1960's Timeline

By haglerm
  • SNCC Formed

    SNCC Formed

    SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) was formed by a group of young people who were dedicated to nonviolent direct action ideas of protest. Fought against segregation and other forms of racism.
  • First Televised Presidential Debate

    First Televised Presidential Debate

    This presidential debate was for the 1960 election with the two runners, John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Without this, JFK might not have won the election. Many people were influenced by JFK's looks but Richard Nixon did seem to know more about what he was talking about. If the debate had just been over the radio, it is possible that Nixon could've won.
  • First airing of "The Flintstones"

    First airing of "The Flintstones"

    The first 2 seasons aired in black and white, Friday nights at 8:30 EST. The very first episode was only 90 seconds.
  • President John F. Kennedy is Elected

    President John F. Kennedy is Elected

    JFK was running in the 1960 election, he gained popularity after the first-ever televised presidential debate. He ran against Richard Nixon, it was a very close race but Kennedy wound up winning by 118,000 more votes.
  • Russians Send the First Man into Space

    Russians Send the First Man into Space

    Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was the first man sent into space by the Soviets. His rocket circled the Earth, the flight lasting 108 minutes, going 27,400 kilometers per hour.
  • Berlin Wall is Built

    Berlin Wall is Built

    This rose to prevent East Germans from escaping West Germany. East Germans were trying to escape because they did not want to live in communism.
  • Roger Maris of the Yankees Breaks Babe Ruth’s Single Season Home Run Record

    Roger Maris of the Yankees Breaks Babe Ruth’s Single Season Home Run Record

    Roger Maris was an outfielder for the New York Yankees.
  • SDS Releases its Port Huron Statement

    SDS Releases its Port Huron Statement

    The statement was a manifesto written by SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) based on the ideas of civil disobedience and the idea that citizens could help make social decisions that determined their quality of life.
  • Marilyn Monroe Died

    Marilyn Monroe Died

    Marilyn Monroe died in her home of a Barbiturate overdose. She overdosed in the middle of the night and was found dead just before dawn the next morning.
  • James Meredith Registers at Ole Miss

    James Meredith Registers at Ole Miss

    James Meredith became the first African-American student at the University of Mississippi. Due to the time period, he had to be guarded by U.S. Soldiers 24 hours a day.
  • “Dr. No” the First James Bond Movie Premiers

    “Dr. No” the First James Bond Movie Premiers

    This was a spy film directed by Terrence Young. Appearing as James Bond, Sean Connery. It turned into a series continuing on to have 26 movies.
  • Cuban Missle Crisis

    Cuban Missle Crisis

    An American U-2 plane secretly photographed nuclear missile sites in Cuba that were being built by the Soviet Union. This sent America into a panic and fear of Doomsday ensued.
  • Dr. Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech

    Dr. Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech

    This speech outlined the history of racial injustice, it was all about holding America accountable for that injustice.
  • John F Kennedy Assassinated

    John F Kennedy Assassinated

    While riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Texas, 3 shots were fired. The first missed the motorcade, the second ran through JFK's neck and through the Texas governor's shoulder hand, and leg, and the final shot killed Kennedy. The same day, the killer was found to be Lee Harvey Oswald.
  • The Beatles arrive in the United States

    The Beatles arrive in the United States

    The Beatles flew in from England, landing in New York. The Beatles arrival lead to what was called "Beatlemania" in the United States.
  • The Beatles Appear on Ed Sullivan

    The Beatles Appear on Ed Sullivan

    This was their first live appearance in the United States. They played three songs in their time on the show; "All My Loving", "Till There Was You", and "She Loves You".
  • New York World’s Fair Begins

    New York World’s Fair Begins

    The New York World's Fair was a fair that held over 140 pavilions and 110 restaurants, representing 80 nations and 24 US states with the goal and the final result of building exhibits or attractions.
  • Lyndon B Johnson Defeats Barry Goldwater

    Lyndon B Johnson Defeats Barry Goldwater

    Goldwater was defeated in a landslide. Johnson carried 44 out of the 50 states, and Goldwater held only 4.
  • Malcom X is assassinated

    Malcom X is assassinated

    Malcolm X was a religious and civil rights leader. He was assassinated while he was giving a speech at Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan. He died at the age of 39 and left behind a wife and 6 daughters.
  • Watts Race Riots

    Watts Race Riots

    These riots were a series of violent confrontations between the L.A. police and the people of Watts. Watts was a predominately black neighborhood.
  • LSD Declared Illegal by the U.S. Government

    LSD Declared Illegal by the U.S. Government

    Nevada and California were the first two states in the U.S. to ban the manufacture, sale, and possession of LSD.
  • “Star Trek” TV Show Airs

    “Star Trek” TV Show Airs

    A science fiction series created by Gene Roddenberry. It aired from 1966-1969 and produced 80 episodes, 79 of which were aired. The series followed the USS Enterprise as it completed space missions.
  • "Summer of Love" in San Francisco

    "Summer of Love" in San Francisco

    The "Summer of Love" included lots of counterculture. Some examples are; hippie music, hallucinogenic drugs, anti-war, and free-love scene.
  • First NFL Superbowl

    First NFL Superbowl

    The Green Bay Packers played the Kansas City Chiefs, the winner being the Packers. They played at LA Memorial Coliseum.
  • Boxer Muhammad Ali Refuses Military Service

    Boxer Muhammad Ali Refuses Military Service

    The boxer refused the Vietnam draft. saying "I ain't got no quarrel with those Vietcong". 2 months later, he was convicted of draft evasion. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison, a $10,000 fine, and wasn't allowed to box for 3 years.
  • Beatles Release Sgt. Pepper's Album

    Beatles Release Sgt. Pepper's Album

    Influential to those of the counterculture of the time. The album won 4 Grammys and spent 15 weeks at the top of the U.S. charts.
  • Thurgood Marshall is Nominated to the Supreme Court

    Thurgood Marshall is Nominated to the Supreme Court

    Thurgood Marshall was the first Black man to get elected to the Supreme Court. He went on to argue the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education case.
  • Tet Offensive

    Tet Offensive

    The arranged attack that was launched by the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong against a number of targets in South Vietnam.
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Assassinated

    Martin Luther King Jr. Assassinated

    MLK Jr. was shot when standing on his balcony at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN. It caused a nationwide uproar.
  • Robert Kennedy Assassinated

    Robert Kennedy Assassinated

    Robert F Kennedy, JFK's brother, was a politician and lawyer from Massachusetts. He was addressing his campaign in a hotel and after finishing his speech he decided to cut through a kitchen hallway when leaving. When he was going through that hallway, multiple shots were fired by a man named Sirhan Sirhan who ended up killing him.
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    Protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention

    The anti-war democrats had no candidate in the election so they protested.
  • Richard Nixon is Elected

    Richard Nixon is Elected

    Formerly Vice President, Nixon ran in the 1968 election. He won the popular vote by less than 1 point, he won the electoral vote.
  • Stonewall Riots

    Stonewall Riots

    The riots ignited after a police raid took place at the Stonewall Inn.
  • American Astornauts Land on the Moon

    American Astornauts Land on the Moon

    Marking the end of the Space Race, America sent two astronauts to the moon. Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were the two men, sent out on the Apollo 11 rocket. Neil Armstrong is the one who said the famous words "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind".
  • Woodstock Concert

    Woodstock Concert

    This concert was organized by 4 promoters, with no experience. It was an opportunity for people to escape the real world and enjoy music.
  • The Rolling Stones Host the Altamont Music Festival

    The Rolling Stones Host the Altamont Music Festival

    The band, The Rolling Stones, decided that as a final show of their American tour, they would hold a one-day rock festival in California. The event was free, it was the band's "thank you" to their fans.