1960s timeline

  • Nixon-Kennedy Debates (1st on Television)

    Nixon-Kennedy Debates (1st on Television)
    First presidential debate between Vice President Richard Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy. The debate was moderated by Howard K.
  • The Assassination of John F. Kennedy

    The Assassination of John F. Kennedy
    As it was passing the Texas School Book Depository, the president got shot in the neck and head. The governor was shot in his back. The car sped off to Parkland Memorial Hospital just a few minutes away.
  • The Beatles Appear for the first time on the Ed Sullivan Show

    The Beatles Appear for the first time on the Ed Sullivan Show
    This was a cultural watershed that launched American Beatlemania, and inspired many young viewers to become rock musicians.
  • The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

    The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
    This authorized President Johnson to take any measures he believed were necessary to retaliate. It was also to promote the maintenance of international peace and security in southeast Asia.
  • Operation Rolling Thunder

    Operation Rolling Thunder
    Planners hoped to provide a morale boost to South Vietnamese forces, interdict the flow of supplies going south, and discourage North Vietnamese aggression. This was a systematic bombing campaign against North Vietnam named rolling thunder.
  • March on the Pentagon

    March on the Pentagon
    There was at most 35,000 anti-war protesters organized by the National Mobilization Committee to End the War Vietnam. They gathered for a demonstration at the Defense Department
  • Woodstock

    Woodstock
    Woodstock was the largest and most memorable of dozens of outdoor music festivals that took place between 1967 and 1969. This was an era that began with the widely Monterey Pops Concert
  • Kent State Protest

    Kent State Protest
    This was a rally opposing the expanding involvement of the Vietnam War. The United States military forces as well was protesting the National Guard presence on campus and the draft.