Category Archives: 1960s

Cuban Missile Crisis darkened hope of peace, JFK says 50 years ago today (1962)


Video: 'AFTER TWO YEARS: A CONVERSATION WITH THE PRESIDENT'

(Sunday, December 16, 1962, evening) — U.S. President John F. Kennedy said today the Cuban Missile Crisis had made a Soviet-American understanding less likely in the foreseeable future. Continue reading Cuban Missile Crisis darkened hope of peace, JFK says 50 years ago today (1962)

Mariner 2 passes Venus 50 years ago today (1962)

Video: Dec. 14, 1962 (at 2:04)

(Friday, December 14, 1962; part of the Mariner program) — The U.S. space probe Mariner 2 passed Venus today at a distance of just over 21,000 miles, transmitting information about the planet, such as its hot surface temperatures and predominantly carbon dioxide atmosphere.

JFK warns of ‘great difficultly’ fighting a guerilla war in Vietnam 50 years ago today (1962)


Video: Dec. 12, 1962 (at 4:33)

(Wednesday, December 12, 1962, afternoon; during the Vietnam War, part of the the Indochina Wars and the Cold War) — U.S. President John F. Kennedy admitted today in a news conference that there is “great difficulty” in fighting the guerilla war against Communist forces in South Vietam, but the situation is not darker than it was a year ago, “and in some ways lighter.” Continue reading JFK warns of ‘great difficultly’ fighting a guerilla war in Vietnam 50 years ago today (1962)

$225,000 awarded by Kennedy foundation 50 years ago tonight (1962)


Video: 'December 6, 1962 - President Kennedy at the Awards Dinner of the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.,'

(Thursday, December 6, 1962, evening) — U.S. President John F. Kennedy awarded $225,000 tonight to four foreign scientists, an American educator and a national association for their outstanding work in the field of mental retardation.

The funds and awards were made by the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation for the first time at a dinner in Washington presided over by Adlai E. Stevenson, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

President Kennedy dedicates Washington Dulles International Airport 50 years ago today (1962)


Video: 'President John F. Kennedy dedicates Dulles International Airport and Chicago O'Hara Airport'

(Saturday, November 17, 1962) — Washington Dulles International Airport, which serves the Baltimore-Washington-Northern Virginia metropolitan area centered on the District of Columbia, was dedicated today by President John F. Kennedy. It was named after John Foster Dulles, Secretary of State under former President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

‘How the West Was Won’ opens in Britain 50 years ago today (1962)


Video: 'How the West Was Won' (trailer)

(Thursday, November 1, 1962)How the West Was Won, an epic-western film about three generations of pioneers who take part in the forging of the American West, opened today in Britain.

Directed by John Ford, Henry Hathaway, George Marshall and Richard Thorpe, the film is narrated by Spencer Tracy and stars Carroll Baker, Walter Brennan, Lee J. Cobb, Andy Devine, Henry Fonda, Carolyn Jones, Karl Malden, Harry Morgan, Gregory Peck, George Peppard, Robert Preston, Debbie Reynolds, James Stewart, Eli Wallach, John Wayne, and Richard Widmark.

‘What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?’ premieres in New York 50 years ago today (1962)


Video: 'What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?' trailer

(Friday, October 26, 1962)What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, a psychological thriller film about a crazed, aging star who torments her sister in a decaying Hollywood mansion, premiered today in New York.

Directed by Robert Aldrich, the film starred Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and Victor Buono.