Dashed left edge = started before October 1963 ·
Dashed right edge = ongoing beyond October 1963
Events in October 1963 13
1889 – 1963Jean Cocteau (1889-1963)Died 11 October 1963, aged 74Jean Cocteau was a French poet, filmmaker and artist known for works including the film Beauty and the Beast and the novel Les Enfants Terribles. He worked across nearly every artistic medium and was elected to the Academie francaise. He reportedly died of a heart attack upon hearing of Edith Piaf's death the same day.
1890 – 1963Adolphe Menjou (1890-1963)American actor, a byword for suave elegance on screen from A Woman of Paris to Paths of Glory.
1915 – 1963Edith Piaf (1915-1963)Died 11 October 1963, aged 47Edith Piaf was a French singer known for dramatic torch songs including "La Vie en Rose" and "Non, je ne regrette rien". She rose from a difficult childhood in Paris to become France's most celebrated chanteuse. She died of liver cancer near Paris.
1915 – 1963Edith PiafThe Little SparrowWorld-renowned singer and icon of French cabaret; famous for "La Vie en rose."
1962 – 1963Chuck Berry in federal prisonMann Act convictionServes about 20 months after a conviction under the Mann Act.
1963Hurricane Flora devastates Haiti and CubaOne of the deadliest Atlantic hurricanes on recordHurricane Flora stalled over Haiti and Cuba for days, dumping catastrophic rainfall and causing widespread flooding. The storm killed several thousand people, mostly in Haiti, making it one of the deadliest Atlantic hurricanes of the 20th century. Cuba's agricultural sector suffered severe losses.
1963Joins The YardbirdsOctober 1963Joined The Yardbirds in October 1963 as lead guitarist, replacing founder Top Topham. Less than two months later, on 8 December 1963, he recorded his first live album with the band at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond.
1963 – 2020Brian "Licorice" Locking's later yearsJehovah's Witness workAfter leaving the Shadows in 1963, Brian "Licorice" Locking devoted his life to work as a Jehovah's Witness, making occasional appearances at reunions and on recordings with former bandmates over the following decades. He died peacefully on 8 October 2020 at the age of 81.
1963Sam Cooke turned away from a Shreveport motelSegregationTurned away from a whites-only motel and arrested.
1963 – 2003Anita Mui (1963-2003)Died 30 December 2003, aged 40Anita Mui was a Cantopop singer and actress often called the Madonna of Asia, with some 30 films and dozens of albums to her name. She continued performing during treatment for cervical cancer, giving a final series of concerts weeks before her death.
1963From Russia with Love — Sean ConneryBond travels to Istanbul to obtain a Soviet decoding device, pursued by SPECTRE assassin Red Grant and the deadly Rosa Klebb. Widely regarded as one of the finest entries in the series — tighter, more grounded and more genuinely thrilling than its predecessor. Budget: $2 million. Box office: $78.9 million.
1963Harold Macmillan resigns as British prime ministerIll health ends Macmillan's premiershipHarold Macmillan announced his resignation as British prime minister on health grounds, weeks after the Profumo scandal had weakened his government. He was succeeded by Alec Douglas-Home. Macmillan had led Britain for nearly seven years.
1963Adolphe Menjou dies in Beverly HillsAdolphe Menjou dies aged 73.