • Jan 6 Philip Brown, English 4x400m runner (Olympic silver 1984), born in Birmingham, England
  • Jan 6 Sean Landeta, NFL place kicker (NY Giants), born in Baltimore, Maryland
  • Jan 7 Aleksandr Dugin, Russian politician, born in Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
  • Jan 7 Hallie Todd [Eckstein], American actress (Brothers; Lizzie McQuire; The Check Is In The Mail), born in Los Angeles, California
  • Jan 7 Jeff Montgomery, American baseball pitcher, 1987-99, 3X All-Star; AL saves leader, 1993 (Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals), born in Wellston, Ohio
  • Jan 7 Ron Rivera, American NFL player and coach (Washington), born in Fort Ord, California
  • Jan 7 Taja Sevelle [Nancy Richardson], American R&B-pop singer-songwriter ("Love Is Contagious"), food security advocate (Urban Farming), and novelist, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Jan 8 Chris Marion, American soft rock keyboardist (Little River Band), since 2006), born in Belton, Texas
  • Jan 10 Jim Lindeman, American baseball outfielder, 1996-84 (St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, and 3 other teams), born in Evanston, Illinois
  • Jan 10 Michael Fortier, Canadian politician, born in Quebec City, Canada
  • Jan 11 Donn Pall, American MLB baseball pitcher, 1988-98 (Chicago White Sox, Florida Marlins, and 3 other teams), born in Evergreen Park, Illinois
  • Jan 11 Julie Moran (née Bryan), American broadcast journalist and TV hostess (Wide World of Sports; Entertainment Tonight), born in Thomasville, Georgia
  • Jan 11 Kim Coles, American actress (Living Single - "Synclaire"), born in Brooklyn, New York
  • Jan 12 Gunde Svan, Swedish cross country skier (4 Olympic gold 1984, 88), born in Järna, Sweden
  • Jan 12 Joe Quesada, American comic book writer, born in New York City
  • Jan 12 Richie Richardson, West Indies cricket batsman and captain (86 Tests, 16 x 100, HS 194, 90 catches; Leeward Islands, Yorkshire CCC, Northern Transvaal, Windward Islands), born in Five Islands Village, Antigua and Barbuda
  • Jan 13 Kevin Mitchell, American baseball outfielder (NL MVP 1989; MLB All Star 1989, 90; SF Giants), born in San Diego, California
  • Jan 13 Trace Adkins, American country singer ("Ladies Love Country Boys"; "You're Gonna Miss This"), born in Sarepta, Louisiana
  • Jan 14 Michael McCaul, American politician, born in Dallas, Texas
  • Jan 14 Patricia Morrison [Rainone], American punk rock bassist (Sisters of Mercy - "Walk Away", "Black Planet"), born in Los Angeles, California
  • Jan 15 Creflo Dollar, American televangelist, born in College Park, Georgia
  • Jan 15 Cronos [Conrad Lant], English heavy metal singer and bassist (Venom), born in London, England
  • Jan 16 Joel Fitzgibbon, Australian Labor Party politician, born in Bellingen, Australia
  • Jan 16 Kevin Ross, American NFL safety (Atlanta Falcons, KC Chiefs), born in Camden, New Jersey
  • Jan 16 Maxine Jones, American R&B singer (En Vogue), born in Paterson, New Jersey
  • Jan 16 Paul Webb, English rocker (Talk Talk - "It's My Life"), born in Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom

Jim Carrey (62 years old)

Jan 17 Canadian-American actor (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Dumb & Dumber, The Mask), born in Ontario Canada

  • Jan 17 Sebastian Junger, American journalist and author, born in Belmont, Massachusetts
  • Jan 18 Alison Arngrim, American actress (Nellie-Little House of the Prairie), born in New York City
  • Jan 18 David O'Connor, American equestrian (Olympic gold individual eventing 2000; silver team eventing 1996, bronze 2000), born in Washington, D.C.
  • Jan 18 Dito, Portuguese soccer defender (17 caps; Braga, Benfica, Vitória Setúbal) and manager (Portimonense, Moreirense), born in Barcelos, Portugal (d. 2020)
  • Jan 19 Chris Sabo, American baseball 3rd baseman (3-time MLB All Star), born in Detroit, Michigan
  • Jan 19 Hans Daams, Dutch cyclist, born in Valkenswaard, Netherlands
  • Jan 21 Marie Trintignant, French actress (Le Cousin), born in Boulogne-Billancourt, France (d. 2003)
  • Jan 21 Tyler Cowen, American economist
  • Jan 22 Choi Min-sik, South Korean actor, born in Seoul, South Korea
  • Jan 22 Robert Mailhouse, American actor (Brian-Days of our Life), born in New Haven, Connecticut
  • Jan 22 Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu, Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, born in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia
  • Jan 23 Elvira Lindo, Spanish writer and journalist, born in Cádiz, Spain
  • Jan 24 Stephen Gould, American operatic tenor (Bayreuth Festival, 2004-22), born in Roanoke, Virginia (d. 2023)
  • Jan 25 Bruno Martini, French soccer goalkeeper (31 caps; Auxerre, Nancy, Montpellier), born in Challuy, France (d. 2020)
  • Jan 25 Chris Chelios, American Hockey HOF defenseman (Stanley Cup 1986 Montreal Canadiens, 2002, 08 Detroit Red Wings; James Norris Trophy 1989, 93, 96; IIHF HOF), born in Chicago, Illinois
  • Jan 26 Laura Elise Schwendinger, American composer (Magic Carpet Music; Artemisia), born in Mexico City
  • Jan 26 Oscar Ruggeri, Argentine soccer defender (97 caps; Boca Juniors, River Plate, Real Madrid, San Lorenzo) and manager (San Lorenzo, Guadalajara, Independiente, Elche), born in Rosario, Argentina
  • Jan 26 Tim May, Australian cricket spin bowler (24 Tests, 75 wickets, BB 5/9; South Australia CA), born in Adelaide, Australia
  • Jan 26 Tom Keifer, American rock guitarist and vocalist (Cinderella - "Coming Home"), born in Springfield, Pennsylvania
  • Jan 27 James F Doehring, shot putter (Olympic silver 1992), born in Santa Barbara, California
  • Jan 27 Michael Collins, English classical clarinetist, conductor, and pedagogue, born in Isleworth, West London, England
  • Jan 27 Neno, Portuguese soccer goalkeeper (9 caps; Vitória de Guimarães, Benfica), born in Cidade Velha, Cape Verde (d. 2021)
  • Jan 27 Roberto Paci Dalò, Italian writer, theater director, visual artist, and composer, born in Rimini, Italy
  • Jan 28 (Leslie Ann) "Sam" Phillips, American singer-songwriter (Martinis & Bikinis; Gilmore Girls; The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), born in Glendale, California
  • Jan 28 Keith Hamilton Cobb, Tarrytown NY, actor (Noah Keefer-All My Children)
  • Jan 28 Michael Cage, American basketball forward (NBA rebounding leader 1988 LA Clippers) and broadcaster (analyst Oklahoma City Thunder), born in West Memphis, Arkansas
  • Jan 28 Patrice Motsepe, South African mining businessman, Africa's 1st black billionaire (African Rainbow Minerals), born in Ga-Rankuwa, South Africa
  • Jan 29 Nicholas Turturro, American actor (James Martinez-NYPD Blue), born in Queens, New York
  • Jan 29 Olga Tokarczuk, Polish writer (Primeval and Other Times), 2018 Nobel Prize for Literature, born in Sulechów, Poland
  • Jan 30 Abdullah II of Jordan, King of Jordan (1999-present), born in Amman, Jordan
  • Jan 30 María Granillo, Mexican classical composer (Breathing Music; Mousai), and educator, born in Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico
  • Jan 30 Mary Kay Letourneau, American convicted statutory rapist, born in Tustin, California
  • Jan 31 Lena Bloch, Russian-American jazz saxophonist, born in Moscow, Russia
  • Jan 31 Sophie Muller, English music video director, born in London
Born in 1962

Famous Deaths

  • Jan 1 Diego Martínez Barrio, Spanish president (1939), dies at 76
  • Jan 3 Babe Dye, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame right wing (Stanley Cup 1922; NHL scoring champion 1922–23, 24-25; Toronto St. Patricks/Maple Leafs), dies at 64
  • Jan 3 Hermann Lux, German soccer defender (3 caps; manager Tennis Borussia Berlin), dies at 68
  • Jan 4 Hans Lammers, German SS officer and Nazi politician, dies at 82
  • Jan 6 Jacob "Jaap" Nanninga, Dutch painter (France, N Africa), dies at 57
  • Jan 9 Leroy Shield [Shields], American pianist, composer (Laurel & Hardy; Our Gang; Union Pacific Suite), and orchestra leader, dies of cancer at 68
  • Jan 12 Ariadna Tyrkova-Williams, Russian politician, writer, and feminist, dies at 92
  • Jan 12 Richard de Guide, Belgian composer, dies at 52
  • Jan 13 Ernie Kovacs, American comedian (The Ernie Kovacs Show), dies in a car crash at 42
  • Jan 15 Kenneth MacKenna, American actor and director (Judgment at Nuremberg, Those We Love), dies of cancer at 62
  • Jan 16 Emanuel Stickelberger, Swiss writer (Holbein in England), dies at 77
  • Jan 16 Frank Hurley, Australian photographer (Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914-16; Australian Army WWI & WWII), dies at 76
  • Jan 16 Ivan Meštrović, Croatian sculptor and architect, dies at 78
  • Jan 17 Gerrit Achterberg, Dutch poet (Dead End), dies of a heart attack at 56
  • Jan 18 Raymond Moulaert, Belgian pianist and composer, dies at 86
  • Jan 19 Harry "Snub" Pollard, Australian actor (Don't Shove, Arizona Days), dies of cancer at 72
  • Jan 20 Robinson Jeffers, poet/playwright (Dear Judas), dies at 75
  • Jan 21 André Lhote, French painter and art historian (Traité du paysage), dies at 76
  • Jan 24 Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, Turkish poet, novelist, recognized as one of the most important representatives of modernism in Turkish literature (A Mind at Peace, The Time Regulation Institute), dies of a heart attack at 60
  • Jan 24 Stanley Lord, Captain of the SS Californian the night of the Titanic disaster, dies at 84
  • Jan 24 Tom Shirley, American actor and TV announcer (They're Off), dies at 62

Charles "Lucky" Luciano (1896-1962)

Jan 26 Italian-American gangster of the New York mafia, dies of a heart attack at 65

  • Jan 26 Fran Lhotka, Czech composer, dies at 78
  • Jan 27 Percy LeSueur, Canadian hockey goaltender (inventor large goalie glove & LeSueur net), dies at 80
  • Jan 29 Friedrich-Max "Fritz" Kreisler, Austrian-American violinist and composer (Alt-Wiener Tanzweisen), dies at 86
  • Jan 30 Manuel de Abreu, Brazilian physician (b. 1894)