Just like any other year, 1962 was also filled with quite a few spectacular events.However, the major event that took place was the Cuban Missile Crisis. But truth be told, besides the subtle war-like air blowing all over the world, the ’60s were indeed beautiful and romantic to think of.1962 was a wonderful year full of rich pop culture history, with rising stars like The Beatles, after their debut in 1961, and Bob Dylan, who debuted for the first time with his legendary ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’. Popular hits like the number one hit of the year ‘Return to Sender’ by Elvis Presley, ‘Hey! Baby’ by Bruce Channel, ‘The Four Seasons’, ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’, and Ray Charles’ ‘Can’t Stop Loving You’ along with popular TV shows like ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’, ‘The Danny Thomas Show’, and ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ also gave us the best pop culture history. And then of course we had sad news too, like the death of Marilyn Monroe, who was assumed to have overdosed. Marilyn Monroe was a famous and scandalous actress and fashion icon of the ’50s. This year also gave us the first-ever video game and cassettes. Amidst all the good things, we even had the ongoing Cold War between the USA and the Soviet Union. Let’s continue exploring all the legendary events of 1962 that went down in history.If you like historical facts like this one, you should also definitely check out further reads like 1939 facts and 1961 facts.Cuban Missile CrisisWhen Second World War ended, another war was beginning to be sensed in the air, the Cold War.This war, unlike other wars in history, was different. Post Second World War, everyone sensed that the world was divided into two ideologies; capitalism and communism, led by the USA and the Soviet Union, respectively. There was a growing geopolitical tension and competition being sensed by everyone. Unlike the World War, the Cold War, as the name suggests, was ‘cold’ or subtle and not a ‘hot’ or a full-fledged war.There were competitions and conflicts but everything remained subtle, until the time when the Soviet Union started being threatened by the USA. Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet Premier, saw an imminent threat after the realization that the US could overthrow Fidel Castro, the Cuban Prime Minister, anytime, and capture the small Soviet ally country, Cuba. Cuba was a Soviet country located near the US, naturally posing the threat of being captured by them. The Soviet Union then came to a mutual agreement with Fidel Castro to place Soviet missiles in Cuba to prevent any such attempts by the US. Additionally, Khrushchev wanted to bring West Berlin under the umbrella of the Soviet government. So, by strategically placing the missiles, he planned on trying to negotiate with Western powers to take over Berlin. Soviet missiles were a result of the arms race that both the US and Soviet governments were actively taking part in, after the end of the World War. President John F. Kennedy, on the realization of the nuclear war threat, sent out a public warning against the introduction of nuclear weapons in Cuba. Despite warnings, a US U-2 aircraft, on October 14, clicked images of ballistic weapons in Cuba. President Kennedy sent out another notice publicly to take any such weapon away from Cuba. President Kennedy was stern in his voice and made clear that anything against the warning might lead to issues that are uncalled for. Nikita Khrushchev replied to Kennedy that all Soviet missiles will surely be removed from Cuba upon an agreement of some kind that will promise that there will no longer be any threats upon Cuba in the future. Nikita Khrushchev in his second letter suggested that any proposed deal must include the agreement of the US to remove their missiles from Turkey. Attorney General Robert Kennedy then met with the Soviet Ambassador to the USA and showed the indication that the US was anyway planning to remove the missiles from Turkey. Following that, on October 28, Khrushchev issued a public announcement that the Cuban missiles will be dismantled and removed. However, even though the missiles were removed, the naval quarantine was still not lifted. President Kennedy conveyed that the quarantine will not be removed unless the Soviet Union removed their IL-28 bombers from Cuba. On November 20, 1962, the Soviet Union removed their bombers and President John F. Kennedy removed the quarantine, marking the end of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Cuban Missile Crisis is believed to be what made the ‘cold’ relations between the US and the Soviet Union more prominent in the public eyes and was the reason for its further intensification. This crisis held people at the brink of an imminent nuclear war. Due to this incident, the two nations also decided to put a stop to their arms race.First-Ever Video Game1962 also gifted us the first-ever video game called ‘Spacewar!’.‘Spacewar!’, developed by Steve Russell in collaboration with Bob Saunders, Steve Piner, Wayne WIitanen, Martin Graetz, and a few others, is a space combat video game that was developed in 1962. It was written at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the newly installed DEC PDP-1 minicomputer making it the first computer video game ever. Back in 1961, computers were not that popular. They were PDP-1 which was priced at $120,000, weighing 1.609.37 lb (730 kg) and with a memory of just 4,000 words. Imagine a board of advertising team thinking of a marketing strategy to get people to use this machine that weighed twice the refrigerator. That’s when the idea of a computer game struck and well, thanks to them we guess? ‘Spacewar!’ features two spaceships, one named ’the needle’ and the other ’the wedge’ engaged in a fight while navigating through a gravity well of a star, and both the ships were supposed to be controlled by human players. The developers of the game borrowed the orbital mechanic from Marvin Minsky’s Minskytron which was a non-interactive demo for geometric interactions. They also borrowed the star background from Samson’s ‘Expensive Planetarium’ software. Everything was ready to go into the game but what was the real challenge was the system to respond to the players because of the limited processor power. Since the power to apply gravity to the ships’ projectile weapons was limited, the MIT team decided to make photon torpedoes that were unaffected by gravity.The first version of the game allowed just two players and the lowest graphics possible. However, by mid-1962, Samson came out with a second version of the game that had explosion graphics and scoring. Since back then most of the players only included programmers, they quickly got the hang of it and started working on newer versions. Gradually there ended up a new version that had invisible ships and another with a view of the ship’s cockpit.‘Spacewar!’ was very popular in the small community of programming fellows and soon became one of the most influential games in the history of video games which later even inspired other electronic games like ‘Galaxy Game’, ‘Computer Space’, and ‘Asteroids’. 1962 Men’s And Women’s Fashion ClothesApart from the ongoing famous battle between the US and the Soviet Union in the year 1962, other sectors of lifestyle were also evolving, including men’s and women’s fashion.1960s fashion is popularly considered unpredictable, with contrasting styles in the first and the second half of the decade. The ’60s brought a remarkable turn into the world of fashion. The fashion statement of the decade started out with the domination of high fashion with a gradual transformation into hippie fashion by the end of the decade. The period of 1962 to the ’70s was considered crucial with the entry of street style fashion that challenged the high-end and well-dressed fashion style. Fashion icons like Audrey Hepburn, Twiggy, and the winners of the Miss USA beauty pageant played a great role in this transformation. Audrey Hepburn was a leading lady in the film industry and proved that she can flawlessly pull off any outfit or style. During the early years of the ’60s, Hepburn’s style was extremely feminine and lady-like. She made the iconic black dress the talk of the town from the movie ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’. This dress was designed by the legendary fashion designer Givenchy, also a close friend of Audrey Hepburn. In 1962, she even rocked the green Givenchy suit that she paired with a hat and gloves in the movie ‘Paris When It Sizzles’.Givenchy and Hepburn have worked on many trends together to bring out the most trendy styles that could be copied by every woman for everyday life, making them the most influential style icons of the time.This change was not limited to just women’s wear, unlike previous decades. Men’s fashion had striking transformations as well, especially due to the fact that menswear hasn’t changed much for the past few years. Men were leaning towards a more casual look as well and suddenly men were seen in colorful and vibrant suits. Menswear gradually started incorporating colors and patterns with wider ties as the decade kept progressing. Along with the transitioning styles, the style icons also started changing, and gradually icons like the members of The Beatles, Mick Jagger, and Jimi Hendrix started influencing bold and daring colors and patterns. During the mid-60s, men’s fashion trends were inspired by military elements. Rock culture was one of the main fashion influences that introduced most of the new trends in the world of men’s fashion. Famous styles like tie-dye and loose-fitting shirts were introduced towards the end of the decade as the fashion industry moved on to a hippie vibe.Grocery Prices In The Year 1962The ’60s were also known for those good ol’ days that were not hit by inflation, unlike today’s times.The ’60s are known to be the years you would want to go back to if asked. With legendary music, art, and pop culture, the ’60s really hit hard on the emotional and nostalgic side. And to top it all off, the cost of living was not much at all. You can only imagine how cheap and great it was living in the ’60s!Before we get into talking about the prices of foods, let’s get this clear: the median household income used to be around $7,143 with a minimum wage of $1.40 per hour. A gallon of gas back then would only cost you around 31 cents and each time someone pulls up at the gas station, one would ask for a dollar worth of gas and that alone would be enough.Have you had one of those days when you feel like stuffing your mouth with a double-decker burger but looking at the price you immediately go like, “Nah! I’m good”? We feel you. But now imagine if you were in the ’60s, all you would have to pay is a buck and enjoy yourself a great double-decker burger meal. In many restaurants, in fact, you could also score a dessert along with the entire meal and all you will still be spending is just a dollar. And if you care to spend a few more cents, you could also fancy yourself with a full chicken or shrimp dinner along with sides. A pie would cost you around 35 cents a slice, the same price as that of an issue of Life Magazine, and could easily be savored on an ice-cream sundae for just 40 cents. Oh and yes! Can you guess how much a coke might have cost you? Around 49 cents, only!A gallon of milk was priced at a rate of 95 cents, one regular size Heinz ketchup was around 22 cents, 53 cents was for a dozen of eggs, 5 cents for a Hershey’s bar, 25 cents for a Pillsbury cake mix, $1.03 for 1 lb (0.4 kg) of pork chops and just 59 cents for 6 pack Pepsi.Cuba In 1962When President Kennedy finally made the Soviets pull out their nuclear weapons from Cuba, it marked the end of the Cuban Missile Crisis on a peaceful note.When the US aircraft gathered information regarding the ongoing missile establishments in Cuba and President Kennedy made a public statement about it, the entire world held on to the fear of a nuclear holocaust. Although the fight was among the superpowers, the one that went through the most was poor Cuba. Cuba found itself in the midst of a situation where all it could do was value the superpower’s support. The Cubans were happily ready to allow the installation of nuclear weapons in Cuba, but Khrushchev’s insistence on their secret installation alarmed them. They believed such arrangements should always be brought under public knowledge.However, Khrushchev thought of it differently and wanted to rather be on the safe side by keeping it a secret. According to Khrushchev, it was an attempt to save Cuba from any future US attacks. When Khrushchev’s lie was finally detected, through a US spy aircraft, against the clear warnings against it by President Kennedy, an almost month-long conflict accompanied by letters back and forth followed and finally convinced Khrushchev to withdraw the weapons. Although the presence of these weapons turned out to pose more threat on Cuba, when removed, Cuba was left feeling helpless, powerless and deceived and decided to never again trust the Soviet leader. On the bright side, however, the Cubans did win a small battle and benefited in a sense through the formation of an agreement where all the threats that it was previously worried about from the US, were no longer an issue. Did You KnowInterestingly, the Hawaiian pizza was born in 1962. Although the name suggests it originates from Hawaii, it actually was created in Canada by a Greek immigrant named Sam Panopoulos who, along with his brothers, owned a restaurant in Ontario.1962 was also the birth year of many legendary stars like Tom Cruise, Ralph Fiennes, Jim Carrey, Demi Moore, and many more.The famous book by Rachel Carson titled “Silent Spring” released in 1962. Even to this day, “Silent Spring” remains relevant in the context of how humans affect the environment.The year 1962 also witnessed John Glenn taking a trip to space. John Glenn was the first American who successfully orbited Earth, circling it three times.In international politics, the United Kingdom passed the Commonwealth Immigrants Act in 1962. The act took effect from the 30th of June.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 1962 facts then why not take a look at 1978 facts, or 1972 facts
Just like any other year, 1962 was also filled with quite a few spectacular events.
