What happened in 1962

“I Can't Stop Loving You”

Ray Charles · 5 weeks at #1 in 1962

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1. Jan 1The Lion Sleeps TonightThe Tokens2 wks
2. Jan 13The TwistChubby Checker2 wks
3. Jan 27Peppermint Twist - Part IJoey Dee & the Starliters3 wks
4. Feb 17Duke Of EarlGene Chandler3 wks
5. Mar 10Hey! BabyBruce Channel3 wks
6. Mar 31Don't Break The Heart That Loves YouConnie Francis1 wk
7. Apr 7Johnny AngelShelley Fabares2 wks
8. Apr 21Good Luck CharmElvis Presley With The Jordanaires2 wks
9. May 5Soldier BoyThe Shirelles3 wks
10. May 26Stranger On The ShoreMr. Acker Bilk1 wk
11. Jun 2I Can't Stop Loving YouRay Charles5 wks
12. Jul 7The StripperDavid Rose and His Orchestra1 wk
13. Jul 14Roses Are Red (My Love)Bobby Vinton4 wks
14. Aug 11Breaking Up Is Hard To DoNeil Sedaka2 wks
15. Aug 25The Loco-MotionLittle Eva1 wk
16. Sep 1SheilaTommy Roe2 wks
17. Sep 15SherryThe 4 Seasons5 wks
18. Oct 20Monster MashBobby "Boris" Pickett And The Crypt-Kickers2 wks
19. Nov 3He's A RebelThe Crystals2 wks
20. Nov 17Big Girls Don't CryThe 4 Seasons5 wks
21. Dec 22TelstarThe Tornadoes2 wks

Dates are the first chart week at #1 in 1962; weeks count only those in 1962.Find the #1 song on your birthday →

1. Mar 2Playing for the Philadelphia Warriors, American basketball player Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game against the New York Knicks, which remains an NBA record.
2. Mar 19Influential American musician Bob Dylan released his eponymous debut album, mainly comprising traditional folk, blues and gospel songs.
3. Apr 21The Century 21 Exposition, the first world's fair in the United States since World War II, opened in Seattle.
4. May 24Project Mercury: American astronaut Scott Carpenter orbited the Earth three times in the Aurora 7 space capsule.
5. Jul 23Jackie Robinson becomes the first African American to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
6. Aug 5American actress and model Marilyn Monroe was found dead of a barbiturate overdose in her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles.
7. Aug 6Jamaica becomes independent from the United Kingdom.
8. Aug 31Trinidad and Tobago becomes independent.
9. Sep 15The Soviet ship Poltava heads toward Cuba, one of the events that sets into motion the Cuban Missile Crisis.
10. Sep 18Burundi, Jamaica, Rwanda and Trinidad and Tobago are admitted to the United Nations.
11. Oct 14The Cuban Missile Crisis begins when an American reconnaissance aircraft takes photographs of Soviet ballistic missiles being installed in Cuba.
12. Oct 16Cuban Missile Crisis begins: U.S. President John F. Kennedy is informed of photos taken on October 14 by a U-2 showing nuclear missiles (the crisis will last for 13 days starting from this point).
13. Oct 22Cuban Missile Crisis: President Kennedy, after internal counsel from Dwight D. Eisenhower, announces that American reconnaissance planes have discovered Soviet nuclear weapons in Cuba, and that he has ordered a naval "quarantine" of the Communist nation.
14. Oct 28The Cuban Missile Crisis ends and Premier Nikita Khrushchev orders the removal of Soviet missiles from Cuba.

Event summaries from Wikipedia’s “On this day”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Each links to its article.

• U.S. President

  John F. Kennedy

• UK Prime Minister

  Harold Macmillan

• Prime Minister of Canada

  John Diefenbaker

• President of France

  Charles de Gaulle

• German Chancellor

  Konrad Adenauer

• Prime Minister of Japan

  Hayato Ikeda

• Soviet leader

  Nikita Khrushchev

Everyone who held the office at some point in 1962, from Wikidata.

A selection of the best-documented titles on Wikidata, by first release year; not a box-office ranking.

• Mary Kay LetourneauAmerican sex offender (died 2020) · Jan 30
• Jennifer Jason LeighAmerican actress, screenwriter, producer and director · Feb 5
• Axl RoseAmerican singer and songwriter · Feb 6
• Garth BrooksAmerican singer-songwriter and guitarist · Feb 7
• Sheryl CrowAmerican singer-songwriter and guitarist · Feb 11
• Jon Bon JoviAmerican singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor · Mar 2
• Titus WelliverAmerican actor · Mar 12
• Rosie O'DonnellAmerican actress, producer, and talk show host · Mar 21
• Matthew BroderickAmerican actor · Mar 21
• Clark GreggAmerican actor · Apr 2

From Wikipedia’s “On this day”, CC BY-SA 4.0.