1964 CE

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ends legal segregation in the United States; the Gulf of Tonkin incident escalates U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War; Beatlemania starts in the U.S. after The Beatles appear on The Ed Sullivan Show; the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo mark Japan’s postwar return; the 1964 Alaska earthquake strikes near Anchorage, causing tsunamis and damage; Project 596 makes China the world’s fifth nuclear power; Hurricane Dora hits Florida; the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état overthrows João Goulart; and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer premieres on NBC.

In the 1960s, the 20th century.

1964 at a glance

World population: about 3.26 billion Our World in Data
United States: Lyndon B. Johnson (President) Wikipedia rev. 1371751893
United Kingdom: Elizabeth II (Queen); Alec Douglas-Home, then Harold Wilson (Prime minister) Wikipedia rev. 1371751893
Soviet Union: Nikita Khrushchev (General Secretary); Leonid Brezhnev (First Secretary); Leonid Brezhnev, then Anastas Mikoyan (Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet); Nikita Khrushchev, then Alexei Kosygin (Chairman of the Council of Ministers) Wikipedia rev. 1371751893
People's Republic of China: Mao Zedong (Chairman; Paramount Leader); Liu Shaoqi (President); Zhou Enlai (Premier) Wikipedia rev. 1371751893
France: Charles de Gaulle (President); Georges Pompidou (Prime minister) Wikipedia rev. 1371751893
East Germany: Walter Ulbricht (Chairmen of the State Council); Otto Grotewohl, then Willi Stoph (Chairman) Wikipedia rev. 1371751893
West Germany: Heinrich Lübke (President); Ludwig Erhard (Chancellor) Wikipedia rev. 1371751893
$1 in 1964: $10.86 in September 2026 dollars BLS CPI-U
Most weeks at No. 1 in 1964: “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles, 7 weeks Wikipedia rev. 1357528709

Who led every country in 1964 →Born in 1964? What it cost, who led, what was No. 1 →

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.source
January 22 – Kenneth Kaunda is inaugurated as the first Prime Minister of Northern Rhodesia.source
February 4 – The Government of the United States authorizes the Twenty-fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, outlawing the poll tax.source
February 5 – India backs out of its promise to hold a plebiscite in the disputed territory of Kashmir. In 1948, India had taken the issue of Kashmir to the United Nations Security Council and offered to hold a plebiscite in the held Kashmir under UN supervision.source
March 6 – Constantine II becomes King of Greece, upon the death of his father King Paul.source
March 28 – King Saud of Saudi Arabia abdicates. His brother, Prince Faisal, does not officially assume the throne until November.source
8 April - 1963–64 Balkans Cup: Albania ties with Bulgaria 1-1 at Selman Stërmasi Stadium, TiranaAlbania source
April 11 – The Brazilian Congress elects Field Marshal Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco as President of Brazil.source
April 26 – Tanganyika and Zanzibar merge to form Tanzania.source
May 28 – The Charter of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is released by the Arab League.source
31 May – General elections are held. President Paz Estenssoro is reelected two a second consecutive and third overall term.Bolivia source
June 21 – Spain beats the Soviet Union 2–1 to win the 1964 European Nations Cup.source
June 26 – Moise Tshombe returns to the Democratic Republic of the Congo from exile in Spain.source
July 2 – The United States Civil Rights Act of 1964 is enacted.source
July 2 – President Lyndon Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, abolishing racial segregation in the United States.United States source
July 20 – The National Movement of the Revolution is established in the Republic of the Congo, becoming the country's sole legal political party.source
22 July – The heads of state of Iran, Pakistan and Turkey issue a joint communique from Istanbul, establishing the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD).Pakistan source
August 24–27 – The Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City nominates incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson for a full term, and U.S. Senator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota as his running mate.source
October 1 – The Shinkansen high-speed rail system, the world's first such system, is inaugurated in Japan, for the first sector between Tokyo and Osaka.source
October 5 – Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh begin an 8-day visit to Canada.source
10 October – Eleanor Roosevelt was commemorated on a Malaysian stamp.Malaysia source
October 14–15 – Nikita Khrushchev is deposed as leader of the Soviet Union; Leonid Brezhnev and Alexei Kosygin assume power.source
October 15 – 1964 United Kingdom general election: The Labour Party wins a narrow victory over Sir Alec Douglas-Home's Conservative Party, which has been in power for 13 years. The new prime minister is Harold Wilson.source
October 22 – Canada: A Federal Multi-Party Parliamentary Committee selects a design to become the new official Flag of Canada.source
November 3 – 1964 United States presidential election: Incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson defeats Republican challenger Barry Goldwater with over 60 percent of the popular vote.source
11 November - Establishment of Mauritania–North Korea relations.North Korea source
12 November – Grand Duchesse Charlotte abdicates and is succeeded by her son, Jean.Luxembourg source
December 1 – Gustavo Díaz Ordaz takes office as President of Mexico.source
December 5 – Australian Senate election, 1964: The Liberal/Country Coalition Government led by Prime Minister Robert Menzies hold their status quo, while the Labor Party led by Arthur Calwell lose one seat to the Democratic Labor Party, who hold the balance of power in the Senate alongside independent Reg Turnbull.source
December 12 – Jamhuri Day: Kenya becomes a republic, with Jomo Kenyatta as its first President.source
December 30 – The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is established as a permanent organ of the UN General Assembly.source
December - the Nigerian parliamentary election starts and continues into 1965Nigeria source
Prime Minister – Mohammad YusufAfghanistan source

Conflict & Security

2 January – Anti-Hindu riots begin in Khulna, East Pakistan. They and reciprocal riots in Calcutta would fuel waves of communal violence on either side of the border over the next few months.Pakistan source
January 30 – General Nguyễn Khánh leads a bloodless military coup d'état, replacing Dương Văn Minh as Prime Minister of South Vietnam.source
February 9 – The Beatles perform for the first time for an American audience on The Ed Sullivan Show to a record television audience of 73 million people, launching Beatlemania in the United States, as part of The British Invasion.source
4 March – U.N. Security Council Resolution 186 was adopted unanimously. It asked the Government of Cyprus to take all additional measures necessary to stop violence and bloodshed and called on communities in Cyprus and their leaders to act with restraint.Cyprus source
March 6 – American boxer Cassius Clay announces the change of his name to Muhammad Ali.source
March 31 – The military overthrows Brazilian President João Goulart in a coup, starting 21 years of dictatorship in Brazil, lasting until 1985.source
April 20 – Nelson Mandela makes his "I Am Prepared to Die" speech at the opening of the Rivonia Trial, a key event for the anti-apartheid movement.source
May 27 – The ongoing Colombian conflict starts, with an assault by 1,000 Colombian soldiers, backed by fighter planes and helicopters, against about 50 guerrillas in the community of Marquetalia.source
May 29 – Having deposed them in a January coup, South Vietnamese leader Nguyen Khanh has rival Generals Tran Van Don and Le Van Kim convicted of "lax morality".source
9 July – The remains of the Revisionist Zionist leader Ze'ev Jabotinsky are transferred to Israel for burial in Jerusalem at Mount Herzl Cemetery from his original burial site in New York.Israel source
15 July - 1963-64 Balkans Cup: Albania is defeated by Romania 2-1 at Stadionul Giulești-Valentin Stănescu (1939), BucharestAlbania source
July 16 – Six days of race riots begin in Harlem, New York, United States, apparently prompted by the shooting of a teenager.source
July 19 – Vietnam War: At a rally in Saigon, South Vietnamese Prime Minister and military leader Nguyễn Khánh calls for expanding the war into North Vietnam.source
July 21 – Race riots begin in Singapore between ethnic Chinese and Malays.source
21 July – The Singapore Race Riots.Malaysia source
21 July – The 1964 racial riots occurred between Malays and Chinese, during a birthday celebration procession of Muhammad. By the end of the riots, 23 people are killed, with 454 others injured.Singapore source
19-29 July - Operation TriangleLaos source
August 5 – Vietnam War: Operation Pierce Arrow – Aircraft from carriers USS Ticonderoga and USS Constellation bomb North Vietnam in retaliation for strikes against U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin.source
August 5 – The Simba rebel army in the Democratic Republic of the Congo captures Stanleyville, and takes 1,000 Western hostages.source
August 7 – Vietnam War: The United States Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson broad war powers to deal with North Vietnamese attacks on U.S. forces.source
August 16 – Vietnam War: In a coup, General Nguyễn Khánh replaces Dương Văn Minh as South Vietnam's chief of state and establishes a new constitution, drafted partly by the U.S. Embassy.source
September 11 – In Jacksonville, Florida, during a tour of the United States, John Lennon announces that the Beatles will not play to a segregated audience.source
September 24 – The Warren Commission, the first official investigation of the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy, submits its written report.source
September 25 – The Mozambican War of Independence is launched by FRELIMO.source
October 14 – American civil rights movement leader Martin Luther King Jr. becomes the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, which is awarded to him for leading non-violent resistance to end racial prejudice in the United States.source
October 17 – 596 (nuclear test): The People's Republic of China explodes an atomic bomb in Sinkiang.source
4 November – President Paz Estenssoro is ousted in a coup d'état led by Vice President Barrientos and General Ovando Candía.Bolivia source
November 10 – Australia partially reintroduces compulsory military service due to the Indonesian Confrontation.source
November 19 – The United States Department of Defense announces the closing of 95 military bases and facilities, including Fort Jay, the Brooklyn Navy Yard and the Brooklyn Army Terminal.source
November 24 – Belgian paratroopers and mercenaries capture Stanleyville, but a number of hostages die in the fighting, among them American Evangelical Covenant Church missionary Paul Carlson.source
November 28 – Vietnam War: United States National Security Council members, including Robert McNamara, Dean Rusk, and Maxwell Taylor, agree to recommend a plan for a 2-stage escalation of bombing in North Vietnam, to President Lyndon B. Johnson.source
December 11 – Che Guevara addresses the United Nations General Assembly. A bazooka attack is launched at the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York City.source
December 14 – Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States (379 US 241 1964): The U.S. Supreme Court rules that, in accordance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, establishments providing public accommodation must refrain from racial discrimination.source

Exploration & Expansion

16 March – Turkey unilaterally denounced the Greek-Turkish Convention of Establishment, Commerce and Navigation of 1930, marking the beginning of a mass expulsion of the Greek populace.Turkey source
April 1: Japanese citizens are permitted to freely travel overseas.Japan source
April 22 – The 1964 New York World's Fair opens to celebrate the 300th anniversary of New Amsterdam being taken over by British forces under the Duke of York (later King James II) and being renamed New York in 1664. The fair runs until October 18, 1964 and reopens April 21, 1965, finally closing October 17, 1965. Although not officially sanctioned as a world's fair, due to being within 10 years of the Seattle World's Fair in 1962, so that some countries decline to attend, many have pavilions with exotic crafts, art and food.United States source
29 April – Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) inaugurates regular scheduled flights from Karachi to Shanghai via Dacca and Canton using a Boeing 720B, becoming the first airline of a non-communist country to fly to the People's Republic of China.Pakistan source
14 September – Tromsø Airport is officially opened for trafficNorway source
The Circle Game: Margaret AtwoodCanada source
21–27 June – The Beatles tour New Zealand.New Zealand source
The Welsh national side makes its first overseas tour, to South Africa.Wales source

Religion & Belief

January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople meet in Jerusalem.source
5 January – Pope Paul VI arrives in Israel, marking the first visit to Israel by the head of the Roman Catholic Church.Israel source
15 January – 31 January London Conference over the issue Cyprus (no consensus)Turkey source
February - Mid-West Region legislative election takes place with National Council of Nigerian Citizens winning the majority of seatsNigeria source
21 July - Victor Bodson resigns from the Council of State to take up his seat in the Chamber of Deputies.Luxembourg source
July 22 – The second meeting of the Organisation of African Unity is held.source
4 August – Alexandru Todea has his life sentence remitted and is released from prison. He goes on to become Archbishop of Făgăraș and Alba Iulia.Romania source
August 29 - The far right Hindu outfit, Vishva Hindu Parishad was founded.India source
September 14 – The third period of the Second Vatican Council opens.source
November 21 – Second Vatican Council: The third period of the Catholic Church's ecumenical council closes. Lumen gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, is promulgated.source
The Vishva Hindu Pariṣad is founded in India.source
Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Malacca: Tun Haji Abdul Malek bin YusufMalaysia source
Synagogue for Belfast Hebrew Congregation designed by Eugene Rosenberg of Yorke, Rosenberg and Mardall.Northern Ireland source

Economy & Finance

4 January – Trygve Jacobsen, Norwegian businessperson (born 1876)Norway source
January 6 – A British firm, the Leyland Motor Corp., announces the sale of 450 buses to the Cuban government, challenging the United States blockade of Cuba.source
South Africa is suspended from the International Labour Organization.South Africa source
March 20–June 6 – The first United Nations Conference on Trade and Development takes place.source
April 17 – Orient Lease, as predecessor of Orix Group founded in Osaka.Japan source
May 9 – South Korean President Park Chung Hee reshuffles his Cabinet, after a series of student demonstrations against his efforts to restore diplomatic and trade relations with Japan.source
20 August – Avraham Drori (born 1919), Polish-born Israeli politician.Israel source
31 October – Malaysia Dairy Industries new factory is officially opened to produce condensed milk locally. It has since branched into fruit juices and other dairy products.Singapore source
31 December: The Central Bank of Brazil and the National Monetary Council are established.Brazil source
German company Auto Union is acquired by Volkswagen Group over subsidiary Audi AG.Germany source
Increase since 31 December 1963: 50,100 (1.95%)New Zealand source

Technology & Infrastructure

January 9 – Martyrs' Day: Armed clashes between United States troops and Panamanian civilians in the Panama Canal Zone precipitate a major international crisis, resulting in the deaths of 21 Panamanians and 4 U.S. soldiers.source
20 January – Cold Storage's new carbon dioxide factory is officially opened, which is required for dry ice and carbonated drinks.Singapore source
February 27 – The Italian government asks for help to keep the Leaning Tower of Pisa from toppling over.source
February – Construction of the Pekeliling Flats commenced.Malaysia source
April 20 – In the UK, BBC Two television starts broadcasting for the first time.source
May 1 – At 4:00 a.m., John George Kemeny and Thomas Eugene Kurtz run the first computer program written in BASIC (Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code), an easy to learn high level programming language which they have created. BASIC is eventually included on many computers and even some games consoles.source
10 May – Orna Datz, Israeli singer, actress and television presenterIsrael source
May – The Moselle canal is inaugurated by Grand Duchesse Charlotte, Charles De Gaulle, and Heinrich Lübke.Luxembourg source
June 20 – The Ford GT40 makes its first appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Its first victory will come 2 years later in 1966.source
September 4 – The Forth Road Bridge opens over the Firth of Forth in Scotland.source
October 5 – Twenty-three men and thirty-one women escape to West Berlin through a narrow tunnel under the Berlin Wall.source
15 October - 1964 United Kingdom general election.Northern Ireland source
October 22 – A 5.3 kiloton nuclear device is detonated at the Tatum Salt Dome, 21 mi from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, as part of the Vela Uniform program. This test is the Salmon phase of the Atomic Energy Commission's Project Dribble.source
October – Robert Moog demonstrates the prototype Moog synthesizer.source
November 21 – The Verrazano–Narrows Bridge across New York Bay opens to traffic (the world's longest suspension bridge at this time).source
26 November – The country's first television station goes on air in Lahore, operated on a pilot basis by NEC.Pakistan source
December 6 – The 1-hour stop-motion animated special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, based on the popular Christmas song, is broadcast for the first time, on NBC. It becomes a Christmas tradition, despite moving to CBS in 1972.United States source
16 December - 1964–66 Balkans Cup: Albania ties with Bulgaria 0-0 at Qemal Stafa Stadium, TiranaAlbania source
December 21 – The General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark supersonic attack aircraft, developed for the U.S. Air Force, makes its first flight, at Carswell Air Force Base, Texas.source
December 22 – The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird makes its first flight at Palmdale, California.source
Construction of the Kanji Dam beginsNigeria source

Science & Discovery

January 29 – Ranger 6 is launched by the US space agency NASA, on a mission to carry television cameras and crash-land on the Moon.source
January 29 – The Soviet Union launches two scientific satellites, Elektron I and II, from a single rocket.source
March 18: Hayakawa Electric (the predecessor of today's Sharp) and Sony announce that they have completed a prototype electronic calculator using Japanese-manufactured diodes and transistors.Japan source
March 20 – The precursor of the European Space Agency, ESRO (European Space Research Organization) is established per an agreement signed on June 14, 1962.source
April 8 – The U.S. Gemini 1 is launched, the first unmanned test of the 2-man spacecraft.source
April 17 – Jerrie Mock completes the first around-the-world airplane flight by a woman. Her solo flight in the Spirit of Columbus, which took 29 1/2 days, took off and landed at the Port Columbus International Airport in Ohio.source
21 April – Hanna Neumann is named professor and chair of pure mathematics at the Australian National University in Canberra, becoming the first female professor of pure mathematics at an Australian university and the first woman to be appointed to a chair at ANU.Australia source
1 June – Pakistan acquires from the United States its first submarine, the PNS Ghazi.Pakistan source
10 June: The GTEPE (Special Project Study and Study Group), a precursor to GETEPE (Space Project Study and Executive Group), is created.Brazil source
July 31 – Ranger program: Ranger 7 sends back the first close-up photographs of the Moon (images are 1,000 times clearer than anything ever seen from Earth-bound telescopes).source
17 August - Liverpool FC play their first match in Iceland, beating KR Reykjavik 5-0Iceland source
August 20 – The International Telecommunications Satellite Consortium (Intelsat) began to work.source
October 12 – The Soviet Union launches Voskhod 1 into Earth orbit as the first spacecraft with a multi-person crew and the first flight without space suits. The flight is cut short and lands again on October 13 after 16 orbits.source
October 12 — Voskhod 1 is the first space flight to carry more than one crewmen into orbit, and the first space flight without the use of spacesuits.Soviet Union source
November 5 – Mariner program: Mariner 3 spacecraft is launched from Cape Kennedy but fails.source
November 28 – Mariner program: NASA launches the Mariner 4 space probe from Cape Kennedy toward Mars to take television pictures of that planet in July 1965.source
12 December – Bonni Ginzburg, Israeli goalkeeper.Israel source
Farrington Daniels becomes an early advocate of solar energy in his book Direct Use of the Sun's Energy, published by Yale University Press in the United States.source
Spring – First recognition of cosmic microwave background radiation as a detectable phenomenon.source
New Zealand Trotting Cup – CairnbraeNew Zealand source

Health & Medicine

7 January: French actress Brigitte Bardot arrives in Rio de Janeiro and spends her summer in the resort of Búzios, drawing the attention of the national and international press to the place. Thanks to Bardot's visit, Búzios has now became one of the hottest spots in the Brazilian summer.Brazil source
January 11 – United States Surgeon General Luther Terry reports that smoking may be hazardous to one's health (the first such statement from the U.S. government).source
2 March - a power cut of 9 hours and 36 minutes affects the northern part of the country, between the cities of Iquique and Copiapó.Chile source
21 April – Judy Hanrahan becomes the first female bank teller appointed by the Bank of NSW since World War II, taking up the position at the Collins Street branch in Melbourne.Australia source
May 2 – Senator Barry Goldwater receives more than 75% of the votes in the Texas Republican presidential primary.United States source
July 24 – John Harris, a schoolteacher, explodes a bomb at Park Station, killing 77-year-old Ethel Rhys and injuring 23 others.South Africa source
August 18 – The International Olympic Committee bans South Africa from the Tokyo Olympics on the grounds that its teams are racially segregated.source
August 22 – Goalkeeper Derek Forster of Sunderland becomes the youngest-ever player to play in the English Football League, aged 15 years and 185 days.source
28 August – Emergency number 111 is introduced in Christchurch.New Zealand source
8 October – Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen, politician.Norway source
November 30 – John Diefenbaker launches a filibuster to try to prevent the introduction of a new Canadian flagCanada source
Jerome Horwitz synthesizes zidovudine (AZT), an antiviral drug which will later be used in treating HIV.source

Crime & Justice

6 January – The governor of West Pakistan bans opposition party Jamaat-e-Islami, and its leader, Abul A'la Maududi, is arrested.Pakistan source
February 25 – Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali) beats Sonny Liston in Miami Beach, Florida, and is crowned the heavyweight champion of the world.source
April 16 – In the Assize Court at Buckingham, England, sentences totalling 307 years are passed on twelve men who stole £2,600,000 in used bank notes, after holding up the night train from Glasgow to London in August 1963 – a heist that becomes known as the Great Train Robbery.source
17 April - The band Them, fronted by Van Morrison, play their first gig at his rhythm and blues Club Rado at the Maritime Hotel, Belfast.Northern Ireland source
April 20 – British businessman Greville Wynne, imprisoned in Moscow since 1963 for spying, is exchanged for Soviet spy Gordon Lonsdale.source
April 25 – Thieves steal the head of the Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, Denmark. Although the attack is attributed to Jørgen Nash, the Danish media blame painter Henrik Bruun, who never confesses to the crime.source
May 2 – Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie Moore, hitchhiking in Meadville, Mississippi, are kidnapped, beaten and murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan. Their badly decomposed bodies are found by chance in July during the search for missing activists Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner.source
May 23 – Madeline Dassault, 63, wife of a French plane manufacturer and politician, is kidnapped while leaving her car in front of her Paris home; she is found unharmed the next day in a farmhouse 27 mi from Paris.source
June 12 – Nelson Mandela and 7 others are sentenced to life imprisonment in South Africa, and sent to the Robben Island prison.source
1 July – The establishment of Yunlin District Prosecutors Office in Yunlin County.Taiwan source
August 8 – A Rolling Stones gig in Scheveningen gets out of control. Riot police end the gig after about fifteen minutes, upon which spectators start to fight the riot police.source
26 August – Zadok Malka, Israeli footballerIsrael source
September 2 – Indian Hungry generation poets, including Malay Roy Choudhury, are arrested on charges of conspiracy against the state and obscenity in literature.source
2 September – The second racial riot occurred between Malays and Chinese after the murder of a Malay Trishaw rider. By the time the riots ended, 13 people are killed, with 106 injured.Singapore source
October 1 – Three thousand student activists at the University of California, Berkeley, surround and block a police car from taking a CORE volunteer arrested for not showing his ID, when he violated a ban on outdoor activist card tables. This protest eventually explodes into the Berkeley Free Speech Movement.source
October 26 – Eric Edgar Cooke becomes the last man executed in Western Australia, for murdering 8 citizens in Perth between 1959 and 1963.source
October 29 – A collection of irreplaceable gemstones, including the 565 carats Star of India, is stolen from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.source
Ruhollah Khomeini was arrested in November 1964, held for half a year and sent into exile where he remained for 15 years (mostly in Najaf, Iraq), until the revolution.Iran source
Sultan of Selangor: Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz ShahMalaysia source
Belisario Domínguez Medal of Honor – Adrián Aguirre BenavidesMexico source

Disasters & Accidents

February 10 – Melbourne–Voyager collision: 82 Australian sailors die when a Royal Australian Navy aircraft carrier and a destroyer collide off New South Wales, Australia.source
19 February - the andacollo tragedy occurs, in which 7 miners were buried alive in the flor de té copper mine. later they would be rescued with the help of relatives and miners in the area.Chile source
29 April – A Nord 2501D Noratlas (4X-FAD/044) of the IAF crashes into a mountain near Mitzpe Ramon, killing all 9 occupants. The crash is currently Israel's deadliest.Israel source
May 2 – Vietnam War: Attack on USNS Card – An explosion caused by Viet Cong commandos causes carrier USNS Card to sink in the port of Saigon.source
May 7 – Pacific Air Lines Flight 773 crashes near San Ramon, California, killing all 44 aboard; the FBI later reports that a cockpit recorder tape indicates that the pilot and co-pilot had been shot by a suicidal passenger.source
May 20 - Philippine Airlines Flight 26/25 crashed en route to Zamboanga Airport, Zamboanga killing all 11 people.Philippines source
May – The last electric tramway system of New Zealand closes.New Zealand source
July 14: According to Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency official confirmed report, a Katsushima Warehouse caught fire and explode in Shinagawa, Tokyo, total 19 person were human fatalities and 117 persons were wounded.Japan source
August 2 – Vietnam War: United States destroyer Maddox is attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin. Air support from the carrier USS Ticonderoga sinks one gunboat, while the other two leave the battle.source
August 2–4 – Vietnam War – Gulf of Tonkin incident: United States destroyers USS Maddox and USS C. Turner Joy are attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin. Air support from the carrier USS Ticonderoga sinks one gunboat, while the other two leave the battle.United States source
20 September - One of three single-engine planes en route from Halifax to Europe ditches in the sea off Iceland. The pilot is rescued by helicopter. Another is lost entirely and the third lands safely in Reykjavik.Iceland source
October 16 – China explodes an atomic bomb in Sinkiang.China source
Kalamaja Cemetery was destroyed by Soviet authorities.Estonia source

Climate & Environment

18 January – The 6.3 Ml Baihe earthquake occurred in Tainan County.Taiwan source
3 February – Cyclone Dora strikes the west coast of Cape York Peninsula causing extensive damage to the Edward River and Mitchell River Aboriginal missions.Australia source
March 27 (Good Friday) – The Great Alaskan earthquake, the second-most powerful known (and the most powerful earthquake recorded in North American history) at a magnitude of 9.2, strikes Southcentral Alaska, killing 125 people and inflicting massive damage to the city of Anchorage.source
March 27 – Several towns in coastal British Columbia, including Prince Rupert, Tofino, Port Alberni and Zeballos, suffer damage from tsunamis associated with the Good Friday earthquake in Alaska. Overall damage is estimated at $10 million.Canada source
11 April – A tornado in the Narail and Magura regions of Jessore District in East Pakistan destroys villages and kills as many as 500 people.Pakistan source
July 18: A heavy rain, following devastate flood and landslide in Shimane and Tottori Prefecture, at least 128 people lives.Japan source
6 October - 1964 Manyas earthquakeTurkey source
December 18 – The Christmas flood of 1964 begins in the United States, affecting the Pacific Northwest and some of Northern California. It will continue until January 7, resulting in 19 deaths, serious damage to buildings, roads and bridges, and the loss of 4,000 head of livestock.source
21 December – The last whale is caught for the whaling industry, off the Kaikōura coast, due to a low level of whales.New Zealand source
December 22 – A cyclone in the Palk Strait destroys the Indian town of Dhanushkodi, killing 1800 people.source
Sultan of Johor: Sultan IsmailMalaysia source

Culture & Society

January 29 – February 9 – The 1964 Winter Olympics are held in Innsbruck, Austria.source
1 February – Eli Ohana, Israeli football manager and former football player.Israel source
March 21 – Non ho l'età (music by Nicola Salerno, text by Mario Panzeri), sung by Gigliola Cinquetti, wins the Eurovision Song Contest 1964 (staged in Copenhagen) for Italy.source
21 March – Representing Luxembourg, Hugues Aufray finishes fourth in the Eurovision Song Contest 1964 with the song Dès que le printemps revient.Luxembourg source
April 13 – At the 36th Academy Awards ceremony, Sidney Poitier becomes the first African-American to win an Academy Award in the category Best Actor in a Leading Role in Lilies of the Field.source
24 April – The Singapore Tourism Promotion Board adopts the Merlion as its new emblem.Singapore source
June 14 – Freedom Summer, a volunteer Civil Rights project in the United States intended to promote voter registration for as many African Americans as possible in Mississippi, begins with orientation sessions for the 300 volunteers at Western College for Women, Oxford, Ohio.source
July 18 – Judith Graham Pool publishes her discovery of cryoprecipitate, a frozen blood clotting product made from plasma primarily to treat hemophiliacs around the world.source
July – Famous Malay film actor, director and songwriter, P. Ramlee and his wife Saloma were moved from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur.Malaysia source
3 August – The opening of Taipei City Council new venue at the corner of Zhongxiao West Road and Zhongshan South Road from the former Zhongshan Hall.Taiwan source
August 27 – Walt Disney's Mary Poppins has its world premiere in Los Angeles. It will go on to become Disney's biggest moneymaker, and winner of 5 Academy Awards, including a Best Actress for Julie Andrews. It is the first Disney film to be nominated for Best Picture.source
September 10 – The African Development Bank (AfDB) is founded.source
September 14 – The London Daily Herald ceases publication, replaced by The Sun.source
September 18 – In Athens, King Constantine II of Greece marries Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, who becomes Europe's youngest Queen at age 18 years, 19 days.source
October 10–24 – The 1964 Summer Olympics are held in Tokyo, Japan, the first in an Asian country.source
23 October – Pakistan loses 0–1 to India in field hockey at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, taking home the silver medal.Pakistan source
October - Nigeria participates in the 1964 Summer Olympics and wins its first medalNigeria source
December 3 – The Danish football club Brøndby IF is founded as a merger between the two local clubs Brøndbyøster Idrætsforening and Brøndbyvester Idrætsforening. The club wins the national championship Danish Superliga 10 times, and the Danish Cups six times, after joining the Danish top-flight football league in 1981.source
December 3 – Berkeley Free Speech Movement: Police arrest about 800 students at the University of California, Berkeley, following their takeover of and massive sit-in at the Sproul Hall administration building. The sit-in most directly protested the U.C. Regents' decision to punish student activists for what many thought had been justified civil disobedience earlier in the conflict.source
Rudi Gernreich designs the original monokini topless swimsuit in the U.S.source
Académica do Mindelo won the Cape Verdean Football ChampionshipCape Verde source

Births

January 7 – Nicolas Cage, American actorsource
January 12 – Jeff Bezos, American Internet entrepreneursource
January 17 – Michelle Obama, American attorney and author, former First Lady of the United Statessource
2 February - Goodluck Nanah Opiah, politician and former speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Nigeria.Nigeria source
April 3 – Nigel Farage, British politiciansource
30 April – Tony Fernandes, Malaysian entrepreneur and the founder of Tune Air Sdn. Bhd (Air Asia)Malaysia source
June 19 – Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 2019–2022source
June 23 – Joss Whedon, American screenwritersource
July 9 – Courtney Love, American musician/actresssource
July 24 – Barry Bonds, African-American baseball playersource
August 8 – Giuseppe Conte, Italian Prime Minister (2018–2021)source
September 2 – Keanu Reeves, Canadian actorsource
September 2: Daniel Batista Lima, footballerCape Verde source
September 15 – Robert Fico, Prime Minister of Slovakiasource
October 20 – Kamala Harris, politician and attorney, 49th vice president of the United Statessource
November 20 – Doug Ford, 26th Premier of Ontariosource
December 18 – Stone Cold Steve Austin, American professional wrestler and actorsource
22 December - Lee Jae-myung, politician.South Korea source

Deaths

20 January - Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi, Roman Catholic priest who worked in Nnewi, Dunukofia, Akpu/Ajalli and Aguleri. and was later beatified by Pope John Paul II (born 1903)Nigeria source
February 6 – Emilio Aguinaldo, Filipino general and 1st President of the Philippines (born 1869)source
April 5 – Douglas MacArthur, U.S. Army general, Supreme Allied Commander in Japan after World War II (born 1880)source
April 14 – Rachel Carson, American biologist and environmental writer (born 1907)source
April 18 – Ben Hecht, American screenwriter (born 1894)source
May 24–25 – The crowd at a football match in Lima, Peru, riots over a referee's decision in the Peru-Argentina game; 319 are killed, 500 injured.source
May 27 – Jawaharlal Nehru, Indian politician, 1st Prime Minister of India (born 1889)source
31 May – Ong Seok Kim, entrepreneur and philanthropist (born 1884).Malaysia source
8 June – Carlos Quintanilla, 76, 37th president of Bolivia (born 1888)Bolivia source
June 9 – Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, Canadian-born British newspaper publisher and politician (born 1879)source
July 1 – Pierre Monteux, French conductor (born 1875)source
July 24 – A minor criticality accident takes place at a United Nuclear Corporation Fuels recovery plant in Wood River Junction, Rhode Island, United States, causing the death of one worker.source
August 12 – Ian Fleming, British writer (born 1908)source
August 21 – Palmiro Togliatti, leader of the Italian Communist Party (born 1893)source
October 15 – Cole Porter, American composer and lyricist (born 1891)source
October 20 – Herbert Hoover, American politician, 31st President of the United States (born 1874)source
22 October – Khawaja Nazimuddin, Prime Minister of Pakistan (born 1894)Pakistan source
December 1 – J. B. S. Haldane, British geneticist (born 1892)source