1963

[John Dolva]

1963(MCMLXIII) - 1963 was a common year starting on Tuesday

January 1

Australia : CSIRO scientist Dr Gilbert Bogle and Mrs Margaret Chandler are found dead, believed to have been poisoned, in bushland near the Lane Cove River, Sydney. Known as the Bogle-Chandler case.

In Britain for fans of music : Purchase Tax on discs is cut from 45% to 25%

In 1963 hemlines were just above the knee.

a hungarian reminisces : "The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and all the others meant Freedom for us; we could touch Them (even if only through the music) - and we could touch freedom… Once, in high school some stupid "Youth Magazine" posed the grand question: what's all that screaming about at rock concerts? I sent in my answer, I really answered it - and they put it in the paper. They still had some guts…"

Laura Ingraham, talk show host and author (birth)

England under the captaincy of Ted Dexter on its way to winning the second match in Melbourne by 7 wickets

F-104G Starfighter is introduced into NATO air forces

KERR, Robert Samuel, a Senator from Oklahoma elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1948; reelected in 1954, and again in 1960, and served from January 3, 1949, until his death in Washington, D.C., January 1

The state of Ohio has withdrawn a suit against the Reds when owner Bill DeWitt agrees in writing that the club will stay in Cincinnati for 10 years

Dylan talked like Brando imitating that southern farmhand. "I'm not in show-business," he said. "Money? I don't know how much I make. Sometimes I ask, sometimes I don't. I don't know what I spend it on, it just falls through holes in my pocket...I don't like singing to anybody but Americans. My songs say things. I sing them for people who know what I'm saying."

President John F. Kennedy was one of 73,380 fans to witness Alabama linebacker Lee Roy Jordan singlehandedly turn back Oklahoma, 17-0. Jordan, who met Kennedy during the coin toss, recorded 31 tackles and was all over the field as a defensive battle took shape right from the start. The tough Alabama defense had allowed only 39 points all season and had not been scored upon twice in any game.

President Kennedy is seriously considering making an appeal to the 88th Congress to outlaw literacy tests as a qualification for voting. The President and his brother, Atty. Gen. Robert Kennedy, regard voting rights as the single most powerful weapon that the Negro can obtain in his fight for civil liberties and equality.

Congo update - The important Katanga mining center of Jadotville falls to U.N. troops without a fight. President Tshombe is reported fleeing with his troops toward Kolwezi.

The ailing Telstar satellite is back in operation after six weeks. Since Nov. 23, Telstar had refused to accept command signals to turn on power to relay radio, television and other transmissions. Telstar had run into radiation in the Van Allen belts 100 times more than expected and this was the cause of the problem.

Communist China accuses Soviet Premier Khrushchev of trying to restore capitalism in Russia. An editorial, published in all Peking newspapers, called for friendship and unity between China and Russia, but indicated this was unlikely until Khrushchev is overthrown or starts supporting China’s brand of Communism.

To Kill A Mockingbird - Gregory Peck

RETURN TO SENDER - Elvis Presley

Bonanza - “The Colonel” - Ben’s old soldier friend is a guest of the Ponderosa.

Disney’s Wonderful World of Color - Professor Ludwig Von Drake discusses a subject close to his heart - liars and legends.

The Jetsons - The family dog is the object of a custody fight when wealthy Gottrockets claims him.

Television ratings –

Beverly Hillbillies – 37.9

Wizard of Oz – 33.0

Candid Camera – 32.5

Bonanza – 29.6

Red Skelton – 29.3

Gunsmoke – 28.8

Danny Thomas – 28.6

Lucy Show – 28.2

Dick Van Dyke – 28.1

Ben Casey – 27.9

Dr. Kildare – 27.6

Andy Griffith – 26.9

Jack Benny – 26.4

Ed Sullivan – 26.3

I’ve Got A Secret – 26.1

What’s My Line - 25.1

To Tell the Truth - 25.1

Bob Hope – 24.3

Mrs. John F. Kennedy tops the list of best-dressed women of the world*:

Mrs. John F. Kennedy

Mrs. Loel Guinness (wife of international banker)

Princess Lee Radziwill - sister of Jackie Kennedy

Mrs. Gianni Agnelli - wife of the head of the Fiat Co.

Mme Herve Alphand - wife of the French ambassador to the United States

Mrs. David Bruce - wife of the U.S ambassador to Great Britain

Mrs. Gloria Vanderbilt - actress and socialite

Mrs. Walther Moreira

Mrs. John Barry Rayn III

Mrs. Charlies Writeaman wife of the oil magnate

Mrs. Frederick Eberstadt - New York socialite

Baroness Ernest Thyssen-Bornemisza

G Woods succeeds Eugene Black as president of the World Bank

*at some point these Wives obviously would have had names. I initially thought with this thread of taking it day by day through till 11/22 and beyond, but it's so hard to select things. Basically I hope to get a 'snapshot' of what it was like. i should probably compress it to say at least weekly or perhaps even monthly.

[John Dolva]

"Why not!" - With index finger gesturing straight up, the mustachioed comedian Dayton Allen popularized the phrase "Why Not!" first seen during a skit called "Why Not" on THE STEVE ALLEN SHOW in the 1950s. The phrase was so popular that two towns (in Mississippi and North Carolina) renamed themselves Why Not! A cartoon by Hi Rosen in the Washington Post in 1959 depicted undeclared candidates John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Hubert H. Humphrey answering reporters questions on whether they'd be candidates in the 1960 election. They all answered with a resounding "Why not!"

To get in the mood and perhaps see the purpose of this thread : to see what may have shaped the minds of early 60's for those relying on mainstream news. Remember, Oswald doesn't exist. Kennedy is alive and well. Next year is election time...

First week of January 1963

The winter of 1962/63 was the coldest over England and Wales since 1740. As in 1947, anticyclones to the north and east of the British Isles brought bitterly cold winds from the east day after day. As in 1947, depressions followed tracks to southward of the British Isles and their fronts brought snow to England, Wales and the southernmost parts of Scotland

In early 1963, Murray Wilson put the Beach Boys on the road for a relentless string of concerts across America.

By 1962 Dusty was becoming restless. After a trip to America she had heard The Exciters singing "Tell Him" and was gripped by what she describes as "the most exciting thing I had ever heard, the attack in it!" The Springfields were becoming increasingly caught between the tensions of pop and folk and Dusty finally left the trio in 1963.

Communist preference - Observers believe North Vietnam, which has been walking a

tightrope across the ideological chasm between Moscow and Peking, appears to be

swaying toward the Soviet Union.

Popular books -

7 Days In May - Fletcher Knebel/Charles Bailey

The Sand Pebbles - Richard McKenna

Genius - Patrick Dennis

Harm’s Way - James Bassett

The Moon Spiners - Mary Stewart

The $100 Misunderstanding - Robert Gover

Fail-Safe - Eugene Burdick, Harvey Wheeler

Final Verdict - Adela Rogers St. John

Travels With Charlie - John Steinbeck

Silent Spring - Rachel Carson

The Pyramid Climbers - Vance Packard

Sex and the Single Girl - Helen Gurley Brown

The Points of My Compass - E.B. White

Playing in Las Vegas -

Milton Berle - Desert Inn

Guys and Dolls - Dunes

Bobby Darin - Flamingo

Connie Francis - Sahara

Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin - Sands

Lido de Paris - Stardust

South Pacific - Thunderbird

Folies Bergere - Tropicana

...political satirist Vaughn Meader's "The First Family" parody album, in which he imitates the President, is a colossal best-seller in late 1962 and early 1963.

Gov. Nelson Rockefeller begins his second term as New York’s governor... Former automaker George Romney takes the oath of office as governor of Michigan with a plea for an end to the “cold war” of partisanship “that has been hindering Michigan’s progress.”

Former U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers is granted a divorce after testifying that his wife was an habitual drunk and was “the only person who ever mistreated me.”

About 800 attend memorial rights for Dick Powell including his widow, June Allyson, and their two children - Pam (14) and Richard (12). Also seen - James Stewart, Barbara Stanwyck, Ronald Reagan, Edgar Bergen, Jack Benny, George Murphy, Lloyd Nolan, Victor Jory, Lloyd Bridges, James Cagney, George Burns, Walter Pidgeon, Jackie Cooper, Hugh O’Brian, Ann Blyth, Danny Thomas, Jane Wyman, Robert Taylor, Edward G. Robinson, Bill Dozier and others.

Sunday evening television (begins late afternoon)

CBS - Ted Mack and the Original Amateur Hour, Twentieth Century, Password,

Lassie, Dennis The Menace, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Real McCoys, GE True,

Candid Camera, What’s My Line?

NBC - Wild Kingdom, Bullwinkle, Meet The Press, McKeever and the Colonel,

Ensign O’Toole, Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, Car 54, Where Are

You?, Bonanza, Special-Projection ‘63

ABC - Major Adams/Trailmaster, The Jetsons, Movie, Voice of Firestone

Lawrence of Arabia - Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack

Hawkins, Jose Ferrer

The Day Mars Invaded Earth - Kent Taylor, Marie Windsor, William Mims

Young Guns of Texas - James Mitchum, Alana Ladd, Jody McCrea

The Chapman Report - Shelley Winters

During the first week of January 1963 Brother Branham, following the instructions given by God, through Another Vision arrived in Tucson, Arizona with his family. In that same month, at a Convention held in Phoenix, he related the details of "The Vision Of The Coming Of The Seven Angels" and told the people present that they were to watch because something was going to happen.

This was the culmination of the direction from then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to consolidate Army, Navy and Air Force single-manager agencies into a separate common supply and service agency. DSA formally began operations Jan. 1, 1962. The small DSA staff under General McNamara originally set up operations in the Munitions Building in Washington, D.C., and a short time later, moved into more suitable facilities at Cameron Station in Alexandria, Va. The agency’s primary role was to provide supplies and services to America’s military forces worldwide. By July 1962, DSA included 11 field organizations, employed 16,500 people and managed 45 facilities. By late June 1963, the agency was managing more than 1 million different items in nine supply centers with an estimated inventory of $2.5 billion. In January 1963, the agency began acquiring management of depots throughout the United States. As the buildup continued in Southeast Asia, on Jan. 1, 1963, the agency acquired Army general depots at Columbus, Ohio, and Tracy, Calif., and the Navy depot at Mechanicsburg, Pa.

In January 1963 some trade unionists were detained along with prominent Muslim Sheikhs. Rumours making the rounds in Dar es Salaam was that the Sheikhs were planning a coup against the government.

TIME

The Road to Jail Is Paved with Nonobjective Art

Jan. 04, 1963

Since the Kremlin's sharpest barbs these days are aimed at modern art and "Western espionage," it was just a matter of time before the KGB's cops would turn up a victim whose wrongdoings combined both evils. He turned out to be a Leningrad physics teacher whose taste for abstract painting allegedly led him to join ...

Hans Weidner had been hoping for months to escape drab East Germany and make his way to the West. The odds were against him, for Weidner, 40, was a cripple on crutches who lived in the village of Neugersdorf, 115 miles southeast of the frontier of freedom. But Hans Weidner did have one major asset, ...

The chiffon-bedecked ballroom of Manhattan's Astor Hotel glowed pink for femininity and glittered silver for elegance, and 49 debutantes from 15 countries at the Eighth International Debutante Ball did right by the décor. Leading the pedigreed parade was serenely lovely Serena Russell, 18, daughter of Vogue Magazine Editor Edwin F. Russell and Lady Sarah Spencer ...

George Frazier is a man of muscular opinions. To him, Harry Belafonte is "America's number one slave"; Mississippi's Governor Ross Barnett is a "son of a bitch"; Roger Maris is a "fink" and Mickey Mantle is an "unfrocked fink." In Frazier's considered judgment, "all hockey players are crazy," all Texans are "a little ridiculous," and ...

The face put on the air by New York's Channel 4 last week was unfamiliar to the audience. It belonged to New York Times Washington Bureau Chief James Reston. forced onto a rival medium by New York's newspaper strike.* As a TV newsman. Scotty Reston proved that he will never replace Dave Brinkley; the big ...

Massachusetts' Democratic Senator Teddy Kennedy moved from a swimming holiday in the Virgin Islands to a skiing junket with Bobby (and families) at Aspen, Colo. But his office in Washington was already grinding out news releases as fast as anyone could say, "He Can Do MORE for Massachusetts." So far, Teddy's office had announced $135 ...

was Victory Day in Port Said, six years exactly since the last British soldier left Suez. There to celebrate the occasion was Egypt's President Gamal Abdel Nasser. As 20,000 Egyptians cheered, Nasser called the British—from Queen to commoner—"sons of bitches," sneered at his critics, and ridiculed as a pair of "nuts" Jordan's King Hussein ...

The Secretary of State

The Postmaster General

The Administrator of Veterans Affairs

The Chairman, United States Civil Service Commission:

I have today signed an Executive Order providing for administration of the Federal Salary Reform Act of 1962. As contemplated by the Act, this Order provides for an annual review of the comparability of Federal salary rates with those paid for the same level of work in private enterprise.

This Administration has vigorously espoused the principle of comparability of Federal salary rates with those of private enterprise. In the Federal Salary Reform Act of 1962, the Congress has adopted this principle. Substantial progress has already been made, but continuing efforts will be necessary to fully achieve and maintain this objective.

The payment by the Federal Government of salary rates comparable to those paid for the same levels of work in private enterprise imposes upon the Executive Branch a duty to assure that positions in the Federal service are properly classified in accordance with applicable standards and procedures, and that the incumbents of those positions possess the necessary qualifications. I shall expect each of you, as the officers primarily responsible for the administration of the four major statutory salary systems dealt with in the 1962 Act, to devote personal attention to these points.

Your first reports on the operation of the salary systems in your agencies will form the basis for a report which the Director of the Bureau of the Budget and the Chairman of the Civil Service Commission will submit to me not later than December 31, 1963. Your reports should outline the actions which you have taken to assure that the systems are so administered that the grading of positions and the qualifications of incumbents are in strict accordance with the law and the applicable regulations.

JOHN F. KENNEDY