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 4
January 4
Bobby Vinton tops the pop charts with the last #1 single of the pre‑Beatles era
Sitting atop the Billboard charts in the first week of January, 1964, Bobby Vinton—”the Polish Prince”—was enjoying the ninth top‑40 hit of his young career with “There! I’ve Said It…
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 14
January 14
Westmoreland appointed as Harkins’ deputy
Lt. Gen. William Westmoreland is appointed deputy to Gen. Paul Harkins, chief of U.S. Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV). It was generally accepted that Westmoreland would soon replace Harkins, whose…
January 16
January 16
Johnson approves Oplan 34A
President Johnson approves Oplan 34A, operations to be conducted by South Vietnamese forces supported by the United States to gather intelligence and conduct sabotage to destabilize the North Vietnamese regime.…
January 22
January 22
U.S. Joint Chiefs foresee larger U.S. commitment
The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff inform Defense Secretary Robert McNamara that they “are wholly in favor of executing the covert actions against North Vietnam.” President Johnson had recently approved…
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 1
February 1
Operation Plan 34A commences
U.S. and South Vietnamese naval forces initiate Operation Plan (Oplan) 34A, which calls for raids by South Vietnamese commandos, operating under American orders, against North Vietnamese coastal and island installations.…
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 7
February 7
The Beatles arrive on American shores
“On the airplane, I felt New York,” Ringo Starr said many years later. “It was like an octopus….I could feel, like, tentacles coming up to the plane it was so…
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 18
February 18
United States punishes nations for trading with Cuba
The United States cuts off military assistance to Britain, France, and Yugoslavia in retaliation for their continuing trade with the communist nation of Cuba. The action was chiefly symbolic, but…
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 25
February 25
Cassius Clay defeats Sonny Liston
On February 25, 1964, underdog Cassius Clay, age 22, defeats champion Sonny Liston in a technical knockout to win the world heavyweight boxing crown. The highly anticipated match took place…
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…
February 28
February 28
Thelonious Monk makes the cover of Time magazine
Beatlemania was at its peak in the winter of 1964, but not every music fan had the Beatles’ brand of rock and roll on their turntable. In fact, it was…
March 5
March 5
U.S.A.F. advisory team sent to Laos
The Joint Chiefs of Staff order a U.S. Air Force air commando training advisory team to Thailand to train Lao pilots in counterinsurgency tactics. Laos had won its independence from…
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…
