Video: 'Kennedy Visits Costa Rica - clip 18656'
(Wednesday, March 20, 1963; during the Cold War) — U.S. President John F. Kennedy, winding up his three-day solidarity meeting presidents of six Central American republics, told an enthusiastic crowd of 10,000 at the University of Costa Rica in San Jose, Costa Rica, today that Cuba is an example of communism’s failure to provide for its people.
Video: 'COMBAT! s.1 ep.23: "Survival" (1963)' (Mar. 12, 1963)
(Tuesday, March 12, 1963, 7:30 p.m. EST) — Lt. Hanley and the squad escape capture during an artillery barrage, but Sgt. Saunders is unknowingly left behind in the fiery chaos on tonight’s episode of the ABC-TV war drama series Combat!.
In 1997, the episode was ranked #74 on TV Guide‘s 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.
Video: 'The onion field (1979). Crime scene'
(Wednesday, March 9, 1963, after 10 p.m. local time) — Two Los Angeles police officers, Ian Campbell and Karl Hettinger, were disarmed and abducted by ex-convicts Gregory Powell and Jimmy Lee Smith during a traffic stop today in Hollywood. The officers were taken to an onion field near Bakersfield, California, where Campbell was shot to death while Hettinger managed to escape. Powell and Smith were sent to prison; the case was detailed in the book “The Onion Field” by Joseph Wambaugh.
Video: 'Richard Nixon plays his Piano Concerto #1'
(Friday, March 8, 1963, 10 p.m. EST) — Former Vice President Richard Nixon appeared on tonight’s edition of The Jack Paar Program, performing one of his musical compositions on the piano.
Video: 'Pan Am Building'
(Thursday, March 7, 1963) — The Pan Am Building, a skyscraper located at 200 Park Avenue at East 45th Street above Grand Central Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, first opened today as headquarters of Pan American World Airways.
Video: 'Finders Keepers - The Beach Boys (HQ) 1962'
(Tuesday, February 12, 1963, 10:00 p.m.-Wednesday, February 13, 1:00 a.m. PST) — The Beach Boys completed recording for their second album Surfin’ USA tonight at Capital studio in Hollywood, California, including instrumentation and vocals for “Finders Keepers,” “Surf Jam” and “Stoked.” Continue reading The Beach Boys complete recording of ‘Surfin USA’ album 50 years ago this hour (1963)
Video: 'The Beach Boys - Let's go Trippin''
(Monday, February 11, 1963, 11:00 p.m.-Tuesday, February 12, 2:00 a.m. PST) — The Beach Boys tonight completed six recordings for the group’s second album Surfin’ USA at Capital studio in Hollywood, California, including backing tracks and vocals for “Let’s Go Trippin,'” “Honky Tonk,” “Noble Surfer” and “Misirlou,” and vocals for “Farmer’s Daughter” and “Lana.” Continue reading The Beach Boys complete six tracks 50 years ago this hour (1963)
Video: 'Sylvia Plath'
(Monday, February 11, 1963, at about 4:30 a.m. GMT) — American author and poet Sylvia Plath, 30, placed her head in the oven, with the gas turned on in her London flat today, committing suicide.
Video: 'It May Look Like a Walnut!' (Feb. 6, 1963)
(Wednesday, February 6, 1963, 9:30 p.m. ET) — Rob has a dream, inspired by a late-night horror movie on TV, involving walnuts, missing thumbs, and a creature named Kolac on tonight’s episode of the CBS-TV sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show.
In 1997, the episode was ranked #15 on TV Guide‘s 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.
(Sunday, February 3, 1963, 8 p.m. EST) — Cassius Clay (later named Muhammad Ali) was interviewed by Ed Sullivan on tonight’s edition of the CBS-TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show.
