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U-2 incident
In the Soviet Union, a United States U-2 spy plane is shot done by Soviet forces, leading to the capture of U.S. pilot Gary Powers. -
Kennedy for president
Election is won by Senator John F. Kennedy, the Democratic candidate from Massachusetts, over Richard M. Nixon. -
FDA approves birth control
the Food and Drug Administration approves the first birth control pill for sale. -
Missile Program
President Kennedy initiates 17 billion dollar nuclear missile program, increases military aid to Indochina and announces the creation of the Peace Corps. -
Construcion of Berlin wall
The construction of the Berlin Wall begins by the Soviet bloc, segregating the German city. The wall would last for twenty-eight years. -
Build Fallout Shelters!
President Kennedy advises Americans to build fallout shelters. -
Nuclear test ban
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty is ratified by Senate. -
Nuclear Treaty takes effect
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty takes effect. -
Kennedy is killed
In Dallas, Texas, during a motorcade through downtown, President John F. Kennedy is mortally wounded by assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn into office later that day. -
War in vietnam
First American soldier officially sets foot on Vietnam battlefields, First U.S. combat troops begin fighting in South Vietnam. -
LSD factory
Owsley starts LSD factory, making large quantities of acid available for the first time. -
Medicare
the government medical program for citizens over the age of 65, begins. -
MLK Assassinated
Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee while standing on a motel balcony by James Earl Ray. -
Mission Apollo
The Apollo program completes its mission. Neil Armstrong, United States astronaut, becomes the first man to set foot on the moon four days after launch from Cape Canaveral. -
Internet development
The Internet, called Arpanet , begins development, and is invented by the Advanced Research Projects Agency at the U.S. Department of Defense.
