1963

1963 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. It took place during the height of the Cold War and amid accelerating decolonization, with many African and Asian territories achieving or pursuing independence. The year saw notable advances in science and culture, alongside major political shocks that would shape the mid-to-late 1960s.

On the international stage, the Organization of African Unity was founded on May 25 to promote unity among newly independent states. The Partial Test Ban Treaty was signed by the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union on August 5, banning atmospheric, outer space, and underwater nuclear tests. Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space in June. In Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem was assassinated in a November coup, altering U.S. involvement there. The March on Washington occurred August 28, with Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have a Dream” speech. Kenya gained independence on December 12.

Domestically, civil rights movements intensified in the United States: Medgar Evers was assassinated in June, and the Birmingham campaign culminated in the September 15 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church. In law, Gideon v. Wainwright established the right to counsel for defendants who cannot afford one. Culturally, The Beatles released Please Please Me, the film From Russia with Love opened, and Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique.

In births, future notables include Michael Jordan (February 17), Johnny Depp (June 9), and Brad Pitt (December 18). In deaths, November 22, 1963 saw the simultaneous passing of three prominent figures: John F. Kennedy, Aldous Huxley, and C.S. Lewis, a moment widely noted in history.