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Announcing a Council
Pope John XXIII announces his intention of calling an ecumenical council -
Cuba
Fidel Castro becomes Premier of Cuba -
Weather Satellite
The first weather satellite is launched -
U-2 Spy Plane
US U-2 spy plane is shot down over Russia -
Commissions Set Up
Pope John authorises the setting up of commissions and secretariates to prepare for the Second Vatican Council -
New President
John F. Kennedy is elected president of the U.S.A -
Yuri Gargarin
Yuri Gargarin of the USSR becomes the first person to orbit the earth -
Bay of Pigs
The unsuccessful invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs -
Alan Shepard
Alan Shepard makes the first manned US space flight -
Archbishop of Canterbury
Michael Ramsay is appointed archbishop of Canterbury -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall is constructed -
Summoned
The bishops of the world are formally summoned to the Second Vatican Council -
Blockade of Cuba
US blockade of Cuba - USSR withdraws missiles from Cuba -
A Superstar Dies
Marilyn Monroe dies -
Norms and Procedures
Norms and procedures for the Council are established -
Independence
Uganda becomes independent -
Period: to
Session I
First Session of the Council meets -
Civil Rights
Civil rights demonstrations in Birmingham Alabama lead to the arrest of Martin Luther King -
A Pope Dies
Pope John Paul XXIII dies -
New Pope elected
Pope Paul VI is elected and announces his plan to continue the Council. -
Medical Breakthroughs
The first artifical heart takes over patient's circulation during surgery -
Nuclear Test Ban
A nuclear test ban treaty is signed by the US, the Soviet Union and Great Britain -
Period: to
Session II
The Second session of the Council meets -
JFK Dead
President Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas and replaced by Lyndon Johnson -
Documents I
Constitutions on the Sacred Liturgy and Decree on the Means of Social Communication are issued -
Cyprus
The United Nations Peace force takes over in Cyprus -
Period: to
East meets West
Pope Paul VI meets Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras in the Holy Land -
Beatlemania
Beatlemania sweeps North America on their first visit -
Non-Christian Religions
The Secretariat for Non-Christian Religions is established -
Race riots
Race riots break out across US in reaction to the enforcement of civil rights laws -
Period: to
Session III
The Third session of the Council meets -
My Fair Lady
The film My Fair Lady with Audrey Hepburn is released -
Documents II
Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Decree on the Catholic Eastern Churches, and Decree on Ecumenism are issued -
Nobel Peace Prize
Martin Luther King Jr. wins the Nobel Peace Prize -
Period: to
Indo-Pakistan War
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A British great dies
Winston Churchill dies aged 90 -
Malcolm X
Malcolm X shot dead in New York City -
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music with Julie Andrews is released -
First Spacewalk
Leonov becomes the first astronaut to walk in space -
Doctor Zhivago released
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Period: to
Session IV
The Fourth session of the Council is held -
Pope at the U.N.
Pope Paul VI addresses the United Nations assembly in New York -
Documents III
Decree Concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church, Decree on Renewal of Religious Life, Decree on Priestly Training, Declaration on Christian Education, and Decleration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions are issued. -
Rhodesian independence
Rhodesia declares independence and Britain responds with an oil embargo -
Documents IV
Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation and Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity are issued -
Prayer Service
A Prayer Service for Promoting Christianity is held at Saint Paul Outside the Walls -
Documents V
Decleration on Religious Freedom, Decree on the Mission Activity of the Church, Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests, and the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World are issued. -
Council Ends
The Second Vatican Council is solemnly ended. An extraordinary Jubilee year is proclaimed to familiarise the faithful with the Council's teachings.