When This Dropped

December 27, 1962

President
Kennedy
Dow (EOY)
652
Gas/gal
$0.31
Min Wage
$1.15

By the winter of 1962, Kennedy was in the White House and the federal minimum wage stood at $1.15/hr — the administration was pushing a $5.7 billion space budget for 1964, with three-quarters of it directed toward the goal of landing men on the Moon. On television, "The Dick Van Dyke Show" had taken the Emmy for best comedy, while Chubby Checker's "The Twist" sat at the top of the music charts, with Americans across the country picking up the dance in living rooms and on television variety programs. The Green Bay Packers held the NFL championship that winter, and on February 4th, astronomers marked a rare grand conjunction of all five naked-eye planets — Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn — aligned within 16 degrees of one another on the ecliptic, an event that would not repeat in comparable form for generations.

On the cover

Magazine Covers — December 27, 1962

New York Times
Time
TV Guide
Nat. Geographic

NY Times Headlines — Week of December 27, 1962

Kennedy Finds Prospects For Peace Better In 1963; Sees The Communists' Appeal Dimmed In Neutral Eyes By Cuban Setback But Warns Of New Pressures Breathing Spell Seen By Kennedy Disaster War Prevented Several Problems Remain

Tshombe Calls For A Cease-Fire And Unity Talks; Says In Messages He Would Return To Elisabethville If Guaranteed Safety U.N. Troops Advance Indians Move 60 Miles Down Jadotville Road Toward Key Katanga Bridge Indian Troops Advance British Position Cited Tshombe Calls For Cease-Fire; Asks Guarantee Of Safe Return Messages From Jadotville Propoosals No Surprise Time Limit Set

Britain Assures Polaris Critics She Will Retain Nuclear Control; Britain Asserts Polaris Control Gap Will Be Filled

World Events — December 1962

Time Person of the Year — 1962

John F. Kennedy
Person of the Year
John F. Kennedy

On the radio

Billboard Charts — December 27, 1962

Telstar
The Tornadoes
Hot 100 #1
"Telstar"
The Tornadoes
Days Of Wine And Roses
Andy Williams
Billboard 200 #1
"Days Of Wine And Roses"
Andy Williams

Grammy Awards

The First Family
Vaughn Meader
Grammy Album of the Year
"The First Family"
Vaughn Meader
What Kind of Fool Am I?
Sammy Davis Jr.
Grammy Song of the Year
"What Kind of Fool Am I?"
Sammy Davis Jr.
I Left My Heart in San Francisco
Tony Bennett
Grammy Record of the Year
"I Left My Heart in San Francisco"
Tony Bennett
Robert Goulet
Grammy Best New Artist
Robert Goulet

On the bookshelf

Ship of Fools
Katherine Anne Porter
NYT Fiction #1
"Ship of Fools"
Katherine Anne Porter
Calories Don't Count
Herman Taller
NYT Non-Fiction #1
"Calories Don't Count"
Herman Taller
The Edge of Sadness
Edwin O'Connor
Pulitzer Prize Fiction
"The Edge of Sadness"
Edwin O'Connor
The Moviegoer
Walker Percy
National Book Award Fiction
"The Moviegoer"
Walker Percy
The City in History
Lewis Mumford
National Book Award Nonfiction
"The City in History"
Lewis Mumford

On the television

Nielsen Top 10 — 1962–63 Season

Wagon Train
Nielsen #1 TV Show
Wagon Train
Nielsen
Top 10
TV Shows
Nielsen Ratings
Top 10 TV Shows
1962–63 Season

Emmy Winners — 1962

The Defenders
Emmy Drama Series
The Defenders
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Emmy Comedy Series
The Dick Van Dyke Show
E.G. Marshall
The Defenders
Emmy Lead Actor
E.G. Marshall
The Defenders
Shirley Booth
Hazel
Emmy Lead Actress
Shirley Booth
Hazel

At the movies

Box Office & Oscar Winners — December 27, 1962

No survey was published this week, but Mutiny on the Bounty was #1 the previous week.
Box Office #1
No survey was published this week, but Mutiny on the Bounty was #1 the previous week.
West Side Story
Oscar Best Picture
West Side Story
David Lean
Lawrence of Arabia
Oscar Best Director
David Lean
Lawrence of Arabia
Gregory Peck
To Kill a Mockingbird
Oscar Best Actor
Gregory Peck
To Kill a Mockingbird
Anne Bancroft
The Miracle Worker
Oscar Best Actress
Anne Bancroft
The Miracle Worker

Ebert 4-Star Films — December 27, 1962

An Autumn Afternoon
4-Star Review
An Autumn Afternoon
Cléo from 5 to 7
4-Star Review
Cléo from 5 to 7
Harakiri
4-Star Review
Harakiri
Lawrence of Arabia
4-Star Review
Lawrence of Arabia
The Manchurian Candidate
4-Star Review
The Manchurian Candidate

On the field

Sports Champions — December 27, 1962

NFL Champion
Green Bay Packers
AFL Champion
Dallas Texans
World Series
New York Yankees
def. San Francisco Giants
NBA Champion
Boston Celtics
def. Los Angeles Lakers
Stanley Cup
Toronto Maple Leafs
def. Chicago Blackhawks

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