Timeline December 1964

Events in December 1964 20

• 1906 – 1964 William Bendix (1906-1964) American actor known for tough-guy roles and as Chester A. Riley in The Life of Riley.
• 1931 – 1964 Sam Cooke (1931-1964) Died 11 December 1964, aged 33 Cooke was an American singer and songwriter widely regarded as one of the pioneers of soul music, with hits including "You Send Me" and "A Change Is Gonna Come". He was shot and killed under disputed circumstances at a Los Angeles motel.
• 1946 – 1964 Childhood in Postwar Germany Grew up in a Germany that refused to discuss the war or the Holocaust. Reading Anne Frank's diary as a young girl profoundly affected her, though her mother disapproved. 'I grew up with the evidence of destruction everywhere,' she later wrote, 'and with silence.'
• 1951 – 1964 Brooklyn Polytechnic Joined the faculty of Brooklyn Polytechnic (now NYU Tandon) in New York, where he would develop Marcus theory. During one intense month in the mid-1950s, he worked out the key equations for electron transfer rates.
• 1964 1964: John Surtees Ferrari Surtees remains the only person in history to win world championships on both two wheels and four, having previously won seven motorcycle grand prix titles.
• 1964 Art Blakey Concert Received a ticket to see Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers perform live. The experience ignited a lifelong passion for jazz that would become a defining element of his literary voice.
• 1964 Divorce and Second Marriage Divorced Xavier Cugat and married theatrical agent Perry Leff, whom she called the love of her life. They had two sons and remained married until his death in 2020.
• 1964 Early Hollywood Roles Made her screen debut with small roles in films including Roustabout with Elvis Presley and A House Is Not a Home.
• 1964 First Professional Role Made his first credited appearance in a guest role on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation series Shoestring Theatre, marking the beginning of his professional career.
• 1964 Marriage to Ann Holcombe Married Ann Holcombe, who would later work as a preschool teacher in Newtown, Massachusetts. The couple would have three daughters.
• 1964 Moved to the United States Emigrated to the United States to join The Denver Post as editorial cartoonist, replacing Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Conrad. His sharp, witty style immediately drew national attention.
• 1964 Stage Debut Made her operatic stage debut as Yniold in Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande at the Bucharest Opera.
• 1964 Tokyo Olympics Competed in sailing at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the first of three Olympic Games he would attend as an athlete. He sailed in the 5.5 Metre class.
• 1964 Moved to Nashville Moved to Nashville the day after graduating from Sevier County High School, becoming the first in her family to receive a high school diploma. She began writing songs for other artists, including the hit Put It Off Until Tomorrow for Bill Phillips.
• 1964 The Miracles' Smokey Robinson writes My Girl For the Temptations Becomes the Temptations' first number one.
• 1964 Beatles For Sale Fourth album — December 4, 1964 Beatles For Sale was released on December 4, 1964. A more introspective album reflecting the pressures of Beatlemania, it reached number 1 in the UK and is notable for early signs of the world-weariness that would characterise their later work.
• 1964 John Coltrane records A Love Supreme Four-part suite A spiritual suite recorded in a single session.
• 1964 Sam Cooke shot dead in Los Angeles Hacienda Motel Killed at 33 in disputed circumstances.
• 1964 William Bendix dies in Los Angeles William Bendix dies aged 58.
• 1964 The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson stops touring Breakdown After a panic attack on a plane he stays home to write and produce.