January 4
January 4
Boston Strangler commits his final known murder
Mary Sullivan is raped and strangled to death in her Boston apartment. The killer left a card reading “Happy New Year” leaning against her foot. Sullivan would turn out to…
A Year In History: 1964
Also Within This Year in History:
1964
Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution in 1964, authorizing major U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Martin Luther King Jr., won the Nobel Peace Prize, and President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. China tested its first atomic bomb, the Beatles made their first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and Ford unveiled its first Mustang at the New York World’s Fair. Pop-Tarts debuted, while Diet Pepsi bubbled onto the market, the nation’s first mass-distributed diet soda.
January 11
January 11
U.S. Surgeon General announces definitive link between smoking and cancer
On January 11, 1964, United States Surgeon General Luther Terry releases a groundbreaking government report announcing a definitive link between smoking and cancer. Knowing his report was a bombshell, Terry…
January 28
January 28
Soviets shoot down U.S. jet
The U.S. State Department angrily accuses the Soviet Union of shooting down an American jet that strayed into East German airspace. Three U.S. officers aboard the plane were killed in…
January 29
January 29
“Dr. Strangelove” premieres
Stanley Kubrick’s black comic masterpiece, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb opens in theaters to both critical and popular acclaim. The movie’s popularity…
February 7
February 7
The Beatles arrive in New York
On February 7, 1964, Pan Am Yankee Clipper flight 101 from London Heathrow lands at New York’s Kennedy Airport—and “Beatlemania” arrives. It was the first visit to the United States…
February 9
February 9
America meets the Beatles on “The Ed Sullivan Show”
At approximately 8:12 p.m. Eastern time, Sunday, February 9, 1964, The Ed Sullivan Show returned from a commercial (for Anacin pain reliever), and there was Ed Sullivan standing before a…
February 25
February 25
This Day in History Video: What Happened on February 25
On this day in 1964, 22‑year‑old Cassius Clay shocks the odds‑makers by dethroning world heavyweight boxing champ Sonny Liston in a seventh‑round technical knockout. The dreaded Liston, who had twice…
February 25
February 25
Young Muhammad Ali knocks out Sonny Liston for first world title
On February 25, 1964, 22‑year‑old Cassius Clay shocks the odds‑makers by dethroning world heavyweight boxing champ Sonny Liston in a seventh‑round technical knockout. Former champ Joe Louis called it “the…
February 27
February 27
Italian government seeks aid for fixing Leaning Tower of Pisa
On February 27, 1964, the Italian government announces that it is accepting suggestions on how to save the renowned Leaning Tower of Pisa from collapse. The top of the 180‑foot…
March 14
March 14
Jack Ruby sentenced to death for murdering Lee Harvey Oswald
Jack Ruby, the Dallas nightclub owner who killed Lee Harvey Oswald—the accused assassin of President John F. Kennedy—is found guilty of the “murder with malice” of Oswald and sentenced to…
March 27
March 27
Strongest earthquake in U.S. history rocks Alaska
The strongest earthquake in American history, measuring 9.2 on the Richter scale, slams southern Alaska, creating a deadly tsunami. Some 131 people were killed and thousands injured. The massive earthquake…
April 13
April 13
Sidney Poitier becomes first African American to win Best Actor Oscar
On April 13, 1964, Sidney Poitier becomes the first African American to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, for his role as a construction worker who helps build a…
April 17
April 17
Ford Mustang debuts at World’s Fair
The Ford Mustang is officially unveiled by Henry Ford II at the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, New York, on April 17, 1964. That same day, the new car also…
May 9
May 9
An unlikely challenger ends the Beatles’ reign atop the U.S. pop charts
On May 9, 1964, the great Louis Armstrong, age 63, broke the Beatles’ stranglehold on the U.S. pop charts with the #1 hit “Hello Dolly.” Following the ascension of “I…
May 24
May 24
Riot erupts at Lima, Peru soccer match, killing hundreds
A referee’s call in a soccer match between Peru and Argentina sparks a riot on May 24, 1964. More than 300 fans were killed and another 500 people were injured…
May 28
May 28
Palestine Liberation Organization is founded
On May 28, 1964, the Palestine Liberation Organization was founded. In February of 1969, Yasir Arafat was elected as its leader. By 1974, when he addressed the United Nations, Arafat…
May 31
May 31
Serial killer known as the “Pied Piper of Tucson” murders his first victim
Fifteen‑year‑old Alleen Rowe is killed by Charles Schmid in the desert outside Tucson, Arizona. Earlier in the night, Schmid allegedly had said to his friends, “I want to kill a…
June 6
June 6
U.S. reconnaissance jet shot down over Laos
A U.S. Navy jet flying low‑altitude target reconnaissance missions over Laos is shot down by communist Pathet Lao ground fire. Less than 48 hours later, a second jet, which was…
June 9
June 9
CIA report challenges “domino theory”
In reply to a formal question submitted by President Lyndon B. Johnson—“Would the rest of Southeast Asia necessarily fall if Laos and South Vietnam came under North Vietnamese control?”—the Central…
June 15
June 15
President Johnson decides against asking Congress for authority to wage war
At a meeting of the National Security Council, McGeorge Bundy, national security advisor to President Lyndon B. Johnson, informs those in attendance that President Johnson has decided to postpone submitting…
