Britten’s War Requiem: also happening in 1962
John Glenn orbits the earth three times in 4 hours 55 minutes
James Hanratty is hanged for the A6 murder
West Side Story wins Best Picture at The Oscars
Norwich City wins the League cup beating Rochdale
The World Cup is held in Chile. Brazil win, beating Czechoslovakia
12 East Germans escape by building a tunnel under the Berlin Wall
Rwanda and Burundi gain their independence
The Rolling Stones make their debut at the Marquee Club in London, opening for Long John Baldry
Telstar relays the first live trans-Atlantic television signal
Marilyn Monroe dies of an overdose of sedatives mixed with champagne
Nelson Mandela is arrested and charged with incitement to rebellion
The Beatles fire Pete Best and hire Ringo Starr
The first James Bond film, Dr No, has its premiere
Britain and France sign an agreement to develop Concorde
The Vietnam War escalates with 11,300 USA soldiers sent over by the end of the year
Anthony Burgess publishes A Clockwork Orange
The Beatles release their first single Love Me Do on EMI