Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
Jan
10
Jan
10
Jan
29
Feb
02
Feb
04
Feb
10
Feb
20
From Cape Canaveral, Florida, John Herschel Glenn Jr. is successfully launched into space aboard the Friendship 7 spacecraft on the first orbital flight by an American astronaut.
An automatic camera inside Friendship 7 records astronaut John H. Glenn during his orbital flight in 1962.
NASA
Mar
18
Apr
09
May
03
May
31
Jul
09
Jul
10
Aug
05
On August 5, 1962, movie actress Marilyn Monroe is found dead in her home in Los Angeles. She was discovered lying nude on her bed, face down, with a telephone in one hand. Empty bottles of pills, prescribed to treat her depression, were littered around the room. After a brief investigation, Los Angeles police concluded that her death was “caused by a self-administered overdose of sedative drugs and that the mode of death is probable suicide.”
Alfred Eisenstaedt/Pix Inc/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Aug
17
Aug
25
Sep
15
Oct
20
Oct
22
In a televised speech of extraordinary gravity, President John F. Kennedy announces on October 22, 1962 that U.S. spy planes have discovered Soviet missile bases in Cuba. These missile sites—under construction but nearing completion—housed medium-range missiles capable of striking a number of major cities in the United States, including Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 22, 1962: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) (FILE PHOTO) U.S. President John F. Kennedy (L) speaks during a televised speech to the nation about the strategic blockade of Cuba, and his warning to the Soviet Union about missile sanctions, during the Cuban missile crisis October 24, 1962 in Washington, DC. Former Russian and U.S. officials attending a conference commemorating the 40th anniversary of the missile crisis October 2002 in Cuba, said that the world was closer to a nuclear conflict during the 1962 standoff between Cuba and the U.S., than governments were aware of. (Photo by Getty Images)
Getty Images
Oct
28
Nov
03
Nov
06
On November 6, 1962, the United Nations General Assembly adopts a resolution condemning South Africa’s racist apartheid policies and calling on all its members to end economic and military relations with the country.
Portrait of an unidentified Blank man, in a hat and overcoat, as he stands beside a restroom sign that reads 'Non White Males,' Johannesburg, South Africa, August 30, 1980. (Photo by William F. Campbell/Getty Images)
Getty Images
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