The 60s Official Site

Time Capsule High School Class of 1964

Key Facts of 1964:

• President: Lyndon B. Johnson 
• Vice President: None 
• Cost of a gallon of gas: 30 cents 
• Cost of a gallon of milk: 95 cents 
• Cost of a dozen of eggs: 54 cents 
• Cost of a new home: $20,500 
• Cost of a first class postage stamp: 5 cents 
• Unemployment: 5.7% 

Notable Inventions of 1964:

• Acrylic paint 
• Permanent-press fabric 
• BASIC (an early computer language) is invented by John George Kemeny and Tom Kurtz.  

Time Capsule for 1964:

• President Johnson wins congressional approval of broad war-making authority in Vietnam with the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, following a disputed military skirmish. 
• Khruschev is deposed in the Soviet Union, replaced as Communist leader by Leonid Brezhnev. 
• A Presidential commission headed by Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren concludes that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of President Kennedy. 
• Three civil rights workers are murdered in Mississippi. 
• Congresss enacts civil rights legislation. 
• The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King wins the Nobel Peace Prize. 
• Johnson launches his War on Poverty with the Economic Opportunity Act and related programs. 
• The Surgeon General finds a conclusive link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer. 
• Beatlemania sweeps America and the world. 
• See-through blouses and topless swimsuits are scandulous new fashions. 
• The Ford Mustang is the most popular car of the era. 
• Jim Brown leads the Cleveland Browns over the Baltimore Colts in the NFL Championship game. 
• Cassius Clay (soon to become Muhammad Ali) scores a stunning upset over Sonny Liston to win the world heavyweight boxing championship. 
• Movies:  My Fair Lady is the year's big Oscar winner.  Other hits at the boxoffice included, Charade with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn (who also starred in My Fair Lady,) Dr. Strangelove with Peter Sellers, Fail Safe.  Peter Sellers also introduces his classic character Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther.  Other popular movies are The Carpetbaggers and From Russia With Love with Sean Connery as Agent 007.
  Television:  The season's most popular series are Bonanza, Bewitched, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., The Andy Griffith Show, and The Fugitive. 

The Top Musical Artists of 1964 Were:

The Beatles, The 4 Seasons, The Dave Clark Five, The Beach Boys, The Supremes, Elvis Presley, Bobby Vinton, Jan & Dean, Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye, Lesley Gore, Ray Charles, Major Lance, The Searchers, Dionne Warwick, Brenda Lee, The Drifters, Johnny Tillotson, Martha & The Vandellas, The Impressions.

The Top Musical Artists Debut of 1964:

The Beatles, Dusty Springfield, The Dave Clark Five, The Temptations, The Searchers, Barbra Streisand, The Rolling Stones, Peter and Gordon, The Hollies, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Johnny Rivers, Roger Miller, Ronnie Dove, LuLu, The Animals, Four Tops, The Shangri-Las, Manfred Mann, The Kinks, Ramsey Lewis, Herman's Hermits, Petula Clark, Joe Tex

Other Musical Tidbits:

• The Top Song of 1964 was I Want to Hold Your Hand by The Beatles which was number 1 for 7 weeks.
• The Top Recording Artist of 1964 was The Beatles.