What Happened in August 1963

September 26, 2024

Historical Events

Aug 1 Beatles Book is sold out on its 1st day of sale
Aug 1 West Germany annexes Elten village
Aug 1 WQAD TV channel 8 in Moline, Illinois (ABC) begins broadcasting
Aug 2 30th Chicago College All-Star Game: All-Stars 20, Green Bay 17, 65,000 at Soldier Field
Aug 3 Beatles final performance at Cavern Club in Liverpool, England

No Strings

Aug 3 Richard Rodgers' musical drama "No Strings", starring Diahann Carroll and Richard Kiley, closes at Broadhurst Theater, NYC, after 580 performances and 3 Tony Award wins

Aug 3 Warner Bros. Records releases single of Allan Sherman's novelty song "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter from Camp)", set to music of Amilcare Ponchielli's "Dance of the Hours" from his 1876 opera "La Gioconda"
Aug 5 Britain, USA and USSR sign nuclear test ban treaty

Sports History

Aug 5 Craig Breedlove sets world land speed record of 407.477 mph in Spirit of America at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah

Aug 6 Philadelphia NBA franchise changes name from 'Nationals' to the '76ers', based on US Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia in 1776

First Lady Gives Birth

Aug 7 Jacqueline Kennedy becomes 1st presiding US First Lady to give birth (Patrick Kennedy) since Frances Cleveland in 1895; the infant dies three days later

Aug 8 Great Train Robbery in England, £2.6 million ($7.3 million)
Aug 8 Kingsmen release "Louie, Louie", radio stations label it obscene
Aug 8 Verne Gagne beats Fritz Von Erich in Amarillo, to become NWA champ
Aug 9 Britains rock TV show "Ready Steady Go", premieres
Aug 9 NY Met pitcher Roger Craig's NL record-tying 18-game losing streak ends with a complete game 7–3 win over the Chicago Cubs at the Polo Grounds, NYC

Music History

Aug 10 "Little" Stevie Wonder's single "Fingertips (Part 2)" starts three-week, making him the youngest singer (13) to ever top the charts

Aug 11 Four ANC political detainees escape from Pretoria Central prison in South Africa
Aug 11 Kingston Trio are mystery guest on "What's My Line?"
Aug 12 Portuguese dictator Salazar firm on African colonization

Aug 13 Dave DeBusschere pitches a shutout against the Cleveland Indians
Aug 13 US Customs agents confiscate 21 gold coins from Witte Museum, San Antonio, Texas
Aug 13 Warren Spahn sets left-hander strike out mark at 2,382
Aug 15 Fulbert Youlou resigns as President of Congo-Brazzaville
Aug 16 Independence is restored to Dominican Republic
Aug 17 Jim Hickman becomes the first NY Met to hit for the cycle
Aug 17 Oriole's Dick Hall retires his 28th consecutive player in relief

1st Black Graduate of Ole Miss

Aug 18 James Meredith becomes the 1st black graduate from University of Mississippi

Aug 21 Jerry Lynch's record 15th pinch-hit HR gives Pirates a 7-6 win
Aug 21 Martial law declared in South Vietnam, following raids on Buddhist pagodas
Aug 22 NASA civilian test pilot Joe Walker in the X-15 rocket plane achieves a world record altitude of 354,200 feet (107,960 m, 67 miles)
Aug 23 Beatles release single "She Loves You" in the UK
Aug 23 Ringo admits he wrote a song "Don't Pass Me By"
Aug 23 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
Aug 24 1st 200 meter freestyle swum under 2 minutes (Don Schollander 1:58)
Aug 24 24th Venice Film Festival: "Hands Over the City" directed by Francesco Rosi wins Golden Lion
Aug 24 John Pennel is first person to pole-vault 17'
Aug 25 Paul McCartney is fined 31 pounds & given a 1 yr suspended license for speeding
Aug 26 West Indies beat England 2-1 in series, 1st holders of Wisden Cricket Trophy
Aug 28 Evergreen Point Floating Bridge connecting Seattle & Bellevue opens

Aug 29 Harmon Killebrew (Twins) HRs off Pete Burnside (Senators) in DH
Aug 30 Compact audio cassette first introduced by Philips at the Radio Exhibition in Berlin, Germany [1]
Aug 30 Hotline communication link between the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and the Kremlin in Moscow installed. Often known as the "red telephone" no phones were ever used, relying instead on Teletype equipment, fax machines and most recently secure email.

Famous Birthdays

Aug 1 Amber Rudd, British politician, Home Secretary (2016-18), born in London, England

Aug 1 Demián Bichir, Mexican-American actor (A Better Life), born in Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico
Aug 1 John Carroll Lynch, American actor (Shutter Island, Gran Torino), born in Boulder, Colorado
Aug 1 Koichi Wakata, Japanese astronaut (STS 72, sk: 92), born in Ōmiya, Saitama, Japan
Aug 2 Daniel Pelosi, American convicted murderer, born in Center Moriches, New York
Aug 3 Carlo Imperato, American actor (Fame), born in The Bronx, New York
Aug 3 Ed Roland, American singer-songwriter (Collective Soul), born in Stockbridge, Georgia
Aug 3 Isaiah Washington, American actor (The 100), born in Houston, Texas

Aug 3 Libor Pimek, tennis star, born in Most, Czechoslovakia
Aug 3 Lisa Ann Walter, American comedian and actress (Abbot Elementary), born in Silver Spring, Maryland
Aug 4 Andrew Bartlett, Australian politician
Aug 5 James Wilder, American actor (Scorchers, Zombie High, Murder 1), born in Cleveland, Ohio
Aug 5 Mike Nocito, American rocker (Johnny Hates Jazz), born in Wiesbaden, West Germany
Aug 6 Charles Ingram, English former British Army major known for cheating on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, born in Derbyshire, England
Aug 6 Jamie Kensit, British pop singer (Eighth Wonder - "I'm Not Scared"), born in Lambeth, London
Aug 6 Kimberley Conrad, American Playboy model (January 1988, Playmate of the year 1989) who married Hugh Hefner, born in Moulton, Alabama
Aug 6 Thomas Bohrer, US West Islip NY, rower (Olympic-92)
Aug 6 [Michael] Tony Dees, Pascagoula Miss, hurdler
Aug 7 Harold Perrineau Jr., American actor, born in Brooklyn, New York
Aug 7 Marcus Lewis, American soul singer (Sing Me A Song), born in Pontiac, Michigan
Aug 7 Patrick Kennedy, son of US President John F, Kennedy, born at Otis Air Force Base Hospital, Massachusetts (lives only 3 days)
Aug 8 Caroline Crawley, British alt-rock singer (Shelleyan Orphan; Babacar), born in Bournemouth, England (d. 2016)
Aug 8 Jon Turteltaub, American director (While You Were Sleeping), born in New York City
Aug 8 Kyoko Chan Cox, American daughter of Yoko Ono and Anthony Cox, born in Tokyo, Japan

Aug 8 Ron Karkovice, American NLB catcher (Chicago White Sox), born in Union, New Jersey
Aug 8 Stephen Walkom, Canadian ice hockey official and executive
Aug 9 Lonnie Quinn, American actor (Will Cooley in All My Children), born in Cheshire, Connecticut

Whitney Houston (1963-2012)

Aug 9 American singer ("I Will Always Love You"; "I Wanna Dance With Somebody"), actress (The Bodyguard), and film producer (The Princess Diaries), born in Newark, New Jersey

Aug 10 Andrew Sullivan, English-born American journalist known for "The Daily Dish", born in South Godstone, England
Aug 10 Phoolan Devi, Indian bandit, revolutionary and politician, born in Jalaun district, Uttar Pradesh, India (d. 2001)
Aug 11 Mike Huff, outfielder (Toronto Blue Jays), born in Honolulu, Hawaii
Aug 11 Thornetta Davis, American blues singer, born in Detroit, Michigan
Aug 12 Sir Mix A Lot [Anthony Ray], American rapper (Baby Got Back), born in Auburn, Washington
Aug 13 Elizabeth Bourland, Costa Rican sharp shooter, US 3x20 rifle (Olympic 7th 1996)

Aug 13 Tigg Ketler, American drummer (Bang Tango - "Dancin' On Coals"), born in Chula Vista, California
Aug 15 Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mexican film director (Birdman; Babel; The Revenant), born in Mexico City
Aug 15 Greg Adams, Nelson, NHL left wing (Dallas Stars)
Aug 15 Jack Russell, English cricketer and wicket keeper (54 Tests 1988-98), born in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England
Aug 17 Jackie Walorski, American politician (Rep-R-Indiana 2013-22), born in South Bend, Indiana (d. 2022)
Aug 17 Jon Gruden, American football coach (Super Bowl XXXVII Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Oakland/LV Raiders) and broadcaster (ESPN MNF), born in Sandusky, Ohio
Aug 17 S. Shankar, Indian film director (Gentleman, Indian, Jeans), born in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India
Aug 18 Luiz Mattar, Brazilian tennis player, born in São Paulo, Brazil
Aug 19 Joey Tempest [Rolf Larsson], Swedish rocker (Europe - "The Final Countdown"), born in Stockholm, Sweden
Aug 19 John Stamos, American actor (General Hospital, Full House), born in Cypress, California
Aug 20 Bruce Hick, Australian rower (World C'ship gold LM4x 1991, 92, 93; Olympics bronze Lightweight double sculls 1996), born in Rockhampton, Australia
Aug 21 Melvin Douglas, American freestyle wrestler (World C'ship gold 90kg 1993, silver 82kg 1989, bronze 90kg 1994, 96), born in Topeka, Kansas
Aug 21 Mohammed VI of Morocco, King of Morocco (1999-present), born in Rabat, Morocco
Aug 21 Richmond Arquette, American actor, born in New York City
Aug 22 (Myra) "Tori" Amos, American multiple Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, and pianist ("Crucify"; "Cornflake Girl"), born in Newton, North Carolina
Aug 22 David Sanford, American composer, jazz trombonist, bandleader, and educator (Mount Holyoke, 1998-present), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Aug 22 Lily Yip, Chinese-American table tennis player (Olympics 1992, 96), born in Guangzhou, China
Aug 22 Terry Catledge, American NBA star (Orlando Magic), born in Houston, Mississippi
Aug 22 Tom Ansberry, American long-distance runner
Aug 23 Park Chan-wook, South Korean filmmaker (Joint Security Area, Thirst), born in Seoul
Aug 23 Richard Illingworth, English cricket spin bowler (9 Tests, 19 wickets; Worcestershire CCC) and international umpire, born in Bradford, England
Aug 24 Hideo Kojima, Japanese video game director (Death Stranding), born in Setagaya, Tokyo
Aug 24 John Bush, American heavy metal singer (Armored Saint, 1982-present; Anthrax, 1992-2005, 2010), born in Los Angeles, California
Aug 26 David Byas, English cricketer (left-handed Yorkshire batsman), born in Middledale, England
Aug 26 Liu Huan, Chinese singer (Beijing Olympics theme song "You and Me"), born in Tianjin, China
Aug 27 Downtown Julie Brown, Welsh TV personality and actress (Club MTV, The Earth Day Special, Junket Whore), born in Cardiff, Wales
Aug 28 Regina Marie Jacobs, 800m/1500m runner (Olympics 10th 1996), born in Los Angeles, California
Aug 28 Reyna Thompson, American NFL cornerback (NY Giants), born in Dallas, Texas
Aug 29 Elizabeth Fraser, Scottish singer (Cocteau Twins - "Heaven OR Las Vegas"), born in Grangemouth, Scotland
Aug 30 Michael Chiklis, American actor (Commish, The Shield), born in Lowell, Massachusetts
Aug 30 Paul Oakenfold, British record producer and DJ, born in Mile End, London
Aug 31 Richard "Reb" Beach, American heavy metal guitarist (Winger; Whitesnake), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Aug 31 Sonny Silooy, Dutch soccer player (Ajax) and manager, born in Rotterdam, Netherlands
Aug 31 Todd Carty, English actor (Grange Hill, The Bill), born in London, England

Famous Deaths

Aug 1 Theodore Roethke, American poet (Praise to the end!), dies at 55
Aug 2 Oliver [Hazard Perry] La Farge, American anthropologist and novelist, dies at 61
Aug 5 Salvador Bacarisse, Spanish composer, dies at 64
Aug 6 Tom Keene, American actor (Our Daily Bread), dies of cancer at 68
Aug 8 Sándor Jemnitz, Hungarian composer, dies at 72
Aug 10 Ernst Wetter, Member of the Swiss Federal Council, dies at 85
Aug 10 Estes Kefauver, American politician (Sen-D-Tn), dies at 60
Aug 10 Patrick Kennedy, son of US President John F, Kennedy, dies at only 3 days
Aug 14 Clifford Odets, American playwright (1961 Award of Merit-Golden Boy), dies at 57
Aug 14 Clyde Hurley, American session and big band jazz trumpeter (Glenn Miller - "Tuxedo Junction"; "In The Mood"), dies of heart failure at 46
Aug 15 John Powell, American composer, dies at 80
Aug 17 Richard Barthelmess, American actor (Broken Blossoms, Noose, Heroes for Sales), dies of cancer at 68
Aug 19 Kathleen Parlow, Canadian violinist, and educator, dies at 72
Aug 20 Joan Voûte, Dutch astronomer, dies at 84
Aug 21 John Gunn, English cricket medium pace bowler (6 Tests, 18 wickets, BB 5/76; Nottinghamshire CCC), dies at 87
Aug 22 William Richard Morris, 1st viscount Nuffield motor manufacturer, dies

Aug 23 Glen Gray [Knoblauch], American jazz saxophonist and bandleader (Casa Loma Orchestra), dies of lymphoma, at 63
Aug 24 Jack Pettis, American jazz saxophonist and bandleader, dies of cirrhosis of the liver at 61
Aug 26 Larry Keating, American radio announcer and quiz master, and actor (The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, 1953-58 - "Harry"; Mr. Ed - "Roger"), dies of leukemia at 64
Aug 27 Allama Mashriqi, Pakistani scholar and politician (b. 1888)

Aug 28 Bernard Silver, American co-inventor of the barcode, dies of leukemia at 38 [1]
Aug 30 Axel Stordahl, American arranger (Tommy Dorsey; Frank Sinatra), orchestra leader (Eddie Fisher), and composer (McHales's Navy theme), dies of cancer at 50
Aug 30 Guy Burgess, English-born Soviet spy, dies of acute liver failure at 52
Aug 31 Georges Braque, French cubist painter and sculptor (My bicycle) who helped develop Cubism with Pablo Picasso, dies at 81

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