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In a TV address to the American people, John F. Kennedy, announcing the presence of missile placement by USSR in Cuba. He made the decision to impose a naval blockade around Cuba until the missiles were removed and the national threat to the U.S.was neutralized. Many feared a nuclear war. -
JFK arrived in Dallas, Texas and proceeded on a 10 mile motorcade through the streets of downtown Dallas in an open topped car. When passing the Texas School Book depository building at 12:30, Lee Harvey Oswald fired 3 shots from the 6th floor fataling wounding the president and seriously injuring Texas Governor Connally, traveling with him. Kennedy was pronounced dead later at Dallas Parkland Hospital. Oswald was shot and killed by Jack Ruby on 11/24 during a transfer to a more secure jail. -
The Beatles arrived at JFK airport in New York City to be greeted by some 3,000 screaming fans. They made their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. An estimated 40% of the U.S. watched the event. The group also played at the Coliseum in Washington, D.C. and Carnegie Hall in New York before returning to England on February 22. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law and prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or nation origin. It also covered discrimination based on sex and race in hiring, firing and promotions in the work place -
The United State escalated its presence in Vietnam by sending combat forces to the country. At this time, Lyndon Johnson had solid support of the American people. -
The Green Bay Packers of the National Football League played the Kansas City Chief of the American Football League in the first ever AFL-NFL World Championship or Super Bowl I in Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. The Packers came out victorious, winning the game with a score of 35-10. -
Standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, Dr King was hit by a snipers bullet in the neck. He was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead an hour later. He was 39. The killer was identified as James Earl Ray. -
American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buss" Aldrin became the first humans to land on the moon on the Apollo 11 flight. They returned safely, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24. -
Charles Manson and various members of the Manson family were responsible for the grisly murders of Sharon Tate and four others on August 8th in Los Angeles, CA. On August 9th, Leo and Rosemary LaBianca were murdered in their home by the same group. The perpetrators were arrested in October 1969 and later convicted of the killings. The members were sentenced to death but this was later overturned and a life sentence for all was imposed. -
Four students were killed and nine injured when the Ohio National Guard fired upon a crowd protesting the Vietnam War. The night before reports of violent clashes between students and police precipitating the Kent Mayor to declare a state of emergency. After threats to the town and university by radicals, the Governor called in the Guard to quell the violence. A clash between the protesters and the Guard resulted in shots being fired and the deaths of four students.