Trusted Writing on History, Travel, and American Culture Since 1949
1964
Four million Americans came into the world that year. Here are some who have already made their mark on 2006.
Jeff Bezos, January 12: Founder and chief executive officer of Amazon.com; he was Time magazine’s Person of the Year in 1999.
Just as the year changed the nation, so its World Series changed American sports.
On what they still called their “home screens,” Americans got to watch the future.
The Beatles’ appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in February 1964 remains one of the most watched television events in history. Those who saw it remember it almost as clearly as they remember the near-continuous coverage of the Kennedy assassination and its aftermath the previous November.
January 11 Surgeon General Luther L. Terry releases his report on cigarette smoking.
January 16 Hello, Dolly! opens at the St. James Theater in New York City.
Viewing a transformation that still affects all of us—through the prism of a single year
The Republican party ensured a landslide defeat when it nominated Barry Goldwater in 1964, but the Democrats did far more lasting damage to themselves at their convention in Atlantic City that year. In fact, they still haven’t recovered.
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