after his pre-recorded introduction to the stories of his anthology series, The Dick Powell Show had been telecast. The show would continue for the rest of the season under the same name with various celebrities hosting, but without Powell's introductions. Jack Carson, 52, Canadian-American comedian and character actor, of stomach cancer January 3, 1963 (Thursday) Contact with the American Mariner 2 space probe was lost after 128 days of data transmitted from the planet Venus and from the Sun. Attempts from Earth on January 8 to restart transmission, failed, and the craft was not found during searches made on May 28 and August 16. Thirty-two Soviet civilians from Siberia forced their way into the United States Embassy in Moscow, describing themselves as "persecuted Christians" and seeking political asylum. After embassy officials told the group that they could not stay, the people were placed on a bus and taken away by Moscow police. The 6 men, 12 women and 14 children were sent back to Chernogorsk that evening, after the U.S. Embassy received assurances that the group would get "good treatment". The "Big Freeze of 1963" in the United Kingdom caused the cancellation of all but three of the scheduled third round matches of the 1962–63 FA Cup. The blizzard was "the worst snow in Britain's 100 years of recorded weather history". At a press conference in Ottawa, U.S. Army General Lauris Norstad's answer to a reporter's question set in motion a series of events that would bring the downfall of Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker. General Norstad had recently retired as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. Asked by Charles Lynch of the Ottawa Citizen whether he was saying that Canada's refusal to accept nuclear weapons for its airplanes meant "that she is not actually fulfilling her NATO commitments", General Norstad said, "I believe that is right." Tentative plans were made by NASA to extend the Mercury-Atlas 9 (MA-9) flight from 18 to 22 orbits. January 4, 1963 (Friday) An express train crashed into the rear of a standing passenger train at Meghnagar, Madhya Pradesh, India. Eight passenger cars were crushed or caught fire after an explosion. At least 38 people were confirmed dead and 90 injured. The Soviet Union successfully launched Luna E-6 No.2, but a malfunction kept the craft from going beyond low Earth orbit. Seven days later, the decay of the orbit would cause the satellite to