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Russians send their first man into space
Yuri Gagarin from the Soviet Union was the first human in space. His vehicle, Vostok 1 circled Earth at a speed of 27,400 kilometers per hour with the flight lasting 108 minutes. Vostok's reentry was controlled by a computer. -
New York World’s Fair begins date
On April 30, 1939, the New York World's Fair opens in New York City. The opening ceremony, which featured speeches by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and New York Governor Herbert Lehman, ushered in the first day of television broadcasting in New York. -
SNCC formed
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was founded in April 1960 by young people dedicated to nonviolent, direct action tactics. -
First televised presidential debate
Nixon and Democratic Senator John F. Kennedy. The first-ever televised debate between presidential candidates was held on September 26, 1960. An estimated total of sixty to seventy million viewers watched the first and the successive debates, which came to be known as “the Great Debates.” -
First airing of "The Flintstones"
It was originally broadcast on ABC from September 30, 1960, to April 1, 1966, and was the first animated series with a prime-time slot on television. The show follows the lives of Fred and Wilma Flintstones and their pet dinosaur, Dino, and they later on have a baby girl named Pebbles. -
President Kennedy is Elected
The issue of the Cold War dominated the election, as tensions were high between the United States and the Soviet Union. Kennedy won a 303-to-219 Electoral College victory, and he won the reported national popular vote by 112,827, a margin of 0.17 percent. -
Lyndon B Johnson defeats Barry Goldwater
On Election Day, Goldwater lost the election to Johnson by what was then the largest margin in history. Goldwater accumulated 52 electoral votes to Johnson's 486 and 39% of the popular vote (27,178,188) to Johnson's 61% (43,129,566). -
Berlin Wall Constructed
The wall was built to separate East Berlin and West Berlin. This was due to the Cold War and the wall was built to stop immigration. -
Roger Maris of the Yankees breaks Babe Ruth’s single season home run record
61 years ago, Roger Maris hit HR No. 61 on the final. game of the season to break Babe Ruth's single-season. record. -
SDS releases its Port Huron statement
The 25,700-word statement issued a non-ideological call for participatory democracy, based on non-violent civil disobedience and the idea that individual citizens could help make the social decisions which determined their quality of life. -
Cuban Missile Crissis
The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 was a direct and dangerous confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War and was the moment when the two superpowers came closest to nuclear conflict. -
Marilyn Monroe Dies
This was a big deal in America because Marilyn was such an Icon. All men wanted her and all women wanted to be her. -
James Meredith registers at Ole Miss
James Meredith officially became the first African American student at the University of Mississippi on October 2, 1962. He was guarded twenty-four hours a day by reserve U.S. deputy marshals and army troops, and he endured constant verbal harassment from a minority of students. -
“Dr. No” the first James Bond movie premiers
The first Bond was a relatively youthful 32 when Dr. No released in 1962 (31 during filming), and Connery played the character in 6 films over 9 years. He was 33 for 1963's Blofeld debut From Russia With Love, 34 by 1964's Goldfinger, 35 in 1965's Thunderball, and 37 in 1967's You Only Live Twice.] -
"I have a dream"
"I Have a Dream" is a public speech that was delivered by American civil rights activist and Baptist minister Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963. In the speech, King called for civil and economic rights and an end to racism in the United States. -
JFK Assasination
On November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. He was shot in the back of the head but there are many theories on his death. -
The Beatles Arrive In The United States
The Beatles were an instant hit in Europe before coming to America. During this time the people to watch were the Beatles and their music was a mix of peace and war music. -
The Beatles appear on Ed Sullivan
The Beatles made several appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, including three in February 1964 that were among their first appearances in front of an American audience. -
Malcolm X Assassinated
Malcolm X, an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a popular figure during the civil rights movement, was shot multiple times and died from his wounds in Manhattan, New York City on February 21, 1965 at age 39. -
Watts race riots
The Watts riots, sometimes referred to as the Watts Rebellion or Watts Uprising, took place in the Watts neighborhood and its surrounding areas of Los Angeles from August 11 to 16, 1965. On August 11, 1965, Marquette Frye, a 21-year-old African-American man, was pulled over for drunken driving. -
“Star Trek” TV show airs
Paramount Television produced the show from January 1968 to June 1969. Star Trek aired on NBC from September 8, 1966, to June 3, 1969. It was first broadcast on September 6, 1966, on Canada's CTV network. While on NBC, Star Trek's Nielsen ratings were low and the network canceled it after three seasons and 79 episodes. -
San Francisco"Summer of Love" Begins
he Human Be-In takes place in San Francisco, launching the “Summer of Love” The Human Be-In is held in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park on January 14, 1967, launching the "Summer of Love." The event draws more than 20,000 people to enjoy peace, love, music and psychedelics. -
First NFL Superbowl
This was a big deal because football was Americas sport. Many sports were played in America but those sports were also played in many other countries. American Football is the pride of America. The game was played between the Chiefs and Green bay. -
Boxer Muhammed Ali refuses military service
Muhammad Ali, the reigning world heavyweight boxing champion, entered the combative ring of politics and culture by refusing to serve in the United States military at the height of the Vietnam War on this day in history, April 28, 1967. -
Beatles Release Sgt. Peppers Album
The album cover was very controversial due to the cover having Ghandi in it, to some people this was considered sacrilegious. The album took around 4 months to make with a cost of 75,000 dollars. -
Thurgood Marshall Nominated To The Supreme Court
First black man to serve as a judge in the supreme court. This was a huge deal due to the segregation in America at this time. -
LSD declared illegal by the U.S. government
This resulted in LSD being viewed as a cultural threat to American values and the Vietnam war effort, and it was designated as a Schedule I (illegal for medical as well as recreational use) substance in 1968. -
Tet Offensive
On January 30, 1968, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops launched the Tet Offensive against South Vietnamese and United States targets. The Tet Offensive became a major turning point in the Vietnam War. -
Martin Luther King Assasination
At 6:05 P.M. on Thursday, 4 April 1968, Martin Luther King was shot dead while standing on a balcony outside his second-floor room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. News of King's assassination prompted major outbreaks of racial violence, resulting in more than 40 deaths nationwide. -
Protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention
The 1968 Democratic National Convention protests were a series of protests against the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War that took place prior to and during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois. The protests lasted approximately seven days, from August 23 to August 29, 1968. -
Richard Nixon is Elected
However, in 1968, he made another run for the presidency and was elected, defeating Hubert Humphrey by less than one percentage point in the popular vote, as well as defeating third-party candidate George Wallace. Nixon ended American involvement in Vietnam combat in 1973 and the military draft in the same year. -
American astronauts land on the moon
This was accomplished with two US pilot-astronauts flying a Lunar Module on each of six NASA missions across a 41-month period starting 20 July 1969, with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on Apollo 11, and ending on 14 December 1972 with Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt on Apollo 17. -
Stone Wall Riots
The Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York's Greenwich Village, was raided by police. But instead of responding with the routine compliance the NYPD expected, patrons and a growing crowd decided to fight back. The five days of rioting that ensued changed forever the face of gay and lesbian life. -
Woodstock Concert
This event was one of the largest music event in history. A lot of drugs were passed around and the music being played were peace on war. -
The Rolling Stones host the Altamont music festival
On December 6, 1969, about 300,000 gathered at the Altamont Speedway in Tracy, California to see the Rolling Stones perform a free concert that was seen as a 'Woodstock West. ' It was also supposed to be a triumphant conclusion for the band that year, following their successful U.S. tour.