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SNCC formed
One of the major civil rights movements, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, is formed at Shaw University. -
First televised Presidential debate
During the 1960 Presidential race, Democratic Candidate John F. Kennedy and Republican Candidate Richard Nixon partook in the first ever presidential debate aired on television. -
First airing of "The Flintstones"
The second ever Flintstones episode produced, "The Flyer", is aired as the first ever Flintstones episode. -
President Kennedy is elected
Democratic candidate John F. Kennedy defeats incumbent Vice President Richard Nixon, the Republican candidate, in a close election. -
Russians send the first man to space
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin, aboard the capsule Vostok 1, completed one full orbit around the Earth. A huge victory for the Soviet Union in the Space Race. -
Berlin Wall is constructed
A wall cutting off West Berlin from the surrounding East Germany and East Berlin begins construction -
Roger Maris of the Yankees breaks Babe Ruth's single season home run record
Breaking Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs in a season, Maris hit 61 home runs in 1961. -
SDS releases its Port Huron statement
The statement was formed at a meeting of Students for a Democratic Society. The statement reflected the students of the times' struggle with the college administrators and the civil rights movement. -
Marilyn Monroe dies
Famous actress Marilyn Monroe dies of a barbiturate overdose in Los Angeles. -
James Meredith registers at Ole Miss
After a riot at the University of Mississippi's Oxford Campus and almost a complete federal occupation of the state, James Meredith, and African-American man, enrolls at Ole Miss. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
A 13-day crisis between the US and the Soviet Union initiated by the US discovering Soviet ballistic missiles in Cuba. Ends in a negotiation and the creation of a hotline between Washington and Moscow. -
"Dr. No", the first James Bond movie, premiers
The movie that created the James Bond saga is released. Follows Agent 007 as he attempts to take out an evil genius who is attempting to destroy the United States space program. -
Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" Speech
Delivered during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Dr. King called for civil/economic equality among the races and for an end to racism in America. -
John F. Kennedy is assassinated
President John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas, by Lee Harvey Oswald. -
The Beatles arrive in the United States
Pan Am Yankee Clipper flight 101 lands in in Kennedy airport, starting "Beatlemania" in the US. -
The Beatles appear on Ed Sullivan
The Beatles made their first ever appearance on American television on the Ed Sullivan show, bringing in 73 million viewers. -
New York World's Fair begins
80 nations and over 45 companies open exhibits/attractions in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, New York City. -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
The USS Maddox was attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin. Lead to the US becoming more involved in the Vietnam War. -
Lyndon B Johnson defeats Barry Goldwater
The Incumbent President, Republican candidate Lyndon B. Johnson, defeats the Democratic candidate Barry Goldwater in the 45th presidential election. -
Malcolm X assassinated
In Audubon Ballroom, Malcolm X is assassinated by rival Black Muslims while addressing his organization of Afro-American Unity. -
Watts race riots
Initially caused by the arrest of Marquette Frye, a series of riots broke out in the Watts neighborhood in Los Angeles. Resulted in 3,438 arrests and 34 deaths. -
"Star Trek" TV show airs
The first TV episode of Star Trek, "The Man Trap", is aired on NBC. -
San Francisco "Summer of Love" begins
Around 100000 young people, mostly hippies, meet together in San Francisco's neighborhood of Haight-Ashbury. The gathering, however, first started with 30000 people gathering in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. -
First NFL Football Super Bowl
The Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the first ever AFL-NFL World Championship game. The score ended as 35-10. -
Boxer Muhammed Ali refuses military service
Ali, a heavyweight boxing champion, caused an uproar when he refused to be drafted into the military during the Vietnam War. -
Beatles release Sgt. Pepper's album
The Beatles' eighth album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, is released in the US. -
Monterrey Music Festival held
A three-day pop festival was held at the Monterrey County Fairgrounds in Monterrey, California. -
Thurgood Marshall nominated to the Supreme Court
Lyndon B. Johnson nominates Marshall to the Supreme Court, and the Senate confirms the nomination by a vote of 69 to 11. -
Tet Offensive
Series of coordinated attacks by the North Vietnamese on Southern Vietnamese cities in order to quell rebellion in South Vietnam and make the US scale back its involvement in the war. -
Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated
While in the Lorraine Motel, supporting African-American sanitation workers, Martin Luther King Jr. is shot and killed. -
Robert Kennedy is assassinated
Robert Kennedy, the 64th Attorney General and a Senator for New York, is assassinated in California. -
Protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention
Anti-Vietnam War protesters gathered for eight days outside of the the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, leading to hundreds of both civilian and police injuries. -
LSD declared illegal by the US government
LSD, a hallucinogenic substance that had just been synthesized a few decades earlier, is outlawed in the United States. -
Richard Nixon is elected
Former Vice President Richard Nixon, the Republican candidate, defeats incumbent Vice President Herbert Humphrey, the Democratic candidate. -
Stonewall riots
A series of violent demonstrations by members of the homosexual community held at the Stonewall Inn in Manhattan. They were rioting against a police raid that had occurred in the Inn, which they viewed as a rare safe space for homosexuals. -
American astronauts land on the moon
Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, and Micheal Collins were part of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the moon. -
Manson family murders Sharon Tate
Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Charles Watson, members of the Manson "family", murder five people, including actress Sharon Tate. -
Woodstock concert
Around 400000 people attend the first ever Woodstock Festival in Bethel, New York. Advertised as "an Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace and Music". -
The Rolling Stones host the Altamont music festival
The Rolling Stones, a very popular band, hosted a free concert Altamont Raceway Park, California. The event ended the decade in tragedy, with four deaths occurring during the concert.
