MultiEducator · The 20th Century Almanac
HistoryCentral Est. 1996
6220th C.
1962
The 20th Century Almanac · The Sixties

1962

Major Events · Sports · Music · Screen · Prizes

The year the world held its breath through the Cuban Missile Crisis, John Glenn orbited the Earth, and Telstar beamed the first live transatlantic broadcast. Steinbeck won the Nobel for Literature; Lawrence of Arabia swept the Oscars.

A Year in Review
Best Picture
Lawrence of Arabia
Nobel · Literature
Steinbeck
World Series
New York Yankees vs. San Francisco Giant
No. 1 Song
Pepermint Twist-Part I
Top TV
The Beverly Hill Billies (CBS)
Academy · Actor
Gregory Peck

Major Events of 1962

15 events
Malaysia FederationBorder War between China and IndiaBurundi IndependentUganda Gains IndependenceAdolf Eichman GuiltyAlgeria IndependentSteel Prices ReducedUS Commits to VietnamPrayer Uncon. in SchoolsEnvironment MovementFirst Black at University of MississpiAmerican in SpaceCuban Missile CrisisLast Bendix RaceTelstar Broadcast

Sports Highlights

Champions of 1962

Champions

NBABoston Celtics vs. LA Lakers Series: 4-3
NCAA FootballUSC Record: 11-0-0
Heisman TrophyTerry Baker, oregon state, QB points: 707
Stanley CupToronto Maple Leafs vs. Chicago Blackhawks Series: 4-2 US Open Golf: Jack Nicklaus Score: 283* Course: Oakmont CC Location: Oakmont, PA (* playoff with arnold palmer)
World CupBrazil vs. Czechoslovakia Score: 3-1
World SeriesNew York Yankees vs. San Francisco Giants Series: 4-3

Top Music of 1962

The year on the charts

Top Songs

  1. Pepermint Twist-Part I Joey Dee
  2. Duke of Earl Gene Chandler
  3. Hey! Baby Bruce Channel
  4. Don't Break My Heart That Loves You Connie Francis
  5. Jonny Angel Shelley Fabares
  6. Good Luck Charm Elvis Presley
  7. Soldier Boy The Shirelles
  8. Stranger on the Shore Mr. Acker Bilk
  9. I Can't Stop Loving You Ray Charles
  10. The Stripper David Rose and His Orchestra

Grammy Awards

Record of the Year
"I Left My Heart in San Francisco" ... Tony Bennett
Song of the Year
"The First Family" ... Vaughn Meader Male Vocalist: Tony Bennett ... "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" Female Vocalist: Ella Fitzgerald ... "Ella Swings Brightly with Nelson Riddle"

Screen & Television

At the box office & on the air

Top Movies

  1. Spartacus
  2. West Side Story
  3. Lover Come Back
  4. That Touch of Mink
  5. El Cid
  6. The Music Man
  7. King of Kings
  8. Hatari
  9. The Flower Drum Song
  10. The Interns

Top Television

  1. The Beverly Hill Billies (CBS)
  2. Candid Camera (CBS)
  3. The Red Skelton Show (CBS)
  4. Bonanza (NBC)
  5. The Lucy Show (CBS)
  6. The Andy Griffith Show (CBS)
  7. Ben Cassey (ABC)
  8. The Danny Thomas Show (CBS)
  9. The Dick Van Dyke Show (CBS)
  10. Gunsmoke (CBS) (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); © 1996-2025

Academy Awards

Honoring 1962
Best Picture
Lawrence of Arabia
Best Director
David Lean
Lawrence of Arabia
Best Actor
Gregory Peck
To Kill a Mockingbird
Best Actress
Anne Bancroft
The Miracle Worker

Nobel & Pulitzer Prizes

The year in letters & science

Nobel Prizes

Chemistry
The prize was divided equally between: PERUTZ, MAX FERDINAND, Great Britain, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, b. 1914 ( in Vienna, Austria); and KENDREW, Sir JOHN COWDERY, Great Britain, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge
Literature
STEINBECK, JOHN, U.S.A., b. 1902, d. 1968: "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humour and keen social perception"
Peace
PAULING, LINUS CARL, USA, b. 1901, d. 1994: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. Campaigner especially for an end to nuclear weapons tests
Physiology or Medicine
The prize was awarded jointly to: CRICK, FRANCIS HARRY COMPTON, Great Britain, Institute of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, b. 1916; WATSON, JAMES DEWEY, U.S.A., Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, b. 1928; and WILKINS, MAURICE HUGH FREDERICK,
Physics
LANDAU, LEV DAVIDOVICH, USSR, Academy of Sciences, Moscow, b. 1908, d. 1968: "for his pioneering theories for condensed matter, especially liquid helium"

Pulitzer Prizes

Drama
Frank Loesser & Abe Burrows ... "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying"
Fiction
Edwin O'Connor ... "The Edge of Sadness"
History
Lawrence H. Gibson ... "The Triumphant Empire: Thunderclouds Gather in the West" International Reoprting: Walter Lippmann ... "New York Herald Tribune Syndicate" National Reporting: Nathan G. Caldwell & Gene S. Graham ... "Nashville Tennessean"
Public Service
"Panama City (FL) News-Herald"