Category Archives: 1960s

Marilyn Monroe funeral held in Hollywood 50 years ago this hour (1962)


Video: Monroe's funeral (at 6:04)

(Wednesday, August 8, 1962, 1:00 PDT) — A brief, simple funeral service, arranged by her second husband Joe DiMaggio and attended by only 31 close family and friends, was held today for film legend Marilyn Monroe at the small Westwood Village Funeral Chapel in Hollywood. Monroe’s acting coach, Lee Strasberg, delivered her eulogy. Continue reading Marilyn Monroe funeral held in Hollywood 50 years ago this hour (1962)

Kennedy awards Dr. Kelsey for role in thalidomide case 50 years ago today (1962)


Video: 'UVic Legacy Awards - Dr. Frances Oldham Kelsey -- Alumni Legacy Award' (JFK awards Kelsey at 1:57)

(Tuesday, August 7, 1962) — U.S. President John F. Kennedy awarded Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official Dr. Frances O. Kelsey the Distinguished Federal Civilian Service Medal today for her diligence in blocking approval of thalidomide, a sedative found to cause severe birth defects.

Marilyn Monroe opts to stay home on final night of her life 50 years ago tonight (1962)


Video: August 4, 1962 (at 0:54)

(Saturday, August 4, 1962) — On the last night of her life, actress Marilyn Monroe turned down a dinner invitation from Peter and Patricia Lawford and opted instead to stay at home in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles. She retired to her bedroom at about 9 p.m.

Kennedy urges stiffer drug law, cites Thalidomide case 50 years ago today (1962)

(Wednesday, August 1, 1962) — U.S. President John F. Kennedy today promised stiffer government controls to avert drug tragedies and urges every woman in the country to guard against take thalidomide, blamed for thousands of malformed births in Europe.

14 nations sign treaty on Laos independence 50 years ago today (1962)


Video: July 23, 1962 (at 5:51)

(Monday, July 23, 1962, during the the Laotian Civil War, part of the Vietnam War/Second Indochina War, part of the Cold War) — Delegates of 14 nations today signed the International Agreement on the Neutrality of Laos, formally bringing to a close 14 months of efforts to restore peace to the Asian kingdom.

Nuclear sky shot startles Hawaii 50 years ago this hour (1962)


Video: 'Declassified U.S. Nuclear Test Film #62'

(Sunday, July 8, 1962, 11:00:09 p.m. HAST) — The United States tonight conducted Starfish Prime, a nuclear test in which a 1.44 megaton warhead was detonated 250 miles above the Pacific Ocean. The resulting electromagnetic pulse caused limited electrical disruptions in parts of Hawaii.

Algerian independence dimmed by Oran battle 50 years ago today (1962)


Video: 'JULY 05 1962. the end of a world, the oran massacre, the pied noirs forced to leave algeria'

(Thursday, July 5, 1962) — Independence took effect in Algeria today as civilians of European descent, mostly French, came under attack by extremists in the port city of Oran. Reports of the death toll vary from about a hundred to the thousands.

‘Birdman of Alcatraz’ opens in the U.S. 50 years ago today (1962)


Video: 'Birdman of Alcatraz' trailer

(Tuesday, July 3, 1962)Birdman of Alcatraz, a fictionalized film version of the life of Robert Stroud, a federal prison inmate known as the “Birdman of Alcatraz” because of his life with birds, opened today in the U.S. Continue reading ‘Birdman of Alcatraz’ opens in the U.S. 50 years ago today (1962)