May 1962 calendar

May 1962
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Learn the most interesting events and historical facts that happened in May 1962.
The US president was John F. Kennedy (Democrat), the UK Prime Minister was Harold Macmillan (Conservative), Pope John XXIII was leading the Catholic Church.

But much more happened on May 1962: find out below

history

Historical Events

Which were the important events of May 1962?


Events

  • 01 May 1962 JFK authorizes Area Redevelopment Act (ARA)
  • 02 May 1962 OAS strikes in Algeria
  • 03 May 1962 Express train crashes into wreckage of a commuter train and a freight, killing 163, injuring 400 (Tokyo, Japan).
  • 04 May 1962 US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Christmas Island.
  • 05 May 1962 West Side Story soundtrack album goes to #1 and stays #1 for 54 weeks which is more than 20 weeks longer than any other album
  • 06 May 1962 Pathet Lao breaks cease fire / conquerors Nam Tha Laos
  • 07 May 1962 Pulitzer prize awarded to Theodore H White (Making of President 1960)
  • 08 May 1962 Funny Thing Happened opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 965 performances
  • 09 May 1962 Beatles sign their 1st contract with EMI Pstlophone
  • 11 May 1962 US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Christmas Island.
  • 12 May 1962 Grevelingendam closes
  • 13 May 1962 Mickey Wright wins LPGA Western Golf Open.
  • 14 May 1962 Ex-pres Milovan Djilas sentenced to 5 years
  • 15 May 1962 US marines arrive in Laos.
  • 17 May 1962 Marin County withdraws from BART district
  • 19 May 1962 Bravo, Giovanni opens at Broadhurst Theater NYC for 76 performances
  • 20 May 1962 Patty Berg wins LPGA Muskogee Civitan Golf Open.
  • 21 May 1962 3 more Cleveland HR set AL record for most HR (26) over 8 games
  • 22 May 1962 14th Emmy Awards: Bob Newhart Show, E G Marshall and Shirley Booth
  • 23 May 1962 Scott Carpenter orbits Earth 3 times in US Aurora 7
  • 24 May 1962 M Scott Carpenter aboard Aurora 7 launched into earth orbit.
  • 25 May 1962 Isley Brothers release Twist & Shout
  • 26 May 1962 All American closes at Winter Garden Theater NYC after 80 performances
  • 27 May 1962 Ruth Jessen wins LPGA Dallas Civitan Golf Open.
  • 28 May 1962 Wide World of Sports with Chris Schenkel premieres on CBS radio
  • 29 May 1962 Barbra Streisand appears on Garry Moore Show
  • 30 May 1962 69 killed in bus crash (Ahmedabad, India).
  • 31 May 1962 Tell It To Groucho last airs on CBS-TV

Famous Birthday

Famous Deaths

vinyl songs

Music charts

Which were the top hits in May 1962?
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Top #5 songs in the USA

  1. - Soldier Boy
  2. - Stranger On The Shore
  3. - I Can't Stop Loving You
  4. - Mashed Potato Time
  5. - Johnny Angel

Top #5 songs in the UK

  1. - Nut Rocker
  2. - Good Luck Charm
  3. - Wonderful Land
  4. - Do You Want To Dance / I'm Looking Out The Window
  5. - Come Outside

Movies

Which were the most popular Movies released in that month?
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The Miracle Worker

The Miracle Worker

Release year: 1962

Directed by: Arthur Penn

Starring: Anne Bancroft, Patty Duke, Victor Jory, Inga Swenson

Country: United States of America

Long Day's Journey Into Night

Long Day's Journey Into Night

Release year: 1962

Directed by: Sidney Lumet

Starring: Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Richardson, Jason Robards, Dean Stockwell

Country: United States of America

Lonely Are the Brave

Lonely Are the Brave

Release year: 1962

Directed by: David Miller

Starring: Kirk Douglas, Gena Rowlands, Walter Matthau, Michael Kane

Country: United States of America

Carnival of Souls

Carnival of Souls

Release year: 1962

Directed by: Herk Harvey

Starring: Candace Hilligoss, Frances Feist, Sidney Berger, Art Ellison

Country: United States of America

The Master of Ballantrae

The Master of Ballantrae

Release year: 1962

Directed by: William Keighley

Starring: Errol Flynn, Roger Livesey, Anthony Steel, Beatrice Campbell

Books

Which were the most popular books released in May 1962?
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The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart

The Ivy Tree

By:

Mary Grey had travelled from Canada to Northumberland, the country of her forebears. The shout broke the silence as she enjoyed the orderly, sparse beauty of England's northern fallss.

O Ye Jigs & Juleps! by Virginia Cary Hudson

O Ye Jigs & Juleps!

By:

O Ye Jigs

Calories Don'T Count by Herman Taller

Calories Don'T Count

By:

1961: By Herman Taller M.D. 1961: by Herman Taller M.D.

Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger

Franny and Zooey

By:

The author wrote: FRANNY appeared in The New Yorker, 1955. ZOOEY followed in 1957. These stories are critical early entries in a narrative series that I am creating about a family who settled in New York in the 20th century, …

Pigeon Feathers by John Updike

Pigeon Feathers

By:

This classic collection of stories was first published in 1962 on the author's thirty-fifth birthday. Arthur Mizener wrote in The New York Times Book Review that Updike is a romantic and like all American.