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SNCC Formed
In April 1960, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was formed at Shaw University. The organization became one of the famous civil rights movements during the 1960's. -
First Televised Presidential Debate
On Sept. 26, 1960, the first Televised Presidential Debate was broadcast for about 70 million American viewers to see. The debate was between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. -
First Airing Of "The Flintstones"
On September 30, 1960, the first episode of the children's show, "The Flintstones" aired on ABC. The show was produced by Hanna-Barbera and ran for 6 seasons. -
President Kennedy Is Elected
On January 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy was elected as the 35th President of the United States. He remained in office until his assassination in 1963. -
Russians Send The First Man Into Space
On April 12, 1961, the Soviet Union sent Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin into space, where he was also the first man to orbit the Earth. -
Berlin Wall Is Constructed
On August 13, 1961, construction began on the Berlin Wall, a 155 km long wall dividing West Berlin from East Berlin. The wall lasted for almost 30 years and was demolished in 1990-1992. -
Roger Maris Of The Yankees Breaks Babe Ruth's Single Season Home Run Record
On October 1, 1961, Yankees member Roger Maris Broke Babe Ruth's record for hitting over 60 home runs in a single season record from 1927. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
On October 16–28, 1962, the United States was in conflict with the Soviet Union, trying to negotiate the use and placement of ballistic missiles, without starting WW III. By the end of the 13 days, U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Union leader, Khrushchev, reached an agreement to remove missiles from Cuba, Turkey, and Italy. The U.S. also agreed not invade Cuba without being provoked, and a nuclear hotline was created between the Soviet Union and United States. -
SDS Releases Its Port Huron Statement
On June 15, 1962, Tom Hayden, a member of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), wrote the Port Huron Statement, a political manifesto. -
Marilyn Monroe Dies
On August 5, 1962, famous actress and model Marilyn Monroe passes away from an barbiturate overdose in Los Angeles, CA. -
James Meredith Registers At Ole Miss
On October 1, 1962, James Meredith became the first African American to register at Ole Miss. Days before his enrollment there was a riot, opposing his enrollment in the all white university, which resulted in two deaths and over 300 injuries. -
"Dr. No" The First James Bond Movie Premiers
On October 5, 1962, "Dr. No", the first of many James Bond movies, was released in theaters. The movie was directed by Terence Young and stared Sean Connery. -
Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" Speech
On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered this famous speech to over 250,000 people in Washington, D.C. The speech addressed the problem of racism in the United States and told of a world where people of color could be treated equally. -
John F. Kennedy Is Assassinated
On November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas. While Oswald was arrested, there were multiple theories on the actual shooter behind the murder, due to the unconvincing single-bullet theory given by the Warren Commission. -
The Beatles Arrive In The United States
The Beatles departed on their first trip to the United States and landed at the Kennedy Airport in New York. Six days before their flight, the band's song, "I Want To Hold Your Hand" reached No. 1 on the U.S. music charts, and not long after the "Beatlemania" began. -
The Beatles Appear On Ed Sullivan
On February 9th, 1964, the Beatles had their first American TV appearance when they went on the Ed Sullivan Show. Their debut was extremely successful and was watched by over 73 million people. -
New York World's Fair Begins
On April 22, 1964, the New York World's Fair was held with about 51,000,000 visitors, and stayed open for 6 months. The following year, the fair was opened around the same time until October 17. -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
On August 2, 1964, the United States was pulled into the Vietnam War when it had two confrontations with North Vietnamese ships. -
Lyndon B Johnson Defeats Barry Goldwater
On November 3, 1964, Lyndon B Johnson defeated Barry Goldwater and became the 36th President of the United States. The democratic nominee won the popular vote with 61.1%. -
Malcolm X Assassinated
On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated in New York City, NY by 3 members of the Nation of Islam. -
Watts Race Riots
On August 11, 1965, the Watts race riots began and lasted for 5 days in Los Angeles, California. The riots were reported to have allegedly started because of racism with police, and the result of the riots were 34 deaths and about a thousand injuries. -
"Star Trek" TV Show Airs
On September 8, 1966, the original "Star Trek" airs on NBC and continues for three seasons of 79 episodes. -
San Francisco "Summer Of Love" Begins
During the summer in 1967, about 100,000 people involved in hippie culture met in Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco. -
First NFL Football Super Bowl
On January 15, 1967, the first NFL Football Super Bowl was held in Los Angeles, CA, where the Green Bay Packers won. -
Boxer Muhammad Ali Refused Military Service
On April 28, 1967, Muhammad Ali, a famous boxer, refused military service because he felt uncomfortable as a Muslim, going to fight in Vietnam. Due to his controversial decision, he was stripped of his heavyweight title. -
Beatles Release Sgt. Pepper's Album
On May 26,1967, the Beatles released their 8th album, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", which reached the top of the United Kingdom's album chart for 27 weeks and the United States's for 15 weeks. -
Monterrey Music Festival Held
On June 16, 1967, the Monterrey Music Festival was held for 3 days in Monterey, California. About 25,000 to 90,000 people were estimated to have attended, and the genres performed varied from pop and folk to different kinds of rock. -
Thurgood Marshall Nominated To The Supreme Court
On August 30, 1967, Thurgood Marshall was nominated to the supreme court by a vote of 69 to 11. He also became the first African American member of the supreme court. -
Manson Family Murders Sharon Tate
On January 20, 1968, famous actress Sharon Tate and four others were found murdered in her home. They were murdered by Tex Watson, a member of the Manson Family, under the demand of Charles Manson. -
Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive began on January 30, 1968, and was one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. It was split into 3 phases, concluding on September 23, 1968. -
Martin Luther King Jr. Assassinated
On April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated by James Earl Ray. -
Robert Kennedy Is Assassinated
While greeting his supports about his win during the California presidential primary, Robert F. Kennedy was shot multiple times by Sirhan Sirhan and died the next day. -
Protests At The 1968 Democratic National Convention
On August 23 - 28, 1968, at Grant Park, Chicago, and for eighth days people protested. Violence broke out and over 500 protesters were injured. -
LSD Declared Illegal By The U.S. Government
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) was a popular drug during the 60's that caused sensations and hallucinations.On October 24, 1968, LSD was declared illegal by the United States government. -
Richard Nixon Is Elected
On Tuesday, November 5, 1968, republican Richard Nixon was elected as the 46th President of the United States. -
Stonewall Riots
On June 28, 1969, members of the LGBT community reacted violently to a police raid that occurred earlier that morning, in Manhattan, New York City. -
American Astronauts Land On The Moon
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins are the first people to step on the moon. America becomes the first country to successfully send people to the moon, and Neil Armstrong becomes the first man on the moon. -
Woodstock Concert
On August 15–17, 1969, the Woodstock music festival was held at White Lake, New York, in hopes of celebrating music in a peaceful way. The concert was extremely successful with an attendance of over 400,000 people and performances by many famous acts such as Jimmy Hendrix, Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, The Who, etc. -
The Rolling Stones Host The Altamont Music Festival
In December 6, 1969, The Rolling Stones hosted the rock themed Altamont Music Festival in hopes of recreating the atmosphere and success of the Woodstock Music Festival that was held months ago. While the festival had good attendance, it ended in disaster, resulting in violence and some deaths .
