What happened in 1963
119 entries recorded for 1963, listed by date. That was 63 years ago.
1963 at a glance
- Years ago
- 63 (as of 2026)
- Century
- 20th century
- Decade
- 1960s
- Generation born
- Baby Boomers
- Entries here
- 119
- Breakdown
- 119 historical events
January
- January 2
Vietnam War
Vietnam War: The Viet Cong won its first major victory at the Battle of Ap Bac.
- January 13
Sylvanus Olympio
Togo's first president, Sylvanus Olympio (pictured), was assassinated by military officers in a coup d'état led by Emmanuel Bodjollé, Étienne Eyadéma, and Kléber Dadjo.
- January 22
Élysée Treaty
The Élysée Treaty of cooperation between France and West Germany is signed by Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer.
- January 23
Guinea-Bissau War of Independence
The Guinea-Bissau War of Independence officially begins when PAIGC guerrilla fighters attack the Portuguese Army stationed in Tite.
February
- February 2
Cold War in Asia
Cold War in Asia: 113 alleged communists were arrested and detained without trial by Singapore's security agencies.
- February 5
European Court of Justice
The European Court of Justice's ruling in Van Gend en Loos v Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen establishes the principle of direct effect, one of the most important, if not the most important, decisions in the development of European Union law.
- February 8
Prime Minister of Iraq
The regime of Prime Minister of Iraq Abd al-Karim Qasim is overthrown by the Ba'ath Party.
- February 12
Gateway Arch
Construction begins on the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.
- February 19
Betty Friedan
Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, a non-fiction book credited with sparking the beginning of second-wave feminism in the United States, was first published.
- February 27
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic receives its first democratically elected president, Juan Bosch, since the end of the dictatorship led by Rafael Trujillo.
- February 28
Benjamin F. Lewis
Chicago alderman Benjamin F. Lewis was murdered in his office by unknown assailants two days after having been reelected.
March
- March 5
Country music
American country-music performers Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, and Hawkshaw Hawkins were killed when their PA-24 crashed shortly after takeoff in Camden, Tennessee.
- March 8
Ba'ath Party
The Ba'ath Party came to power in a coup d'état by a clique of quasi-leftist Syrian Army officers calling themselves the National Council for the Revolutionary Command.
- March 17
Mount Agung
An eruption of Mount Agung on Bali, Indonesia, killed at least 1,100 people.
- March 21
Federal Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons closed Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary on Alcatraz Island (pictured) in San Francisco Bay, California.
- March 21
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary closes.
- March 22
Please Please Me
Please Please Me, the first album recorded by the Beatles, was released.
- March 28
Civil rights movement
Civil rights movement: Over one hundred high school students conducted a sit-in protest in Rome, Georgia.
April
- April 1
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (novel)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service, the tenth novel of Ian Fleming's James Bond series, was released in the United Kingdom.
- April 10
Submarine
One hundred twenty-nine American sailors die when the submarine USS Thresher sinks at sea.
- April 10
United States Navy
The U.S. Navy nuclear submarine USS Thresher (SSN-593) sank with all hands lost during deep-diving tests in the North Atlantic Ocean.
- April 11
Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII issued Pacem in terris, the first papal encyclical addressed to "all men of good will" rather than only to Catholics.
- April 12
Soviet Union
The Soviet nuclear-powered submarine K-33 collides with the Finnish merchant vessel M/S Finnclipper in the Danish straits.
- April 16
Martin Luther King Jr.
U.S. civil rights campaigner Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. writes his open letter from Birmingham Jail, sometimes known as "The Negro Is Your Brother", while incarcerated in Birmingham, Alabama, for protesting against segregation.
- April 16
A Call for Unity
In response to an open letter written by white clergymen, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the Letter from Birmingham Jail in defence of the strategy of nonviolent resistance against racism.
- April 21
Universal House of Justice
The first election of the Universal House of Justice is held, marking its establishment as the supreme governing institution of the Baháʼí Faith.
- April 24
Princess Alexandra of Kent
Marriage of Princess Alexandra of Kent to Angus Ogilvy at Westminster Abbey in London.
- April 26
Libya
In Libya, amendments to the constitution transform Libya (United Kingdom of Libya) into one national unity (Kingdom of Libya) and allow for female participation in elections.
- April 30
Bristol Bus Boycott
The Bristol Bus Boycott is held in Bristol to protest the Bristol Omnibus Company's refusal to employ Black or Asian bus crews, drawing national attention to racial discrimination in the United Kingdom.
- April 30
Bristol Omnibus Company
A refusal by the Bristol Omnibus Company and the Transport and General Workers' Union to permit the employment of black bus crews led to a bus boycott in Bristol, England.
May
- May 2
Seliger Forschungs- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH
Berthold Seliger launches a rocket with three stages and a maximum flight altitude of more than 100 kilometres (62 mi) near Cuxhaven. It is the only sounding rocket developed in Germany.
- May 3
Birmingham, Alabama
Police in Birmingham, Alabama, used high-pressure water hoses and dogs against civil-rights protesters, bringing scrutiny on racial segregation in the southern United States.
- May 8
Huế
In Huế, South Vietnam, soldiers opened fire into a crowd of Buddhists protesting against a government ban on the flying of the Buddhist flag on Phật Đản, killing nine and sparking the Buddhist crisis.
- May 8
Huế Phật Đản shootings
South Vietnamese soldiers under the Roman Catholic President Ngo Dinh Diem open fire on Buddhists defying a ban on the flying of the Buddhist flag on Vesak, killing nine and sparking the Buddhist crisis.
- May 11
Birmingham riot of 1963
African Americans rioted in Birmingham, Alabama, in response to two bombings, perceiving local police to be complicit with the perpetrators.
- May 15
Project Mercury
Project Mercury: The launch of the final Mercury mission, Mercury-Atlas 9 with astronaut Gordon Cooper on board. He becomes the first American to spend more than a day in space, and the last American to go into space alone.
- May 19
Martin Luther King Jr.
The New York Post Sunday Magazine publishes Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail.
- May 24
Robert F. Kennedy
United States Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy met with African American author James Baldwin in an unsuccessful attempt to improve race relations.
- May 27
Bob Dylan
American singer Bob Dylan (pictured) released The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, his first album to include a significant number of original songs.
- May 30
Buddhist crisis
Buddhist crisis: A protest against pro-Catholic discrimination was held outside the National Assembly of South Vietnam in Saigon, the first open demonstration against President Ngô Đình Diệm.
June
- June 3
Buddhist crisis
Buddhist crisis: South Vietnamese soldiers attacked Buddhist protesters in Huế with liquid chemicals from tear gas grenades, causing 67 people to be hospitalised.
- June 3
Huế chemical attacks
Soldiers of the South Vietnamese Army attack protesting Buddhists in Huế with liquid chemicals from tear-gas grenades, causing 67 people to be hospitalized for blistering of the skin and respiratory ailments.
- June 5
John Profumo
British politician John Profumo admitted that he had lied to the House of Commons about his involvement in a sex scandal with Christine Keeler, and resigned from government.
- June 5
Ruhollah Khomeini
The arrest of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini for publicly denouncing Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi sparked protests in Iran.
- June 11
Bhikkhu
Vietnamese monk Thích Quảng Đức burned himself to death in Saigon to protest the persecution of Buddhists by Catholic South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem's administration.
- June 11
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy addresses Americans from the Oval Office proposing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which would revolutionize American society by guaranteeing equal access to public facilities, ending segregation in education, and guaranteeing federal protection for voting rights.
- June 11
Civil rights movement
American Civil Rights Movement: Governor of Alabama George Wallace defiantly stands at the door of Foster Auditorium at the University of Alabama in an attempt to block two black students, Vivian Malone and James Hood, from attending that school. Later in the day, accompanied by
- June 11
Thích Quảng Đức
Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức burns himself with gasoline in a busy Saigon intersection to protest the lack of religious freedom in South Vietnam.
- June 11
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama was desegregated as Governor George Wallace stepped aside after defiantly blocking the entrance to an auditorium (pictured).
- June 12
Cleopatra (1963 film)
The premiere was held in New York of the historical drama film Cleopatra, the most expensive film made to that point.
- June 16
Soviet space program
Soviet Space Program: Vostok 6 mission: Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space.
- June 16
Buddhist crisis
In an attempt to resolve the Buddhist crisis in South Vietnam, a Joint Communique is signed between President Ngo Dinh Diem and Buddhist leaders.
- June 16
Vostok 6
Aboard Vostok 6, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova (pictured) became the first woman in space.
- June 17
Supreme Court of the United States
The United States Supreme Court rules 8–1 in Abington School District v. Schempp against requiring the reciting of Bible verses and the Lord's Prayer in public schools.
- June 17
List of leaders of South Vietnam
A day after South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem announced the Joint Communiqué to end the Buddhist crisis, a riot involving around 2,000 people breaks out. One person is killed.
- June 17
Ho Chi Minh City
Riots broke out in Saigon one day after the signing of the Joint Communiqué, an attempt to resolve the Buddhist crisis in South Vietnam.
- June 20
Cuban Missile Crisis
Following the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Soviet Union and the United States sign an agreement to establish the so-called "red telephone" link between Washington, D.C., and Moscow.
- June 21
1963 conclave
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini is elected as Pope Paul VI.
- June 24
Zanzibar
The United Kingdom grants Zanzibar internal self-government.
- June 28
Profumo affair
Profumo affair: During the trial of Stephen Ward, Mandy Rice-Davies uttered the phrase "Well he would, wouldn't he?"
- June 30
Coronation of Pope Paul VI
The coronation of Pope Paul VI took place, the last such ceremony before its abandonment by later popes.
July
- July 7
Ngô Đình Nhu
The secret police of Ngô Đình Nhu, brother and chief political adviser of South Vietnamese president Ngô Đình Diệm, attacked a group of American journalists who were covering a protest during the Buddhist crisis.
- July 12
Moors murders
Sixteen-year-old Pauline Reade, the first victim of serial killers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, disappeared in Gorton, England.
- July 12
Gorton
Pauline Reade, 16, disappears in Gorton, England, the first victim in the Moors murders.
- July 22
Sarawak
The United Kingdom granted self-government to Sarawak (first flag pictured); the day would be celebrated as Sarawak Day.
- July 22
Crown Colony of Sarawak
Crown Colony of Sarawak gains self-governance.
- July 26
OECD
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development votes to admit Japan.
- July 26
1963 Skopje earthquake
An earthquake in Skopje, Yugoslavia (present-day North Macedonia) leaves 1,100 dead.
- July 26
Syncom
Syncom 2, the world's first geosynchronous satellite, is launched from Cape Canaveral on a Delta B booster.
- July 27
Puijo tower
The Puijo observation tower is opened to the general public at Puijo Hill in Kuopio, Finland.
August
- August 15
Fulbert Youlou
President Fulbert Youlou was overthrown in the Republic of Congo, after a three-day uprising in the capital.
- August 18
Civil rights movement
Civil rights movement: James Meredith becomes the first African American to graduate from the University of Mississippi.
- August 21
Xá Lợi Pagoda raids
Xá Lợi Pagoda raids: The Army of the Republic of Vietnam Special Forces loyal to Ngô Đình Nhu, brother of President Ngo Dinh Diem, vandalizes Buddhist pagodas across the country, arresting thousands and leaving an estimated hundreds dead.
- August 21
Army of the Republic of Vietnam Special Forces
South Vietnamese special forces loyal to Ngô Đình Nhu, the brother of President Ngô Đình Diệm, raided and vandalised Buddhist pagodas (one pictured) across the country, arresting thousands and leaving hundreds dead.
- August 24
Buddhist crisis
Buddhist crisis: The U.S. State Department ordered Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. (pictured) to encourage South Vietnamese Army officers to oust Ngo Dinh Diem if he did not willingly remove Ngo Dinh Nhu from his unofficial position of power.
- August 27
Intrepid Potash
An explosion at the Cane Creek potash mine near Moab, Utah kills 18 miners.
- August 28
Martin Luther King Jr.
American civil-rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the speech "I Have a Dream" during the March on Washington, calling for civil and economic rights and an end to racism in the United States.
- August 28
March on Washington
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gives his I Have a Dream speech.
- August 30
Moscow–Washington hotline
The Moscow–Washington hotline between the leaders of the U.S. and the Soviet Union goes into operation.
September
- September 4
Swissair Flight 306
Swissair Flight 306 crashes near Dürrenäsch, Switzerland, killing all 80 people on board.
- September 6
Presidency of John F. Kennedy
The Kennedy administration sent Victor H. Krulak and Joseph Mendenhall on a mission to assess the progress of the Vietnam War.
- September 15
16th Street Baptist Church
The 16th Street Baptist Church, an African-American church in Birmingham, Alabama, was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan, killing four girls and injuring at least 14 other people.
- September 15
16th Street Baptist Church bombing
Baptist Church bombing: Four children are killed in the bombing of an African-American church in Birmingham, Alabama, United States.
- September 16
Malaysia
Malaysia was formed as an independent nation from the Federation of Malaya, the State of Singapore, the Crown Colony of North Borneo, and the Crown Colony of Sarawak.
- September 25
Tom Denning, Baron Denning
Lord Denning releases the UK government's official report on the Profumo affair.
- September 28
Whaam!
Whaam!, now considered one of Roy Lichtenstein's most important works, debuted at an exhibition held at the Leo Castelli Gallery, New York City.
- September 29
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia (coat of arms featured) was founded in Norwich, England, after talk of establishing a university in the city began as early as the 19th century.
October
- October 3
Oswaldo López Arellano
Oswaldo López Arellano replaced Honduran president Ramón Villeda Morales in a violent coup, initiating two decades of military rule.
- October 3
1963 Honduran coup d'état
A violent coup in Honduras begins two decades of military rule.
- October 4
Hurricane Flora
Hurricane Flora kills 6,000 in Cuba and Haiti.
- October 5
Commercial Import Program
The U.S. suspended the Commercial Import Program, its main economic support for South Vietnam, in response to the oppression of Buddhists by President Ngô Đình Diệm (pictured).
- October 9
Vajont Dam
In Italy, a large landslide causes a giant wave to overtop the Vajont Dam, killing over 2,000.
- October 10
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
The Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which prohibits all test detonations of nuclear weapons except for those conducted underground, went into effect.
- October 18
Félicette
The first cat in space, later known as Félicette, launched aboard a French Véronique rocket.
- October 22
BAC One-Eleven
A BAC One-Eleven prototype airliner crashes in UK with the loss of all on board.
- October 24
R-9 Desna
An oxygen leak from an R-9 Desna missile at the Baikonur Cosmodrome triggers a fire that kills seven people.
- October 31
1963 Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum gas explosion
A gas explosion at the
November
- November 1
Lê Quang Tung
Lê Quang Tung, loyalist head of the South Vietnam Special Forces, was executed in a U.S.-backed coup against president Ngô Đình Diệm following a period of religious unrest.
- November 2
Ngo Dinh Diem
President Ngô Đình Diệm of South Vietnam was assassinated, marking the culmination of a coup d'état led by Dương Văn Minh.
- November 2
South Vietnam
South Vietnamese President Ngô Đình Diệm is assassinated following a military coup.
- November 6
Nguyễn Ngọc Thơ
Nguyễn Ngọc Thơ was appointed by the junta of General Dương Văn Minh to head the South Vietnamese government, five days after Minh deposed and assassinated President Ngô Đình Diệm.
- November 13
Sanzō Nosaka
A man wielding a dagger was subdued as he was about to attack Sanzō Nosaka, the chairman of the Japanese Communist Party.
- November 18
Bell Telephone Company
The Bell Telephone Company introduces the first push-button telephone.
- November 22
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas; hours later, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the 36th president of the United States (pictured).
- November 22
1963 Poonch Indian Air Force helicopter crash
Five Indian generals are killed in a helicopter crash, due to collision with two parallel lines of telegraph cables.
- November 23
An Unearthly Child
The first episode of Doctor Who, the world's longest-running science fiction television show, was broadcast on BBC television, starring William Hartnell as the first incarnation of the title role.
- November 24
Jack Ruby
During a live television broadcast, businessman Jack Ruby shot and fatally wounded Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated U.S. president John F. Kennedy, fueling numerous conspiracy theories.
- November 25
State funeral of John F. Kennedy
State funeral of John F. Kennedy; after lying in state at the United States Capitol, a Requiem Mass takes place at Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle and the President is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
- November 27
Lyndon B. Johnson
President Lyndon B. Johnson delivered the "Let Us Continue" speech, in which he advocated for civil-rights legislation and national cohesion, to a joint session of the U.S. Congress five days after the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
- November 29
Lyndon B. Johnson
U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson establishes the Warren Commission to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
- November 29
Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 831
Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 831 crashes shortly after takeoff from Montreal-Dorval International Airport, killing all 118 people on board.
- November 29
I Want to Hold Your Hand
"I Want to Hold Your Hand", recorded on October 17, 1963, is released by the Beatles in the United Kingdom.
- November 29
Montréal–Trudeau International Airport
Five minutes after taking off from Montréal–Dorval, Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 831 crashed in bad weather, killing all 118 people on board.
December
- December 8
Holding (aeronautics)
After being struck by lightning while in a holding pattern, Pan Am Flight 214 crashed near Elkton, Maryland, U.S., killing all 81 people on board.
- December 12
Kenya
Kenya declares independence from Great Britain.
- December 14
Baldwin Hills Dam disaster
The dam containing the Baldwin Hills Reservoir bursts, killing five people and damaging hundreds of homes in Los Angeles, California.
- December 18
1963 Moscow protest
Ghanaian and other African students organized a protest in Moscow's Red Square in response to the alleged murder of medical student Edmund Assare-Addo.
- December 21
Bloody Christmas (1963)
"Bloody Christmas" begins in Cyprus, ultimately resulting in the displacement of 25,000–30,000 Turkish Cypriots and destruction of more than 100 villages.
- December 21
Greek Cypriots
An attempt by Greek Cypriot police to search certain Turkish Cypriot women in Nicosia escalated into island-wide violence, leading to 538 deaths and the displacement of nearly 27,000 people.
Questions about 1963
What happened in 1963?
This site records 119 entries for 1963, including Vietnam War on January 2. They are listed below by date.
How long ago was 1963?
63 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 1963 turns 63 this year.
Which century is 1963 in?
1963 falls in the 20th century, in the 1960s.
Which generation was born in 1963?
Baby Boomers (1946–1964). Born in the post-war birth surge.
Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.