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The BBC Radiophonic Workshop
The British Broadcasting Corporation, in order to meet its producers’ requests for more unusual sound effects and music than is presently held in its sound library, establishes the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in room 13 of the BBC’s Maida Vale recording studios. Concentrating on tape manipulation and found sounds altered with analog effects (and only later delving into the earliest waves of analog synthesizers), the Workshop produces music for such legendary BBC productions as The Quatermass Experiment and the theme music for Doctor Who. Founding members include Desmond Briscoe, Daphne Oram and Dick Mills.
The very first weather satellite, TIROS-1, is launched by the United States. Built under contract by RCA, the nearly-300-pound satellite’s black & white cameras offer the first view of Earth’s cloud systems and weather patterns from orbit. Tiros-1 remains operational for just 78 days, but proves the viability of relying on satellites for weather observation and forceasting.
The 26th episode of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone airs on CBS. Albert Salmi and Russell Johnson (Gilligan’s Island) star in an episode scripted by Serling from a story by George Clayton Johnson (Logan’s Run).
The 11th episode of Sydney Newman’s spy series The Avengers, starring Ian Hendry and Patrick Macnee, airs on UK broadcaster ABC. This episode is now missing from the archives, but will be recreated in audio form in the 21st century by Big Finish Productions.
The U.S. Weather Bureau announces plans to expand its Weather Radio service across the country, with forecasts now prepared and worded for public consumption (as opposed to the service’s original 1950s mission of providing weather information for airline pilots). Concentrated primarily in coastal areas and a handful of inland population centers, the Weather Radio network has yet to become the Bureau’s primary means of disseminating emergency weather information, a mission it won’t take on until the 1970s.
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British broadcaster ABC airs the 115th episode of the spy-fi series The Avengers, starring Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg. Peter Wyngarde (Department S, Flash Gordon) guest stars.
BBC2 airs the 38th episode of science fiction anthology series Out Of The Unknown. Adapted by David Climie from a story by Peter Phillips, the story stars Peter Barkworth and features an appearance by the Daleks (complete with David Graham providing their voices) from the series’ BBC stablemate, Doctor Who. Directed by Peter Cregeen, a future BBC Head of Series who would become infamous for cancelling Doctor Who after its 1989 season, this episode closes the third season, but no longer exists in the BBC’s archives.
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The tenth episode of The Sixth Sense airs on ABC, starring Gary Collins. Stefanie Powers (The Girl From UNCLE, Hart To Hart) guest stars.
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The Odyssey2 video game console’s answer to Asteroids, 
ABC airs the third episode of Stephen J. Cannell’s superhero comedy series The Greatest American Hero, starring William Katt, Connie Sellecca, and Robert Culp. June Lockhart (Lost In Space) guest stars.
A Split Enz album with identity issues, the group’s sixth studio album is released as 
CBS airs the 21st episode of Ron Koslow’s fantasy series Beauty and the Beast, starring Linda Hamilton, Ron Perlman, and Roy Dotrice. Edward Albert guest stars.
The 63rd episode of a revival of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone airs in syndication. Wayne Robson (The Red Green Show) and Tony Franciosa (Search) star in an episode written by Harlan Ellison.
The week-long national syndication window opens for 
The fifth episode of George Lucas’ historical adventure series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles airs on ABC, starring Sean Patrick Flanery. Ronny Coutteure and Bryan Pringle (Brazil) guest star.
NBC airs the 70th episode of Donald Bellisario’s science fiction series Quantum Leap, starring Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell. Liz Torres (Gilmore Girls), Vaughn Armstrong (Star Trek: Enterprise), and Ed Wasser (Babylon 5) guest star.
Timothy Zahn’s novel “Star Wars: The Last Command”, the concluding part of the hugely popular trilogy of officially licensed follow-ups to the original trilogy, is released by Bantam Books. As with the first two installments of the new trilogy (which will become known years later alternately as the Zahn Trilogy or the Thrawn Trilogy), “The Last Command” climbs to the top of the bestseller lists, and the future of a sprawling print-fiction Star Wars empire is assured in the process. With no new movies for the books to clash with, many fans regard their story developments as “official.”
Baen Books publishes the first novel in the Honor Harrington series, “
Baen Books publishes the third novel in the Honor Harrington series, “
Fox airs the 22nd episode of the sci-fi western, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., starring Bruce Campbell, Julius Carry, and Christian Clemenson. John Pyper-Ferguson (Caprica), Debra Jo Rupp (That ’70s Show), and Timothy Leary guest star.
The 19th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. Michael Horse (Twin Peaks) and Donnelly Rhodes (Battlestar Galactica) guest star.
GNP Crescendo releases a CD of Jay Chattaway’s soundtrack music from original 
The week-long national syndication window opens for 
The week-long national syndication window opens for 
Cable channel TNT premieres 
Pocket Books releases the non-fiction behind-the-scenes book