January 25 - Janet Graeme is the first woman doctor to be appointed as personal physician to a U.S. president.
February 10 - The Niagara Falls hydroelectric project begins producing power.
March 1 - President John F. Kennedy establishes the Peace Corp. of Young Americans for overseas service.
March 29 - The 23rd Constitutional Amendment is passed giving voting privileges to citizens of the District of Columbia.
May 5 - NASA launches Mercury 3 spacecraft carrying Commander Alan B. Shepard on the first U.S. sub-orbital flight.
May 22 - The Top of the Needle in Seattle, Washington is the first revolving restaurant in the U.S.
June 5 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the Communist Party should register as a foreign dominated organization.
July 6 - Cecil Francis Poole becomes the first U.S. African American attorney in San Francisco, California.
September 5 - Airplane hijacking becomes a federal offense.
October 4 - The first U.S. postage stamp featuring a work of art in true color is issued.
November 22 - Frank Robinson is the first baseball player to be named "Most Valuable Player" in both major leagues.
November 28 - Ernest Davis becomes the first African American football player to win the Heisman Trophy.
December 23 - Fidel Castro announces that Cuba will release the 1113 prisoners from the failed 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion in return for $62 million worth of food, medical supplies, farm equipment, and cash.
