1962
The year in music, movies, TV, fads & memories
In 1962, “Stranger On the Shore” by Acker Bilk topped the Billboard year-end Hot 100 and Surfin' Safari by The Beach Boys and Modern Sounds in Country by Ray Charles were on every turntable. Lawrence of Arabia, Dr. No and To Kill a Mockingbird were in theaters, and The Beverly Hillbillies, The Jetsons and Johnny Carson's Tonight Show were on TV.
The headlines: Cuban Missile Crisis. New that year: Telstar communications satellite. Fads of the year: The Watusi dance and Mashed-potato dance. Gas was 31¢ a gallon and a stamp was 4¢.
🎂 What music raised you?
Drop your birthday and we'll rewind to your golden era — the years the songs imprinted for life.
🔙 Backtrack — 1962
The world around the music — what was on screen, and what was on the shelf.
📰 Headlines
- Cuban Missile Crisis
- John Glenn orbits Earth
- Marilyn Monroe dies
- Telstar broadcasts live TV
- James Meredith integrates Ole Miss
💡 Tech & Firsts
- Telstar communications satellite
- Spacewar! video game
- First LED demonstrated
- Mariner 2 flies past Venus
- First Walmart and Kmart open
🏆 Sports
- Yankees win the World Series
- Packers win the NFL title
- Celtics win the NBA Finals
- Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup
- Wilt scores 100 points
🤪 Crazes & fads
- The Watusi dance
- Mashed-potato dance
- Beehive hairdos
- Surf music takes off
- Skateboards (sidewalk surfing)
👖 Clothes
- Go-go boots emerge
- Shift dresses
- Pillbox hats
- White gloves
- A-line skirts
💵 What it cost
- Gas: 31¢/gal
- Stamp: 4¢
- Gallon of milk: ~49¢
- New car avg: ~$3,000
- Median home: ~$12,500
Billboard Year-End Hot 100
📊 Full chart →- 1
Stranger On the ShoreAcker Bilk - 2
I Can't Stop Loving YouRay Charles - 3
Mashed Potato TimeDee Dee Sharp - 4
Roses Are Red (My Love)Bobby Vinton - 5
The StripperDavid Rose - 6
Johnny AngelShelley Fabares - 7
The Loco-MotionLittle Eva - 8
Let Me InThe Sensations - 9
The TwistChubby Checker - 10
Soldier BoyThe Shirelles - 11
Hey! BabyBruce Channel - 12
The WandererDion - 13
Duke of EarlGene Chandler - 14
Palisades ParkFreddy Cannon - 15
Breaking Up Is Hard to DoNeil Sedaka - 16
Wolverton MountainClaude King - 17
Slow Twistin'Chubby Checker & Dee Dee Sharp - 18
It Keeps Right On a-Hurtin'Johnny Tillotson - 19
The One Who Really Loves YouMary Wells - 20
Good Luck CharmElvis Presley - 21
Midnight In MoscowKenny Ball - 22
SheilaTommy Roe - 23
Twistin' the Night AwaySam Cooke - 24
The Wah-WatusiThe Orlons - 25
Peppermint TwistJoey Dee & The Starliters
More from 1962
🎤 Big in 1962
🎚️ 1962 genres
🎛️ Behind the boards & the pen — 1962
The hands behind 1962 — the producers and songwriters who actually shaped that year's records.
🎚️ Related vibes
All themes →Themed rooms that lean on the sound of 1962.
What does 1962 remind you of?
The drive, the dance, the heartbreak, the summer. Add a memory of 1962.
Community Memories
How well do you remember 1962?
7 quick questions — the songs, the artists, the year. No cheating. 😏
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🎵 1962 albums on vinyl
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📻 60s gear
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