Memory Lane: 1962

drnoCars continued to evolve as more compacts appeared and sold well in the US.

The Cold War continued to worsen when the Russians placed Ballistic Missiles on Cuban land just 90 miles away from the coast of Florida and JFK called the bluff by threatening war unless they were removed which they were but for a short time the world was on the brink of nuclear war and self-destruction.

The president then set a goal of landing a man on the moon before the end of the decade and became more involved in politics in Southeast Asia by training South Vietnamese pilots.

Folk music was evolving into protest music thanks to young artists like Bob Dylan and the birth of Surfing music by the Beach Boys grew in popularity.

In England the Beatles record the single “Love Me Do”.

The new hit on TV for that year was “The Beverly Hillbillies”.

The first of the James Bond movies “Dr. No” was an instant success, some of the other movies released included “Spartacus” and “El Cid”.

In The News

Telstar sent the first live trans-Atlantic television signal

First Beatles single “Love Me Do” released

Oral Polio vaccine used to combat Polio

Marilyn Monroe is found dead

Cuban Missile Crisis takes world to brink of war

John H. Glenn, Jr., becomes first American to orbit the earth

First Wal-Mart discount store is opened


Population/Economy

Population:

  • Wake County (1960 census): 169,082
  • NC: 4,707,000
  • USA: 186,500,000

National Debt:

  • $298,200,822,720 (1962)
  • $18,152,809,942,589 (2015)

Value of a Dollar: $1 in 1962 is $7.82 in 2015

Cost Of Living 1962:

  • Yearly Inflation Rate USA: 1.20%
  • Yearly Inflation Rate UK: 3.6%
  • Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 652
  • Average Cost of new house: $12,500
  • Average Monthly Rent: $110
  • Average Yearly Wages: $5,556
  • Factory Workers Average Take Home Pay with 3 dependents $94.87
  • Tuition to Harvard University: $1,520
  • Average Cost of a new car: $3,125
  • Cost of a gallon of Gas: $0.28
  • Eggs per dozen: $0.32
  • Cheeseburger at McDonald’s: $0.15
  • Ticket to Disneyland: $3.75

Ounce of Gold Price:

  • The cost of an ounce of gold was $35.23
  • The inflation-adjusted price of an ounce of gold was $279.60


Going to the Movies

Cost of a movie ticket: $0.70

Inflation-adjusted price of a movie ticket: $5.56

The cost of a movie ticket in 2015: $7.92

Top 5 Movies:

  1. Lawrence of Arabia 
  2. The Longest Day
  3. In Search of the Castaways
  4. That Touch of Mink 
  5. The Music Man 


35th Academy Awards

  • Best Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
  • Best Director: David Lean – Lawrence of Arabia
  • Best Actor: Gregory Peck – To Kill A Mockingbird
  • Best Actress: Anne Bancroft – The Miracle Worker
  • Best Supporting Actor: Ed Begley – Sweet Bird of Youth
  • Best Supporting Actress: Patty Duke – The Miracle Worker


Top 10 TV Shows

  1. The Beverly Hillbillies – CBS – 18,108,00
  2. Candid Camera – CBS – 15,643,300
  3. The Red Skelton Show – CBS – 15,643,300
  4. Bonanza – NBC – 14,989,400
  5. The Lucy Show – CBS – 14,989,400
  6. The Andy Griffith Show – CBS – 14,939,100
  7. Ben Casey – ABC – 14,436,100
  8. The Danny Thomas Show – CBS – 14,436,100
  9. The Dick Van Dyke Show – CBS – 13,631,300
  10. Gunsmoke – CBS – 13,581,000


Top 20 Pop Songs

  1. Mr. Acker Bilk – Stranger On The Shore
  2. Ray Charles – I Can’t Stop Loving You
  3. Dee Dee Sharp – Mashed Potato Time
  4. Bobby Vinton – Roses Are Red (My Love)
  5. David Rose – The Stripper
  6. Shelley Fabares – Johnny Angel
  7. Little Eva – The Loco-Motion
  8. Sensations – Let Me In
  9. Chubby Checker – The Twist
  10. Shirelles – Soldier Boy
  11. Bruce Channel – Hey! Baby
  12. Dion – The Wanderer
  13. Gene Chandler – Duke Of Earl
  14. Freddy Cannon – Palisades Park
  15. Neil Sedaka – Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
  16. Claude King – Wolverton Mountain
  17. Chubby Checker – Slow Twistin’
  18. Johnny Tillotson – It Keeps Right On a-Hurtin’
  19. Mary Wells – The One Who Really Loves You
  20. Elvis Presley – Good Luck Charm


Top 10 Country Songs

  1. Misery Loves Company – Porter Wagoner
  2. That’s My Pa – Sheb Wooley
  3. She’s Got You – Patsy Cline
  4. Charlie’s Shoes – Billy Walker
  5. She Thinks I Still Care – George Jones
  6. Wolverton Mountain – Claude King
  7. Devil Woman – Marty Robbins
  8. Mama Sang a Song – Bill Anderson
  9. I’ve Been Everywhere – Hank Snow
  10. Don’t Let Me Cross Over – Carl Butler and Pearl


This Year in Sports

ACC Football Champ: Duke

ACC Basketball Champs: Wake Forest (WFU 77 – Clemson 66)

World Series Winner: NY Yankees over the San Francisco Giants

Heavyweight Boxing Champ: Sonny Liston, Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) (Universal)

NFL Championship Game: Green Bay Packers (Green Bay 16 – NY Giants 7)

NASCAR Season Winner: Joe Weatherly

Masters Winner: Arnold Palmer (8 under)

Wimbledon Winners:

  • Men’s Singles: Australia Rod Laver defeated Australia Marty Mulligan 6–2, 6–2, 6–1
  • Women’s Singles: United States Karen Susman defeated Czechoslovakia Vera Puzejova Sukova 6–4, 6–4
  • Men’s Doubles: Australia Bob Hewitt / Australia Fred Stolle defeated Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Boro Jovanović / Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Niki Pilic 6–2, 5–7, 6–2, 6–4
  • Women’s Doubles: United States Billie Jean Moffitt / United States Karen Susman defeated South Africa Sandra (Reynolds) Price / South Africa Renee Schuurman 5–7, 6–3, 7–5
  • Mixed Doubles: United States Margaret Osborne duPont / Australia Neale Fraser defeated United Kingdom Ann Haydon / United States Dennis Ralston 2–6, 6–3, 13–11