Apparently, 1962 was a big year

It seemed like I was hearing the phrase “50th Anniversary” over and over all year. Here’s the stuff that happened in 1962:

[ul]
[li]Formation of The Beach Boys[/li][li]Formation of The Rolling Stones[/li][li]Opening of Dodger Stadium[/li][li]Death of Marilyn Monroe[/li][li]Creation of the Houston Astros[/li][li]50 years of James Bond movies – “Dr No” released[/li][li]“Lawrence of Arabia” released[/li][li]Foundation of the Esalen Institute, spawning the whole human potential movement[/li][li]Start of the Vietnam War (although I’m not clear exactly what happened in 1962)[/li][li]Publication of Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring”, spawning the environmental movement[/li][li]John Glenn’s flight[/li][li]and for me, the biggest thing at the time: release of Mars Attacks trading cards[/li][/ul]

You forgot me learning how to walk.

I keep hearing “100th Anniversary”. Events of 1912:

[ul]
[li]Maiden (and final) voyage of the Titanic[/li][li]Fenway Park opens[/li][li]Creation of the Oreo cookie[/li][li]Creation of the U.S. Girl Scouts[/li][li]New Mexico becomes a state[/li][li]Scott reaches the South Pole[/li][li]Japanese cherry trees planted in Washington, D.C.[/li][li]The Beverly Hills Hotel opens[/li][li]Tarzan of the Apes published in All-Story Magazine[/li][/ul]
And two for San Francisco:

[ul]
[li]First running of the Bay to Breakers[/li][li]San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni) opens[/li][/ul]

the Cuban Missile Crisis was sort of a big thing, almost started a nuclear war.

Holy crap, right – that’ll be coming up later this month.

I left off the list:

Foundation of the United Farm Workers
Launch of Telstar, the first communications satellite

It seems like the '60s really started then.

That just made me realize something. 2019 is going to be really terrible with this kind of stuff. There is nothing worse than hippies reminiscing other than former hippies with dementia trying to.

And me…

You left out the founding of the Who, the opening of the Space Needle, the Beatles’ first single, the founding of K-Mart, the founding of Wal-Mart, the debut of the Incredible Hulk and Spider-Man, and the convening of Vatican II (Electric Boogaloo).

I’m glad you included the most important thing of the year. My brother and I got given some of these when we were trick or treating, and we immediately collected the whole set. We even got to a card album from Bazooka Gum to put them in.
When the movie came out they became very valuable - but of course our mother had thrown them out years before. sob

Ha! I spent over half an hour today walking (pacing in circles on our figure 8 shaped unit) with a woman with dementia with BPSD. She was grabbing and hitting and I walked with her singing songs from the Beatles, Peter Paul and Mary, and the Beach Boys. She started singing along to Hey Jude, and then I just kept on with Beatles songs.

Earlier in my career I was singing Vera Lynn and the Andrew Sisters. When I start singing Rio by Duran Duran it will be time to retire into the first empty bed.

I took my collection to school, and a nun confiscated it. Never gave it back. She probably sold it on eBay.

And Target. Always found it odd that the three biggest discount chains were founded the same year (though the store chains from which they grew all predate 1962).

I got my PhD in 1962. Great year.

Um…

September 11, 1962: a young man from Hibbing, Minnesota releases his first album.

Born Robert Zimmerman, the young man recorded under the name of Bob Dylan.

A few pop culture 1962 events:

Wilt Chamberlain played his 100 point game.

Andy Warhol exhibited his Campbell’s Soup Cans series.

Johnny Carson began hosting the Tonight Show.

Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time was published.

The computer game Spacewar! was released. It operates on the Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1. There is one working PDP-1 left in the world in a California museum. Spacewar! has been installed on it and visitors to the museum can play the game.

ETA: September 11, 2012, an old man from Hibbing, Minnesota releases his 35th studio album.

Born Robert Zimmerman, the old man still records under the name of Bob Dylan. Some of his most vital music has been made in the last fifteen years.

Twenty-one years ago he said, “the world don’t need any more songs.”

I’m very glad that he changed his mind.

The birth of kferr.

I still have mine. But not a complete set (sob) Fortunately, you can view the entire set online at places like this: http://www.bubblegum-cards.com/Mars-Attacks/index.html

Young man, get off of my lawn.

And welcome to 50!

1962 had the longest day. No, really.