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Newport Jazz Festival
On July 2, 1960, Newport experienced arguably its darkest day. The city turned into a battle zone as thousands of people shut out of the sold-out Newport Jazz Festival shows wandered the streets, fueled by alcohol, hurling beer bottles and rocks at police officers trying to quell the crowd. -
Nixon-Kennedy Debates (1st on Television)
In 1960, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon had the first televised presidential debates in American history. The Kennedy-Nixon debates not only had a major impact on the election’s outcome, but ushered in a new era in which crafting a public image and taking advantage of media exposure became essential ingredients of a successful political campaign. -
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy
JFK, the 35th president of the United States, is assassinated while traveling through Dallas, Texas, in an open-top convertible. -
The Beatles Appear for the first time on the Ed Sullivan Show
9 February 1964 was the date of The Beatles' record-breaking first live appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, at Studio 50 in New York City. -
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution authorized President Lyndon Johnson to “take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression” by the communist government of North Vietnam. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
On 2 March 1965, Operation Rolling Thunder missions commenced against North Vietnam. The goal of the operation was to discourage the Hanoi regime's direction and support of an insurgency that threatened to destroy the Republic of Vietnam -
March on the Pentagon
The March on the Pentagon was a massive demonstration against the Vietnam War. The protest involved more than 100,000 attendees at a rally by the Lincoln Memorial. Later about 50,000 people marched across the city to The Pentagon and sparked a confrontation with paratroopers on guard -
Mai Lai Massacre
A company of American soldiers brutally killed most of the people—women, children and old men—in the village of My Lai on March 16, 1968. More than 500 people were slaughtered in the My Lai massacre, including young girls and women who were raped and mutilated before being killed. -
Riots at the Chicago Democratic Convention
The 1968 Chicago riots, in the United States, were sparked in part by the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Rioting and looting followed, with people flooding out onto the streets of major cities. Soon riots began, primarily in black urban areas. -
Woodstock
In 1969, the country was deep into the controversial Vietnam War, a conflict that many young people vehemently opposed. It was also the era of the civil rights movement, a period of great unrest and protest. Woodstock was an opportunity for people to escape into music and spread a message of unity and peace. -
Chicago 8 Trial
The trial for eight antiwar activists charged with inciting violent demonstrations at the August 1968 Democratic National Convention opens in Chicago before Judge Julius Hoffman. -
The Beatles Break Up
Their break-up was attributed to numerous factors, such as the strain of the Beatlemania phenomenon, the death of manager Brian Epstein in 1967, McCartney's domineering role, Lennon's heroin use and his relationship with Yoko Ono, Harrison's prolific songwriting output, -
Kent State Protest
Kent State students protested on the Commons against the U.S. invasion of Cambodia and the presence of the Ohio National Guard called to campus to quell demonstrations. -
Roe vs. Wade
Wade was a decision by the US Supreme Court. The court ruled that a state law that banned abortions (except to save the life of the mother) was unconstitutional. In the view of the court, during the first trimester an abortion was no more dangerous than carrying the fetus/child full term.