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'''1963''' was the 92nd year after the founding of the City of [[Birmingham]].
'''1963''' was the 92nd year after the founding of the City of [[Birmingham]].


A watershed in the [[Civil Rights Movement]] occurred in 1963 when Birmingham Civil Rights Movement leader [[Fred Shuttlesworth]] requested that [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]] and the [[Southern Christian Leadership Conference]] (SCLC) come to Birmingham to help end segregation (see below). Together they launched "Project C" (for "Confrontation"), a massive assault on the Jim Crow system. During April and May daily sit-ins and mass marches were met with police repression, tear gas, attack dogs, and arrests. More than 3,000 people were arrested during these protests, many of the children. These protests were ultimately successful, leading not only to desegregation of public accommodations in Birmingham but also the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]].
A watershed in the [[Civil Rights Movement]] occurred in 1963 when Birmingham Civil Rights Movement leader [[Fred Shuttlesworth]] requested that [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] and the [[Southern Christian Leadership Conference]] (SCLC) come to Birmingham to help end segregation (see below). Together they launched "Project C" (for "Confrontation"), a massive assault on the Jim Crow system. During April and May daily sit-ins and mass marches were met with police repression, tear gas, attack dogs, and arrests. More than 3,000 people were arrested during these protests, many of them children. These protests were ultimately successful, leading not only to desegregation of public accommodations in Birmingham but also the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]].


While imprisoned for having taken part in a nonviolent protest, Dr. King wrote the now famous [[Letter from Birmingham Jail]], a defining treatise in his cause against segregation. Birmingham is also known for a bombing which occurred later that year, in which four black girls were killed by a [[1963 church bombing|bomb]] planted at the [[16th Street Baptist Church]]. The event would inspire the African-American poet Dudley Randall's opus, [[The Ballad of Birmingham]], as well as jazz musician John Coltrane's song, "Alabama."
While imprisoned for having taken part in a nonviolent protest, Dr. King wrote the now famous "[[Letter from Birmingham Jail]]," a defining treatise in his cause against segregation. Birmingham is also known for a bombing which occurred later that year, in which four black girls were killed by a [[1963 church bombing|bomb]] planted at the [[16th Street Baptist Church]]. The event would inspire the African-American poet Dudley Randall's opus, "[[Ballad of Birmingham]]," as well as jazz musician John Coltrane's song, "Alabama."


==Events==
==Events==
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* June: The [[Birmingham Sailing Club]] was founded with 44 members.
* June: The [[Birmingham Sailing Club]] was founded with 44 members.
* [[July 24]]: Major storms left thousands without power.
* [[July 24]]: Major storms left thousands without power.
* [[July 27]]: James Brown headlined a concert at [[Rickwood Field]].
* [[August 5]]: [[Martin Luther King Jr]], Ray Charles, James Baldwin, Joey Adams and [[Joe Louis]] shared a stage at [[Miles College]] for [[Salute to Freedom '63]].
* [[August 25]]: The [[Cahaba River Group]] split off from the [[Eastview 13 Klavern]] of the [[Ku Klux Klan]].
* [[August 25]]: The [[Cahaba River Group]] split off from the [[Eastview 13 Klavern]] of the [[Ku Klux Klan]].
* December: Christmas decorations were expanded beyond the [[Birmingham Christmas trees|Birmingham Christmas tree]] in [[Woodrow Wilson Park]] to additional streets.
* December: Christmas decorations were expanded beyond the [[Birmingham Christmas trees|Birmingham Christmas tree]] in [[Woodrow Wilson Park]] to additional streets.
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* [[Kenneth Daniel]] became President of [[American Cast Iron Pipe Company]].
* [[Kenneth Daniel]] became President of [[American Cast Iron Pipe Company]].
* [[Edgewood Hardware]] opened.
* [[Edgewood Hardware]] opened.
* [[Fletcher Yeilding]] and [[Paul Tyson]] purchased the Tampa Bolt & Screw Co. to found [[House of Threads]].
* [[HGH Hardware]] was founded by [[Edwin R. Holcombe]].
* [[HGH Hardware]] was founded by [[Edwin R. Holcombe]].
* The [[Home Baking Company]] constructed a distribution center and retail outlet at 413 [[Finley Avenue]].
* The [[Home Baking Company]] constructed a distribution center and retail outlet at 413 [[Finley Avenue]].
* The [[Homewood Theatre]] closed for good.
* The [[Homewood Theatre (cinema)|Homewood Theatre]] closed for good.
* [[Fob James]] founded Diversified Products Inc.
* [[Fob James]] founded Diversified Products Inc.
* The first public fishing area at [[Rock Mountain Lakes]] opened.
* The first public fishing area at [[Rock Mountain Lakes]] opened.
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* The original [[Milo's Hamburgers]] was forced to move due to construction of [[I-20]]/[[I-59|59]].
* The original [[Milo's Hamburgers]] was forced to move due to construction of [[I-20]]/[[I-59|59]].
* [[NelBran Glass|Nelson–Brantley Glass Company]] was bought by [[Larry Striplin, Jr]].
* [[NelBran Glass|Nelson–Brantley Glass Company]] was bought by [[Larry Striplin, Jr]].
* ''Progressive Farmer'' renamed the "Progressive Home" section as "[[Southern Living]]" for the October issue.
* ''[[The Progressive Farmer]]'' renamed the "Progressive Home" section as "[[Southern Living]]" for the October issue.
* [[Larry Striplin, Jr]] bought the [[NelBran Glass|Nelson–Brantley Glass Company]].
* [[Larry Striplin Jr]] bought the [[NelBran Glass|Nelson–Brantley Glass Company]].
* [[Anne Tidmore]] founded [[Tidmore Flag and Banner]] in Montgomery.
* ''[[Birmingham Independent|The Cahaba Valley News]]'' began publishing weekly.


===Civil Rights Movement===
===Civil Rights Movement===
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* [[April 3]]-[[May 10]]: The [[Birmingham campaign]] of peaceful protest was carried out in downtown Birmingham.
* [[April 3]]-[[May 10]]: The [[Birmingham campaign]] of peaceful protest was carried out in downtown Birmingham.
** [[April 3]]: The "[[Birmingham Manifesto]]" was issued and the first organized sit-ins took place at downtown lunch counters.
** [[April 3]]: The "[[Birmingham Manifesto]]" was issued and the first organized sit-ins took place at downtown lunch counters.
** [[April 7]] (Palm  Sunday): Ministers [[John Thomas Porter]], [[Nelson H. Smith]] and [[A. D. King]] led a group of 2,000 marchers to protest the jailing of [[Civil Rights Movement]] leaders.
** [[April 6]]: [[Fred Shuttlesworth]] led the [[April 6 march|first mass march]] to [[Birmingham City Hall]] to petition for civil rights, including the right to peacefully assemble. He was arrested.
** [[April 7]] (Palm  Sunday): Ministers [[John Thomas Porter]], [[Nelson Smith Jr]] and [[A. D. King]] [[Palm Sunday march|led a group of more than 1,000 marchers]] to protest Shuttlesworth's jailing.
** [[April 11]]: The [[Birmingham Public Library]] board voted to desegregate the city's public libraries.
** [[April 11]]: The [[Birmingham Public Library]] board voted to desegregate the city's public libraries.
** [[April 12]] (Good Friday): [[Martin Luther King, Jr]] was arrested for parading without a permit. White clergymen issue "[[A Call for Unity]]", urging an end to demonstrations as a show of support for the incoming city council.  
** [[April 12]] (Good Friday): [[Martin Luther King, Jr]] was arrested for parading without a permit. White clergymen issue "[[A Call for Unity]]", urging an end to demonstrations as a show of support for the incoming city council.  
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* [[August 10]]: Predominantly African-American [[St James United Methodist Church (Warrior)|St James United Methodist Church]] in [[Warrior]] was destroyed by arsonists.
* [[August 10]]: Predominantly African-American [[St James United Methodist Church (Warrior)|St James United Methodist Church]] in [[Warrior]] was destroyed by arsonists.
* [[August 15]]: [[Loveman's]] department store was targeted by a tear gas bomb.
* [[August 15]]: [[Loveman's]] department store was targeted by a tear gas bomb.
* [[September 10]]: [[Birmingham City Schools]] were integrated by National Guardsmen under orders from President Kennedy.
* [[September 10]]: President Kennedy ordered National Guard personnel to enforce the integration of [[Birmingham City Schools]].
* [[September 11]]: The [[Alabama State Troopers]] briefly blocked [[Richard Walker]] from entering [[Ramsay High School]] and [[Floyd Armstrong|Floyd]] and [[Dwight Armstrong]] from entering [[Graymont Elementary School]]. White students staged a walkout as [[Patricia Marcus]] and [[Josephine Powell]] began classes at [[West End High School]].
* [[September 15]]: [[16th Street Baptist Church]] was [[1963 church bombing|bombed]] in an act of terror. (''See also:'' [[List of racially-motivated bombings#1963|List of racially-motivated bombings]].)
* [[September 15]]: [[16th Street Baptist Church]] was [[1963 church bombing|bombed]] in an act of terror. (''See also:'' [[List of racially-motivated bombings#1963|List of racially-motivated bombings]].)
* [[September 30]]: ''Newsweek'' published a feature story about the church bombing with a photograph by [[John Friedel]] on the cover.
* [[September 30]]: ''Newsweek'' published a feature story about the church bombing with a photograph by [[John Friedel]] on the cover.
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* [[May 23]]: The [[Alabama Supreme Court]] upheld Bowron's ruling in favor of the Mayor-Council government.
* [[May 23]]: The [[Alabama Supreme Court]] upheld Bowron's ruling in favor of the Mayor-Council government.
* [[June 1]]: Salary for the [[Mayor of Birmingham]] was raised from $15,000 to $25,000.
* [[June 1]]: Salary for the [[Mayor of Birmingham]] was raised from $15,000 to $25,000.
* [[July 16]]: The 212-member [[Community Affairs Committee]] was organized.
* [[August 7]]: The [[Birmingham City Council]] approved Mayor [[Albert Boutwell]]'s $15 million [[1964 Birmingham budget]].
* [[August 7]]: The [[Birmingham City Council]] approved Mayor [[Albert Boutwell]]'s $15 million [[1964 Birmingham budget]].
* [[November 5]]: The [[Regional Planning Commission|Birmingham-Jefferson County Regional Planning Commission]] was created.
* [[November 5]]: The [[Regional Planning Commission|Birmingham-Jefferson County Regional Planning Commission]] was created.
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* [[Wallace Wirtz]] succeeded [[Robert Woodfield]] as rector of [[St Andrew's Episcopal Church]].
* [[Wallace Wirtz]] succeeded [[Robert Woodfield]] as rector of [[St Andrew's Episcopal Church]].
* [[Morton Wallack]] succeeded [[Abraham Mesch]] as rabbi of Temple Beth-El.
* [[Morton Wallack]] succeeded [[Abraham Mesch]] as rabbi of Temple Beth-El.
* [[St Raphael Catholic Church]] was founded in [[Graysville]].


===Sports===
===Sports===
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* [[May 16]]: [[Jon Coffelt]], artist
* [[May 16]]: [[Jon Coffelt]], artist
* [[June 6]]: [[Claude Estes IV]], CPA
* [[June 6]]: [[Claude Estes IV]], CPA
* [[June 14]]: [[James Wilson III]], real estate developer
* [[June 19]]: [[Sandy Sanderson]], [[Birmingham Police Department|Birmingham Police officer]]
* [[July 6]]: [[Shelia Smoot]], television reporter and politician
* [[July 6]]: [[Shelia Smoot]], television reporter and politician
* [[August 28]]: [[Al Sutton]], Baptist minister
* [[August 28]]: [[Al Sutton]], Baptist minister
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* [[September 8]]: [[David Lee Smith]], actor
* [[September 8]]: [[David Lee Smith]], actor
* September 8: [[Phillip Griffith]], photographer
* September 8: [[Phillip Griffith]], photographer
* [[October 23]]: [[Hollis Towns]], president of [[Alabama Media Group]]
* [[October 24]]: [[Joe DeCamillis]], artist
* [[October 24]]: [[Joe DeCamillis]], artist
* [[November 6]]: [[A. C. Roper]], [[Birmingham Police Department]] chief
* [[November 6]]: [[A. C. Roper]], [[Birmingham Police Department]] chief
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* [[Brett Blackledge]], reporter
* [[Brett Blackledge]], reporter
* [[Curt Bloom]], radio announcer
* [[Curt Bloom]], radio announcer
* [[Allen Bolton]], UAB administrator
* [[Bret Bradford]], sculptor
* [[Bret Bradford]], sculptor
* [[John Hallum]], actor
* [[John Hallum]], actor
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* [[Edith Mayomi]], former [[Jefferson State Community College]] employee  
* [[Edith Mayomi]], former [[Jefferson State Community College]] employee  
* [[David Meeks]], Associated Press editor
* [[David Meeks]], Associated Press editor
* [[Ronald Moon Jr]], physician
* [[Artis Murphy]], literacy advocate
* [[Artis Murphy]], literacy advocate
* [[Curtis Rigney]], [[Alabaster Police Department|Alabaster Police Chief]]
* [[Curtis Rigney]], [[Alabaster Police Department|Alabaster Police Chief]]
* [[Yolnda Seay]], convicted criminal
* [[Seay family|Yolanda Seay]], convicted criminal
* [[Patrick Smith]], chief of the [[Birmingham Police Department]]
* [[Marcia Starks]], home health aide
* [[Marcia Starks]], home health aide
* [[Jennifer Trammell]], civic leader
* [[Jennifer Trammell]], civic leader
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* [[Dave Roddy]] was made music director at [[WSGN-AM|WSGN]].
* [[Dave Roddy]] was made music director at [[WSGN-AM|WSGN]].
* [[Clarke Stallworth]] became city editor for the ''[[Birmingham Post-Herald]]''.
* [[Clarke Stallworth]] became city editor for the ''[[Birmingham Post-Herald]]''.
* [[Patrick Sullivan]] was assigned to priestly duties in North Alabama.
* [[Patrick J. Sullivan]] was assigned to priestly duties in North Alabama.


===Awards===
===Awards===
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* [[February 6]]: [[Sumangalo]], Buddhist priest and monk
* [[February 6]]: [[Sumangalo]], Buddhist priest and monk
* [[March 2]]: [[Charles Carraway]], physician and [[Carraway Hospital]] founder
* [[March 2]]: [[Charles Carraway]], physician and [[Carraway Hospital]] founder
* [[March 12]]: [[Frank Merritt]], theater owner
* April: [[Simon Kessler]], businessman
* April: [[Simon Kessler]], businessman
* [[May 1]]: [[Lee Bidgood]], founding dean of [[Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration]]
* [[May 1]]: [[Lee Bidgood]], founding dean of [[Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration]]
* August: [[Henry Hury]], theater owner/manager
* [[September 15]]:  [[Addie Mae Collins]], [[1963 church bombing|church bombing]] victim
* [[September 15]]:  [[Addie Mae Collins]], [[1963 church bombing|church bombing]] victim
* September 15: [[Denise McNair]], [[1963 church bombing|church bombing]] victim
* September 15: [[Denise McNair]], [[1963 church bombing|church bombing]] victim
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* September 15: [[Virgil Ware]], bombing aftermath victim
* September 15: [[Virgil Ware]], bombing aftermath victim
* [[October 19]]: [[Walter McAdory]], former [[Jefferson County Sheriff]]
* [[October 19]]: [[Walter McAdory]], former [[Jefferson County Sheriff]]
* [[December 1]]: [[Holt McDowell]], [[Jefferson County Sheriff]]
* December 1: [[Eula Smith]], United Daughters of the Confederacy leader
* [[December 14]]: [[Dinah Washington]], blues singer
* [[December 14]]: [[Dinah Washington]], blues singer
* [[December 25]]: A 14-year-old [[Woodlawn High School]] student was found dead from injuries sustained during a fall and exposure to the cold near [[Eastwood Mall]].
* [[December 25]]: A 14-year-old [[Woodlawn High School]] student was found dead from injuries sustained during a fall and exposure to the cold near [[Eastwood Mall]].
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* [[December 15]]: The nearly-completed [[Parliament House]] hotel was lit up with neon for Christmas.
* [[December 15]]: The nearly-completed [[Parliament House]] hotel was lit up with neon for Christmas.


====Demolished====
====Demolitions====
* June: The former [[Baker School (Fairfield)|Baker School]] in [[Fairfield]] was demolished to make way for a new school building.
* August: The [[Strand Theater]] was demolished to make way for new parking deck for [[Birmingham Trust National Bank]].
* August: The [[Strand Theater]] was demolished to make way for new parking deck for [[Birmingham Trust National Bank]].


Latest revision as of 17:55, 6 March 2024

1963 was the 92nd year after the founding of the City of Birmingham.

A watershed in the Civil Rights Movement occurred in 1963 when Birmingham Civil Rights Movement leader Fred Shuttlesworth requested that Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) come to Birmingham to help end segregation (see below). Together they launched "Project C" (for "Confrontation"), a massive assault on the Jim Crow system. During April and May daily sit-ins and mass marches were met with police repression, tear gas, attack dogs, and arrests. More than 3,000 people were arrested during these protests, many of them children. These protests were ultimately successful, leading not only to desegregation of public accommodations in Birmingham but also the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

While imprisoned for having taken part in a nonviolent protest, Dr. King wrote the now famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail," a defining treatise in his cause against segregation. Birmingham is also known for a bombing which occurred later that year, in which four black girls were killed by a bomb planted at the 16th Street Baptist Church. The event would inspire the African-American poet Dudley Randall's opus, "Ballad of Birmingham," as well as jazz musician John Coltrane's song, "Alabama."

Events

Business

Christmas shopping on 2nd Avenue North in December 1963. Photo by Spider Martin.

Civil Rights Movement

ACMHR pin.jpg
Main article: Timeline of the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham

Education

Government

The Birmingham City Council in 1963

Religion

Sports

Individuals

Births

Charles Barkley
A. C. Roper

Graduations

Marriages

Divorces

Albert Boutwell. courtesy BPL Archives

Offices

Awards

Retirements

Collins, McNair, Robertson, and Wesley

Deaths

See also List of Birmingham homicides in 1963

Works

Letter from Birmingham City Jail cover.jpg

Buildings

2121 Building
Fritz Woehle residence

Demolitions

Music

  • One Grain of Sand, Odetta
  • Odetta Sings Folk Songs, Odetta
  • Angels and Demons at Play, Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra
  • When Sun Comes Out, Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra

Gallery

Context

In 1963, the Vietnam War continued. Travel and financial transactions by U.S. citizens with Cuba were prohibited. The Beatles recorded and release their debut album, Please Please Me. Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 705 crashed in the Florida Everglades killing all 43 persons aboard. Country music superstar Patsy Cline was killed in a plane crash. The Alcatraz Island federal penitentiary in San Francisco Bay closed. The Coca-Cola Company introduced its first diet drink, Tab cola. NASA flew the final Mercury program mission. Vostok 6 carried Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman, into space. The Supreme Court ruled in Abington School District v. Schempp that state-mandated Bible reading in public schools is unconstitutional. Pope Paul VI succeeded Pope John XXIII.

Also in 1963, ZIP Codes were introduced. Hurricane Flora hit Hispaniola and Cuba killing nearly 7,000 people. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson became the 36th President. Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin was later shot dead by Jack Ruby on live national television. A lightning strike caused the crash of Pan Am Flight 214 near Elkton, Maryland, killing 81 people. Kenya and Zanzibar became independent from Great Britain. The cruise ship Lakonia burned 180 miles north of Madeira, killing 128.

Books published in 1963 included Planet of the Apes (La Planète des Singes) by Pierre Boulle, Inside Mr. Enderby by Anthony Burgess, The Clocks by Agatha Christie, The Collector by John Fowles, On Her Majesty's Secret Service by Ian Fleming, The Spy who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré, Ice Station Zebra by Alistair MacLean, Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, and The Graduate by Charles Webb.

Top pop music hits of 1963 included "He's So Fine" by The Chiffons, "Fingertips Pt. 2" by Little Stevie Wonder, "Sugar Shack" by Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs, and "Dominique" by The Singing Nun. The Grammy Awards for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year went to "Days of Wine and Roses" by Henry Mancini. Album of the Year went to The Barbra Streisand Album by Barbra Streisand. Best New Artist was awarded to Ward Swingle of The Swingle Singers.

The top-grossing films of 1963 included Cleopatra, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, How the West Was Won, The Birds, and From Russia With Love. The Academy Award for Best Picture went to Tom Jones, as did Best Director (Tony Richardson). Best Actor went to Sidney Poitier for Lilies of the Field, while Best Actress went to Patricia Neal for Hud.

Television premieres of 1963 included Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, General Hospital, The Outer Limits, The Fugitive, and Petticoat Junction. Also premiering in the United Kingdom was BBC television science fiction series Doctor Who. Series that ended in 1963 included The Voice of Firestone, The Real McCoys, and Leave It to Beaver,

Notable births in 1963 included baseball pitcher David Cone, singer and actress Vanessa L. Williams, model and actress Kathy Ireland, chess player Garry Kasparov, actor Eric McCormack, entertainer Conan O'Brien, martial artist and actor Jet Li, actress Natasha Richardson, comedian and actor Mike Myers, actor Johnny Depp, actress Helen Hunt, singer George Michael, actress Phoebe Cates, actress Lisa Kudrow, rapper Coolio, computer hacker Kevin Mitnick, singer Whitney Houston, actor John Stamos, singer Tori Amos, singer Richard Marx, baseball player Mark McGwire, and actor Brad Pitt.

Notable deaths included businessman and politician Robert S. Kerr, country singer Patsy Cline, Pope John XXIII, civil rights activist W. E. B. Du Bois, conductor Fritz Reiner, criminal Robert Stroud, writer Aldous Huxley, President John F. Kennedy, novelist C. S. Lewis, and wrestler "Gorgeous George" Wagner.

1960s
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