January 3, 1962 (Wednesday)
- A spokesman for Pope John XXIII revealed that Cuban leader Fidel Castro and several other officials had received a decree of excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church in 1961 under two sections of canon law, for impeding bishops in their work and for violence against clergymen. In September, Cuban bishop Eduardo Boza Masvidal and 135 priests had been forced to leave Cuba.
- The Winemakers' Union of Graves de Vayres was founded.
- Born: Gavin Hastings, Scottish rugby union player, in Edinburgh
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