Look Back To 1962: What Happened That Year

Love Me Do, the first James Bond film and the Cuban missile crisis.

Here's 1962 in full - the music, the news, the screen, the sport and the ordinary details. Good for a birthday card, a party quiz round or a reminiscence session.

In the charts in 1962

• The Beatles released 'Love Me Do' in October; it reached the top twenty rather than the top.
• 'I Remember You' by Frank Ifield and 'Telstar' by the Tornados were the year's biggest singles.
• Elvis Presley's 'Return to Sender' was high in the chart at Christmas.

In the news in 1962

• The Cuban missile crisis in October brought the world closer to nuclear war than at any other point.
• The Sunday Times launched Britain's first colour supplement in February.
• Coventry Cathedral was consecrated in May.

On screen in 1962

• Dr. No opened in October and James Bond was on screen for the first time.
• Z-Cars began on the BBC.
• That Was the Week That Was started in November and changed what satire could say.

In sport in 1962

• Brazil won the World Cup in Chile; England reached the quarter-final.
• Ipswich Town won the First Division under Alf Ramsey.
• Graham Hill won the Formula One world championship.

Everyday life in 1962

• The winter that followed, from December, became the big freeze of 1962-63.
• Twist dancing was the craze of the year.
• Telstar relayed the first live television pictures across the Atlantic in July.

If you were born in 1962

• Anyone born in 1962 was born the year the Beatles released their first single.
• Their first winter was the coldest in over two hundred years.
• Anyone born in 1962 turns 30 in 1992, 40 in 2002, 50 in 2012, 60 in 2022 and 70 in 2032.
• For a milestone card, the strongest line is usually the number one from the week they were born rather than the year's biggest events - it's personal, and it takes two minutes to find.
• For a reminiscence session, read one section at a time and stop on whatever gets a reaction. The point is the conversation, not the facts.

Shop birthday cards

How to write it so it lands

• The number one from the week they were born beats the year's headlines on a card.
• Read one section at a time in a reminiscence session and stop where the conversation starts.
• Use it as a guess-the-year round by reading three facts and hiding the date.

Where to shop next

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• The 1920s: the whole decade
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
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• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What was the first Beatles single?

'Love Me Do', released on 5 October 1962.

What was the first James Bond film?

Dr. No, released in the UK in October 1962, with Sean Connery.

How old is someone born in 1962?

Subtract 1962 from the current year. They turn 40 in 2002, 50 in 2012, 60 in 2022 and 70 in 2032.

Do you sell anything to do with this year?

We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK, including milestone birthday cards. This page itself is free to read and free to copy.