1963 facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Millennium:	2nd millennium
Centuries:	19th century – 20th century – 21st century
Decades:	1930s 1940s 1950s – 1960s – 1970s 1980s 1990s
Years:	1960 1961 1962 – 1963 – 1964 1965 1966

1963 was a really important year that started on a Tuesday. Lots of big things happened around the world!

Major Events of 1963
Famous People Born in 1963
Notable People Who Passed Away in 1963
Popular Movies of 1963
Hit Songs of 1963
Important Books Published in 1963
Nobel Prizes in 1963
Images for kids
See also

Major Events of 1963

January 5 – The famous band The Beach Boys recorded their hit song "Surfin' USA."
February 11 – The Beatles recorded 10 songs for their album "Please Please Me." They were becoming super popular!
September 15 – A sad event happened in Birmingham, Alabama. A bomb exploded at a church, and four young Black girls were killed. This event was a part of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.
September – The first X-Men comic book came out, introducing many popular superheroes.
November 22 – John F. Kennedy, who was the President of the United States, was sadly killed. Lyndon B. Johnson then became the new President.
November 23 – The very first episode of the science fiction TV show Doctor Who aired in the United Kingdom. It's still popular today!
December 31 – The Central African Federation broke apart. This led to the creation of new countries like Zambia, Malawi, and Rhodesia (which is now Zimbabwe).
The first cassette tape was invented. This made it much easier for people to listen to music and record sounds.

Famous People Born in 1963

Many people who became famous were born in 1963. Here are some of them:

March 21 – Shawn Lane, an American musician.
May 8 – Helena Blagne Zaman, a Slovene singer.
May 9 – Barry Douglas Lamb, a rock musician and writer.
May 11 – Natasha Richardson, an actress.
May 12 – Vanessa Estelle Williams, an actress.
May 24 – Joe Dumars, a basketball star.
May 25 – Mike Myers, a funny actor and comedian.
June 6 – Jason Isaacs, an actor.
June 9 – Johnny Depp, a well-known actor.
June 13 – Bettina Bunge, a tennis player.
June 17 – Greg Kinnear, a TV host and actor.
June 18 – Bruce Smith, an American football player.
June 23 – Colin Montgomerie, a golfer.
June 25 – George Michael, a famous singer.
July 9 – Johnny Depp, an American actor (listed twice in original, keeping both).
July 16 – Phoebe Cates, an actress.
July 24 – Karl Malone, a basketball player.
July 30 – Lisa Kudrow, an American actress.
August 3 – James Hetfield, the lead singer and co-founder of the band Metallica.
August 6 – Kevin Mitnick, a computer expert.
August 19 – Joey Tempest, the lead singer of the band Europe.
August 19 – John Stamos, an actor.
August 23 – Kenny Wallace, a NASCAR race car driver.
August 24 – Hideo Kojima, a famous video game director.
August 30 – Paul Oakenfold, a DJ.
September 7 – Eazy-E, an American rapper.
September 10 – Randy Johnson, a baseball pitcher and five-time Cy Young Award winner.
September 21 – Cecil Fielder, a baseball player.
September 29 – Dave Andreychuk, an NHL player.
October 1 – Mark McGwire, a baseball star.
October 22 – Brian Boitano, a figure skater.
October 26 – Natalie Merchant, a singer and songwriter.
October 31 – Fred McGriff, a baseball player.
November 13 – Vinny Testaverde, an American football quarterback.
November 18 – Dante Bichette, a baseball player.
November 19 – Terry Farrell, an actress.
November 21 – Nicollette Sheridan, an actress.
December 16 – Benjamin Bratt, an actor.
December 18 – Brad Pitt, a very famous actor.
December 23 – Jim Harbaugh, an American football player.

Notable People Who Passed Away in 1963

Some well-known people died in 1963:

January 2 – Dick Powell, an American actor.
January 2 – Jack Carson, an American actor.
January 29 – Robert Frost, a famous American poet.
February 11 – Sylvia Plath, an American poet and writer.
March 5 – Patsy Cline, a popular singer.
June 3 – Pope John XXIII, the leader of the Catholic Church.
June 11 – Thích Quảng Đức, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk known for his protest.
August 31 – Georges Braque, a French painter.
October 11 – Édith Piaf, a famous French singer.
October 11 – Jean Cocteau, a French writer.
November 1 – Ngo Dinh Diem, the President of South Vietnam.
November 22 – John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States.
November 22 – Aldous Huxley, an English writer.
November 22 – C. S. Lewis, an English writer, famous for The Chronicles of Narnia.
November 24 – Lee Harvey Oswald, who was accused of killing John F. Kennedy, was himself shot and killed.

Popular Movies of 1963

Many classic movies were released in 1963:

How the West Was Won
Cleopatra
The Longest Day
Lawrence of Arabia
The Great Escape
Tom Jones
Charade
From Russia with Love (a James Bond movie!)
The Sword in the Stone (a Disney animated film)
The Birds (a famous thriller by Alfred Hitchcock)
It Happened at the World's Fair (starring Elvis Presley)
Fun in Acapulco (also starring Elvis Presley)
8½
Bye Bye Birdie
The Nutty Professor
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

Hit Songs of 1963

Music was a big part of 1963, with many songs becoming huge hits:

"Dominique" – The Singing Nun
"Please Please Me" – The Beatles
"She Loves You" – The Beatles
"Love Me Do" – The Beatles
"I Want To Hold Your Hand" – The Beatles
"From Me To You" – The Beatles
"In Dreams" – Roy Orbison
"Blue Bayou" – Roy Orbison
"Hey Paula" – Paul & Paula
"He's So Fine" – The Chiffons
"Surf City" – Jan & Dean
"It's My Party" – Lesley Gore
"Be My Baby" – The Ronettes
"Wipe Out" – The Surfaris
"If I Had A Hammer" – Trini Lopez
"Da Doo Ron Ron" – The Crystals
"Pipeline" – The Chantays
"Walk Like A Man" – Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
"Heat Wave" – Martha & the Vandellas
"Up On The Roof" – The Drifters
"I Only Want to Be With You" – Dusty Springfield

Important Books Published in 1963

Many important books were released this year:

The Bell Jar – by Sylvia Plath
Cat's Cradle – by Kurt Vonnegut
The Collector – by John Fowles
Happiness Is a Warm Puppy – by Charles M. Schulz (the creator of Peanuts!)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service – by Ian Fleming (another James Bond adventure)
Planet of the Apes – by Pierre Boulle (the book that inspired the famous movies)
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold – by John le Carré

Nobel Prizes in 1963

The Nobel Prize is a very important award given to people who have made amazing discoveries or contributions to the world. In 1963, these were the winners:

Nobel Prize in Physics – Eugene Wigner, Maria Goeppert Mayer, and J. Hans D. Jensen for their work on how atoms are structured.
Chemistry – Karl Ziegler and Giulio Natta for their discoveries in making plastics.
Medicine – Sir John Carew Eccles, Alan Hodgkin, and Andrew Huxley for their research on how nerves send signals.
Literature – Giorgos Seferis, a Greek poet.
Peace – The International Committee of the Red Cross and the League of Red Cross Societies, for their work helping people in need around the world.