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Historical Events of 1963
The solar eclipse of 1963 was only visible in the US through Alaska and central Maine. -
Gideon v. Wainwright Decision
The U.S. Supreme Court rules in the case of Gideon v. Wainwright, establishing the right to counsel for defendants in criminal cases, even if they cannot afford an attorney. -
Equal Pay Act of 1963
President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law. This landmark legislation aimed to abolish wage disparity based on sex by prohibiting wage discrimination against women for equal work in the same establishment. -
Integration of the University of Alabama
Governor George Wallace of Alabama famously stood in the doorway of the University of Alabama to block the enrollment of two African American students, Vivian Malone and James Hood. This event, known as the "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door," was a symbolic moment in the fight against racial segregation in education. President John F. Kennedy federalized the Alabama National Guard to ensure the students' enrollment. -
Medgar Evers Assassinated
The civil rights activist Medgar Evers was assassinated in Jackson, Mississippi. Evers, the field secretary for the NAACP in Mississippi, was targeted for his efforts to desegregate schools and increase African American voter registration in the state. -
MLK Jr. gives his "I have a Dream" Speech
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was one of the largest political rallies for human rights in United States history took place in Washington, D.C. and culminated with Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial. -
The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing
Four young African American girls are killed when the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, is bombed by white supremacists. -
Assassination of President Kennedy
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas by Lee Harvey Oswald.