On this day

May 20, 1964

Revisit the news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

Historical Context for May 20, 1964

In 1964, the world population was approximately 3,264,487,339 people[†]

Notable Births

Kōichirō Genba

1964Kōichirō Genba, Japanese politician, 80th Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs[†]

Kōichirō Genba is a Japanese politician who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2011 to 2012. He is a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet, and was a member to the Democratic Party of Japan and its successor Democratic Party until its merger in 2018. He left the party briefly before the merger, and joined the Group of Independents House of Representatives caucus of other former Democrats a few days later. A native of Tamura, Fukushima and graduate of Sophia University, he was later accepted into the prestigious Matsushita Institute of Government and Management, an institution founded by Panasonic founder Konosuke Matsushita which grooms future civic leaders of Japan. Genba was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1993 after serving in the assembly of Fukushima Prefecture for one term. In September 2011 he was chosen as Minister for Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.

Edin Osmanović

1964Edin Osmanović, Slovenian footballer, coach, and manager[†]

Edin Osmanović is a Slovenian football manager and former player. He began his career in Rudar Trbovlje and later coached many clubs in the Slovenian PrvaLiga, the highest level in Slovenian football, including Celje, Gorica, Rudar Velenje, Korotan Prevalje, Dravograd, Aluminij, and Mura 05.

Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer

1964Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, English journalist and author[†]

Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer,, styled Viscount Althorp between 1975 and 1992, is a British peer, author, journalist, and broadcaster. He is the younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the maternal uncle of William, Prince of Wales, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.

Notable Deaths

1964Rudy Lewis, American singer (born 1936)[†]

Rudy Lewis was an American rhythm and blues singer known for his work with the Drifters. In 1988, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Historical Events

Discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation

1964Discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation by Robert Woodrow Wilson and Arno Penzias.[†]

The discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation constitutes a major development in modern physical cosmology. In 1964, US physicist Arno Allan Penzias and radio-astronomer Robert Woodrow Wilson discovered the cosmic microwave background (CMB), estimating its temperature as 3.5 K, as they experimented with the Holmdel Horn Antenna. The new measurements were accepted as important evidence for a hot early Universe and as evidence against the rival steady state theory as theoretical work around 1950 showed the need for a CMB for consistency with the simplest relativistic universe models. In 1978, Penzias and Wilson were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics for their joint measurement. There had been a prior measurement of the cosmic background radiation (CMB) by Andrew McKellar in 1941 at an effective temperature of 2.3 K using CN stellar absorption lines observed by W. S. Adams. Although no reference to the CMB is made by McKellar, it was not until much later after the Penzias and Wilson measurements that the significance of this measurement was understood.

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Headlines from May 20, 1964

Front Page 3 -- No Title

By Unknown Author

WOMEN'S PAGE Isn't meant for men. Men read it though—because they like to cook and eat good food too. See The New York Times women's Page today—Advt.

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U.S. WEIGHS MOVE SHORT OF FIGHTING IN LAOTIAN CRISIS; Reported to Be Considering Dispatch of Ships to Area and Troops to Thailand; NORTH VIETNAM SCORED; Accused of Helping Pathet Lao and Imperiling ’62 Neutrality Agreement

By Unknown Author

US says it is prepared to take any steps short of direct mil intervention to halt fighting; charges aggression by Pathet Lao and N Vietnam perils Geneva accords; notes Souvanna Phouma documentation of charges on N Vietnamese; discouraged by repts that Poland plans to recall its member of control comm; hears neutralists barely hold on to their positions, that Pathet Lao occupies 3/4 of Plaine des Jarres; map

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Front Page 2 -- No Title

By Unknown Author

THE WAY TO A MAN's HEART Is through his stomach—and your guide to foods in season at reasonable cost Is The New York Times women's page. See at today—Advt.

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