1960s Timeline

Jan. 13, 1962 - Ernie Kovacs, comedian of the theatre, screen, and television, was killed today in a traffic accident. He would have been 43 on Jan. 23. The police in Los Angeles said Mr. Kovacs was killed when his station wagon skidded across wet pavement a half block from the Beverly Hilton Hotel and smashed into a power pole. The crash occurred shortly before 2 a.m. on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Los Angeles. Mr. Kovacs had attended a baby shower in honor of the wife of

July 25, 1961 - Madlyn Rhue, an actress, is in serious condition from injuries received in a head-on automobile collision in Hollywood, hospital attendants said today. Miss Rhue, 25 years old, is appearing with Sal Mineo and Yul Brynner in "Escape from Zahrain," a film now in production. Miss Rhue debuted in show business at age 17 as a dancer at the Copacabana nightclub in New York City. She has appeared on many television shows, including "The Untouchables," "Perry Mason" a

July 5, 1961 - A total of 509 persons died in traffic accidents over the 4-day Independence Day weekend, a record for any similar summer holiday. The total of 924 accidental deaths, 204 of them from drowning, was a record for any holiday period, winter or summer. California had the most traffic fatalities - 47. The previous summer holiday record was 491 dead over the Fourth of July holiday of 1950, which also was four days long. #autosafety #carcrash #traffic #disaster