August 16 - Joseph Kittinger parachutes from a balloon over New Mexico at 102,800 feet (31,333 m). He sets unbeaten (as of 2003) world records for: high-altitude jump; free-fall by falling 16 miles (25.7 km) before opening his parachute; and fastest speed by a human without an aircraft, 982 km/h (614 mi/h).
August 19 - Sputnik program: The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 5 with the dogs Belka and Strelka (Russian for "Squirrel" and "Little Arrow"), 40 mice, 2 rats and a variety of plants. The spacecraft will return to earth the next day and all animals will be recovered safely.
September 1 - Disgruntled railroad workers effectively halt operations of the Pennsylvania Railroad, marking the first shutdown in the history of the company (event lasted 2 days).
December 2 - U.S President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized the use of $1M for the relief and resettlement of Cubanrefugees in Florida. Cuban refugees were arriving in Florida at the rate of 1,000 a week.
December 5 - Pierre Lagaillarde, who led 1958 and 1960 insurrections in Algeria, failed to appear in a Paris court. He was reported to have fled with 4 fellow defendants to Spain en route to Algeria.
December 13 - While the Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia was on a visit to Brazil, a revolt against his rule was carried out by his Imperial Guard. The rebels proclaimed the emperor's son, Crown Prince Asfa-Wossen.
December 15 - King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Deva of Nepal deposed the government and took power into his own hands.
December 16 - U.S Secretary of State Christian Herter announced that the United States would commit five atomic submarines and 80 Polaris missiles to NATO by the end of 1963.
December 17 - Troops loyal to Haile Selassie I in Ethiopia suppressed the revolt that started on December 13 and gave power back to their leader upon his return from Brazil. Haile Selassie absolved his son of any guilt.
February 11 - Jack Paar walks off his TV show because his monologue had been edited the night before, in favor of a three minute news update. Parr walked out at the beginning of the show, announced that he was quiting, said "There's got to be a better way to make a living," and walked off the stage. After network executives personally apologized, Parr returned to the show a month later. His first show back started with the words "As I was saying before I was interrupted..."
American Presidential Candidates John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon debate live on television. The candidates behavior during the debate most likely altered the outcome of the election. In addition to being the first Presidential debates to be broadcast on television, the debates also marked the first time "split screen" images were used by a network.