-
SNCC formed
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was the principal channel of student commitment in the United States to the civil rights movement during the 1960s. -
First televised Presidential debate
Kennedy vs. Nixon -
First airing of "The Flintstones"
An American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The first animated series to hold a prime-time slot on television. -
President Kennedy is elected
Democrat from the state of Massachusetts. Beat Richard Nixon 303 to 219 electoral votes. -
Russians send the first man into space
Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin becomes the first human being to travel into space. During the flight, the 27-year-old test pilot and industrial technician also became the first man to orbit the planet, a feat accomplished by his space capsule in 89 minutes. -
Berlin Wall is constructed
A barrier that divided Germany from 1961 to 1989. It completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin. -
Roger Maris of the Yankees breaks Babe Ruth's single season home run record
In New York's final game of the season, Maris hit 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
A broad critique of the political and social system of the United States for failing to achieve international peace and economic justice. (Students for a Democratic Society) -
Marilyn Monroe dies
Age 36 of an overdose at her home in Los Angeles, California. -
James Meredith registers at Ole Miss
First African-American student to enroll at Ole Miss -
Cuban Missile Crisis
A direct and dangerous confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War and was the moment when the two superpowers came closest to nuclear conflict. -
"Dr. No" the first James Bond movie premiers
Agent 007 (Sean Connery) battles mysterious Dr. No, a scientific genius bent on destroying the U.S. space program. As the countdown to disaster begins, Bond must go to Jamaica, where he encounters beautiful Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress), to confront a megalomaniacal villain in his massive island headquarters. -
Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" Speech
A public speech that was delivered by MLK during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. King called for civil and economic rights and an end to racism in the United States. -
John F. Kennedy is assassinated
Assassinated while traveling through Dallas, Texas, in an open-top convertible by Lee Harvey Oswald. -
The Beatles arrive in the United States
The "Fab Four" were greeted by 3,000 screaming fans when stepping foot at Kennedy airport. -
The Beatles appear on Ed Sullivan
The Fab Four played three songs -- “All My Loving,” “Till There Was You” and “She Loves You” -- before taking a 35-minute break for other performers. -
New York World's Fair begins
A world's fair that held over 140 pavilions and 110 restaurants, representing 80 nations (hosted by 37), 24 US states, and over 45 corporations with the goal and result of building exhibits or attractions at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City. -
Lyndon B Johnson defeats Barry Goldwater
With over 60 percent of the popular vote, Johnson turned back the conservative senator from Arizona to secure his first full term in office after succeeding to the presidency after the assassination of John F. Kennedy in November 1963. -
Malcolm X assassinated
An African-American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. A spokesman for the Nation of Islam until 1964, he was a vocal advocate for Black empowerment and the promotion of Islam within the Black community. -
Watts race riots
Sometimes referred to as the Watts Rebellion or Watts Uprising, took place in the Watts neighborhood and its surrounding areas of Los Angeles from August 11 to 16, 1965. On August 11, 1965, Marquette Frye, a 21-year-old African American man, was pulled over for drunken driving. -
"Star Trek" TV show airs
The iconic series "Star Trek" follows the crew of the starship USS Enterprise as it completes its missions in space in the 23rd century. Captain James T. Kirk -- along with half- human/half-Vulcan science officer Spock, ship Dr. "Bones" McCoy, Ensign Pavel Chekov, communications officer Lt. Nyota Uhura, helmsman Lt. Hikaru Sulu and chief engineer Lt. Cmdr. Montgomery "Scotty" Scott -- confront strange alien races, friendly and hostile alike, as they explore unknown worlds. -
San Francisco "Summer of Love" begins
30,000 people gathered in San Francisco Golden Gate Park. They came to take part in counterculture poet Allen Ginsberg and writer Gary Synder's "Human Be-In" initiative, part of the duo's call for a collective expansion of consciousness. -
First NFL Football Super Bowl
Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10 at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. -
Boxer Muhammad Ali refuses military service
Boxing champion Muhammad Ali refuses to be inducted into the U.S. Army and is immediately stripped of his heavyweight title. Ali, a Muslim, cited religious reasons for his decision to forgo military service. -
Beatles release Sgt. Pepper's album
Regarded as one of the greatest albums in the history of rock and roll, "a decisive moment in the history of Western civilization." -
Thurgood Marshall nominated to the Supreme Court
First African-American to serve as a Supreme Court Justice. 69-11 floor vote. -
Tet Offensive
A coordinated series of North Vietnamese attacks on more than 100 cities and outposts in South Vietnam. -
Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated
Spokesman and leader in the American civil rights movement, assassinated by James Earl Ray. -
Robert Kennedy is assassinated
Kennedy was speaking to journalists at a live televised celebration from the stage of his headquarters at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. After leaving the podium and exiting through a kitchen hallway, he was shot multiple times by Sirhan Sirhan. -
Protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention
Protest activity against the Vietnam War took place prior to and during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. In 1968, counterculture and anti-Vietnam War protest groups began planning protests and demonstrations in response to the convention, and the city promised to maintain law and order. -
LSD declared illegal by the U.S. government
A hallucinogenic drug that was first synthesized a Swiss scientist in the 1930s. Very popular in the 1960s. -
Richard Nixon is elected
Republican from the state of California. Nixon beat Hubert Humphrey by less than 500,000 votes. -
Stonewall riots
A series of spontaneous demonstrations by members of the gay community in response to a police raid that began at the Stonewall Inn in NYC. -
American astronauts land on the moon
Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin became the first humans to ever land on the moon. The Apollo 11 mission took about 6 1/2 hours. -
Woodstock concert
A music festival on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York. -
The Rolling Stones host the Altamont music festival
A counterculture rock concert in the United States at the Altamont Speedway in northern California (Livermore). Approximately 300,000 attended the concert, and some anticipated that it would be a "Woodstock West".