At A Glance

31 January 1962 at a glance

Day of the week
31 January 1962 was a Wednesday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Peppermint Twist” by Joey Dee and the Starliters.
Top Film of 1962
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1962 was Lawrence of Arabia.
Bestselling Novel of 1962
“Ship of Fools” by Katherine Anne Porter was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1962.
Top-Rated TV Show
“The Beverly Hillbillies” (CBS) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1962–63 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 31 January is Aquarius.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 31 January 1962 fell in the Year of the Ox.
Birthstone
The birthstone for January is Garnet.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 31 January 1962 was Waning Crescent.

On this day: 31 January

  • 1958 Cold War: Space Race: The Explorer 1, the first successful American satellite, detects the Van Allen radiation belt.
  • 1961 Project Mercury: Mercury-Redstone 2: The chimpanzee Ham travels into outer space.
  • 1966 The Soviet Union launches the unmanned Luna 9 spacecraft as part of the Luna program.
  • 1968 Vietnam War: Viet Cong guerrillas attack the United States embassy in Saigon, and other attacks, in the early morning hours, later grouped together as the Tet Offensive.
  • 1971 Apollo program: Apollo 14: Astronauts Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa, and Edgar Mitchell, aboard a Saturn V, lift off for a mission to the Fra Mauro Highlands on the Moon.

Famous people born on January 31

  • Julián Alvarez, Argentine footballer (born 2000)
  • Justin Timberlake, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor (born 1981)
  • Minnie Driver, English singer-songwriter and actress (born 1970)
  • Jackie Robinson, American baseball player and sportscaster (1919–1972)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 1962 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '1962 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • January 1 – The United States Navy SEALs are activated. SEAL Team One is commissioned in the Pacific Fleet and SEAL Team Two in the Atlantic Fleet.
  • March 21 – The Taco Bell fast food restaurant chain is founded by Glen Bell, in Downey, California.
  • April 9 – The 34th Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by Bob Hope, is held at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins' West Side Story wins ten awards, including Best Motion Picture and a joint Best Director win for Wise and Robbins.
More events of 1962 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in the US in 1962

President

John F. Kennedy

Gas (per gallon)

$0.31

Loaf of Bread

$0.21

Average House

$12,900

Weekly Wage

$92

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Famous Faces Born in the 1960s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Jeff Bezos12 January 1964Business magnateView their day →Sandra Bullock26 July 1964Actress & film producerView their day →Matthew McConaughey4 November 1969ActorView their day →Cindy Crawford20 February 1966ModelView their day →Tom Cruise3 July 1962Actor & film producerView their day →Nicole Kidman20 June 1967Actress & producerView their day →Woody Harrelson23 July 1961ActorView their day →Kyle Chandler17 September 1965ActorView their day →

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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