60's Timeline

  • SNCC formed

    SNCC formed

    The SNCC coordinated nonviolent youth-led protests against segregation and racism.
  • First televised Presidential debate

    First televised Presidential debate

    The first televised presidential debate was between Kennedy and Nixon.
  • First airing of “The Flintstones”

    First airing of “The Flintstones”

    "The Flintstones" became the first primetime cartoon, airing from 1960 to 1966.
  • President Kennedy is elected

    President Kennedy is elected

    The race was one of the closest elections in history, Kennedy only getting 118,000 more votes than Nixon.
  • Russians send the first man into space

    Russians send the first man into space

    The Soviet Union sent Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin on the Vostok 1 capsule and completed a full orbit around earth.
  • Berlin Wall is constructed

    Berlin Wall is constructed

    Became a symbol of the Cold War for being a manifestation of the world's separation into two different ruling ideologies.
  • 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

    On this day, Roger Maris hit his 61st homerun, passing Babe Ruth's 60.
  • SDS releases its Port Huron statement

    SDS releases its Port Huron statement

    This statement was 25,700 words calling for the participation in democracy, with non-violent disobedience and the idea citizens can help make social decisions.
  • Marilyn Monroe dies

    Marilyn Monroe dies

    On this day she died from self-administered overdose of sedative drugs, possibly being a purposeful suicide.
  • James Meredith registers at Ole Miss

    James Meredith registers at Ole Miss

    On this day, he became the first African American student at the University of Mississippi, while being guarded by security 24 hours a day.
  • Cuban Missile Crisis

    Cuban Missile Crisis

    The Cuban Missile Crisis was a dangerous and very direct confrontation between the US and the Soviet Union during the Cold War where the world almost cam e to nuclear war.
  • “Dr. No” the first James Bond movie premiers

    “Dr. No” the first James Bond movie premiers

    The movie first appeared in the UK on October 5, 1962, but would reach the US May 8, 1963 premiering in 450 cinemas primarily in the Mid and Southwest.
  • Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” Speech

    Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” Speech

    Dr. King on this day gave a massive speech in Washington D.C. calling for civil and economic rights and the end of racism.
  • John F Kennedy is assassinated

    John F Kennedy is assassinated

    On this day, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harry Oswald while he was riding in a presidential motorcade.
  • The Beatles arrive in the United States

    The Beatles arrive in the United States

    On this day, the Beatles arrived at John F. Kennedy airport in New York while be greeted by thousands of loud fans.
  • The Beatles appear on Ed Sullivan

    The Beatles appear on Ed Sullivan

    At 8 'o clock, all of America, about 73 million Americans, were tuned in to The Ed Sullivan Show on CBS to watch The Beatles perform.
  • Lyndon B Johnson defeats Barry Goldwater

    Lyndon B Johnson defeats Barry Goldwater

    On this day, Johnson won in a landslide with a 61.1% popular vote, the largest share of popular vote since 1820.
  • Malcolm X assassinated

    Malcolm X assassinated

    On this day, Malcolm X was murdered during a speech in Manhattan in the Audubon Ballroom.
  • New York World’s Fair begins

    New York World’s Fair begins

    On this day, the first New York World's Fair was held to promote a connection and international community.
  • Watts race riots

    Watts race riots

    The Watts Riot took place in Watts neighborhood and the surrounding Los Angeles area, with thew goal to end discrimination in the local housing, employment, and schooling.
  • “Star Trek” TV show airs

    “Star Trek” TV show airs

    On this day, one of the most iconic tv shows ever aired, with the inspiration coming from space being due to the space race occurring during this time.
  • San Francisco “Summer of Love” begins

    San Francisco “Summer of Love” begins

    On this day, over 100,000 people gathered dressed in hippie fashion and behavior in the San Francisco neighborhood of Haight-Ashbury.
  • First NFL Football Super Bowl

    First NFL Football Super Bowl

    The first NFL Super Bowl was between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs, with the Packers winning 35-10.
  • Boxer Muhammed Ali refuses military service

    Boxer Muhammed Ali refuses military service

    Muhammad Ali was inducted into the US Armed forces, but said his religion forbade him from serving, causing him to have his boxing title stripped from him along with a $10k fine and a 5 year prison sentence.
  • The Beatles release Sgt. Peppers album

    The Beatles release Sgt. Peppers album

    This album released as their eighth studio album, which is still considered today to be one of the most influential rock and roll albums of all time.
  • Thurgood Marshall nominated to the Supreme Court

    Thurgood Marshall nominated to the Supreme Court

    In 69 -11 confirmation vote by the US Senate, Marshall became the first African American member of the Supreme Court, and the first non-white justice.
  • Tet Offensive

    Tet Offensive

    North Vietnam and the Communist Viet Cong forces launched a coordinated attack against a number of targets in South Vietnam.
  • Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated

    Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated

    MLK was shot dead while he was standing outside on the second-floor balcony at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.
  • Robert Kennedy is assassinated

    Robert Kennedy is assassinated

    Robert Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles while after leaving the podium. He was mortally wounded and died nearly 25 hours later.
  • Protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention

    Protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention

    The Democratic National Convention protests were a series of protest activists against the Vietnam War that took place before the convention.
  • LSD declared illegal by the U.S. government

    LSD declared illegal by the U.S. government

    The US on this day despite considering the drug non-addictive and low potential for abuse, the US made it illegal as part of the 'War on Drugs'.
  • Richard Nixon is elected

    Richard Nixon is elected

    Nixon defeated Huber Humphrey by less than one percentage point in the popular vote.
  • Stonewall riots

    Stonewall riots

    The Stonewall Riots followed several days of demonstrations in New York and became the first major protest for equal rights of homosexuality.
  • American astronauts land on the moon

    American astronauts land on the moon

    On this day, Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz: Aldrin became the first humans ever to land on the moon.
  • Woodstock concert

    Woodstock concert

    Woodstock was held at Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, where an estimated 400,000 people attended with some of the most famous artists coming out to perform.
  • The Rolling Stones host the Altamont music festival

    The Rolling Stones host the Altamont music festival

    About 300,000 people gathered at the Altamont Speedway in Tracy, California to see the Rolling Stones perform a free concert that was considered to be the 'Woodstock West'.