- January 16
- Hello, Dolly! starring Carol Channing, opens at Saint James Theater in New York City, New York for 2,844 performances. [1]
- January 18
- Plans for the World Trade Center announced (New York City, New York, USA). [1]
- January 21
- Carl T Rowan named director of US Information Agency. [1]
- January 22
- President Lyndon Johnson dedicates new Smithsonian Institution Museum of History and Technology. [570.62]
- January 24
- 24th Amendment to US Constitution goes into effect; it states that voting rights can not be denied due to failure to pay taxes. [1]
- January 25
- Echo 2 US communications satellite launched. [1]
- January 27
- Margaret Chase Smith (Senator-Republican-Maine) tries for US Republican Presidential bid. [1]
- January 29
- Unmanned Apollo 1 Saturn launcher test attains Earth orbit. [1]
- January 30
- Ranger 6 launched; makes perfect flight to Moon, but cameras fail. [1]
- January 31
- US report Smoking and Health connects smoking to lung cancer. [1]
- February 2
- GI Joe debuts as a popular American boy's toy. [1]
- February 3
- Black and Puerto Rican students boycott New York City public schools. [1]
- February 4
- US Federal Aviation Administration begins six month test of reactions to sonic booms over Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. [1]
- February 8
- Representative Martha Griffiths' address gets civil rights protection for women added to the 1964 Civil Rights Act. [1]
- February 9
- First appearance of The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show (73.7 million viewers, about 40 percent of US population). [1] [129]
- February 11
- The Beatles make their first public concert appearance in the United States at the Coliseum in Washington, D.C., and 20,000 fans attend. [1] [129]
- February 17
- US Supreme court rules - one man one vote (Westberry versus Sanders). [1]
- February 29
- US President Lyndon Johnson reveals US secretly developed the A-11 jet fighter. [1]
- March 4
- Jimmy Hoffa convicted of jury tampering. [1]
- March 9
- First Ford Mustang automobile produced. [1]
- US Supreme Court issues New York Times versus Sullivan decision, public officials must prove malice to claim libel and recover damages. [1]
- March 10
- US reconnaissance plane shot down over East Germany. [1]
- March 12
- 6th Grammy Awards: "Days of Wine and Roses", Streisand win. [1]
- Malcolm X resigns from Nation of Islam. [1]
- The first legal lottery in the USA in the twentieth century is the New Hampshire Sweepstakes. Draws are held twice per year, at a cost of $3 per ticket. The lottery commission pays US$500,000 to the IRS as a ten percent wagering excise tax. [5] [39] [86.6] [187.387]
- March 13
- Kitty Genovese stabbed to death in Queens, New York; 40 neighbors look on. [1]
- March 14
- Dallas, Texas jury sentences Jack Ruby to death for Lee Harvey Oswald murder. [1]
- March 15
- US President Lyndon Johnson asks for a War on Poverty. [1]
- March 21
- The US Treasury announces it is now redeeming silver certificates for silver dollars at a rate of 1 million coins per day, and will exhaust its supply in two weeks. [388.189]
- March 24
- The U.S. Mint releases the President John Kennedy half dollar coins to circulation. [388.80] [484.34] [711.34]
- March 25
- U.S. Treasury runs out of silver dollar coins for releasing to circulation, other than 2.8 million kept for their numismatic value. [388.76]
- March 26
- Funny Girl with Barbra Streisand opens at Winter Garden Theater in New York City for 1,348 performances. [1]
- US Treasury ends redemption of silver certificates for silver dollars, instead redeeming in refined silver granules and bullion bars, at a value of $1.292929292 per ounce. [388.189]
- March 27
- Earthquake strikes Anchorage, Alaska, USA, 9.2 on Richter scale, 131 die from earthquake and resulting tsunami; this is the most violent eathquake in US history. [1] [383.A8]
- March 30
- US Astronaut John Glenn withdraws from Ohio senate race. [1]
- April 3
- US and Panamá agree to resume diplomatic relations. [1]
- April 7
- IBM introduces the IBM System/360 mainframe computer. [13]
- April 8
- Unmanned Gemini 1 launched. [1]
- April 13
- 36th Academy Awards - Tom Jones, Sidney Poitier, and Patricia Neal win. [1]
- April 15
- Chesapeake Bay Bridge opens (Bridge-Tunnel measures 17.6 miles (28.4 km) and is considered the world's largest bridge-tunnel complex). [1]
- April 17
- The Ford Motor Company unveils the Ford Mustang at the New York World's Fair (US$2368 base price). [1] [5]
- April 20
- 86 percent of black students boycott Cleveland, Ohio schools. [1]
- April 22
- The New York World's Fair opens in Flushing Meadow, Corona Park, New York. Walt Disney's WED company constructed pavilions for: Ford (Magic Skyway), General Electric (Progressland), the state of Illinois (Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln), and Pepsi-Cola / UNICEF (It's a Small World). [1] [6]
- April 23
- New York State Theater opens. [1]
- April 24
- Treasury Secretary C. Douglas Dillon removes all restrictions on ownership of gold certificates. [501.60]
- April 29
- US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. [1]
- May 1
- At Dartmouth College, in Hanover, New Hampshire, the BASIC programming language runs for the first time. The language was developed by professors John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz, BASIC is an acronym for Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. It is based on FORTRAN and Algol, and was developed for a General Electric 225 mainframe computer. [1] [4]
- May 14
- Underground America Day is first observed. [1]
- May 15
- US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. [1]
- May 18
- US Supreme Court rules it is unconstitutional to deprive naturalized citizens of citizenship if they return to home country for more than three years. [1]
- May 19
- US diplomats find at least 40 secret microphones in the Moscow embassy. [1]
- May 21
- First nuclear-powered lighthouse begins operations (Chesapeake Bay). [1]
- US begin intelligence flights above Laos. [1]
- May 22
- US President Lyndon Johnson presents "Great Society". [1]
- May 24
- 18th Tony Awards: Luther and Hello Dolly win. [1]
- May 25
- In Los Angeles, California, the 16th Annual Emmy Awards are presented, hosted by Joey Bishop and E.G. Marshall.
- Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: Jack Klugman for playing Joe Larch in episode "Blacklist" of The Defenders
- Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Series (Lead): Dick Van Dyke for The Dick Van Dyke Show
- Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Shelley Winters for playing Jenny Dworak in episode "Two Is The Number" of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
- Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead): Mary Tyler Moore for The Dick Van Dyke Show
- Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actor: Albert Paulsen for episode "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" in Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
- Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actress: Ruth White for episode "Little Moon of Alban" of Hallmark Hall of Fame
- Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy: Jerry Paris for The Dick Van Dyke Show
- Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Drama: Tom Gries for episode "Who Do You Kill?" of East Side/West Side
- Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety or Music: Robert Scheerer for The Danny Kaye Show
- Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama - Original: Ernest Kinoy for episode "Blacklist" of The Defenders
- Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama - Adaptation: Rod Serling and John O'Hara for episode "It's Mental Work" of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
- Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy or Variety: Carl Reiner, Sam Denoff, and Bill Persky for The Dick Van Dyke Show
- Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction and Scenic Design: Warren Clymer for Hallmark Hall of Fame
- Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Music: The Bell Telephone Hour
- Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Musical Program or Series: Danny Kaye for The Danny Kaye Show
- Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Documentary Programs: David L. Wolper, Mel Stuart, and Theodore H. White for The Making of the President 1960
- Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Comedy: The Dick Van Dyke Show
- Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Variety: The Danny Kaye Show
- Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Drama: The Defenders
- Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Children's Programming: Discovery
- Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of News Reports: The Huntley-Brinkley Report
- Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of News Commentary or Public Affairs: NBC White Paper
- Program of the Year: The Making of the President 1960
- Outstanding Achievement in Composing Original Music for Television: Elmer Bernstein for The Making of the President 1960
[1] [183]
- Ground is broken for a new sports stadium in Saint Louis, Missouri. [1]
- US Supreme Court rules closing schools to avoid desegregation is unconstitutional. [1]
- May 28
- Unmanned Apollo 2 Saturn rocket test launched into Earth orbit. [1]
- June 10
- Southern filibuster on US civil rights bill ends; closure invoked. [1]
- June 28
- Organization for Afro-American Unity forms in New York by Malcolm X. [1]
- June 29
- US Civil Rights Act of 1964 passes after 83-day filibuster in Senate. [1]
- July 2
- U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signs into law the Civil Rights Act, in a televised ceremony in the White House. The Act prohibits racial discrimination in employment and education and outlaws racial segregation in public places such as schools, buses, parks and swimming pools. [1] [5] [129]
- July 15
- US Republican Senator for Arizona Barry M Goldwater nominated for US president by Republicans. [1]
- July 18
- Race riot in Harlem, New York City; riots spread to Bedford-Stuyvesant (Brooklyn). [1]
- July 25
- Race riot in Rochester, New York, USA. [1]
- July 26
- Teamsters' President Jimmy Hoffa convicted of fraud and conspiracy. [1]
- July 28
- US Congress passes the Fiscal Year 1965 appropriations legislation, which includes US$600,000 for production of 45 million silver dollars. [388.77] [459.64]
- Ranger 7 launched toward the Moon. [1]
- July 31
- US Ranger 7 takes 4,316 pictures before crashing on the Moon. These are the first close-up photographs of the moon, with images 1,000 times clearer than anything ever seen from earth-bound telescopes. [1] [5]
- August 2
- North Vietnam fires on a US destroyer in Gulf of Tonkin. [1]
- Race riot in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. [1]
- August 4
- Civil rights workers Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney found buried inside an earthen dam in Mississippi. [1]
- August 5
- US begins bombing North Vietnam. [1]
- August 7
- US Congress approves Gulf of Tonkin resolution. [1]
- August 11
- Race riot in Paterson, New Jersey, USA. [1]
- August 12
- Race riot in Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA. [1]
- August 15
- Race riot in Dixmoor (Chicago suburb), Illinois, USA. [1]
- August 20
- US President Lyndon Johnson signs Economic Opportunity Act (totaling nearly US$1 billion). [1]
- August 26
- Lyndon Johnson nominated for President at Democratic convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey. [1]
- August 27
- Buena Vista premieres Disney's live-action and animated film Mary Poppins at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, USA. The film is based on the Mary Poppins books by P.L. Travers. [6]
- August 28
- Race riot in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [1]
- August 31
- President Lyndon Johnson signs Food Stamp Act as Public Law 88-525. [497.56]
- September 3
- US Wilderness Act signed into law by President Lyndon B Johnson. [1]
- By an Act of Congress (Retention of 1964 on All Coins Act), the U.S. Mint is authorized to strike 1964-dated coins past the end of the calendar year, due to a coin shortage. Production of 0.900 fine silver coins is to end in June 1965. [388.77]
- Robert Kennedy resigns as attorney general. [411.108]
- September 4
- NASA launches its first Orbital Geophysical Observatory (OGO-1). [1]
- September 14
- Walt Disney awarded the Medal of Freedom at the White House. [1]
- September 21
- The North American XB-70 Valkyrie, the world's first Mach 3 bomber, takes its maiden flight from Palmdale, California, USA. [5]
- September 22
- Fiddler on the Roof opens on Broadway; runs 3,242 performances. [1]
- September 27
- Warren Commission releases report finding Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in assassinating President John F. Kennedy. [1]
- October 1
- Free Speech Movement launched at University of California, Berkley. [1]
- San Francisco cable cars declared a US national landmark. [1]
- October 8
- Gilroy Roberts becomes first US Mint chief coin engraver to retire (rather than die). [1] [525.44]
- October 14
- Martin Luther King Jr wins Nobel Peace Prize. [1]
- October 23
- Smithsonian Institution's Hall of Monetary History and Medallic Art opens. [555.30]
- October 29
- Star of India and other jewels are stolen in New York. [1]
- October 31
- President Lyndon Johnson signs the Federal Food Stamp Act as Public Law 88-525. [545.36]
- November 3
- Residents of the District of Columbia (USA) cast their ballots in a presidential election for the first time. [129]
- Lyndon Johnson (Democrat) soundly defeats Barry Goldwater (Republican) for US President. [1]
- November 5
- US launches Mariner 3 toward Mars; no data returned. [1]
- November 18
- J Edgar Hoover describes Martin Luther King as "most notorious liar". [1]
- November 21
- World's longest suspension bridge "Verrazano Narrows" opens (New York City, New York). [1]
- November 28
- Mariner 4 launched; first probe to fly by Mars. [1]
- November 29
- Roman Catholic Church in US replaces Latin with English. [1]
- December 1
- Martin Luther King speaks to J Edgar Hoover about his slander campaign. [1]
- December 3
- Police arrest 800 sit-in students at University of California at Berkeley. [1]
- December 10
- Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Dr Martin Luther King Jr. [1]
- December 13
- In El Paso, Texas, US President Lyndon Johnson and Mexican President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz set off an explosion diverting Rio Grande, to reshape US-México border. [1]
- December 15
- American Radio Relay League (organization for hams) founded. [1]
- December 16
- US performs nuclear test in the Pacific Ocean. [1]
- December 18
- US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. [1]
- December 22
- Lockheed SR-71 spy aircraft reaches 3,530 kph (record for a jet). [1]
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