Anrhydeddu
01-27-2003, 10:18 AM
For my birthday, I got a calendar-type yearbook that lists events for each day of the year in 1960 (the year I was born). Most of the events focus on popular culture and sports, with some political stuff thrown in. What I would like to do is to highlight some of the days in each month, provide a comment or two and then when we get to the next month, rinse and repeat.
January 1
Cotton Bowl: Syracuse 23 - Texas 14
This event especially hit us personally for this was our hometown team and it was the game that gave the Orangemen the National Championship. Four weeks before I was born, my parents were living in a flat on the Hill next to the Syracuse campus and my dad still talks about the excitement in the area and celebration afterwards.
January 2
Bobby Fischer, 16 wins his 3rd straight US Chess Championship
Why is it the most chess champions are, how shall I say, nuts? :)
January 5
The new #1 US pop single is "El Paso" by Marty Robbins
I note this because this is still one of my favorite songs. This was back in the days when such music was truly Country and Western instead of the rock-and-roll quasi-Country we have now.
January 6
The Second Session of the 86th Congress convenes:
Senate: 65 Democrats, 35 Republicans
House: 280 Democrats, 153 Republicans
I would say that 1960 was the high tide of the Power Bosses and Big Labor and their influences on national politics.
January 8
NBC cancels the popular Gillette-sponsored ˇ§Friday Night Fightsˇ¨ for this coming September, in the wake of recent disclosures of racketeering involvement in boxing and corruption within the TV industry
Racketeering? Corruption? Boxing? Nahhhh. ;)
January 2 and January 9
JF Kennedy and Richard Nixon declare their candidacy for the Presidential race
Think about this. These two leading candidates declared in January of 1960ˇKthe same year as the election instead of two years before like they feel they have to do nowadays.
January 12
Dolph Schayes of Syracus becomes the first NBA player to attain 15,000 career points
Another local sports event. Go Nats! Actually, this would be a good trivia question.
January 17
The West defeats the East 38-21 in the 10th annual NFL Pro Bowl All-Star Game held in LA. Baltimore QB Johnny Unitas sets a Pro Bowl record throwing 3 TD passes
This was back when the All-Star game meant something. (The great championship game between the Colts and Giants was played the previous month.)
January 22
The 10th annual NBA All-Star game is won by the East squad 125-111 over the West. The East was led by Warrior rookie Wilt Chamberlain who scores 23 points in addition to his 23 rebounds
See above.
January 24
The #1 pop single is Johnny Preston's "Running Bear" written about the Big Bopper who died February 3, 1959
...the day the music died. :(
January 26
Pete Rozelle, 33, general manager of the LA Rams, is selected as the new Commissioner of the NFL
On the day I was born, the NFL started its revolution. There have been a few books about Rozelleˇ¦s term as commissioner and they are fascinating reading as he single-handedly brought the NFL into the game we now love.
January 27
Danny Heater of Burnsville, West Virginia, scores 135 pts in a basketball game in which his team defeats Widen, 173-43
Wow.
January 28
The NFL votes to admit the Dallas Rangers as a Western Conference team for the 1960 season
Another good trivia question.
January 30
A team from Oakland is added as the 8th team to the AFL. They will known as the Raiders
...and the rest history, as they say.
January 31
TV Programs Tonight in CBS:
7:00 Lassie
7:30 Dennis the Menace
8:00 The Ed Sullivan Show
9:00 G.E. Theater
9:30 Alfred Hitchcock
10:00 Jack Benny
10:30 Whatˇ¦s My Line?
For those of us growing up in front of the TV in the 1960s, this lineup would become very familiar.
January 1
Cotton Bowl: Syracuse 23 - Texas 14
This event especially hit us personally for this was our hometown team and it was the game that gave the Orangemen the National Championship. Four weeks before I was born, my parents were living in a flat on the Hill next to the Syracuse campus and my dad still talks about the excitement in the area and celebration afterwards.
January 2
Bobby Fischer, 16 wins his 3rd straight US Chess Championship
Why is it the most chess champions are, how shall I say, nuts? :)
January 5
The new #1 US pop single is "El Paso" by Marty Robbins
I note this because this is still one of my favorite songs. This was back in the days when such music was truly Country and Western instead of the rock-and-roll quasi-Country we have now.
January 6
The Second Session of the 86th Congress convenes:
Senate: 65 Democrats, 35 Republicans
House: 280 Democrats, 153 Republicans
I would say that 1960 was the high tide of the Power Bosses and Big Labor and their influences on national politics.
January 8
NBC cancels the popular Gillette-sponsored ˇ§Friday Night Fightsˇ¨ for this coming September, in the wake of recent disclosures of racketeering involvement in boxing and corruption within the TV industry
Racketeering? Corruption? Boxing? Nahhhh. ;)
January 2 and January 9
JF Kennedy and Richard Nixon declare their candidacy for the Presidential race
Think about this. These two leading candidates declared in January of 1960ˇKthe same year as the election instead of two years before like they feel they have to do nowadays.
January 12
Dolph Schayes of Syracus becomes the first NBA player to attain 15,000 career points
Another local sports event. Go Nats! Actually, this would be a good trivia question.
January 17
The West defeats the East 38-21 in the 10th annual NFL Pro Bowl All-Star Game held in LA. Baltimore QB Johnny Unitas sets a Pro Bowl record throwing 3 TD passes
This was back when the All-Star game meant something. (The great championship game between the Colts and Giants was played the previous month.)
January 22
The 10th annual NBA All-Star game is won by the East squad 125-111 over the West. The East was led by Warrior rookie Wilt Chamberlain who scores 23 points in addition to his 23 rebounds
See above.
January 24
The #1 pop single is Johnny Preston's "Running Bear" written about the Big Bopper who died February 3, 1959
...the day the music died. :(
January 26
Pete Rozelle, 33, general manager of the LA Rams, is selected as the new Commissioner of the NFL
On the day I was born, the NFL started its revolution. There have been a few books about Rozelleˇ¦s term as commissioner and they are fascinating reading as he single-handedly brought the NFL into the game we now love.
January 27
Danny Heater of Burnsville, West Virginia, scores 135 pts in a basketball game in which his team defeats Widen, 173-43
Wow.
January 28
The NFL votes to admit the Dallas Rangers as a Western Conference team for the 1960 season
Another good trivia question.
January 30
A team from Oakland is added as the 8th team to the AFL. They will known as the Raiders
...and the rest history, as they say.
January 31
TV Programs Tonight in CBS:
7:00 Lassie
7:30 Dennis the Menace
8:00 The Ed Sullivan Show
9:00 G.E. Theater
9:30 Alfred Hitchcock
10:00 Jack Benny
10:30 Whatˇ¦s My Line?
For those of us growing up in front of the TV in the 1960s, this lineup would become very familiar.