Born in 1962
Turns 64 in 2026
Gifts for someone born in 1962
1962 Front PageTheir name. The news from their year.Unframed from $30.00Add their name
Their birth chartThe sky as astrology reads it, cast for one birth.Unframed from $30.00
The Years We Were BornThe whole family, together in years.Unframed from $30.00
Our Story timelineTheir life, told in your words.Unframed from $30.00
Front Page: United States edition. The year is filled in; add their name in the editor. “Your name” is a placeholder. Light news is selected. A new keepsake, not an original newspaper.
BACK TO 1962 · United States
A little history to go with their gift.
John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth, completing three circuits aboard Friendship 7. Telstar relayed planned live television between the United States and Europe, and the Beatles issued Love Me Do as their first UK single, beginning their recording career.
What happened in 1962?
Brazil retains football’s world title in Chile
Brazil won the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile, beating Czechoslovakia in the final.
John Glenn circles Earth aboard Friendship 7
John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth on February 20, 1962 aboard Friendship 7.
Seattle opens Century 21
Seattle opened the Century 21 Exposition, its World’s Fair, on April 21, 1962.
The Space Needle welcomes fair visitors
The Space Needle officially opened to visitors on April 21, 1962, the first day of Seattle’s Century 21 Exposition.
Firsts and new ideas
A practical red light enters the semiconductor era
In 1962, Nick Holonyak developed the first practical visible LED at General Electric.
IEEE Spectrum · Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Scott Carpenter circles Earth in Aurora 7
Scott Carpenter orbited Earth three times on May 24, 1962, in Aurora 7, NASA's Mercury-Atlas 7 mission.
Number ones and music in 1962
Chart positions belong to the country and chart named in each record.
Ray Charles reaches No. 1 on both sides
Ray Charles turned Don Gibson’s country song “I Can’t Stop Loving You” into a sweeping 1962 recording. It reached No. 1 on Billboard’s U.S. Hot 100 and the U.K. Official Singles Chart.
Billboard (scan hosted by Lesve archive) · Official Charts Company
Little Eva reaches No. 1 with The Loco-Motion
Little Eva’s “The Loco-Motion” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated August 25, 1962.
Prices and everyday money in 1962
United States figures in the money of the time. Units and sources matter: these are not today's prices.
| Item or measure | Then | Unit and source |
|---|---|---|
| First-class domestic letter postage | 4¢ | first ounce United States Postal Service; Smithsonian National Postal Museum |
| Leaded regular gas | 30.6¢ | US gallon U.S. Energy Information Administration; U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics |
| White bread | 21.2¢ | pound U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service |
| Grade A large eggs | 54¢ | dozen U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; Cornell University authors, prepared for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
Planning the birthday
Someone born in 1962 turns 64 in 2026. Before their birthday they are one year younger. Choose the birth year for the print; add the full date in the editor if you know it.
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