Timeline of the 1960's

1960

• The first debate for a presidential election was televised.  It was between Senator John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon.  Nixon seemed nervous, but Kennedy stood tall.  The debate on TV changed many people's minds about Kennedy. 

• This year NASA sent up ECHO, the first communications satellite to be seen with the naked eye. 

• American "U2" spy plane shot down over the USSR.

• The Olympic Games were held in Rome and Wilma Rudolf won three gold medals.

• The population of the United States is 179,979,000

• National Debt 286.3 Billion

• Unemployment is 5.5%

• Life Expectancy: Males 66.6 years, Females 73.1 years

• Cost of a first-class stamp is $0.04

• Academy Award : Ben-Hur 

• Adolph Coors III, the chairman of the board of the Coors Brewing Company, is kidnapped, and later found murdered.

• The Soviet Union shoots down an American U-2 spy plane and captures its pilot, Francis Gary Powers.

• Following months of protests, Woolworth in Greensboro, N. Carolina serves its first meal to a black customer.

• Cassius Clay wins the Gold Medal for boxing during the 1960 Summer Olympic Games.

• Joanne Woodward receives the first star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

• Debuting on television were: The Andy Griffth Show, The Flintstones, My Three Sons and Route 66.

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1961

• John F Kennedy moves into the White House.  He gives his famous speech - "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." 

• The soviets have sent the first man into space and the Americans need a man in space, too.  The event came on May 5, 1961.  Alan Shepard was sent to space in the "Freedom 7".  On May 25, Kennedy wanted to have a man on the moon and back before the decade was over. 

• Academy Award : The Apartment (Best Picture).

• Roger Maris breaks Babe Ruth's single season home run record , some controversy over the length of the season still remaines.

• Television debuts included: Ben Casey, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Dr Kildare and Mr. Ed   

1962

• John Glenn became the first man to orbit the earth - 3 times.  It was a five hour flight. 

• Rachel Carson, a scientist and writer, warned that our earth would die of pollution and chemicals.  Especially chemicals that were developed to kill bad insects.  DDT was a real bad chemical.  It killed bad insects, along with good insects, along with plants, along with animals.  She wrote the book Silent Spring with a warning.  At least five states banned DDT. 

• Family median income = $6,000 (up $300. from 1961)

• Academy Award : West Side Story   (Best Picture)

• Francis Gary Powers the U-2 pilot who was shot down over Russia.

• The United States Supreme Court rules that mandatory prayers in public schools are unconstitutional.

• Wal-Mart opens its first store in Rogers, Arkansas.

• Johnny Carson takes over as host of NBC's Tonight Show, he hosts the show until 1992.

• he US discovers the building of Soviet missiles in Cuba.

• Popular dances were of course the twist also the mashed potato, the jerk, the swim, the monkey and the Watusi.

• Marilyn Monroe apparently committed suicide leading to conspiracy theories centered around her involvement with the Kennedys.

• Debuting on television were: The Beverly Hillbillies, Combat, The Jetsons, McHale's Navy and The Virginian.

1963

• Martin Luther King Jr. made the speech, "I have a Dream" on August 28. Part of the speech was - "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character…" 

• President Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas on November 22. 

• Academy Award : Lawrence of Arabia   (Best picture).

• Patsy Cline, country music superstar, is killed in a plane crash.

• The Coca-Cola Company announces its first diet drink, TAB cola.

• ZIP Codes are used for the first time in the U.S.

• Debuting on television were: My Favorite Martian, The Fugitive  Petticoat Junction and Hootenanny. 

• 1964

• The Beatles, a British rock and roll band became VERY popular.  The "Fab Four", John, Paul, George, and Ringo, were played on radio stations all over the world.  They were seen on the "Ed Sullivan Show".  They performed concerts that were quickly sold out.  All the frenzy over the group became known as "Beatlemania", which was only the beginning. 

• This was the first year the cigarette boxes had a warning printed on it "Smoking can be hazardous to your health". 

• The first Civil Rights bill was passed to stop racial discrimination. 

• Family median income = $6,600 (up $400. from 1962)

• Academy Award : Tom Jones ((Best Picture.

• The first Ford Mustang rolls off the assembly line at Ford Motor Company.

• The 1964 New York World's Fair opens.

• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. becomes the receives the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent civil rights movement.

•  Debuting on television were: Bewitched, Gilligan's Island, The Addams Family, The Munsters and The Man From UNCLE.   

1965

• President Johnson ordered bombing raids on North Vietnam and Americans begin protesting the war. 

• The world's first roofed stadium was built, the Houston Astrodome. 

• The population of the United States is 193,526,000.

• National Debt is 322.3 Billion (+6.2 billion)

• Cost of a first-class stamp is $0.05

• Academy Award : The Sound of Music (Best Picture).

• Grammy Award : The Girl From Ipanema  (Best Song); Hello, Dolly! (Best Album).

• Bloody Sunday and the March from Selma to Montgomery, AL.

•  Two U.S. scientist discover cosmic background radiation which confirms the "Big Bang" theory.

• Television debuts included: Hogans Heroes, Green Acres, I Deam of Jeannie, My Mother the Car, I Spy, and Get Smart.   

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1966

• Walt Disney, the creator of Mickey Mouse and a Pioneer of animated films, died of cancer on December 15, 1966, but his legend lives on. 

• The population of the United States is 195,576,000.

• National Debt is 328.5 Billion (+6.2 billion).

• Family median income = $7,400 (up $500. from 1965).

• Academy Award : The Sound of Music   (Best Picture).

• Grammy Award : Shadow of Your Smile  (Best Song);  A Taste of Honey  (Best Album).

• The Supreme Court rules that the police must inform suspects of their rights before questioning them called Miranda rights.

• Caesars Palace hotel and casino opens in Las Vegas.

• The Beatles give their last public performance in the U.S. at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. 

• Actor Ronald Reagan is elected Governor of California.

• Also new on the little screen : the Monkees, Batman, Mission Impossible, Family Affair, Hollywood Squares, That Girl. 

1967

• The first heart transplant was performed by Dr. Christiaan Barnard in Cape Town, South Africa. The patient lived 18 days.

• National Debt is 340.4 Billion (+11.9 billion)

• Unemployment is 3.8%

• Academy Award : A Man for All Seasons   (Best Picture).

• Grammy Award : Michelle  (Best Song); Strangers In The Night  (Best Album)

• Super Bowl I is played with the Green Bay Packers defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 35–10.

• U.S. astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward Higgins White, and Roger Chaffee are killed aboard the Apollo 1 spacecraft during a launch pad test.

• Muhammad Ali, after converting to Islam, refuses military service on religious grounds.

• Elvis Presley and Priscilla Beaulieu are married in Las Vegas.

• The following TV shows debuted: The Flying Nun, High Chaparral, Carol Burnett Show, Ironside, Mannix, The Smothers Brothers and Phil Donahue.  

1968

• Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.  Two months later, Robert Kennedy was assassinated too.  On November 5, 1968, Shirley Chisholm was elected America's first black woman to Congress. 

• Roger Maris hit homer number 61, setting a record that wasn't broken until the September of 1998 by Mark McGwire. 

• National Debt is 368.7 Billion (+28.3 billion, mostly due to the war).

• Academy Award : In the Heat of the Night (Best Picture)

• Grammy Award : Up-Up and Away  (Best Song); Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band  (Best Album).

• The musical "Hair" officially opens on Broadway.

• Boeing introduces it's newest plane the 747.

• Former U.S. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy marries Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis.

• Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Anne Klein (no relation) all debut their fashions.

The following TV shows debuted: Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Dad's Army, Adam-12, The Doris Day Show, Mod Squad, 60 Minutes and Hawaii Five-O.

Memorable movies were: Bullitt,  Rosemary's Baby,  The Green Berets,  and The Planet of the Apes. 

 

1969

President: Richard M Nixon, Vice President: Spiro T Agnew.

National Debt is 365.8 Billion (-2.9 billion).

Inflation rate = 6.2%

• Nearly half a million people headed over to a 600 acre farm in New York for the Woodstock Festival.  Many top rock musicians were there.  It lasted three days, a weekend of music, love and peace. 

• July 20, 1969, 4:18 p.m., one of the biggest events of history happened.  Apollo 11 landed on the moon, astronauts aboard.  Neil Armstrong's famous speech for the historical steps "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

• Academy Award : Oliver   (Best Picture).

• Grammy Award : Mrs. Robinson  (Best Song); By the Time I Get to Phoenix   (Best Album).

• Golda Meir becomes the first female prime minister of Israel.

• An American teenager known as Robert R. becomes patient #1 in the U.S. HIV/AIDS epidemic.

• The movie Midnight Cowboy is the first ever X Rated film to win an Oscar.

• Wendy's founder Dave Thomas opens the first restaurant in Columbus, Ohio it is named after his daughter's nick-name.

• The first ARPANET link is established laying the foundation for the internet.

• The GAP opens its first store in San Francisco named for the "generation gap" they sold records and blue jeans.

• The U.S. military goes to a lottery type draft to select inductees.

• Dow Jones Industrial Average rises above 1,000 for the first time in history.

• The following TV shows debuted:  The Courtship of Eddie's Father, The Bill Cosby Show, The Flip Wilson Show, Hee Haw, Marcus Welby M.D., The Brady Bunch, Monty Python's Flying Circus and Sesame Street.