The Year 1816 in Review: Fun Facts, Trivia, and Historic Highlights

This quick read is a collection of fun facts, trivia, and historical events from the year 1963. Discover the year’s top news stories, most influential people, sports facts, historic firsts, entertainment trivia, and much more.

Take a journey through history in just minutes.

1. Until November 22, John F. Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States, and Lyndon B. Johnson was the nation’s 37th vice president.
2. The average household income in the U.S. was $4,400 a year, a new house cost $12,650, and the average price for a new car was $3,233. Milk was $1.04 a gallon, eggs were 55 cents a dozen, and one pound of bacon cost 59 cents.
3. A daily newspaper cost 10 cents, and a local pay phone call was also a dime. You could buy a pack of chewing gum or a candy bar for a nickel.
4. The price of a movie ticket averaged $1.00, and popcorn at the theater cost another 20 cents.
5. American companies and brands established in 1963 included Comcast, CVS Pharmacy, The General (auto insurance), Leslie’s, the Sierra Nevada Corporation, and Weight Watchers.
6. Consumer products launched during the year included Cap’n Crunch cereal, cassette decks, cassette tapes, Chips Ahoy!, Crispy Critters cereal, Instamatic cameras, McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish, Maxwell House freeze-dried instant coffee, Speed Stick, Sunny Delight, Tab diet soda, and the Veg-O-Matic.
7. On January 28, the temperature plunged to -34°F in Cynthiana, Kentucky, setting a state record.
8. On February 9, New York City had its seventh-largest snowfall in history—16.7 inches.
9. On February 19, Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique, which examined the many ways “in which women were still oppressed by American society.”
10. On March 21, Alcatraz Prison closed its doors in the San Francisco Bay after 29 years of operation. History.com tells us that “At its peak period of use in the 1950s, ‘The Rock,’ or ‘America’s Devil Island,’ housed over 200 inmates at the maximum-security facility. Alcatraz remains an icon of American prisons for its harsh conditions and record for being inescapable.”
11. On March 31, streetcar service in Los Angeles ended after 30 years.
12. On April 1, New York City’s newspapers resumed publishing after a 114-day strike.
13. On April 9, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill became the first honorary U.S. citizen.
14. The 35th Academy Awards on April 8 honored the best films of 1962. Lawrence of Arabia won an Oscar for Best Picture, and David Lean (Lawrence of Arabia) won an Oscar for Best Director. Gregory Peck (To Kill a Mockingbird) won an Oscar for Best Actor, and Anne Bancroft (The Miracle Worker) won an Oscar for Best Actress. Finally, Ed Begley (Sweet Bird of Youth) won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and Patty Duke (The Miracle Worker) won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
15. On June 8, the American Heart Association began a campaign against cigarette smoking.
16. At the 15th Primetime Emmy Awards on May 26, The Dick Van Dyke Show (CBS) won an Emmy for Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Humor, and The Defenders (CBS) won an Emmy for Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Drama. E.G. Marshall (The Defenders) (CBS) won an Emmy for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Series (Lead), and Shirley Booth (Hazel) (NBC) won an Emmy for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead).
17. On June 10, President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law. NPS.gov explains that the bill was “one of the first federal anti-discrimination laws that addressed wage differences based on gender. The Act made it illegal to pay men and women working in the same place different salaries for similar work.”
18. On June 12, Cleopatra, an epic historical drama directed by Joseph Mankiewicz and starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, was released in New York City. At the time, Cleopatra was the most expensive film ever made.
19. On June 16, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to fly in space when she launched aboard the Vostok-6 capsule.
20. On June 17, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against compulsory prayer and Bible reading in public schools.
21. On June 21, Pope Paul VI became the 262nd pope of the Roman Catholic Church. He succeeded John XXIII, who died on June 3.
22. On June 23, 125,000 people took part in the Detroit March to Freedom, which became the largest civil rights demonstration in America up to that point.
23. On July 8, the United States banned all monetary transactions with Cuba.
24. On August 5, the United States, Russia, and the United Kingdom all signed the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty that “banned all tests of nuclear weapons except those conducted underground.”
25. On August 8, the Great Train Robbery took place “when 15 masked men attacked the Glasgow to London Royal Mail train near Buckinghamshire, England. The thieves hauled off 120 bags of money totaling a record 2.6 million pounds.” (Just so you know, 2.6 million British pounds is equivalent to about $3,500,000 today.)
26. On August 28, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the famous “I Have a Dream” speech to a large group of civil rights marchers who had participated in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
27. On September 2, both CBS and NBC expanded their national evening news broadcasts from 15 to 30 minutes.
28. On September 17, The Fugitive, an action thriller, premiered on ABC. The popular drama aired for four seasons and was also ranked number 36 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
29. On October 10, From Russia With Love, the second James Bond film that was based on a novel by Ian Fleming, premiered in London.
30. On October 12, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge was converted to one-way traffic on each deck.
31. On November 18, Bell Telephone introduced the first touch-tone telephone to customers in Pennsylvania.
32. On November 22, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, by Lee Harvey Oswald, and Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as America’s 36th president. Nightclub owner Jack Ruby, grieving "to the point of insanity" over the series of events, murdered Oswald two days later.
33. On November 25, JFK was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.
34. On November 29, President Johnson established the Warren Commission to investigate JFK’s assassination.
35. On December 22, the official 30-day mourning period for President John F. Kennedy came to an end.
36. In 1963, the Broadway musical The Sound of Music closed at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre after 1,443 performances.
37. Thirteen-year-old Stevie Wonder released Fingertips, his first single.
38. The Beverly Hillbillies (CBS) was the most popular TV show, Arthur Godfrey Time was a top-rated radio program, and Peter Pan was the highest-grossing film.
39. Brad Pitt, Conan O’Brien, Joel Osteen, Johnny Depp, Lisa Kudrow, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Jordan, Vanessa Williams, and Whitney Houston were all born.
40. Here are some sports facts from 1963: The Boston Celtics were the NBA champs, the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series, and the Toronto Maple Leafs clinched the Stanley Cup. In addition, NFL legends Jim Thorpe, Red Grange, and George Halas were all inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
41. In 1963 as well, the words "baby boomer," "baggie," "barcode," "bodysuit," "call forwarding," "call waiting," "disk drive," "electronic publishing," "elevator music," "equal opportunity employer," "mind game," "miniseries," "pot sticker," and "sexism" all appeared in print for the first time.

References:

1. https://popculturemadness.com/1963-history-trivia-fun-facts/
2. https://www.infoplease.com/year/1963#:~:text=%22March%20on%20Washington%2C%22%20civil,28).&text=Lee%20Harvey%20Oswald%2C%20accused%20Kennedy,24).
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1963_in_the_United_States
4. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-timeline-1961.html
5. https://www.lovefood.com/gallerylist/64013/foods-we-fell-in-love-with-in-the-1960s
6. https://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/if-you-grew-60s-you-ll-definitely-remember-these-foods/
7. https://www.famousbirthdays.com/year/1963.html
8. https://www.the-numbers.com/market/1953/top-grossing-movies
9. https://www.mclib.info/Research/Local-History-Genealogy/Historic-Prices
10. https://www.onthisday.com/date/1963

Disclaimer: In writing and editing this article, Gregory DeVictor has made every effort to ensure historical accuracy and not to mislead his audience. In addition, the contents of this article, including text, graphics, and captions, are for general informational purposes only.

© 2026 Gregory DeVictor