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SNCC formed
The SNCC, or Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, was a civil-rights group formed to give younger blacks more of a voice in the civil rights movement. -
First televised presidential debate
70 million American viewers watched the first of four televised presidential debates between candidates Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. -
First Airing of the Flinstones
A Hannah Barbara cartoon that was great for all family that adults and children can enjoy. A full 30 minute episode that aired as prime time. -
President Kennedy is elected
John F. Kennedy becomes the youngest man ever to be elected president of the United States -
Russian send the first man into space
aboard the spacecraft Vostok 1, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin becomes the first human being to travel into space. -
Berlin wall is constructed
East German authorities begin building a wall–the Berlin Wall–to permanently close off access to the West -
Roger Maris of the Yankees breaks Babe Ruth's single season home run record
Roger Maris becomes the first-ever major-league baseball player to hit more than 60 home runs in a single season -
SDS releases its port huron statement
political manifesto of the North American student activist movement Students for a Democratic Society -
"Dr. No" the first James Bond movie appears
British spy film, starring Sean Connery, with Ursula Andress, Joseph Wiseman and Jack Lord, which was filmed in Jamaica and England. It is the first James Bond film. Based on the 1958 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming, -
Marilyn Monroe dies
Marilyn Monroe was found dead of a barbiturate overdose in the early morning hours of Sunday, -
James Meredith registers at Ole Miss
James Meredith, an African American man, attempted to enroll at the all-white University of Mississippi in 1962 -
Cuban Missile Crisis
United States and the Soviet are on the brink of a nuclear war. They fought over Cuba -
Dr. King's "I have a dream speech"
References to the country’s Founding Fathers and the Bible, King used universal themes to depict the struggles of African Americans, before closing with an improvised riff on his dreams of equality. The eloquent speech was immediately recognized as a highlight of the successful protest, and has endured as one of the signature moments of the civil rights movement. -
John F Kennedy is assassinated
Shortly after noon on November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated as he rode in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas, Texas -
New York World Fairs begins
New York World's Fair held over 140 pavilions, 110 restaurants, for 80 nations (hosted by 37), 24 US states, and over 45 corporations to build exhibits or attractions at Flushing Meadows Park in Queens, NY. -
The Beatles arrive in the U.S.
John, Paul, George and Ringo arrived for their first U.S. visit with little idea what lay in store for them. The Beatles, from left to right, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison, make a windswept arrival at JFK airport in New York City -
The Beatles appear on Ed Sullivan
The Beatles, with their Edwardian suits and mop top haircuts, made their first American television appearance—LIVE—on The Ed Sullivan Show. -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
an alleged attack on two U.S. naval destroyers stationed off the coast of Vietnam. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution effectively launched America’s full-scale involvement in the Vietnam War. -
Lyndon B. Johnson defeats Barry Goldwater
Incumbent Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson defeated Barry Goldwater, the Republican nominee. -
Malcolm X Assassinated
African American nationalist and religious leader, is assassinated by rival Black Muslims while addressing his Organization of Afro-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights. -
Watts race riots
The Watts riot was the worst urban riot in 20 years and foreshadowed the many rebellions to occur in ensuing years during the 1967 Detroit Riots -
"Star Trek" TV show airs
This is the first television series in the Star Trek franchise, and comprises 79 regular episodes over the series' three seasons, along with the series' original pilot episode, "The Cage". -
San Francisco "summer of Love" begins
thousands of flower children streamed across America towards California searching for love, freedom, drugs and music. -
First NFL super bowl
the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL) smash the American Football League (AFL)’s Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10, in the first-ever AFL-NFL World Championship, -
Boxer Muhammed Ali refuses military service
Muhammad Ali refuses to be inducted into the U.S. Army and is immediately stripped of his heavyweight title. Ali, a Muslim, cited religious reasons for his decision to forgo military service. -
Beatles release Sgt. Pepper's album
As the inspiration for other great pop stars of the 60's -
Monterey Music Festival held
Rock, pop and folk, including blues rock, folk rock, hard rock and psychedelic rock styles. The Monterey International Pop Music Festival was a three-day concert event -
Tet Offensive
a coordinated series of North Vietnamese attacks on more than 100 cities and outposts in South Vietnam -
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated
shot to death at a hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. A single shot fired by James Earl Ray from over 200 feet away at a nearby motel struck King in the neck. He died an hour later at St. Joseph’s Hospital. The death of America’s leading civil rights advocate sparked a wave of rioting in the black communities of several cities around the country. -
Robert Kennedy is assassinated
presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was mortally wounded shortly after midnight Pacific Daylight Time at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. -
Protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention
Protest activity against the Vietnam War took place prior to and during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. In 1967, counterculture and anti-Vietnam War protest groups had been promising to come to Chicago and disrupt the convention, and the city promised to maintain law and order. -
LSD declared illegal by the U.S. government
LSD is a psychedelic drug used by people. It creates a distortion from dreams and reality -
Richard Nixon is elected
Winning one of the closest elections in U.S. history, Republican challenger Richard Nixon defeats Vice President Hubert Humphrey. -
Stonewall Riots
New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club located in Greenwich Village in New York City. The raid sparked a riot among bar patrons and neighborhood residents as police roughly hauled employees and patrons out of the bar, leading to six days of protests and violent clashes with law enforcement outside the bar on Christopher Street, in neighboring streets and in nearby Christopher Park. -
American Astronauts Land on the Moon
Apollo 11 blasted off on July 16, 1969. Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins were the astronauts on Apollo 11. Four days later, Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the moon. They landed on the moon in the Lunar Module. It was called the Eagle. Collins stayed in orbit around the moon. He did experiments and took pictures. -
Manson family murders Sharon Tate
a series of killings conducted by members of the Manson Family on August 8–9, 1969, which claimed the lives of five people. Four members of the Family invaded the home of married celebrity couple, actress Sharon Tate and director Roman Polanski at 10050 Cielo Drive in Los Angeles -
Woodstock Concerts
“Three Days of Peace and Music,” Woodstock was a product of a partnership between John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfield and Michael Lang. -
The Rolling Stones host the Altamont music festival
The Altamont Speedway Free Festival was a counterculture rock concert in 1969 in the United States, held at the Altamont Speedway in northern California -
Thurgood Marshall nominated to the Supreme Court
President Lyndon Johnson appoints U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Thurgood Marshall to fill the seat of retiring Supreme Court Associate Justice Tom C. Clark
