You are here -> HOME – RETROVILLE – 1962
Welcome to Retroville! It’s 1962!
IN THE NEWS:
- Lt. Col. John H. Glenn, Jr. becomes the first American to orbit the Earth circling the globe three times in 4 hours 55 minutes
- Algeria gains its independence from France
- Cuban Missle Crisis becomes a reality when the Soviets attempt to build missle bases in Cuba prompting Kennedy to order a blockade of Cuba
- James H. Meredith, escorted by Federal Marshals, becomes the first African American student to register at the University of Mississippi
- Civil Defense Command is founded
- Fallout shelters are built for government officials
- Marilyn Monroe dies under suspicious circumstances
- DOW Corporation introduces silicon breast implants
- AT&T launches TELNET, the first communications satellite
- The Space Needle is built in Seattle
- NY Yankees defeat San Francisco Giants in the World Series
- Entertainer Ernie Kovacs dies at 43
ON THE RADIO:
- Death Valley Days
- Democracy in America
- Eternal Light
- Fibber McGee and Molly
- Life of Riley
- Meet the Press
- Ray Bradbury Theater
ON TELEVISION:
- Roy Rogers Dale Evans Variety Hour
- The Jetsons
- Ed Sullivan Show
- Password
- The Lucy Show
- The Virginian
- McHale’s Navy
- Mr. Ed
- The Flintstones
- Beverly Hillbillies
- The Saint
FADS & FASHION:
- Fallout shelters
- Cassette tapes
- Magic markers
- Nehru jackets
- Exciting Game of the Kennedies
- The Twist
- Pillbox hats
WHAT THINGS COST:
- Car: $2,275
- Gasoline: 31 cents per gallon
- House: $19,000
- Bread: 21 cents per loaf
- Milk: $1.04 per gallon
- Postage Stamp: 4 cents
- Average Annual Salary: $6,670
- Minimum Wage: $1.15 per hour
ACADEMY AWARD – BEST PICTURE:
- Lawrence of Arabia – epic film by David Lean starring Peter O’Toole, Alec Guiness, Anthony Quinn, and Omar Sharif
TONY AWARD – BEST MUSICAL:
- How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying – based on a book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert, music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, choreographed by Bob Fossee and Hugh Lambert, starring Robert Morse, Rudy Vallee, Bonnie Scott, and Virginia Martin
PULITZER PRIZES:
- The Edge of Sadness by Edwin O’Connor (fiction)
- How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying by Frank Loesser and Abe Burrows (drama)
- The Triumphant Empire: Thunderclouds Gather in the West by Lawrence H. Gipson (history)
- Poems by Alan Dugan (poetry)
NOBEL PEACE PRIZE:
- Linus Carl Pauling, U.S., 1901-1994, California Institute of Technology at Pasadena, CA, campaigner for an end to nuclear weapons development and testing
TOP SONGS:
- I Can’t Stop Loving You by Ray Charles
- Telstar by The Tornadoes
- The Twist by Chubby Checker
- Twist and Shout by The Isley Brothers
- Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley
- The Loco-Motion by Little Eva
- Return to Sender by Elvis Presley
- Duke of Earl by Gene Chandler
- Surfin’ Safari by The Beach Boys
- Dream Baby by Roy Orbison
- Green Onion by Booker T and the MGs
- Soldier Boy by the Shirelles
- 409 by The Beach Boys
- If I Had a Hammer by Peter, Paul & Mary
- Beechwood 4-5789 by The Marveletttes
