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Lasers Invented
Lasers Theodore Maiman made the first laser operate on 16 May 1960 at the Hughes Research Laboratory in California, by shining a high-power flash lamp on a ruby rod with silver-coated surfaces. -
First Televised Presidential Debates
President On 26 September 1960, 70 million U.S. viewers tuned in to watch Senator John Kennedy of Massachusetts and Vice President Richard Nixon in the first-ever televised presidential debate. It was the first of four televised "Great Debates" between Kennedy and Nixon. The first debate centered on domestic issues. The high point of the second debate, on 7 October, was disagreement over U.S. involvement in two small is -
Soviets Launch First Man In Space
Soviets Launch First Man In Space On April 12, 1961, aboard the spacecraft Vostok 1, 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. Vostok 1 orbited Earth at a maximum altitude of 187 miles and was g -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Bay of Pigs The Bay of Pigs invasion was intended to provoke popularity for an uprising against Fidel Castro who had overthrown American-backed dictator Fulgenico Batista. Instead, it gave Castro a military victory and a permanent symbol of Cuban resistance to American aggression. The Bay of Pigs was not originally John F. Kennedy's idea. As the communist nature of Castro’s regime became apparent, the urge to topple his government -
Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall During the rest of 1961, the grim and unsightly Berlin Wall continued to grow in size and scope, eventually consisting of a series of concrete walls up to 15 feet high. These walls were topped with barbed wire and guarded with watchtowers, machine gun emplacements, and mines. By the 1980’s this system of walls and electrified fences extended 28 miles through Berlin and 75 miles around West Berlin, separating -
Marilyn Monroe Found Dead
Marilyn Monroe Found Dead On August 5, 1962, movie actress Marilyn Monroe is found dead in her home in Los Angeles. She was discovered lying nude on her bed, face down, with a telephone in one hand. Empty bottles of pills, prescribed to treat her depression, were littered around the room. After a brief investigation, Los Angeles police concluded that her death was "caused by a self-administered overdose of se -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missle Crisis U.S. intelligence personnel analyzing U-2 spy plane data discovered that the Soviets were building medium-range missile sites in Cuba. The next day, President Kennedy secretly convened an emergency meeting of his senior military, political, and diplomatic advisers to discuss the ominous development. The group became known as ExCom, short for Executive Committee. After rejecting a surgical air stri -
Martin Luther King Jr. Makes His "I Have a Dream" Speech
MLK He was the driving force behind watershed events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington, which helped bring about such landmark legislation as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and is remembered each year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a U.S. federal holiday since 1986. -
JFK Assasination
JFK Assasination Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly fired three shots from the sixth floor, fatally wounding President Kennedy and seriously injuring Governor Connally. Kennedy was pronounced dead 30 minutes later at Dallas' Parkland Hospital. He was 46. -
Beatles Become Popular in U.S.
The Beatles It was the first visit to the United States by the Beatles, a British rock-and-roll quartet that had just scored its first No. 1 U.S. hit six days before with "I Want to Hold Your Hand." At Kennedy, the "Fab Four"--dressed in mod suits and sporting their trademark pudding bowl haircuts--were greeted by 3,000 screaming fans who caused a near riot when the boys stepped off their plane and onto America -
Casius Clay (Ali) Becomes World Heavy Weight Champ
AliFebruary 25, 1964, Muhammad Ali, then still known as Cassius Clay, fought Charles "Sonny" Liston for the world heavyweight title in Miami, Florida. Liston expected an early knockout. However, Muhammad Ali was a lot faster than most other boxers. Ali's plan was to dance around the powerful Liston until Liston tired out. Ali's plan worked. -
Civil Rights Act Passes in U.S.
Civil Rights Proposed by John F. Kennedy, and signed into law in 1964 by Lyndon Johnson, the Civil Rights Act was a sweeping, comprehensive piece of legislation intended to end discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin; it is often called the most important U.S. law on civil rights since Reconstruction -
Japan's Bullet Train Opens
The Shinkansen is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Very Fast! 100 mph and faster! -
U.S. Sends Troops to Vietnam
Vietnam
In response to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident of August 2 and 4, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson, per the authority given to him by Congress in the subsequent Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, decided to escalate the Vietnam Conflict by sending U.S. ground troops to Vietnam. On March 8, 1965, 3,500 U.S. Marines landed near Da Nang in South Vietnam; they are the first U.S. troops arrive in Vietnam. -
New York City Great Blackout
New York City Great Blackout At dusk, the biggest power failure in U.S. history occurs as all of New York state, portions of seven neighboring states, and parts of eastern Canada are plunged into darkness. The Great Northeast Blackout began at the height of rush hour, delaying millions of commuters, trapping 800,000 people in New York's subways, and stranding thousands more in office buildings, and elevators. -
Boaring Stuff Happened In '66
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First Super Bowl
First Super Bowl In that historic first game--played before a non-sell-out crowd of 61,946 people--Green Bay scored three touchdowns in the second half to defeat Kansas City 35-10. Led by MVP quarterback Bart Starr, the Packers benefited from Max McGee's stellar receiving and a key interception by safety Willie Wood. -
First Heart Transplant
First Heart Transplant On December 3, 1967, South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard conducted the first heart transplant on 53-year-old Lewis Washkansky. The surgery was a success. However, the medications that were given to Washkansky to prevent his immune system from attacking the new heart also supressed his body's ability to fight off other illnesses. -
Tet Offensive
Tet Offensive U.S. troops had been in Vietnam for three years before the Tet Offensive, and most of the fighting they had encountered were small skirmishes involving guerilla tactics. Although the U.S. had more aircraft, better weapons, and hundreds of thousands of trained soldiers, they were stuck in a stalemate against the Communist forces in North Vietnam and the guerilla forces in South Vietnam. -
My Lai Massacre
My Lai Massacre On March 16, 1968, U.S. soldiers from Charlie Company, 11th Brigade, Americal Division, led by Lt. William Calley, entered the Vietnamese village of My Lai on a search and destroy mission during the Vietnam War. Under Lt. Calley's command, the soldiers massacred somewhere between 347 and 504 civilians, including women, children, and the elderly. Many of the victims were raped, tortured, and/or mutilated. -
Martin Luther King Jr. Assassinated
Martin Luther King Assasinated Martin Luther King Jr. is shot to death at a hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. A single shot fired by James Earl Ray from over 200 feet away at a nearby motel struck King in the neck. He died an hour later at St. Joseph's Hospital. The death of America's leading civil rights advocate sparked a wave of rioting in the black communities of several cities around the country. -
Robert F. Kennedy Assassinated
Bobby Senator Robert Kennedy is shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after winning the California presidential primary. Immediately after he announced to his cheering supporters that the country was ready to end its fractious divisions, Kennedy was shot several times by the 22-year-old Palestinian Sirhan Sirhan. He died a day later. -
Neil Armstrong Becomes the First Man on the Moon
Man on Moon On July 20, 1969, as part of the Apollo 11 mission, astronaut Neil Armstrong opened the hatch of the lunar module (nicknamed Eagle) and stepped out onto the ladder. Once at the bottom of the ladder, Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon and became the very first man on the moon. A few minutes later, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin followed him. -
Rock-and-Roll Concert at Woodstock
Rock-and-Roll Concert at Woodstock From August 15-18, 1969, 500,000 young people from across the United States converged on Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in Bethel, New York. They were there to listen to the best rock 'n roll of the time at the Woodstock Festival of 1969. There were lots of drugs, lot of sex and nudity, and lots of mud. The Woodstock Music Festival became an icon of the 1960s hippie counterculture. -
Sesame Street First Airs
Sesame Street First Airs On this day in 1969, "Sesame Street," a pioneering TV show that would teach generations of young children the alphabet and how to count, makes its broadcast debut. "Sesame Street," with its memorable theme song ("Can you tell me how to get/How to get to Sesame Street"), went on to become the most widely viewed children's program in the world. It has aired in more than 120 countries.
