1960s Timeline

Mar. 2, 1964 - Mrs. Susan Wagner, wife of New York City Mayor Robert Wagner, died today of lung cancer. She was 54 years old. She had...

June 1, 1963 - Pope John XXIII is gravely ill, and there is no hope for his life. He fell into a coma late last night but regained...

May 27, 1963 - Pope John XXIII showed a slight improvement today and insisted on discussing church matters with Secretary of State Amleto...

Apr. 1, 1963 - President Kennedy opened the American Cancer Society fund drive today by accepting a symbolic volunteer award from a...

Dec. 15, 1962 - The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Liverpool, Dr. John Heenan, said today that Pope John XXIII (pictured with Jacqueline...

Dec. 9, 1962 - Actor Dick Powell (pictured with his wife June Allyson) has canceled his television appearances for the remainder of the...

Nov. 15, 1962 - Charles Laughton, ill with cancer since January, was described today as in “quite serious condition” from the spreading...

Sept. 27, 1962 - Dick Powell (pictured), a highly successful singer and actor before becoming one of television’s major producers, is...

June 22, 1962 - The American Cancer Society decided today to urge college presidents and the Federal Trade Commission to help curb the...

May 25, 1962 - Two Federal agencies are preparing reports dealing with the possible connection between cigarette smoking and cancer. The...

Mar. 7, 1962 - “Cigarette smoking is a cause of lung cancer” and probably contributes to the development of other diseases, the Royal...

Oct. 31, 1961 - House Speaker Sam Rayburn (pictured last May) went home to Bonham, Texas by ambulance today. The Democratic leader had...

Sept. 20, 1961 - Marion Davies (pictured in 1935) has been given the last rites of the Roman Catholic Church and was reported to be near...

Aug. 20, 1961 - Percy W. Bridgman, a retired Harvard University professor and a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, was found dead at his...

July 13, 1961 - Dr. Robert Soblen (left) was found guilty in New York today of wartime espionage for the Soviet Union. The defendant,...