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SNCC formed
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) is founded by young people dedicated to nonviolent, direct action tactics -
First televised Presidential debate
The first presidential campaign debate is televised in 1960 -
First airing of “The Flintstones”
This was the first animated series to hold a prime-time slot on television -
President Kennedy is elected
Democratic United States Senator John F. Kennedy defeats Vice President Richard Nixon, the Republican Party nominee -
Russians send the first man into space
Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin becomes the first human being to travel into space -
Berlin Wall is constructed
German soldiers lay down more than 30 miles of barbed wire barrier through the heart of Berlin -
Roger Maris of the Yankees breaks Babe Ruth’s single season home run record
Yankees slugger Roger Maris hits his 61st home run, becoming the first player in Major League Baseball to hit more than 60 in a season -
SDS releases its Port Huron statement
Proposed a new form of “participatory democracy” to rescue modern society from destructive militarism and cultural alienation -
Marilyn Monroe dies
Famous American actress passes away due to an overdose of pills -
James Meredith registers at Ole Miss
An African American attempts and becomes the first black man to enroll at the all-white University of Mississippi -
Cuban Missile Crisis
A one-month, four-day confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union -
“Dr. No” the first James Bond movie premiers
The world premiere of a 1962 spy film directed by Terence Young -
Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” Speech
A famous public speech made by Martin Luther King Jr. that called for civil and economic rights for blacks, and to end racism in the United States -
John F Kennedy is assassinated
JFK is shot with a sniper rifle by Lee Harvey Oswald while traveling through Dallas, Texas -
The Beatles arrive in the United States
The Beatles arrive at John F Kennedy airport in New York, greeted by thousands of fans -
The Beatles appear on Ed Sullivan
73 million people gathered in front their TV sets to see The Beatles' first live performance on U.S. soil -
New York World’s Fair begins
A Fair in New York opens and is remembered as a cultural highlight of mid-twentieth century America -
Lyndon B Johnson defeats Barry Goldwater
Democratic United States President Lyndon B. Johnson defeated Barry Goldwater -
Malcolm X assassinated
Malcolm X was gunned down as his pregnant wife and four daughters took cover in the front row -
Watts race riots
A series of violent confrontations between Los Angeles police and residents of Watts and other predominantly African Americans -
“Star Trek” TV show airs
An American science-fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that follows the adventures of the starship that grows very popular -
San Francisco "Summer of Love" begins
30,000 people gather in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park to take part in a counterculture poet by Allen Ginsberg and Gary Synder -
First NFL Football Super Bowl
The first annual playoff championship game of the NFL between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs -
Boxer Muhammed Ali refuses military service
Famous boxer Muhammed Ali refuses service, citing his religion forbade him from serving -
Beatles release Sgt. Pepper's album
The Beatles release their eighth album that becomes the "summer of love" -
Thurgood Marshall nominated to the Supreme Court
First American Supreme Court Justice nominated to serve the United States -
LSD declared illegal by the U.S. government
LSD was declared a "Schedule I" substance, legally designating that the drug has a "high potential for abuse" and is without any "currently accepted medical use in treatment." -
Tet Offensive
A major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War -
Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated
Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated by James Earl Ray in Memphis, Tennessee -
Robert Kennedy is assassinated
Shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles by Sirhan Sirhan while running for president -
Protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention
In 1968, counterculture and anti-Vietnam War protest groups began planning protests and demonstrations in response to the convention -
Richard Nixon is elected
Richard Nixon wins the election over Hubert Humphrey and becomes president -
Stonewall riots
A series of spontaneous demonstrations by members of the gay community in response to a police raid -
American astronauts land on the moon
American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin become the first humans ever to land on the moon -
Woodstock concert
A music festival held on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York -
The Rolling Stones host the Altamont music festival
300,000 gathered at the Altamont Speedway in Tracy, California to see the Rolling Stones perform a free concert