Born in 1963
Turns 63 in 2026
Gifts for someone born in 1963
1963 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 1963 · United States
A little history to go with their gift.
Oral polio vaccination campaigns used posters to explain prevention in simple terms. The Beatles’ appearance at Belfast’s Ritz Cinema captured the crowds of early Beatlemania, while the Arecibo Ionospheric Observatory opened in Puerto Rico with the world’s largest radio telescope at the time.
What happened in 1963?
A cartoon mascot sells protection from polio
A 1963 public-health poster promoted oral polio vaccination as a simple, tasty step that could prevent a devastating disease.
Marchers gather in Washington
More than 250,000 people gathered in Washington on August 28, 1963, for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
National Archives and Records Administration · Associated Press
Three nations sign a test-ban treaty
The United States, United Kingdom and Soviet Union signed the Partial Test Ban Treaty in Moscow on August 5, 1963.
National Archives and Records Administration · United Nations Treaty Collection
Lawrence of Arabia wins Best Picture
At the 1963 Academy Awards, Lawrence of Arabia won Best Picture and six other Oscars.
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences · Turner Classic Movies
Firsts and new ideas
Syncom 2 makes synchronous communication possible
Syncom 2 reached geosynchronous orbit in 1963, showing that a satellite could remain aligned with the Earth’s rotation for communications.
NASA/NSSDC Master Catalog via CelesTrak · Smithsonian Air & Space Magazine
Astronomers identify the first confirmed quasar
In 1963, Maarten Schmidt recognized 3C 273 as a distant source with a highly shifted spectrum.
American Physical Society · Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, Cambridge University Press
Number ones and music in 1963
Chart positions belong to the country and chart named in each record.
Dominique reaches No. 1
Billboard’s December 7, 1963 chart placed “Dominique” by the Singing Nun at No. 1.
Billboard (issue scan hosted by Lesve archive) · Guinness World Records
Stevie Wonder hits No. 1 at 13
Billboard’s August 10, 1963 issue lists Stevie Wonder’s “Fingertips, Part 2” at No. 1 on the Hot 100.
Billboard (scan hosted by Lesve.org) · Guinness World Records
Prices and everyday money in 1963
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 | 5¢ | first ounce United States Postal Service; Smithsonian National Postal Museum |
| Federal minimum wage, workers covered before the 1961 amendments | $1.25 | hour U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division; U.S. Government Publishing Office / U.S. Department of Labor |
| White bread, retail city average | 21.6¢ | 1-pound loaf U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; digitized by FRASER, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service; J. C. Eiland |
| Fresh milk sold in grocery stores, U.S. urban average | 47.6¢ | half gallon U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; digitized by FRASER, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service |
Planning the birthday
Someone born in 1963 turns 63 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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