Timeline April 1964

Events in April 1964 13

• 1880 – 1964 Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964) Died 5 April 1964, aged 84 MacArthur was an American general who commanded Allied forces in the Pacific during the Second World War and oversaw the postwar occupation of Japan. He also led United Nations forces during the early Korean War before being relieved of command by President Truman.
• 1907 – 1964 Rachel Carson (1907-1964) Died 14 April 1964, aged 56 Carson was an American marine biologist and author whose book "Silent Spring" exposed the environmental harm of pesticides. Her work is widely credited with helping launch the modern environmental movement.
• 1964 Muddy Waters releases Folk Singer Acoustic album A quiet acoustic record made for the folk revival.
• 1964 Van Morrison forms Them Maritime Hotel, Belfast An R&B band that becomes the house act of a Belfast hotel club.
• 1964 Jerry Lee Lewis records Live at the Star-Club, Hamburg Live album Often called the greatest live rock and roll album.
• 1964 IBM announces the System/360 Family of compatible mainframe computers IBM unveiled the System/360, a family of mutually compatible computers spanning a wide range of performance and price. The architecture became hugely influential and dominated the mainframe computing industry for decades.
• 1964 System/360 — the greatest product gamble in business history IBM announces the System/360 on 7 April 1964 — a family of six compatible computers covering a 50:1 range of performance. The System/360 is the most ambitious product launch in corporate history: IBM invests $5 billion — more than the Manhattan Project — betting that customers will pay for compatibility across machine sizes. Fortune calls it 'IBM's $5,000,000,000 Gamble.' The gamble pays off completely: the System/360 architecture becomes the template for business computing for the next three decades. Every IBM mainframe since is compatible with System/360 software.
• 1964 Sidney Poitier wins Academy Award for Best Actor First Black man to win the award Poitier won the Oscar for his role in "Lilies of the Field," becoming the first Black actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. The award was seen as a landmark moment for Black representation in Hollywood.
• 1964 Ford Mustang unveiled Debut of an iconic American car Ford introduced the Mustang at the New York World's Fair, launching the "pony car" segment of affordable sporty automobiles. It became one of the best-selling new car models in automotive history.
• 1964 The Rolling Stones Debut album — April 17, 1964 The Rolling Stones' self-titled debut album was released on April 17, 1964 in the UK, reaching number 1. Largely covers of American R&B and blues, it established their raw, dangerous sound in contrast to the Beatles' more polished image.
• 1964 1964 World Snooker Championship Revival of the Title First of the challenge matches. Winner: John Pulman; Runner-up: Fred Davis. Score: 19–16.
• 1964 New York World's Fair opens Flushing Meadows exhibition of technology and culture The fair opened at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park showcasing exhibits from dozens of nations and corporations, including early computing and space-age technology displays. It drew over 50 million visitors across its two seasons.
• 1964 Tanganyika and Zanzibar unite to form Tanzania Creation of the United Republic of Tanzania Following the Zanzibar Revolution, the mainland state of Tanganyika and the island state of Zanzibar merged into a single sovereign nation. The union was later renamed the United Republic of Tanzania.