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SNCC Formed
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, an organization that played a vital role in civil rights with lunch counter sit-ins at whites-only businesses, was formed. -
First Televised Presidential Debate
The 1960 Presidential debates between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon are televised. -
First Airing of "The Flinstones"
"The Flinstones," the first American animated show to depict two people of the opposite sex sleeping together in one bed, premiered on television -
President Kennedy is Elected
Democratic Candidate John F. Kennedy is elected President -
Russians send the first man into space
cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin becomes the first human being to travel into space -
Berlin Wall Constructed
Communist East Berlin authorities put up a wall overnight to prevent discontent East Germans from fleeing to West Berlin -
Roger Maris of the Yankees breaks Babe Ruth's single season home run record
New York Yankee 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
The Port Huron statement, a political manifesto of the North American student activist movement Students for a Democratic Society, is released. -
Marilyn Monroe Dies
Marilyn Monroe dies in Los Angeles of Barbiturate overdose. -
James Meredith registers at Ole Miss
James Meredith, the first African-American student at the University of Mississippi, was the center or controversy in the South that led to rioting on campus. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
A 13 day confrontation between the Soviet Union and United States occurred initiated by American ballistic missile deployment in Italy and Turkey, followed by Soviet ballistic missile deployment in Cuba. -
"Dr. No," the first James Bond Movie Premiers
"Dr. No" premiers for the first time in the US, and is more low profile than it is in the United Kingdom, where it was released months before. -
Dr. King's "I have a Dream" speech
Martin Luther King gives his well known "I have a dream" speech, in which he explains his version of an ideal nation in regards to race relations. -
John F Kennedy is assassinated
John F. Kennedy is assassinated by American Marxist Lee Harvey Oswald -
Beatles arrive in the United States
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr arrive on their first visit to the United States. -
The Beatles appear on Ed Sullivan
The Beatles play live on The Ed Sullivan Show in front of an estimated 73 million Americans. -
New York World's Fair Begins
The New York World's Fair held over 140 pavilions, 110 restaurants, for 80 nations, 24 US states, and over 45 corporations in Queens, New York -
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident
US-backed patrol boats shelled two North Vietnamese islands in the Gulf of Tonkin, and then the Maddox headed to the area. -
Lynden B. Johnson defeats Barry Goldwater
Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson wins the 1964 election with running mate Hubert Humphrey. -
Malcom X Assinated
American Muslim minister and human rights activist Malcolm Little is assassinated at Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan -
Watts Race Riots
A riot occurred in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, following a minor roadside argument that broke out and escalated into a fight with police. -
"Star Trek" TV Show airs
The show "Star Trek" airs on NBC, comprising 79 episodes over three seasons from 1966 to 1969. -
First NFL Super Bowl
The first NFL Superbowl is played by the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs. -
Beatles release Sgt. Pepper's album
The Beatles release their eighth studio album, "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band" -
Boxer Muhammed Ali refuses military service
Boxer Muhammad Ali is drafted for the US Military and refuses to enlist, claiming that he is a consciousness objector to the war. -
San Francisco "Summer of Love" Begins
a social phenomenon in which approximately 100,000 people, mostly young people, converged in San Francisco's neighborhood of Haight-Ashbury. -
Monterrey Music Festival Held
The Monterrey Music Festival, a three-day concert event, is held at the Monterrey County Fairgrounds in Monterrey, California. -
Thurgood Marshall nominated to Supreme Court
Marshall becomes the first African American justice nominated to the Supreme Court -
Tet Offensive
North Vietnam attacked more than 100 cities and outposts in South Vietnam -
Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated
Martin Luther King was shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. -
Robert Kennedy is assassinated
Robert Kennedy is shot and mortally wounded by Palestinian Sirhan Bishara Sirhan -
Protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention
Protest activity against the Vietnam War took place during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. -
LSD Declared illegal by the US government
Possession of lysergic acid diethylamide, a hallucinogenic drug that symbolized 1960's counterculture, was deemed illegal -
Richard Nixon is Elected
Republican Candidate Richard Nixon is elected President -
Stonewall riots
A series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations by members of the gay community against a police raid took place at the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. -
American Astronauts Land on the Moon
Apollo 11, with Americans Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin, and Michael Collins on board, landed on the moon. -
Manson Family Murders Sharon Tate
American Actress Sharon Tate is murdered by the Manson Family Cult, led by Charles Manson. -
Woodstock Concert
A concert held on a dairy farm in New York attracted an audience of more than 400,000 people -
The Rolling Stones host the Altamont Music Festival
The Rolling Stones host the Altamont Music Festival, a free counterculture concert hosted in Northern California.
