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SNCC formed
Some 200 students attended the conference at Shaw University from April 16-18, 1960, during which the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was born. -
First airing of “The Flintstones”
Was the first animated series with a prime-time slot on television. -
First televised Presidential debate
American viewers were riveted to their television sets for the broadcast of the fourth and final debate between Republican Vice President Richard M. Nixon and Democratic Senator John F. Kennedy. -
President Kennedy is elected
He served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. -
Russians send the first man into space
The Soviet Union achieve a clear triumph in the space race. -
SDS releases its Port Huron statement
Proposed a new form of “participatory democracy” to rescue modern society from destructive militarism and cultural alienation. -
Berlin Wall is constructed
The Berlin Wall became the symbol of the Cold War and a tangible manifestation of the world's separation into two distinct ideological blocs. -
Roger Maris of the Yankees breaks Babe Ruth’s single season home run record
Maris hit 61 home runs breaking Babe Ruth's single season home run record. -
SDS releases its Port Huron statement
Proposed a new form of “participatory democracy” to rescue modern society from destructive militarism and cultural alienation. -
Marilyn Monroe dies
Monroe died at age 36 of a barbiturate overdose inside her home at 12305 Fifth Helena Drive in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California. -
James Meredith registers at Ole Miss
James Meredith officially became the first African American student at the University of Mississippi on October 2, 1962. -
“Dr. No” the first James Bond movie premiers
The film Dr. No in 1962, the line "Bond... James Bond", became a catch phrase in the lexicon of Western popular culture. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
A 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. -
Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” Speech
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. -
John F Kennedy is assassinated
President John F. Kennedy was shot as he rode in a motorcade through the streets of Dallas, Texas -
The Beatles arrive in the United States
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison landed in America -
The Beatles appear on Ed Sullivan
So The Beatles were just a week from having their performance captured and preserved forever in color. These four historic Beatles performances on The Ed Sullivan Show featured 20 Beatles songs -
New York World’s Fair begins
Spanning 646 acres in Flushing Meadows Park in Queens, New York, the event was considered a pinnacle of mid-20th-century American culture and technology. -
Robert Kennedy is assassinated
He was shot by Sirhan Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California and pronounced dead the following day. -
Lyndon B Johnson defeats Barry Goldwater
Incumbent Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson defeated Republican Senator Barry Goldwater in a landslide victory. -
Malcolm X assassinated
Was shot multiple times and died from his wounds in Manhattan, New York City. -
Watts race riots
Marquette Frye, a 21-year-old African-American man, was pulled over for drunken driving. -
Beatles release Sgt. Pepper’s album
The Beatles' eighth album became the soundtrack to the "summer of love" but its appeal is timeless. -
“Star Trek” TV show airs
Star Trek aired on NBC. It was first broadcast on September 6, 1966, on Canada's CTV network. -
Thurgood Marshall nominated to the Supreme Court
Marshall was “best qualified by training and by very valuable service to the country -
San Francisco “Summer of Love” begins
Leary made his first San Francisco appearance in 1967 at the Human Be-In, a counterculture event that unofficially launched San Francisco's Summer of Love. -
First NFL Football Super Bowl
The first Super Bowl in history took place at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles. -
Boxer Muhammed Ali refuses military service
"If I thought the war was going to bring freedom and equality to 22 million of my people they wouldn't have to draft me, I'd join tomorrow. I have nothing to lose by standing up for my beliefs. So I'll go to jail, so what? We've been in jail for 400 years." -
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. -
Tet Offensive
North Vietnamese and VietCong troops launched the Tet Offensive against South Vietnamese and United States targets. -
Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated
Martin Luther King was shot dead while standing on a balcony outside his second-floor room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. -
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. -
Richard Nixon is elected
Richard Nixon was elected the 37th President of the United States after previously serving as a U.S. Representative and a U.S. Senator. -
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 took the first step on the moon after riding on Apollo 11. -
Woodstock concert
The National Register Woodstock Music Festival site commemorates a three-day music festival. -
The Rolling Stones host the Altamont music festival
SIDEBAR. As the final show of their American tour, the Rolling Stones held a one-day rock festival at Altamont Speedway in Livermore, California.