1962 History, Trivia and Fun Facts

• Still Burning: The Centralia Mine Fire has been burning in Pennsylvania since 1962.
• The Top Song was I Can't Stop Loving You by Ray Charles
• The Big Movies included How The West Was Won, Bon Voyage! and The Machurian Candidate
• Price of Ford Galaxy automobile in 1962: $2,645.00
  19 inch Lawn Mower: $49.88
• The World Population was ~ 3,137,000,000
• The LED light was invented in 1962 by Nick Holonyak at General Electric.
• Dee Dee Sharp's The Mashed Potato was a dance that kept pace with The Twist for a few months. If it didn't have to be compared to The Twist, it would be still be considered a monster hit.
  The computer mouse was invented at the Stanford Research Institute.
• And... The shortest Oscar Speech ever was given by Patty Duke in 1962, age 16, and she was the youngest person to accept an Oscar in a competitive category (for The Miracle Worker) said "Thank You" and walked off the stage.

"Heeere's Johnnny!"
- Ed McMahon on the Tonight Show

"With a name like Smucker’s, it has to be good"
-Smucker's

"We Try Harder"
-Avis

"Think small"
- Volkwagon

"Bond. James Bond."
- Sean Connery, in Dr. No

President Kennedy invited 49 Nobel Laureates for dinner at the White House. Kennedy remarked, "I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Secretary of State Dean Acheson offered the President of France photographs of Russian missiles on Cuban soil, Charles de Gaulle responded "I do not wish to see the photographs. The word of the president of the United States is good enough for me."

Marilyn Monroe said in an interview for Life Magazine in 1962 "I never quite understood it, this sex symbol. I always thought symbols were those things you clash together! That's the trouble, a sex symbol becomes a thing. I just hate to be a thing."

The shortest Oscar Speech ever was given by Patty Duke in 1962, who at age 16, the youngest person to accept an Oscar in a competitive category, said "Thank You" and walked off the stage.

Greek-Canadian Sam Panopoulos is credited for creating the first Hawaiian pizza at the Satellite Restaurant in Chatham, Ontario, Canada in 1962.

Vasili Arkhipov, a senior officer on a Soviet submarine, refused to launch a nuclear torpedo in October 1962, perhaps preventing WWIII

Although Stan Lee gave the Incredible Hulk's alter ego the alliterative name "Bruce Banner", Lee misremembered it and referred to him as "Bob Banner" in some later stories, an error which readers quickly picked up on. To resolve this discrepancy he decided the official name is "Robert Bruce Banner".

The Jetsons only aired 3 seasons, the first in 1962 and the second and third in 1985-1987, over two decades later

Jackie Chan's first movie appearance, Big and Little Wong Tin Bar (1962), was considered to be a lost film, as no known copies of the film existed. However, this was not the case, because on February 3rd, 2016, the entire movie was suddenly uploaded to YouTube.

Telstar was launched as the first working communications satellite.

The word 'thermos' used to be a trademark for vacuum flasks, until 1962 when US courts ruled it had become generic.

The 1962 groundbreaking ceremony for the Houston Astrodome was done not with shovels, but with six-guns.

The "Big 3" in US discount retailing stores (Wal-Mart, Kmart and Target) all opened their first stores in the same year, 1962. The first Target (Tar-zhay) store opened in Roseville, Minnesota.

When John Glenn flew above Perth, Australia in 1962 aboard Friendship 7, the city's homes, cars, and streetlights were lit for him. When Glenn returned to space aboard STS-95 in 1998, Perth repeated their act of friendship. Due to a glitch in John Glenn's radio, when capsule communicator Scott Carpenter uttered the famous phrase "Godspeed, John Glenn., he didn't hear the line during launch.

The light-emitting diode (LED) invented Nick Holonyak, while working for General Electric.

1930's actress Hedy Lamarr invented a new technology to stop Nazis from jamming Navy torpedoes, but the idea was rejected until 1962 and then implemented during the Cold War. Her frequency hopping technology is also the basis for modern Bluetooth.

President JFK purchased 1,200 Cuban cigars just hours before he ordered the Cuban Trade Embargo in 1962.

The setting of the Silent Hill movie took inspiration from real world Centralia, Pennsylvania. Centralia has been largely abandoned since 1962 due to an underground mine fire.

Seven year old Yo-Yo Ma performed in front of Presidents Kennedy and Eisenhower on national TV.

In 1962, Winston Churchill became the first ever Honorary Citizen of the United States.

Guitar distortion in Marty Robbins 1961 song Don't Worry was due to an electrical fault in the guitarist's amp. Other musicians sought to recreate this "fuzz" sound leading to the first purpose-designed commercial distortion circuit being released in 1962.

At the University of Texas at Austin, Janis Joplin was voted "ugliest man on campus"

LIFE magazine published an article about Lauri Rapala and his fishing lures. The cover featured recently deceased Marilyn Monroe and it became the magazine's best selling issue. Consequently, Rapala received millions of orders and is today the leading lure manufacturer in the world.

An epidemic of contagious laughter broke out in Tanzania in 1962, which lasted over six months and affected thousands of people.

Walter O'Malley, former owner of the Brooklyn/LA Dodgers was so determined to start the 1962 opening series in Dodger Stadium, that he had people dry the playing field with an F-84 jet engine after heavy rains threatened a relocation.

The Philips Company of the Netherlands invented and released the first audio-cassette.

Do you remember, before 1962, when you could not get Goldfish Crackers at your local store? Pepperidge Farm remembers.

You could by a fall-out shelter for as little as $100, feeding your family radiation-free for up to two weeks. Models were priced at $5000 and even higher as well.

Decca Records A&R executive Dick Rowe turned down the Beatles for a record deal and reportedly told their manager, "Guitar groups are on the way out." He made up for the mistake by signing the Rolling Stones the following year.

Tammy fashion doll, Mille Bornes Card Game , King Zor, LEGO Model Sets (with wheels), Boob Tube, Slinky*, Password TV Game home version, smooth & plastic wiffle bat is introduced, Limbo Party Kit

Glenn Bell's first Taco Bell opened in Downey, California.

The first computer video Game , Spacewar, was invented.

Audio cassetes were invented.

The first Vail Ski Resort opened in 1962.

Castle of Frankenstein Magazine (1962-1975)