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New York World’s Fair begins
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”
"The Flintstones" was already prehistoric by design when it premiered Sept. 30, 1960. Sixty years after its launch, primetime TV's first animated series seems even older in some ways, surprisingly contemporary in others and still gets callbacks in today's popular culture. -
President Kennedy is elected
Kennedy was the 35th president after he beat vice president Richard Nixon. -
The Beatles appear on Ed Sullivan
America tuned in to CBS and The Ed Sullivan Show. But this night was different. 73 million people gathered in front their TV sets to see The Beatles' first live performance on U.S. soil. -
Russians send the first man into space
Vostok 1. On 12 April 1961, at 6:07 am UTC, the Vostok 3KA-3 (Vostok 1) spacecraft was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome. Aboard was Gagarin, the first human to travel into space, using the call sign Kedr -
Berlin Wall is constructed
the Wall completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin until government officials opened it -
Roger Maris of the Yankees breaks Babe Ruth’s single season home run record
Maris had 59 home runs after the Yankees' 154th game and therefore failed to beat Ruth's 60 home runs within the original season length. Maris hit his 61st home run on October 1, 1961, in the fourth inning of the last game of the season, at Yankee Stadium in front of 23,154 fans. -
SDS releases its Port Huron statement
It was written by SDS members, and completed on June 15, 1962, at a United Auto Workers (UAW) retreat outside of Port Huron, Michigan -
Marilyn Monroe dies
On the evening of August 4, 1962, American actress Marilyn Monroe died at age 36 of a barbiturate overdose inside her home -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest conflict to nuclear warfare, it was between the US and Solvent Union. -
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. -
Malcolm X assassinated
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 -
“Dr. No” the first James Bond movie premiers
Fleming's novel Dr. No (1958) was adapted for film by the British movie production company Eon Productions in 1962. Directed by Irish filmmaker Terence Young and starring Scottish-born actor Sean Connery as Bond, Dr. No launched one of the most successful film franchises in history. -
Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” Speech
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered this iconic 'I Have a Dream' speech at the March on Washington on August 28, 1963. -
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% -
John F Kennedy is assassinated
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated buy a sniper later dying in Parkland Health, Dallas, TX -
The Beatles arrive in the United States
Arriving at Kennedy Airport, this was the British rock band's first visit to America -
LSD declared illegal by the U.S. government
LSD was declared a "Schedule I" substance, legally designating that the drug has a "high potential for abuse" and is without any "currently accepted medical use in treatment." -
Watts race riots
Angered by long-standing social injustices, thousands of African Americans rioted, burned stores, and pillaged the area. Before order was restored, 34 people had been killed, nearly 4,000 arrested, and more than 1,000 injured, and hundreds of buildings had been destroyed -
“Star Trek” TV show airs
It was first broadcast on September 6, 1966, on Canada's CTV network. -
San Francisco “Summer of Love” begins
launching the "Summer of Love." The event draws more than 20,000 people to enjoy peace, love, music and psychedelics -
First NFL Football Super Bowl
Was the first Super Bowl in 1966?
It was played on January 15, 1967 in front of a star-studded Hollywood crowd at the Los Angeles Coliseum and in front of a TV audience of 65 million. -
Beatles release Sgt. Pepper’s album
The selling price far exceeded the $30,000 (£19,700) originally estimated for the rare LP record -
Boxer Muhammed Ali refuses military service
When Ali arrived to be inducted in the United States Armed Forces, however, he refused, citing his religion forbade him from serving -
Thurgood Marshall nominated to the Supreme Court
President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated civil rights lawyer Thurgood Marshall to be the first African American justice to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. -
Tet Offensive
the Tet offensive was one of the largest military campaigns and took place in the Vietnam war. -
Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated
King was shot while standing on a balcony outside his second-floor room at the Lorraine Motel. One shot was heard coming from another location. King was rushed to a hospital and died an hour later. -
Robert Kennedy is assassinated
Robert F. Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan in a hotel at Los Angeles. -
Protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention
7 days 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. -
Richard Nixon is elected
Richard Nixon beat out Hubert Humphrey to become the 37th president. -
The Rolling Stones host the Altamont music festival
As the final show of their American tour, the Rolling Stones held a one-day rock festival at Altamont Speedway in Livermore, California -
Stonewall 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. -
American astronauts land on the moon
Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin were the first of 12 human beings to walk on the Moon using the Appollo 11. -
Woodstock concert
The Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival held on a 600-acre dairy farm in the rural town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969.