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SNCC formed
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was a group dedicated to nonviolent demonstrations and protests. -
First televised presidential debate
The first televised debate was between Nixon and JFK - and its release helped JFK win the presidency. -
First airing of "The Flintstones"
The Flintstones aired at 8:30 PM, and very quickly became a hit. It was the first American animated show to depict two people of the opposite sex sleeping in one bed. -
President Kennedy is elected
President John F. Kennedy is elected. -
Roger Maris of the Yankees breaks Babe Ruth's single season home run record
Ruth had a home run streak of 60, set in the 20's, and Maris got 61. -
Soviets send the first man into space
Mr. Yuri Gagarin was both the first cosmonaut to go into outer space and one of the crew of the first successful crewed spaceflight. -
The Berlin Wall is constructed
The Berlin Wall is constructed for the purpose of keeping East Berliners from escaping to the West. -
SDS releases its Port Huron statement
The Port Huron statement was a political manifesto written by the Students for a Democratic Society. -
Marilyn Monroe dies
Marilyn Monroe, a popular actress and a symbol of the sexual revolution of the 60's, dies of acute barbiturate poisoning. -
James Meredith registers at Ole Miss
James Meredith was the first African American student to enroll at the University of Mississippi, known as "Ole Miss" to some. -
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The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day confrontation between the US and the Soviet Union where US missiles in Turkey and Italy were matched with Soviet missiles in Cuba. -
The first James Bond movie premieres in the US
The first James Bond film, titled "Dr. No", starring Sean Connery and directed by Terence Young, made 59 million dollars at the box office (adjusted for inflation: 200 million in 2023). -
Dr. King's "I have a dream" speech
Doctor Martin King (known to many as Martin Luther King Jr.) delivers a speech on the steps of the Lincoln memorial. -
Assassination of John Kennedy
JFK is assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald on the 22nd of November, '63. -
The Beatles arrive in the United States
The Beatles, a British rock band formed in 1960, arrived in the United States and began touring in New York. -
The Beatles appear on Ed Sullivan
The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show on the 9th of February, 1964. 74 million viewers saw them perform five songs: "All My Loving", "Till There Was You", "She Loves You", "I Saw Her Standing There", and "I Wanna Hold Your Hand". -
New York World's Fair begins
The NY World's Fair was an international exposition held in NYC's borough of Queens. -
Lyndon B. Johnson defeats Barry Goldwater
Democrat incumbent Lyndon Johnson beat his Republican opponent B. Goldwater in a landslide victory. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz) was a human rights activist and an African American revolutionary. -
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Watts race riots
The Watts riots were a series of riots that took place in the Watts neighborhood and its surrounding area in Los Angeles. The riots were motivated by anger at the racist practices of the LAPD, as well as grievances over segregation. -
"Star Trek" first airs
"Star Trek", along with the similarly named "Star Wars", laid the foundation for the space opera genre we know and love today. -
The Summer of Love begins
The Summer of Love was a series of social and political movements that originated in San Francisco. Counter-culture was at the forefront, and so were anti-Vietnam War messages. -
First NFL Super Bowl
The AFL-NFL World Championship Game, known retroactively as Super Bowl, has captured the hearts of many over the decades. -
Muhammad Ali refuses military service
Ali refused the Vietnam war draft on the grounds of religion just before his fight with Zora Foley. -
The Beatles release Sgt. Pepper's
"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", or "Sgt. Pepper's" for short, is the eighth studio album from the Beatles. -
LSD declared illegal by the United States government
LSD was synthesized by Dr. Albert Hofmann (born in Switzerland) for use as a pharmaceutical drug - its psychedelic effects weren't found out until years later. -
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Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive was a major escalation of the Vietnam War, being one of the largest military campaigns during the war itself. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr., an American activist and minister, is assassinated. -
Assassination of Robert Kennedy
Robert Kennedy, JFK's brother, is assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan on the 5th of June, 1968. -
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Protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention
A series of protests were held during the 1968 DNC, most of them being anti-Vietnam War. As they were being dragged off, protestors shouted "The whole world is watching". -
The Stonewall Riots
The Stonewall riots acted as the cradle for the modern gay rights movement in America - it is incredibly important. -
American astronauts land on the moon
Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Pilot Buzz Aldrin land on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. -
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The Woodstock Concert
The Woodstock Concert or "Woodstock" was a counter-cultural music festival that attracted an audience of over 460,000 people. -
Nixon is elected
President Nixon is elected. -
The Rolling Stones host the Altamont music festival
The Altamont Free Concert was a counterculture rock concert held on the Altamont Speedway outside of Tracy, CA.