July 1962 Explained
The following events occurred in July 1962:
July 1, 1962 (Sunday)
- Rwanda and Burundi, the northern and southern portions of Ruanda-Urundi, were both granted independence from Belgium on the same day.[1] Grégoire Kayibanda of the Hutu tribe was sworn in as President of Rwanda at Kigali, and Mwambutsa IV, who had reigned as the titular leader of the Tutsi tribe since 1915, continued as King of Burundi.
- In Merritt Island, Florida, NASA formed their Launch Operations Center, now known as the Kennedy Space Center. Since December 1968, KSC has been NASA's primary launch center of human spaceflight including the launch operations for the Apollo, Skylab, and Space Shuttle programs.[2]
- The first Canadian Medicare plan was launched in Saskatchewan, resulting in the Saskatchewan doctors' strike.[3] Thousands of citizens joined the protests against compulsory health care ten days later.[4]
- Bruce McLaren won the 1962 Reims Grand Prix. McClaren of New Zealand, a former rugby player turned race car driver, finished the 250miles course in 2 hours, 2 seconds.[5]
- Julio Adalberto Rivera Carballo became President of El Salvador. He had been the only candidate in elections on April 30.[6]
- Relocation of the Manned Spacecraft Center from Langley Field to Houston, Texas, was completed.[7]
- The Treaty of Nordic Cooperation of Helsinki (signed 23 March 1962) came into force.
- Supporters of Algerian independence won a 90% majority in a referendum.[8]
- Born: Andre Braugher, American actor best known for his roles as Detective Frank Pembleton in and Captain Raymond Holt in Brooklyn Nine-Nine (d. 2023); in Chicago, Illinois[9]
- Died: Bidhan Chandra Roy, 80, Indian politician and Chief Minister of West Bengal since 1948[10]
July 2, 1962 (Monday)
- Five simulated off-the-pad Gemini ejection tests began at Naval Ordnance Test Station and were completed by the first week of August. The tests showed problems which led to two important design changes, adding a drogue-gun method of deploying the parachute and installing a three-point harness-release system similar to those used in military aircraft.[11]
- Sam Walton opened the first Walmart store as Wal-Mart Discount City in Rogers, Arkansas, United States. By 1970, there would be 38 Walmart stores.[12] After 50 years, there were more than 9,766 stores in 27 countries, and 11,766 by mid-2019.[13]
July 3, 1962 (Tuesday)
July 4, 1962 (Wednesday)
July 5, 1962 (Thursday)
- The French Assembly voted 241–72 to remove former Prime Minister Georges Bidault's immunity against arrest and prosecution, which he had held in April 1961, when he called for the overthrow of President Charles De Gaulle. The vote cleared the way for treason indictment of Bidault, who had fled to Italy.[21]
- After Algeria's independence was recognized by France, 20 French Algerians and 75 Algerians were killed in a massacre which took place at Oran, the section of Algiers where most French Algerians lived.[22]
July 6, 1962 (Friday)
- Irish broadcaster Gay Byrne presented his first edition of The Late Late Show.[23] Byrne would go on to present the talk show for 37 years, making him the longest-running TV talk show host in history.
- The 320feet deep Sedan Crater, measuring 1280feet in diameter, was created in a split second in Nye County, Nevada, with an underground nuclear test.[24] The fallout exposed 13 million Americans to radiation; regular monthly tours are now given of the crater, which ceased being radioactive after less than a year.[25]
- Martin Marietta presented its plan for flight testing the malfunction detection system (MDS) for the Gemini launch vehicle. This so-called "piggyback plan" required installing the Gemini MDS in Titan II engines on six Titan II flights to demonstrate its reliability.[11]
- Died:
July 7, 1962 (Saturday)
July 8, 1962 (Sunday)
July 9, 1962 (Monday)
- In the Starfish Prime test, the United States exploded a 1.4 megaton hydrogen bomb in outer space, sending the warhead on a Titan missile to an altitude of over Johnston Island.[33] The first two attempts at exploding a nuclear missile above the Earth had failed. The flash was visible in Hawaii, away, and scientists discovered the destructive effects of the first major manmade electromagnetic pulse (EMP), as a surge of electrons burned out streetlights, blew fuses, and disrupted communications.[34] [35] Increasing radiation in some places one hundredfold, the EMP damaged at least ten orbiting satellites beyond repair.[36]
- NASA scientists concluded that the layer of haze reported by astronauts John Glenn and Scott Carpenter was a phenomenon called "airglow". Using a photometer on his mission in May, Carpenter was able to measure the layer. Airglow accounts for much of the illumination in the night sky.[7]
- American artist Andy Warhol first presented his Campbell's Soup Cans at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles.[37]
- Died: Georges Bataille, 64, French philosopher and writer; of arteriosclerosis[38]
July 10, 1962 (Tuesday)
- AT&T's Telstar, the world's first commercial communications satellite, was launched into orbit from Cape Canaveral at 3:35 a.m. local time, and activated that night.[39] The first image transmitted between continents was a black-and-white photo of the American flag[40] [41] sent from the U.S. transmitter at Andover, Maine, to Pleumeur-Bodou in France.[42]
- The All-Channel Television Receiver Bill was signed into law, requiring that all televisions made in the United States to be able to receive both VHF signals (channels 2 to 13 on 30 to 300 MHz) and UHF (channels 14 to 83, on frequencies between 470 and 896 MHz). The result was to open hundreds of new television channels.[43]
- One of the spans in the Kings Bridge in Melbourne, Australia, collapsed after a 45t vehicle passed over it, only 15 months after the multi-lane highway bridge's opening on April 12, 1961. The collapse occurred immediately after the driver of the vehicle had passed over the span, and nobody was hurt.[44] [45]
- Francisco Brochado de Rocha was approved as the new Prime Minister of Brazil by a 215–58 vote of Parliament.[46]
- Born: Christopher Martin, formerly known as Play, comedian, actor and rapper of the hip-hop duo Kid 'n Play; in Queens[47]
- Died: Tommy Milton, 68, American race car driver and first to win the Indianapolis 500 twice (in 1921 and 1923 despite being blind in one eye), shot himself twice after making his own funeral arrangements.[48]
July 11, 1962 (Wednesday)
- NASA officials announced the decision for Project Apollo, the crewed lunar exploration program, to proceed using lunar orbit rendezvous (LOR) as the prime mission mode, rather than direct ascent or earth orbit rendezvous. The decision enabled immediate planning for the next phase of American space exploration to proceed.[7]
- The first person to swim across the English Channel underwater, without surfacing, arrived in Sandwich Bay, Kent, England, 18 hours after departing from Calais, France. Fred Baldasare wore scuba gear and was assisted by a guiding ship and the use of oxygen tanks.[49]
- Born: Pauline McLynn, Irish comedian and TV actress; in Sligo, County Sligo
- Died: Owen D. Young, 87, American businessman who founded Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and co-founded the National Broadcasting Company (NBC)[50]
July 12, 1962 (Thursday)
- The Rolling Stones made their debut at London's Marquee Club, Number 165 Oxford Street, opening for the first time under that name, for Long John Baldry. Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, Keith Richards, Ian Stewart, Dick Taylor and Tony Chapman had played together for the group Blues Incorporated before creating a new name inspired by the Muddy Waters 1950 single "Rollin' Stone".[51] The day before the concert, an ad in the July 11, 1962, edition of Jazz News, a London weekly jazz paper, had shown the drummer to be Mick Avory, who later played for The Kinks, rather than Chapman. Avory himself, however, would say in an interview that he did not play in the event.[52]
- Representatives of Gemini Project Office (GPO), the U.S. Air Force Space System Division, Marshall Space Flight Center, and Lockheed conferred on Atlas-Agena coordination, with GPO presenting a list of minimum basic maneuvers of the Agena targeting and docking. Ten months would be required to modify pad 14 at Cape Canaveral for the Atlas-Agena, to begin immediately after the last Project Mercury flight.[11]
- The first telephone signals carried by satellite were made by engineers between Goonhilly in the UK and Andover, Maine, in the U.S.[42]
- Born: Julio César Chávez, Mexican boxer, WBC champion at three levels (super featherweight, lightweight, light welterweight and welterweight) between 1984 and 1996; in Ciudad Obregón
- Died: James T. Blair, Jr., 60, former Governor of Missouri (1957–1961); along with his wife, from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning at his home, near Jefferson City, Missouri[53]
July 13, 1962 (Friday)
- With his popularity declining, British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan fired seven senior members of his cabinet, including Chancellor of the Exchequer Selwyn Lloyd, the Lord Chancellor, the Ministers of Defence and Education, and the Secretary of State for Scotland. The move was unprecedented in United Kingdom history, and was followed by the firing of nine junior ministers on Monday.[54] [55] [56] Liberal MP Jeremy Thorpe would quip, "Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his friends for his life."[57] The British press would dub the event Macmillan's "Night of the Long Knives".[58]
- International telephone calls, via satellite, were inaugurated by AT&T, as company president Eugene McNeely placed a call to the French Minister of Posts, Telegraphs, and Telephones, Jacques Marette. On Telstar's next orbit, McNeely spoke with Sir Ronald German, the British General Post Office Director-General.[59]
- Tests of the Mercury pressure suit were conducted with a human subject, who wore a modified B-70 (Valkyrie) harness, which appeared to have advantages over the existing Mercury harness.[7]
- U Thant, Secretary-General of the United Nations, arrived in Dublin, and paid tribute to Irish soldiers who fought in the Congo.
- Burmese leader Ne Win left the country for a trip to Austria, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, "for a medical check up".[60]
- Born: Tom Kenny, American voice actor best known as the voice of SpongeBob in over 300 episodes of the long-running cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants; in Syracuse, New York[61]
July 14, 1962 (Saturday)
- A 1958 Pakistan law, banning all political parties, was repealed by a National Assembly resolution, amending the Constitution of 1962. The only requirement was that a party could not prejudice Islamic ideology or the stability or integrity of Pakistan, and could not receive any aid from a foreign nation.[62]
- In the third match of the rugby league Test series between Australia and Great Britain, held at Sydney Cricket Ground, a controversial last-minute Australian try and the subsequent conversion resulted in an 18–17 win for Australia.[63]
- The Miss Universe 1962 beauty pageant took place at Miami Beach, Florida, and was won by Norma Nolan of Argentina.[64]
- Henry Brooke became the new UK Home Secretary in Harold Macmillan's reshuffled cabinet.
July 15, 1962 (Sunday)
- The Washington Post broke the story of thalidomide tablets that had been distributed in the United States, in a story by Morton Mintz under the headline "Heroine of FDA Keeps Bad Drug Off Market". As a result of the publicity, more than 2.5 million thalidomide pills, which had been distributed to physicians by the Richardson-Merrell pharmaceutical company pending approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, were recalled. Although thousands of babies were born with defects in Europe, the FDA identified only 17 known cases in the United States.[65]
- Jacques Anquetil won the Tour de France for the third time.[66]
- Born: Glen Edward Rogers, American serial killer who was suspected of stabbing and strangling an elderly man and four women in five separate states between 1993 and 1995; in Hamilton, Ohio[67]
- Died: Six animals (two monkeys and four hamsters); of radiation; they had been sent up 24 hours earlier by NASA in the first test of whether astronauts could safely endure prolonged exposure to cosmic rays. They had been inside a space capsule that had been kept at an altitude of by a balloon.[68]
July 16, 1962 (Monday)
- French explorer Michel Siffre began a long-term experiment of chronobiology, the perception of the passage of time in the absence of information, staying underground in a cave for two months after entering. While inside, he used a one-way field telephone to signal to researchers when he was going to sleep, when he was getting up, and how much time had passed between events during his waking hours. He was brought back out on September 14, 1962, sixty days later; according to his diary, he thought only 35 days had passed and that the date was August 20.[69] [70] [71]
July 17, 1962 (Tuesday)
- The U.S. Senate voted 52–48 against further consideration of President Kennedy's proposed plan for Medicare, government-subsidized health care for persons drawing social security benefits.[72] Two liberal U.S. Senators had switched sides, preventing a 50–50 tie that would have been broken in favor of Medicare by Vice-President Johnson; as President, Johnson would sign Medicare into law effective July 30, 1965.[73]
- Major Robert M. White (USAF) piloted a North American X-15 to a record altitude of 314750feet,[74] narrowly missing the 100 kilometer altitude Kármán line that defines outer space, but passing the 50-mile altitude mark that NASA used to define the threshold of space. The record of would be set by Joseph A. Walker on July 19, 1963.[75]
- The Eritrean Liberation Front staged its first major attack in seeking to separate Eritrea from Ethiopia, by throwing a hand grenade at a reviewing stand that included General Abiy Abebe (Emperor Haile Selassie's representative), Eritrean provincial executive Asfaha Woldemikael, and Hamid Ferej, leader of the Eritrean provincial assembly.[76]
- Four years after the USS Nautilus had become the first submarine to reach the geographic North Pole, the Soviet Union reached the Pole with a sub for the first time, with the submarine K-3 (later renamed the Leninsky Komsomol).[77]
- The final atmospheric nuclear test by the United States was made, a test shot Little Feller I (of a "Small Boy" weapon).[78]
July 18, 1962 (Wednesday)
- The Minnesota Twins became the first Major League Baseball team to hit two grand slams in the same inning of a game, as Bob Allison and Harmon Killebrew drove in eight runs in the first inning of a 14–3 win over the Cleveland Indians.[79] In 50 years, the feat has been accomplished seven more times since then, most recently on September 11, 2015, in the eighth inning of a 14 to 8 win by the Baltimore Orioles over the Kansas City Royals.[80] On April 23, 1999, both of the St. Louis Cardinals' grand slams in the third inning were made by the same batter, Fernando Tatis.[81]
- Manuel Prado Ugarteche, the 73-year-old President of Peru, was arrested during a coup d'etat after Peruvian Army officers used a Sherman tank to batter down the gates of the presidential palace in Lima. Prado was replaced by a military junta led by General Ricardo Pérez Godoy.[82] The election results of June 10 were annulled.[83]
- The largest space vehicle, up to that time, began orbiting the Earth, after the United States launched the communications satellite "Big Shot". After going aloft, the silvery balloon was inflated to its full size as a sphere with a diameter of .[84]
- Unpopular and unable to implement economic reforms, Ali Amini resigned as Prime Minister of Iran. He would be replaced by Asadollah Alam.[85]
- Typhoon Kate formed a short distance from northern Luzon.
- Born: Abu Sabaya, Philippine leader of rebel group Abu Sayyaf; as Aldam Tilao in Isabela, Basilan (killed, 2002)
- Died: Eugene Houdry, 70, French chemical engineer who developed high octane gasoline and the catalytic converter
July 19, 1962 (Thursday)
- Gemini Project Office and North American Aviation agreed on guidelines for the design of the advanced paraglider trainer, the system to be used with the Gemini spacecraft. The most important of these guidelines was redundancy for all critical operations.[11]
- The first successful intercept of one missile by another took place at Kwajalein Island, with a Zeus missile passing within of an incoming Atlas missile, close enough for a nuclear warhead to disable an enemy weapon.[86]
July 20, 1962 (Friday)
- NASA Administrator James E. Webb announced that a new mission control center would be established at the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) in Houston. Project Mercury flights were controlled from the center at Cape Canaveral, but these facilities were inadequate for the more complex missions envisioned for the Gemini and Apollo programs. Philco Corporation had received a contract for a design concept for the flight information and control functions of the new center, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would supervise construction of this center as it had all major facilities at MSC. Total cost was estimated at $30 million for the center, to open in 1964 for Gemini space rendezvous flights.[11]
- Tou Samouth, Communist leader of the Khmer People's Revolutionary Party in Cambodia, disappeared and was assumed murdered. His successor, Saloth Sar, would go on to lead the Communist Party of Kampuchea as Pol Pot, and then exact revenge on former government employees.[87]
- Executive Order 11307 prohibited unlicensed U.S. citizens (and people under U.S. jurisdiction) from possessing or holding an interest in gold coins from outside the United States, unless the coins were of "exceptional numismatic value".[88]
- The world's first regular passenger hovercraft service was introduced, as the VA-3 began the 20miles run between Rhyl (in Wales) and Wallasey (in England).[89]
- France and Tunisia reestablished diplomatic relations, a year after breaking ties following the Bizerte crisis.[90]
- Born:
July 21, 1962 (Saturday)
- The United Arab Republic (Egypt) successfully fired four missiles which, President Gamal Abdel Nasser said, could strike any target "just south of Beirut", a reference to neighboring Israel. Nasser said that the Nakid El Kaher (Conqueror) missile had a range of, which could reach all of Israel, as well as cities in Syria and Jordan, and that the El Zahir (Victory) missile had a range of, including Tel Aviv.[91] The missiles came as a surprise to Israel's intelligence service, the Mossad. In August, Mossad chief Isser Harel would report to Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion that German scientists were assisting in the development of 900 more missiles capable of carrying chemical and biological weapons and would organize Operation Damocles to target the scientists on the project.[92]
- U.S. President John F. Kennedy announced that Robert R. Gilruth, Director of Manned Spacecraft Center, would receive the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service. This award was made for his successful accomplishment of "one of the most complex tasks ever presented to man in this country... the achievement of manned flight in orbit around the earth."[7]
- Died: G. M. Trevelyan, 86, British historian
July 22, 1962 (Sunday)
- The Mariner 1 spacecraft flew erratically several minutes after launch and had to be destroyed after less than five minutes, at a cost of $4,000,000 for the satellite and $8,000,000 for the rocket.[93] The $12 million dollar loss was later traced[94] to the omission of an overbar in the handwritten text from which the computer programming for the rocket guidance system was drawn, which should have been written as :
being rendered as :
; thus, there was no
smooth function to prevent over-correction of minor variations of data on rocket velocity.
[95] - On Canadian Pacific Flight 301, 27 of the 40 people were killed after the four-engine plane had a failure of one engine shortly after takeoff on departure from Honolulu. The airliner crashed during an emergency landing, with only 13 survivors.[96]
- Born:
July 23, 1962 (Monday)
- While in Geneva, W. Averell Harriman of the U.S. met with North Vietnam's Foreign Minister, Ung Văn Khiêm in an unsuccessful attempt to talk about a similar neutrality agreement in Vietnam. Decades after the end of the Vietnam War, sources in Hanoi would reveal that the North Vietnamese Politburo had approved the pursuit of discussions, but that Khiem had not been informed of the Politburo decision that might have averted a protracted war. American and North Vietnamese diplomats would not meet again for six years.[99]
- Telstar relayed the first live trans-Atlantic television signal, with two 20-minute programs. The first was a set of U.S. TV shows (President Kennedy's news conference, 90 seconds of the Phillies-Cubs baseball game, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir) to Eurovision (2:00 p.m. New York, 8:00 p.m. London). At 4:58 p.m., New York Time, live transmission of European broadcasting was shown on all three American networks, beginning with a live picture of the clock at London's Big Ben approaching 11:00 p.m.[59] [100]
- Thirty-six people were killed, and 100 injured, when a train between Paris and Marseilles derailed while crossing a viaduct near Dijon. Most of the dead were vacationers traveling to the French Riviera, and were on a passenger car that plunged into a ravine.[101]
- The International Agreement on the Neutrality of Laos was signed in Geneva.[102] Under the agreement, all foreign military personnel were to withdraw within 75 days; the last Americans, advisers to the U.S. Special Forces, would leave by October 6.[103]
- In the first press conference broadcast by satellite, U.S. President Kennedy blamed the Soviet Union for the resumption of nuclear testing and the inflexibility about the Berlin crisis.[104]
- The Saskatoon agreement brought an end to the Saskatchewan doctors' strike.[105]
- Born: Eriq La Salle, African-American TV actor; in Hartford, Connecticut
- Died:
July 24, 1962 (Tuesday)
July 25, 1962 (Wednesday)
- Three weeks after Algeria became independent, civil war broke out within the FLN between the Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic (GPRA) of Ahmed Ben Bella and the Oujda group of Boumédiène. Ben Bella's troops occupied Bona and Constantine, with bloodshed, while the GPRA held control only of the Algiers region.[110]
- The U.S. had another failure in its Operation Dominic series of nuclear tests, when a Thor missile exploded on the launch pad at Johnston Island. Although the 100-kiloton warhead was destroyed without a nuclear blast, the area was contaminated with plutonium, ending plans to routinely launch nuclear-powered space probes.[111]
- "Skyphone" service, permitting airline passengers to make telephone calls while in flight, was inaugurated. The first call was made from American Airlines Flight 941 en route from New York to Cincinnati, from stewardess Hope Patterson to the Associated Press.[112]
- McDonnell reduced the rated thrust of the two forward-firing Gemini thrusters from 100lbf to 85lbf to reduce disturbance torques generated in the event of maneuvers with one engine out.[11]
- "Aid to Families with Dependent Children" (AFDC) was created with the passage of the Public Welfare Amendments of 1962 to the U.S. Social Security Act, increasing the number of people receiving federal public assistance.[113]
- Buckingham Palace, residence of the Queen of the United Kingdom, was opened to the public for the first time with the dedication of the Queen's Gallery, an art museum.[114]
- The United States Army formed its first armed helicopter unit, using UH-1 Hueys.
- Born: Doug Drabek, American Major League Baseball pitcher from 1986 to 1998, and 1990 Cy Young Award winner; in Victoria, Texas
- Died:
July 26, 1962 (Thursday)
- The first phone call by satellite between Italy and the United States took place. Osvaldo Cagnasso, the mayor of Alba in Piedmont, called his counterpart, Mayor John Snider in Medford, Oregon. The mayors of the twinned cities exchanged their greetings, in the call relayed by Telstar 1, for 12 minutes. In the hours that followed, the satellite broadcast another 11 calls from one side of the Atlantic to the other.[115]
- The first birth defects in the United States from the drug thalidomide were detected. The unborn child's mother asked the Supreme Court of Arizona State for an order permitting her to abort her fifth pregnancy. In previous months, she had used the controversial medication, which was banned in the U.S., but had been bought by her husband in London. Her request was rejected.[116]
- In Algeria, during the split within the GPRA, Belkacem Krim and Boudiaf got the Kabylie to organize the resistance to Ben Bella's army. Benkhedda remained in Algiers to cooperate with the opposing faction.[117]
- The first nuclear missiles shipped to Cuba by the Soviet Union were unloaded in at the port of Mariel. Their discovery would precipitate the Cuban Missile Crisis.[118]
- To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the founding of the republic in Egypt, President Nasser declared an end to tuition in the nation's universities.[119]
- The French Chef, starring Julia Child, appeared on television for the first time, as a program on the Boston public television station WGBH.[120]
- Born:
- Died:
July 27, 1962 (Friday)
- Inventor David P. Wagner applied for the patent for the first pharmaceutical packaging designed for compliance with dosage directions, to simplify use of birth control pills on a specific date. Wagner would receive royalties from G.D. Searle & Company and from Ortho Pharmaceutical, who would use the design for their contraceptives.[123]
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began its project to acquire and restore properties in the small town of Nauvoo, Illinois, where the Mormons had been centered from 1839 to 1844. Within a year, Nauvoo Restoration, Inc., had acquired 30 of the 35 buildings still standing in Nauvoo.[124]
- Jess Oliver (Oliver Jsesperson) applied for the patent for the Ampeg B-15 Portaflex portable bass amplifier, which would become the most popular bass amplifier in the world for bands; the patent would be granted on May 11, 1965.[125]
- Atlas launch vehicle No. 113-D was inspected at Convair and accepted for the Mercury 8 orbital mission, scheduled for September 1962 for astronaut Wally Schirra.[7]
- Born: Mariela Castro Espin, Cuban sexologist, niece of Fidel Castro; in Havana
- Died: Richard Aldington, 70, English poet and author
July 28, 1962 (Saturday)
- A train derailment killed 19 people and injured 116 when a Pennsylvania Railroad went off the tracks at Steelton, Pennsylvania. The nine-car train was carrying baseball fans to the Pirates-Phillies baseball game at Philadelphia, when the last five cars went off track, and three fell down a 40foot embankment.[126]
- A 103–26 vote of delegates to the German Football Association (DFB) convention at Dortmund created the Bundesliga, the national league of West Germany's top professional soccer football teams.[127] The Bundesliga would begin its first season on August 24, 1963, with 16 teams out of 46 applicants.[128]
- South Korea's President Park Chung Hee issued the memorandum "The Establishment of a Social Security System" and set about to forcibly implement programs for assistance for the elderly, disabled and unemployed in what was, at that time, a poor nation.[129]
- The USSR launched Kosmos 7, the first successful Soviet mission to conduct surveillance photography of the entire United States.[130]
- Race riots broke out in Dudley, West Midlands, in the UK.[131]
- Born: Jason Sherman, Canadian playwright and screenwriter; in Montreal
July 29, 1962 (Sunday)
- Sir Oswald Mosley, who had founded the British Union of Fascists and been a vocal Nazi sympathizer prior to Germany's attack on Britain in World War II, was beaten by an angry crowd in Manchester, after leading members of his extreme right-wing Union Movement on a march through the city.[132]
- A few weeks after Algeria had attained its independence, 2,000 rebel guerrillas under the command of Colonel Si Hassan seized control of Algiers.[133]
- In the final of the 1962 Speedway World Team Cup at Slaný, Czechoslovakia, Sweden defeated Great Britain, Poland and Czechoslovakia.
- Born: Scott Steiner, American college and professional wrestler; as Scott Rechsteiner in Bay City, Michigan
- Died: Sir Ronald Fisher, 72, English biologist
July 30, 1962 (Monday)
- The Trans-Canada Highway was opened at a ceremony to mark the completion of the 92miles long Rogers Pass Highway through the Canadian Rockies, for the final link of the nearly 5000miles system between St. John's, Newfoundland, and Victoria, British Columbia. B.C. Premier W. A. C. Bennett snipped a ribbon near Revelstoke.[134]
- Marilyn Monroe made a final telephone call to the U.S. Justice Department, six days before her death. Monroe had been a regular caller to U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, and historians speculate that he told her during the eight-minute phone call that they could no longer see each other. Monroe's phone records would be confiscated by the FBI, but Kennedy's phone logs would be donated to the National Archives after his death.[135]
- U.S. President Kennedy agreed to halt reconnaissance flights over Soviet ships in the Caribbean Sea, after USSR Premier Khrushchev proposed the idea "for the sake of better relations"; in the two months that followed, the ships delivered missiles to Cuba.[136]
- On the same day, President Kennedy began tape-recording conversations in the White House.[137]
- Born: Alton Brown, American chef and host of the Food Network show Good Eats; in Los Angeles
- Died: Helge Krog, 73, Norwegian journalist
July 31, 1962 (Tuesday)
- The professional football career of Ernie Davis, who had been the #1 choice in the 1962 NFL draft, ended three days before he was to begin play for the Cleveland Browns in the preseason College All-Star Game in Chicago. Davis had checked into the Memorial Hospital in the suburb of Evanston, Illinois, on suspicion that he had the mumps, and then with mononucleosis.[138] The next day, it was announced that he had a "blood disorder", and in October, it would be revealed that he had leukemia,[139] the disease that would claim his life the following May 18.[140]
- A large annular solar eclipse covered 97% of the Sun, creating a dramatic spectacle for observers in a path up to wide across South America's Caribbean coast and across Southern Africa. The eclipse lasted 3 minutes and 32.66 seconds at the point of maximum eclipse.
- The Vietnam Era began for Australia, with the arrival of Colonel Ted Serong, followed by 30 advisers later in the week. Over ten years, ending on December 2, 1972, there would be 521 Australians killed in the war.[141]
- A symposium outlining a future U.S. space station was held at Langley Research Center in Virginia.[142]
- Born:
- Died:
Notes and References
- News: African Nations Born as Belgian Rule Ends . . July 1, 1962 . 5.
- Web site: Kennedy Space Center Story. NASA. May 13, 2019. June 3, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170603115439/https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/about/history/story/ch1.html. dead.
- News: Doctors Strike In Province . . July 2, 1962 . 1.
- News: Thousands Protest MD Plan . Miami News . July 11, 1962 . 1.
- News: McLaren Wins Reims Classic . . . July 2, 1962 . 13.
- News: Rivera Sworn In El Salvador . . . July 1, 1962 . 14.
- Book: Grimwood, James M. . Project Mercury - A Chronology . PART III (B) Operational Phase of Project Mercury June 1962 through June 12, 1963 . NASA Special Publication-4001 . https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4001/p3b.htm . . 12 February 2023.
- News: Freedom From France . . July 4, 1962 . 3.
- Web site: Andre Braugher . May 12, 1997 . . January 19, 2019.
- News: Dr. B.C. Roy dies; Indian Leader, 80; West Bengal Chief Minister Was Also a Physician Brought Health to Politics Father an Official . July 2, 1962 . . April 26, 2021.
- Book: Project Gemini Technology and Operations - A Chronology . PART I (B) Concept and Design January 1962 through December 1962 . Grimwood . James M. . Hacker . Barton C. . Vorzimmer . Peter J. . NASA Special Publication-4002 . https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4002/p1b.htm . . 20 February 2023.
- Web site: The Rise of Wal-Mart . . November 16, 2004.
- Web site: Total number of Walmart stores worldwide from 2008 to 2019 . Statista.
- News: Algeria Free- Still Fighting; France Leaves After 132 Years . Miami News . July 3, 1962 . 1.
- Book: III. The world artistic gymnastics championships . Olympic Encyclopedia . 1985 . . 35 . Google Books.
- Book: Cahill, Marie . Tom Cruise . May 1992 . . 978-0-8317-8669-4 . 9 . Google Books.
- Web site: Thomas Gibson . Turner Classic Movies.
- Jacobs . Alan . Alan Jacobs (academic) . Tom Wolfe's 'The Right Stuff' and the Idolization of John Glenn . . Technology . 12 April 2011 . 29 March 2023.
- Book: Viator, Ray . Houston, Space City USA . . . 2019 . Sara and John Lindsey series in the arts and humanities . 20 . 9781623497736 . 36 . 29 March 2023 . Google Books.
- Web site: The Constitution of the Burma Socialist Programme Party.
- "French Assembly Strips Bidault Of His Parliamentary Immunity", New York Times, July 6, 1962, p. 3
- Benjamin Stora, Algeria, 1830-2000: A Short History (Cornell University Press, 2004) p. 105
- Web site: . The Late Late Show - 50th Anniversary Special.
- Web site: Sedan Crater . 15 July 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080715115420/http://www.knpb.org/productions/historicnevada/sedan.asp . Historic Nevada.
- Web site: Sedan Crater . All Around Nevada.
- News: 'Perfect' Archduke Joseph diamond sells for $21m. 17 November 2012. BBC News. 13 November 2012.
- Book: Rosie, George . The Directory of International Terrorism . Google Books . 1987 . . 978-0-913729-29-8 . 97.
- Book: United States Military Academy. Library . The William Faulkner Collection at West Point and the Faulkner Concordances . Google Books . 1974 . . 1.
- News: Jetliner Vanishes, 94 Aboard . Miami News . July 7, 1962 . 1.
- News: 15 Students Killed During Burma Riots . . July 9, 1962 . 1.
- "Old Foes Parade In Reims", Ottawa Citizen, July 9, 1962, p. 1; William Kidd and Brian Murdoch, Memory and Memorials: The Commemorative Century (Ashgate Publishing, 2004) p. 266
- "Grand Prix Win to U.S. Driver", The Age (Melbourne), July 10, 1962, p. 10
- Book: Goodchild, Peter . Edward Teller, the Real Dr. Strangelove . . 2004 . 300.
- News: U.S. Fires H-Bomb In Sky . Miami News . July 9, 1962 . 1.
- News: U.S. Explodes Warhead 200 Miles Above Earth . Ottawa Citizen . July 9, 1962 . 1.
- Book: Ann Garrison . Darrin . Beth Laura . O'Leary . Handbook of Space Engineering, Archaeology, and Heritage . . 2009 . 536.
- Web site: The Andy Warhol Family Album . warhola.com.
- Book: Surya, Michel . Michel Surya . Georges Bataille: An Intellectual Biography . 2002 . 474.
- News: TV Relay Satellite Streaks Into Orbit . Miami News . July 10, 1962 . 1.
- News: The Story Sent From Satellite ...And This Picture, Too . Miami News . July 11, 1962 . 1 . Google News.
- Book: Smil, Vaclav . Vaclav Smil . Transforming the Twentieth Century: Technical Innovations And Their Consequences . . 2006 . 310.
- Book: Bray, John . John Bray (communications engineer) . Innovation and the Communications Revolution: From the Victorian Pioneers to Broadband Internet . IET . 2002 . 213–214.
- Book: Paglin, Max D. . The Communications Act: A Legislative History of the Major Amendments, 1934–1996 . Pike & Fischer . 1999 . 190.
- News: £4m Kings Bridge Closed Indefinitely . . . July 11, 1962 . 1.
- Book: Åkesson, Björn . Understanding Bridge Collapses . CRC Press . 2008 . 132.
- News: New Premier OK'd, Brazil Crisis Ends . Miami News . July 10, 1962 . 4A.
- Web site: Martin. Christopher "Play". Play: Hip-Hop Icon (interview). halftimeonline.net. July 10, 2004. October 18, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20181010093953/http://halftimeonline.net/portfolio/play-kid-n-play/. October 10, 2018. dead.
- News: Tommy Milton Dies; 1st Two-Time '500' Winner . . July 11, 1962 . 1.
- News: Floridian Swims Channel . Miami News . July 11, 1962 . 1.
- News: Owen D. Young, 87, Industrialist, Dies. Owen D. Young, 87, Ex-G.E. Head, Dies . . July 12, 1962.
- Book: Vladimir . Bogdanov . etal . All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues . . 2003 . 476.
- Web site: Interview with 'Kink' Mick Avory . https://web.archive.org/web/20140616082314/http://www.eddybonte.be/flags/MickAvoryFootnote.cfm . 16 June 2014 . Eddy . Bonte.
- News: Ex-Governor of Missouri Found Dead . Miami News . July 12, 1962 . 2.
- News: Changes in the Cabinet - Mr Selwyn Lloyd Replaced . . July 14, 1962 . 1.
- News: U.K. Cabinet Sensation- 7 lose jobs in purge . . July 15, 1962 . 1.
- News: Mac the Knife...And How He Must Answer To A Victim . Miami News . July 16, 1962 . 1.
- Book: Wasserstein, Bernard . Bernard Wasserstein . Barbarism and Civilization: A History of Europe in Our Time . Oxford University Press . 2007 . 536.
- Book: Samuel . Berlinski . etal . Accounting for Ministers: Scandal and Survival in British Government 1945-2007 . Cambridge University Press . 2012 . 95.
- Encyclopedia: Spacecrafts [sic] Launched in 1962 . Spacecraft Encyclopedia . Claude . LeFleur.
- News items in The Guardian and The Nation of July 14, 1962
- Web site: Tom Kenny Finds his Voice as SpongeBob SquarePants. backstage.com. June 22, 2017. September 11, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170911025235/https://www.backstage.com/interview/tom-kenny-finds-his-voice-as-spongebob-squarepants/. live.
- Party, Government and Freedom in the Muslim World (Brill Archive, 1968) p. 21
- "Last-minute victory to Aust. in exciting R.L. test- Inquiry held", Sydney Sun-Herald, July 15, 1962, p. 3
- "Miss Argentina Most Beautiful In World", Miami News, July 15, 1962, p. 1
- Book: Hilts, Philip J. . Philip J. Hilts . Protecting America's Health: The FDA, Business, and One Hundred Years of Regulation . . 2004 . 157–158.
- Web site: 49th Tour de France 1962.
- Web site: Inmate Population Information Detail – Glen Edward Rogers. Florida Department of Corrections. January 8, 2021.
- News: Balloon Animals Die Testing Cosmic Rays . Miami News . July 16, 1962 . 1.
- Caveman: An Interview with Michel Siffre . Joshua . Foer . Joshua Foer . Michel . Siffre . Michel Siffre . The Underground . Summer 2008.
- Book: Klein, Stefan . Stefan Klein . The Secret Pulse of Time: Making Sense of Life's Scarcest Commodity . . 2009 . 2–8.
- Web site: Chronobiology . Canadian Institute of Health Research.
- News: Senate Vote Kills Medicare 52-48 . Miami News . July 17, 1962 . 1.
- Book: Michael . Meagher . Larry D. . Gragg . John F. Kennedy: A Biography . . 2011 . 118.
- News: X-15 Zooms 58 Miles Up- White's An Astronaut . Miami News . July 17, 1962 . 1.
- Book: Furniss, Tim . A History of Space Exploration: And Its Future . . 2003 . 40.
- Book: Negash, Tekeste . Eritrea and Ethiopia: The Federal Experience . . 1997 . 151.
- Book: Norman . Polmar . Norman Polmar . Jurrien . Noot . Submarines of the Russian and Soviet Navies, 1718-1990 . . 1991 . 170.
- Book: Sandlin, Jennifer A. . Handbook of Public Pedagogy: Education and Learning Beyond Schooling . . 2010 . 268.
- News: Allison, Killebrew Hit Record 'Slams' . Pittsburgh Press . July 19, 1962 . 37.
- Web site: Two Grand Slams in an Inning – Almost Always A Win . Baseball Roundtable.
- http://www.baseball-almanac.com/rb_grsl2.shtml Baseball-Almanac.com
- News: Military Ousts Prado In Peru . Miami News . July 18, 1962 . 1.
- Book: Rabe, Stephen G. . Stephen G. Rabe . The Most Dangerous Area in the World: John F. Kennedy Confronts Communist Revolution in Latin America . . 1999 . 080784764X . 120.
- News: 13-Story Balloon Fired 950 Miles Above Cape . Miami News . July 18, 1962 . 1.
- Book: Bill, James A. . The Eagle and the Lion: The Tragedy of American-Iranian Relations . . 1989 . 146.
- Book: Hamilton, John A. . Blazing Skies: Air Defense Artillery on Fort Bliss, Texas, 1940-2009 . . 2009 . 46.
- Book: Ben Kiernan. How Pol Pot Came to Power. Verso. 2008. 9780300148442. 197.
- Book: Ganz, David L . The Essential Guide to Investing in Precious Metals: How to Begin, Build and Maintain a Properly Diversified Portfolio . . 2011 . 62–63.
- News: The Hovercraft Pioneers- First Paying Passengers Take the Air To-day . . July 20, 1962 . 4.
- News: Paris and Tunis Resuming Ties; End Rift That Started After '61 Bizerte Fight . The New York Times . July 21, 1962.
- News: Egypt Fires 4 Rockets in Test Series- Nasser Boasts Missiles Could Hit Targets in Israel . Youngstown Vindicator . Youngstown, Ohio . July 21, 1962 . 2.
- Book: Plaw, Avery . Targeting Terrorists: A License to Kill? . . 2008 . 41.
- "Venus Shot Veers, Destroyed", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 23, 1962, p. 1
- "So! It Was Man Who Goofed In Venus Probe", Deseret News (Salt Lake City), July 28, 1962, p. 1
- http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/8.75.html#subj1 "Mariner I -- no holds BARred"
- Civil Aviation Authority 1974, p. 18/62; "Airliner Crashes, 25 Killed", Miami News, July 23, 1962, p. 1
- Web site: Steve Albini.
- Web site: Ilyasah Shabazz . November 2017 . New Jersey Education Association . November 18, 2017 . December 1, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171201033455/http://njeaconvention.org/speakers/ilyasah-shabazz/ . dead .
- Robert S. McNamara, et al., Argument Without End: In Search of Answers to the Vietnam Tragedy (PublicAffairs, 2000) pp. 125–127
- "First Live European TV Due Via Telstar Today", Miami News, July 23, 1962, p. 1; "What America Saw 'Live' From Europe", Miami News, July 24, 1962, p9C
- News: Il Parigi-Marsiglia deraglia su un viadotto-Una carrozza precipita: 36 morti, 1000 feriti. July 24, 1962. La Stampa.
- "14 Nations Sign Pact Of Peace For Laos", Miami News, July 23, 1962, p10A
- Shelby L. Stanton, Special Forces at War: An Illustrated History, Southeast Asia 1957-1975 (Zenith Imprint, 2008) p. 23
- News: Kennedy illustra al vecchio mondo i più gravi problemi internazionali. July 24, 1962. La Stampa.
- Dick Spencer, Singing the Blues: The Conservatives in Saskatchewan (CPRC Press, Jan 30, 2007) p. 124
- "Senator Dworshak Dies At 67", Miami News, July 24, 1962, p5A
- News: Ripresi a Ginevra i negoziati sul disarmo. July 25, 1962. La Stampa.
- Jan Dominik and Pavel Zacek, Heart Valve Surgery: An Illustrated Guide (Springer, 2008)p16
- Web site: Le notizie del 24 luglio 1962.
- News: Ben Bella occupa Bona e Costantina - I ministri abbandonano Ben Khedda ad Algeri. . Ben Bella occupies Bona and Constantine - Ministers abandon Ben Khedda in Algiers. . July 27, 1962 . . it.
- Book: Paolo . Ulivi . etal . Lunar Exploration: Human Pioneers and Robotic Surveyors . Springer . 2004 . 15–16.
- News: Hello, Earth... This Is Jet Stewardess, Miss Patterson . Miami News . July 26, 1962 . 1.
- Book: Livingston, Steven G. . Student's Guide To Landmark Congressional Laws on Social Security and Welfare . . 2002 . 107.
- Book: Lynne . Bell . etal . Queen and Consort: Elizabeth and Philip, 60 Years of Marriage . . 2007 . 31–32.
- News: Il telefono cosmico ha unito stanotte Alba e Roma all'America. . The cosmic telephone joined Alba and Rome to America tonight. . Pansa . Giampaolo . Giampaolo Pansa . 96 . 165 . July 27, 1962 . Page 5, columns 1-4 . . it . January 31, 2022.
- News: Chiede alla corte americana di interrompere la maternità perché ha preso i tranquillanti che deformano i bambini. . She asks the American court to stop pregnancy because she took the tranquilizers that deform children. . July 27, 1962 . La Stampa . it.
- News: Verso un urto in armi tra i due capi algerini? . Towards a clash in arms between the two Algerian leaders? . July 27, 1962 . . it.
- Book: Polmar, Norman . Norman Polmar . Spyplane: The U-2 History Declassified . . 2001 . 183.
- Book: Reid, Donald Malcolm . Cairo University and the Making of Modern Egypt . Cambridge University Press . 2002 . 174.
- Book: Polan, Dana . Julia Child's The French Chef . . 2011 . 129.
- Galina Čisťakovová . https://web.archive.org/web/20161203011405/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ci/galina-cistakovova-1.html . dead . 3 December 2016 . 27 October 2020.
- "Matt Cvetic Dies of Heart Attack", Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, July 27, 1962, p. 10
- Book: Bud, Robert . Manifesting Medicine . . 2004 . 107–108.
- Book: Cuerden, Glenn . Images of America: Nauvoo . . 2006 . 112.
- Book: Ritchie . Fliegler . Jon F. . Eiche . Amps!: The Other Half of Rock 'n' Roll . . 1993 . 37.
- News: PRR Derailing That Killed 19 Being Probed . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . July 30, 1962 . 1.
- Book: Hesse-Lichtenberger, Ulrich . Ulrich Hesse . Tor! The Story of German Football . . 2003 . 145–146.
- Book: Wladimir . Andreff . Stefan . Szymański . Handbook on the Economics of Sport . . 2006.
- Book: Woo, Myungsook . The Politics Of Social Welfare Policy In South Korea: Growth And Citizenship . . 2004 . 37.
- Book: Nelson, Craig . Rocket Men: The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon . . 2010.
- Web site: Mr. F. McEvoy and Mr. H. Reeve (Sentences) (Hansard, 20 January 1964) . https://web.archive.org/web/20090702043419/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1964/jan/20/mr-f-mcevoy-and-mr-h-reeve-sentences . 2 July 2009 . live . . 20 January 1964 . 2009-05-10.
- "Ex-Fascist Battered To Ground In England", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 30, 1962, p. 1
- "Algiers Seized By Guerillas"
- News: 5,000-Car Jam, One Crash Mark Opening of Highway . . July 31, 1962 . 1.
- Book: Lamar . Waldron . Lamar Waldron . Thom . Hartmann . Thom Hartmann . Ultimate Sacrifice: John and Robert Kennedy, the Plan for a Coup in Cuba, and the Murder of JFK . . 2006 . 427.
- Book: Dallek, Robert . Robert Dallek . An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917–1963 . An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917–1963 . . 2003.
- Book: Timothy J. . Naftali . Timothy Naftali . etal . John F. Kennedy: the Great Crises, July 30-August 1962 . . 2001 . 039304954X . xlviii.
- News: Ernie Davis Sick, Lost For All Star Tilt Friday . Daytona Beach Morning Journal . Daytona Beach, Florida . August 1, 1962 . 6.
- News: . . October 6, 1962 . 2.
- News: Ernie Davis Loses In Battle With Acute Leukemia At 23 . Miami News . May 19, 1963 . 2C.
- Web site: Australia and the Vietnam War: Australia Enters, 1962.
- Book: SKYLAB: A CHRONOLOGY . PART I: Early Space Station Activities -1923 to December 1962. . Brooks . Courtney G. . Ertel . Ivan D. . Newkirk . Roland W. . NASA Special Publication-4011 . https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4011/part1a.htm . . 18–19 . 8 March 2023.
- News: Man Who Grows Dies at 79 . Oakland Tribune . August 2, 1962 . 15.