- In 1962: The hot chicks were Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, Audrey Hepburn, Brigitte Bardot, Rita Moreno, Sophia Loren, Doris Day, Annette Funicello, and Kim Novak.
- In 1962: Miss America was Maria Fletcher (Asheville, NC). Miss USA was Macel Leilani (Hawaii).
- In 1962: Marilyn Monroe died of an overdose of sleeping pills. Ex-husband and baseball great Joe DiMaggio took care of all of the funeral arrangements.
- In 1962: Telstar, the first working communications satellite, was launched, and the light-emitting diode (LED) was invented by Nick Holonyak, while working for General Electric.
- In 1962: Glenn Bell's first Taco Bell opened in Downey, California. The first computer video Game , Spacewar, was invented.
- In 1962: Decca Records executive Dick Rowe passed on the Beatles, reportedly telling their manager, "Guitar groups are on the way out." He made up for this mistake by later signing the Rolling Stones.
- In 1962: The Most Popular TV shows were the Beverly Hillbillies), Candid Camera, The Red Skelton Show, Bonanza, The Lucy Show, The Andy Griffith Show, Ben Casey, and The Danny Thomas Show.
- In 1962: Average Income was $5,556.00 ($44,310.00 in 2016 $$.) Average cost of new house - $12,500.00 ($99,690.00 in 2016). And yearly tuition to Harvard University was $1,520.00 (or $12,122.40 in 2016).
- In 1962: On August 6th the U.S. began to suspect the Soviets of building missile bases in Cuba. The U.S. blockaded the island, but the issue was resolved by Nov. 20, avoiding nuclear war with the Ruskies.
- In 1962: When Acker Bilk`s "Stranger On the Shore" topped the US charts in May, he became the very first British artist of the pop era to have a number one hit in America.
- In 1962: For Ray Charles, "I Can`t Stop Loving You" (originally a country & western tune) was a HUGE hit, selling 700,000 copies the first month it was released
- In 1962: Shelley Fabares` "Johnny Angel" featured Glen Campbell and Carol Kaye on guitar, Hal Blaine on drums, and Darlene Love and the Blossoms on backup vocals.
- In 1962: Loco-motion, written by husband-and-wife Carole King & Gerry Goffin, was recorded as a studio demo by Eva Boyd (Little Eva ), their babysitter! A new dance and a new singing career were born!
- In 1962: John Lennon was so impressed with the harmonica intro to Bruce Channel`s "Hey Baby" that he used a similar harmonica passage a year later on "Love Me Do" .
- In 1962: Bruce Channels` (real name Bruce McMeans) "Hey Baby" topped U.S. charts, & was #2 in the UK, selling one million+ copies. Channel disliked touring, eventually setteling in Nashville as a songwriter.
- In 1962: "She Cried", written by Ted Daryll and Greg Richards & recorded by Jay and the Americans for their album of the same name reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the group`s first major hit.
- In 1962: Before their first national hit, "The Wah-Watusi" , The Orlons provided back-up vocals for Dee Dee Sharp`s hits "Mashed Potato Time" and "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)".
- In 1962: The original "Peppermint Twist", considered too long for a single, was split in two. "Peppermint Twist (Part 1)", (length 2:03), became a #1 hit, while the instrumental pt. 2 is rarely heard today.
- In 1962: Brian Hyland`s "Sealed With A Kiss", his second-biggest hit (#3 in the U.S), was preceded by his "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini", which he recorded at the age of 16.
- In 1962: The Orlons's "Wah-Watusi" reached No. 2 in the US charts & received a rating of 4.5 out of 5 from Allmusic in 2006. Their second hit that same year was "Don't Hang Up", a No. 4 hit on the pop chart. in 1963, they recorded "Crossfire", the group`s last hit.
