It’s 1962. Wake Forest University coach ‘Bones’ McKinney leads the Demon Deacons to the Final Four, Johnny Carson hosts his first Tonight Show, MIT transmits a TV signal by satellite, St Louis Cardinal Stan Musial breaks Honus Wagner’s National League hit record with 3,431, Walter Cronkite says “and that’s the way it was” on the CBS Evening News, the Rolling Stones first performance is at the Marquee Club, London, Ringo Starr bumps Pete Best as The Beatles drummer.
Sonny Liston KO’s Floyd Patterson in the first round for the heavyweight title, 1994 Byron Nelson Classic winner Neal Lancaster was born in Smithfield, New York Giant YA Title sets an NFL season touchdown pass record at 33 with 6 touchdowns versus the Dallas Cowboys, ABC’s first color TV series is The Jetsons, Tony Bennett and Bob Dylan perform at Carnegie Hall in New York, but not together, a laser beam is bounced off of the moon, the Houston Astrodome is under construction, Jack Nicklaus places 50th in his professional golf debut.
President John F. Kennedy begins the Cuban blockade, the Beach Boys’ first 45 rpm single is Surfin, K-Mart opens in Michigan and the Blue Light Special is not far behind, Philadelphia Warrior Wilt Chamberlain becomes the first hoopster to score 4000 points in a season, the first geosynchronous communications satellite launched is called Telstar, The Beverly Hillbillies debut on CBS and the Salvation Army in Smithfield is gearing up to dispense Christmas cheer for Christmas in 1962.
Originally contributed by Carter Rabil and published in 2008.
