1963 1960 1961 1962 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 60s Sport

January   February   March   April   May   June   July   August   September   October   November   December     General 1963 Miss World 1963 Carole Joan Crawford ( Miss Jamaica ) Miss Universe 1963 Idea Maria Vargas (Brazil) 1963 Eurovision Song Contest Winner: Denmark Grethe and Jurgen Ingmann 'Dansevise' 1963 Academy Awards - The 'Oscars' Best Actor: Sidney Poitier ( Lilies Of The Field ) Best Actress: Patricia Neal ( Hud ) Best Film: Tom Jones 1963 - General The Average Wage: £16.14s.11d The 'Hot Line' opens between Moscow and Washington D.C. The first BIBA boutique opens in Abingdon Road, London The Gillette Cup is introduced into County cricket Sidney Poitier is the first black actor to receive an Oscar Princess Anne starts at Benenden School, Kent Polaroid instant film and cameras are first marketed Unemployment quoted at 604,600 Phil Spector creates his 'Wall of Sound' Singer Michael Holliday commits suicide Skateboards are invented Grand Prix driver Oscar Galvez is killed Teletext is first demonstrated Lyndon B.Johnson becomes the 36th U.S. President following the assassination of John F. Kennedy Surfing becomes the biggest 'overnight' sensation since 'The Twist' Britain sees its highest unemployment figures since 1947 The 'A' suffix comes into use on vehicle registration plates in some counties (it was not used in all areas until 1965) Manfred Mann lead singer Paul Jones marries Sheila MacLeod January 1963 Charlie Watts replaces Tony Chapman as The Rolling Stones drummer Kim Philby, the third man in the Burgess / Maclean spy ring escapes to Moscow Phil Everly marries Jackie Ertel 2nd 50 die as the Vietcong shoot down 5 American helicopters in the Mekong Delta 2nd U.S. TV host Dick Powell dies 14th France vetoes Britain's application to join the Common Market 18th Politician High Gaitskell dies February 1963 Paul Anka marries aristocrat Anne deZogheb in Paris 2nd Finn Pentti Nikula becomes the first pole-vaulter to clear five metres 2nd The Beatles start their first U.K. tour 8th In Iraq, army rebels seize power and execute Premier Abdul Kassim 9th The first test flight of the Boeing 727 is made in America 14th Harold Wilson becomes leader of the Labour Party 22nd John Lewis, founder of the retail store chain, dies 22nd Northern Music Publishing is formed by The Beatles March 1963 4th Six OAS members are sentenced to death for the assassination attempt on DeGaulle 5th Singer Patsy Cline is killed in a plane crash at Camden, Tennessee 8th The first Ford Anglia comes off the production line at Halewood 21st Alcatraz prison in San Francisco Harbour is closed down after 104 years use 21st The first automatic tube trains run on the London underground 27th The Beeching report is published announcing plans to close more than 2000 railway stations April 1963 4th Actor Jason Robards dies 10th The U.S. atomic submarine 'Thresher' is lost in the North Atlantic with 129 crew 15th 70,000 Aldermaston marchers arrive in London to protest against nuclear weapons 24th Princess Alexandra marries Angus Ogilvie at Westminster Abbey May 1963 The first Monterey Folk Festival is held in California 7th The second 'Telstar' satellite is launched 7th Comedian 'Cheeky Chappie' Max Miller dies 15th Tottenham Hotspur, beating Atletico Madrid, are the first English winners of a European trophy 27th Jomo Kenyatta is elected Premier in Kenya's first general election 30th The Peerage Bill is published, allowing Peers of the Realm to renounce their titles June 1963 Henry Cooper knocks down Cassius Clay at the end of the 4th round in a non-title fight at Wembley 'The Pill' becomes available on doctor's prescription, but not generally available until 1974 The B.B.C. launch their 'Pop Go The Beatles' radio series 3rd Pope John XXIII dies aged 82 - succeeded by Pope Paul VI 5th Scandal rocks the government as John Profumo resigns over the Christine Keeler affair 7th The Rolling Stones make their U.K. television debut on 'Thank Your Lucky Stars' 16th Lt. Valentina Tereshkova, a former textile factory worker, becomes the first woman into space 26th President Kennedy visits the Berlin Wall and delivers his 'Ich bin ein Berliner' speech July 1963 1st The government admits that Kim Philby was the third man in the Burgess / Maclean spy ring 3rd The government announces the introduction of continental-style road signs 14th The BBC announces that it is to scrap the TV panel game 'What's My Line' 16th The government proposes the creation of a Ministry of Defence 26th A U.K. national speed limit of 50m.p.h. is introduced but ignored by most drivers August 1963 Anthony Wedgwood-Benn renounces his peerage 8th More than £2 million in cash and jewels is taken in the Great Train Robbery 8th A Treaty is signed in Moscow banning Nuclear testing in the atmosphere 9th First edition of Ready Steady Go! Is broadcast at 7p.m. from Television House, Kingsway 22nd Lord Nuffield, the creator of Morris Cars, dies aged 84 23rd Scottish actress Mary Gordon dies 28th Martin Luther King makes his 'I have a dream . . .' speech September 1963 Jet Harris and Billie Davies are involved in the car crash that effectively ends his career 10th The first credit card is launched in the U.K. by American Express but you could only get one if you had an annual income of over £2000 17th The early warning missile system at Fylingdales becomes operational 26th The Denning report on the Profumo affair is published 27th Cilla Black makes her television debut on Ready Steady Go! Singing 'Love of the Loved' October 1963 6th The Springfields make their final appearance before Dusty goes solo 10th Harold Macmillan resigns as Prime Minister due to illness brought on by the Profumo affair 11th Artist, director and writer Jean Cocteau dies 11th French singer Edith Piaf dies in Paris 13th Beatlemania becomes official as papers use the term in headline banners 14th TWA and PAN-AM place orders for 21 supersonic passenger aircraft 21st The United Nations vote against admitting communist China November 1963 2nd Ngo Dinh Diem, the President of the Republic of Vietnam, and his brother are killed in a coup 4th The Beatles appear on the Royal Variety Show 22nd President John F. Kennedy is assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas 22nd Author C.S.Lewis dies 22nd Author Aldous Huxley dies 23rd The first episode of 'Dr.Who' is screened at 5.25p.m. 'An Unearthly Child' 24th Lee Harvey Oswald is murdered by club owner Jack Ruby live on American TV December 1963 The Berlin wall is opened for the first time to allow Christmas visits 6th Christine Keeler is jailed for 9 months for perjury, not connected to the Profumo affair 11th Frank Sinatra Jr. is released in Los Angeles after his father pays a $240,000 ransom 14th Blues singer Dinah Washington dies of a drug overdose 30th OAS leader Antoine Argoud is sentenced to life imprisonment in Paris