-
American U-2 spy plane, piloted by Francis Gary Powers, shot down over Russia.
-
The first debate for a presidential election was televised. It was between Senator John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon. Nixon seemed nervous, but Kennedy stood tall. The debate on TV changed many people's minds about Kennedy.
-
John F. Kennedy's inauguration as president of U.S.
-
USSR fires 50-megaton hydrogen bom; biggest explosion in history.
-
Kennedy orders Cuban blockade.
-
Kennedy lifts blockade after Russians back down.
-
France and West Germany sign treaty of cooperation ending four centuries of conflict.
-
Martin Luther King delivers “I have a dream” speech.
-
Civil rights rally held by 200,000 blacks and whites in Washington, D.C.
-
John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.
-
Three civil rights workers, Schwerner, Goodman, and Cheney were murdered in Mississippi.
-
The first Civil Rights bill was passed to stop racial discrimination.
-
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and more than 2,600 other blacks arrested in Selma, Ala., during three-day demonstrations against voter-registration rules.
-
Walt Disney, the creator of Mickey Mouse and a Pioneer of animated films, died of cancer.
-
Thurgood Marshall sworn in as first black U.S. Supreme Court justice.
-
Robert F. Kennedy is shot and critically wounded in Los Angeles hotel after winning California primary.
-
Robert F. Kennedy died the next day after being shot in California.
-
Richard M. Nixon is inaugurated 37th president of the U.S.