60 Iconic Moments

From The 1960s

Manual Advance
Sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll
defined the 1960s.
But the decade was also a time
of pivotal change politicall!,
sociall! and technologicall!.
Marc Riboud, Magnum hoto
Marc Riboud, Magnum hoto
A!"orst Faas
#TF!AF!$ett% Images
A &hoto
196' (oburn Abbe%) "i&&ies en*o% themselves at the 196' (oburn Abbe% +ove In)
The ,$reensboro Four) -n Februar% 1, 1960, .our A.rican/American college students made histor% *ust b% sitting do0n at a 0hites/onl% lunch counter at a
(ool0orth,s in $reensboro, 1orth 2arolina) #ervice never came .or the 3$reensboro Four,3 as the% came to be 4no0n, and their &eace.ul demonstration dre0
national attention and s&ar4ed more 3sit/ins3 in #outhern cities)
5lvis discharged .rom the militar%) 5lvis resle%,s musical he%da% 0as in the 1960s, but he remained a ma*or star in the 1960s) "ere, resle%, 76, is &ictured 0ith his
.uture 0i.e, riscilla, shortl% be.ore his discharge .rom the 8)#) Arm% in 1960) resle% served t0o %ears in the Arm%
#har&eville massacre in #outh A.rica) (ounded &eo&le in #outh A.rica,s #har&eville to0nshi& lie in the street on March 71, 1960, a.ter &olice o&ened .ire on blac4
demonstrators marching against the countr%,s segregation s%stem 4no0n as a&artheid) At least 190 blac4 A.ricans, most o. them 0omen and children, 0ere in*ured
and 69 0ere 4illed in the #har&eville massacre that signaled the start o. armed resistance against a&artheid)
The laser is born) Theodore Maiman &ours li:uid nitrogen into a cooling unit around one o. the .irst e;&erimental lasers in his laborator% in #anta Monica,
2ali.ornia) Maiman,s rub% laser, created on Ma% 16, 1960, is considered to be one o. the to& technological achievements o. the 70th centur%) It &aved the 0a% .or
.iber/o&tic communications, 2<s, <=<s and sight/restoring surger%)
F<A a&&roves birth/control &ill) -n >une 7?, 1960, the 8)#) Food and <rug Administration a&&roved 5novid, the .irst birth/control &ill .or 0omen)
1i;on/@enned% debate) The .irst televised &residential debate 0as on #e&tember 76, 1960, and it involved 8)#) =ice resident Richard 1i;on, le.t, and #en) >ohn F)
@enned% o. Massachusetts) The debate is largel% credited 0ith hel&ing to ma4e a star out o. @enned%, 0ho 0on the election later that %ear)
Aa% o. igs invasion) 2uban leader Fidel 2astro, lo0er right, sits inside a tan4 near la%a $iron, 2uba, during the Aa% o. igs invasion on A&ril 1', 1961) -n that da%,
about 1,600 2IA/bac4ed 2uban e;iles landed at 2uba,s Aa% o. igs in ho&es o. triggering an u&rising against 2astro) It 0as a com&lete disaster .or resident >ohn
F) @enned%,s .ledgling administration)
,#e; and the #ingle $irl,) "elen $urle% Aro0n, editor o. 2osmo&olitan magaBine, &ublished her boo4 3#e; and the #ingle $irl3 in 1967) The boo4 hel&ed s&ar4 the
se;ual revolution and &o&ulariBed the notion that the modern 0oman could 3have it all,3 including a success.ul career and a .ul.illing se; li.e)
First interactive video game) In 1967, Massachusetts Institute o. Technolog% students #teve Russell, Martin 3#hag3 $raetB and Alan @oto4 created 3#&ace0arC3
0hich is 0idel% considered the .irst interactive video game) <ueling &la%ers .ired at each other,s s&aceshi&s using earl% versions o. *o%stic4s) This &hoto sho0s the
three 3#&ace0arC3 inventors &la%ing the game at Aoston,s 2om&uter Museum in 199?)
,Turn on, tune in, dro& out,) The drug +#< became &o&ular in the 1960s, leading the 8)#) Food and <rug Administration to designate it an e;&erimental drug in 1967)
"arvard &s%chologist Timoth% +ear%, &ictured here, became an advocate .or the drug, coining the &hrase, 3Turn on, tune in, dro& out)3
First >ames Aond movie) Ae.ore <aniel 2raig or ierce Arosnan, there 0as #ean 2onner%, 0ho starred in the .irst >ames Aond .ilm, 3<r) 1o,3 in 1967) (ith the most
recent Aond .ilm released in 7017 D3#4%.all3E, the >ames Aond series is the longest running .ilm series o. all time)
Maril%n Monroe dies) Actress Maril%n Monroe 0as .ound dead in her a&artment on August 6, 1967, at the age o. ?6) -..icials ruled her death as &robable suicide
.rom slee&ing &ill overdose, but to this da% there remain man% cons&irac% theories)
#&ider/Man arrives) The 1o) 16 issue o. the 3AmaBing Fantas%3 comic boo4 series, &ublished August 10, 1967, mar4ed the .irst a&&earance o. #&ider/Man) The issue
is one o. the most valuable comics o. all time)
2arson ta4es over ,The Tonight #ho0,) >ohnn% 2arson, right, too4 over 3The Tonight #ho03 on -ctober 1, 1967, 0ith co/host 5d McMahon) The% retired .rom the
late/night tal4 sho0 ?0 %ears later) This %ear, #aturda% 1ight +ive alum >imm% Fallon became the sho0,s ne0 host a.ter >a% +eno, 0ho hosted the sho0 .or 77 %ears)
2uban missile crisis) 8)#) resident >ohn F) @enned% delivers a nationall% televised address about the 2uban missile crisis on -ctober 77, 1967) A.ter learning that the
#oviet 8nion had begun shi&&ing missiles to 2uba, @enned% announced a strategic bloc4ade o. 2uba and 0arned the #oviet 8nion that the 8)#) 0ould seiBe an% more
deliveries)
Aoeing '7' debuts) 2ro0ds in #eattle gather .or the .irst vie0ing o. the Aoeing '7' *et in <ecember 1967) The aircra.t,s .irst .light 0ould ta4e &lace on Februar% 9,
196?) The '7' is credited 0ith o&ening the door to domestic travel .or millions o. ever%da% Americans)
olaroid adds color) Inventor 5d0in +and, &resident and co/.ounder o. the olaroid 2or&oration, demonstrated his com&an%,s ne0 instant/color .ilm in 196?)
In >une 196?, &hotogra&her Malcolm Aro0ne sho0ed the 0orld a shoc4ing dis&la% o. &rotest) A Auddhist mon4 named Thich Fuang <uc burned himsel. to death on
a street in #aigon to &rotest alleged &ersecution o. Auddhists b% the #outh =ietnamese government) The image 0on Aro0ne the (orld ress hoto o. the Gear)
The late o&e >ohn HHIII,s bod% is borne across #t) eter,s #:uare on >une I, 196?, to #t) eter,s Aasilica .rom the &a&al a&artment in the A&ostolic alace) "e died
the da% be.ore .rom a malignant stomach tumor)
The Aeatles, .irst album) The Aeatles released their .irst album, 3lease lease Me,3 in the 8nited @ingdom on March 77, 196?) "ere, the band is honored on 1ovember
19, 196?, .or the massive sales o. albums 3lease lease Me3 and 3(ith the Aeatles)3
Aritish .ilm director Al.red "itchcoc4 &oses 0ith a seagull and a raven in a &romotional still .or his .ilm 3The Airds)3 The .ilm 0as released on March 79, 196?)
#oviet cosmonaut =alentina Teresh4ova, the .irst 0oman in s&ace, returns to 5arth on >une 19, 196?)
Medgar 5vers assassinated) M%rlie 5vers, 0ido0 o. civil rights activist Medgar 5vers, com.orts their son <arrell 0hile their daughter, Reena, 0i&es her tears during
5vers, .uneral on >une 19, 196?) 5vers 0as assassinated da%s earlier at his home in >ac4son, Mississi&&i)
>F@,s Aerlin s&eech) 8)#) resident >ohn F) @enned% delivers his .amous 3Ich bin ein Aerliner3 D3I am a Aerliner3E s&eech to a massive cro0d in (est Aerlin on >une
76, 196?)
,I "ave a <ream,) The Rev) Martin +uther @ing >r) gives his 3I "ave a <ream3 s&eech to a cro0d in (ashington during the March on (ashington .or >obs and
Freedom, also 4no0n as the Freedom March, on August 79, 196?) The s&eech is considered one o. the most im&ortant in American histor%, and it hel&ed rall%
su&&ort .or the 2ivil Rights Act o. 196I)
2ron4ite becomes anchor) (alter 2ron4ite sits behind the ne0s des4 on the set o. the 32A# 5vening 1e0s 0ith (alter 2ron4ite3 in August 196?) -ne month later, it
became net0or4 television,s .irst nightl% hal./hour ne0s &rogram)
Airmingham church bombing) A co..in is loaded into a hearse at a .uneral in Airmingham, Alabama, .or victims o. the 16th #treet Aa&tist 2hurch bombing) Four
A.rican/American girls 0ere 4illed and at least 1I others 0ere 0ounded 0hen a bomb blast tore through church services on #e&tember 16, 196?) Three .ormer @u
@lu; @lan members 0ere later convicted o. murder .or the bombing)
First &ush/button &hone) The .irst &ush/button tele&hone 0as made available to ATJT customers on 1ovember 19, 196?) The &hone had e;tension buttons at the
bottom .or o..ice use)
resident @enned% assassinated) 8)#) resident >ohn F) @enned% 0as assassinated during a motorcade in <allas on 1ovember 77, 196?)
Instant re&la% debuts) 2A# used instant re&la% .or the .irst time during the airing o. the Arm%/1av% game that too4 &lace <ecember ', 196?, in hiladel&hia,s Munici&al
#tadium)
Aerlin (all o&ens) More than t0o %ears a.ter it 0as constructed, the Aerlin (all o&ened .or the .irst time on <ecember 70, 196?, allo0ing citiBens o. (est Aerlin to
visit their relatives in communist 5ast Aerlin)
(arhol and &o& art) Artist And% (arhol stands in the door0a% o. his studio, the Factor%, in 196I, holding the acetate he used to ma4e his .amous Maril%n Monroe
&aintings) (arhol,s 0or4 centered on .amous &ersonalities and iconic American ob*ects, ma4ing him a leading .igure in the &o& art movement)
,Aeatlemania, comes to the 8)#)) -n Februar% 9, 196I, the Aeatles made their 8)#) debut on 3The 5d #ullivan #ho0,3 4ic4ing o.. the American strain o. 3Aeatlemania3
K a .ever that had alread% in.ected their native Aritain)
Ali becomes heav%0eight cham&) Ao;er Muhammad Ali K then 4no0n as 2assius 2la% K u&sets #onn% +iston in a heav%0eight title .ight in Miami Aeach, Florida, on
Februar% 76, 196I) "e 0as 77 %ears old) A short time later, 2la% *oined the 1ation o. Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali)
Ford Mustang debuts) The 1966 Ford Mustang 0as .irst o..iciall% revealed to the &ublic at the 196I (orld,s Fair in 1e0 Gor4) #tandard e:ui&ment included car&et,
buc4et seats and a 1'0/cubic/inch, si;/c%linder engine that 0as cou&led 0ith a three/s&eed .loor/shi.t transmission) (ith a &rice that started at *ust under L7,I00, the
car ca&tured America,s a..ection and is still being &roduced toda%)
Mandela sentenced to li.e in &rison) #outh A.rican resistance leader 1elson Mandela, le.t, tal4s to 2a&e To0n teacher 2 Andre0s in 196I) -n >une 17, 196I, Mandela
0as sentenced to li.e in &rison .or .our counts o. sabotage) "e 0as released 7' %ears later, and 0hen a&artheid ended he became the countr%,s .irst blac4 &resident)
2ivil Rights Act o. 196I) A.ter signing the 2ivil Rights Act o. 196I, 8)#) resident +%ndon A) >ohnson sha4es hands 0ith the Rev) Martin +uther @ing >r) The legislation
outla0ed discrimination in &ublic &laces and banned discrimination based on race, gender, religion or national origin) It also encouraged the desegregation o. &ublic
schools)
,<ais% $irl, ad) 3eace, +ittle $irl,3 a 196I &olitical ad .or 8)#) resident +%ndon A) >ohnson, 0as arguabl% the most .amous K and the most negative K cam&aign ad
in 8)#) histor%) The ad, 0hich &la%ed onl% once, sho0ed a little girl counting dais% &etals be.ore an image o. a nuclear e;&losion) @no0n as the 3<ais% $irl3 ad, it 0as
credited 0ith hel&ing >ohnson de.eat 8)#) #en) Aarr% $old0ater in the landslide 196I election)
8)#) troo&s in #outh =ietnam) -n Februar% 9, 1966, the 8nited #tates de&lo%ed its .irst combat troo&s to #outh =ietnam, signi.icantl% escalating its role in the 0ar)
"ere, the 8)#) Marines, 16?rd "elico&ter #:uadron discharges #outh =ietnamese troo&s .or an assault against the =iet 2ong hidden along the tree line in the
bac4ground)
Malcolm H assassinated) 2ivil rights activist Malcolm H is carried .rom the Audubon Aallroom in 1e0 Gor4, 0here he had *ust been shot on Februar% 71, 1966) "e died
shortl% a.ter)
,Alood% #unda%,) #tate troo&ers s0ing batons to brea4 u& a civil rights voting march in #elma, Alabama, on March ', 1966) 3Alood% #unda%,3 as it became 4no0n,
hel&ed .uel the drive .or &assage o. the =oting Rights Act o. 1966)
=oting Rights Act) 8)#) resident +%ndon A) >ohnson hands a &en to the Rev) Martin +uther @ing >r) during the signing o. the =oting Rights Act on August 6, 1966)
The landmar4 legislation hel&ed &rotect minorities 0ho had &reviousl% encountered un.air barriers to voting)
The (atts Riots) T0o %ouths, carr%ing lam&shades .rom a looted store, run do0n a street in the (atts neighborhood o. +os Angeles on August 1?, 1966) The (atts
Riots 0ere s&ar4ed b% tensions bet0een the cit%,s blac4 residents and &olice) The si; da%s o. violence le.t ?I dead and resulted in LI0 million o. &ro&ert% damage)
,Aatman,) The 3Aatman3 T= series debuted in 1966, starring Adam (est as the 2a&ed 2rusader and Aurt (ard as his side4ic4, Robin) The sho0 aired .or onl% three
seasons, but it 0as a &o& culture sensation at the time and a cult classic .or .uture generations) There 0as also a .eature .ilm in 1966)
2hina,s 2ultural Revolution) 2hinese leader Mao Medong, standing .ront and center, rides through a Tiananmen #:uare rall% in Aei*ing in 1966) In Ma% o. that %ear, Mao
launched the 2ultural Revolution to en.orce communism and get rid o. old institutions and his &olitical enemies) The &olitical movement careened out o. control and
led to massive &olitical &urges, deaths and destruction be.ore it ended in 19'6)
First #u&er Ao0l) The $reen Aa% ac4ers and the @ansas 2it% 2hie.s &la%ed the .irst #u&er Ao0l on >anuar% 16, 196', in +os Angeles) The ac4ers 0on the .ootball
game ?6/10)
#i;/<a% (ar) Israeli soldiers stand in .ront o. the (estern (all on >une 9, 196', in the old cit% o. >erusalem .ollo0ing its reca&ture .rom >ordanian rule in the #i;/<a%
(ar)
Marshall on #u&reme 2ourt) #u&reme 2ourt >ustice Thurgood Marshall, 0ith his .amil% at his side, ta4es his seat at the court .or the .irst time on -ctober 7, 196')
Marshall 0as the .irst A.rican/American to be a&&ointed to the high court)
Anti/=ietnam &rotests) A demonstrator o..ers a .lo0er to militar% &olice at the entagon during an anti/=ietnam &rotest in (ashington on -ctober 71, 196') Marches
such as this one hel&ed turn &ublic o&inion against the 0ar)
First human heart trans&lant) <r) 2hristiaan Aarnard is sho0n a.ter &er.orming the .irst human heart trans&lant on &atient +ouis (ash4ans4% on <ecember ?, 196', in
2a&e To0n, #outh A.rica)
Tet -..ensive) #outh =ietnamese $en) 1gu%en 1goc +oan, chie. o. the national &olice, e;ecutes sus&ected =iet 2ong o..icer 1gu%en =an +em K also 4no0n as Aa%
+o& K on a #aigon street on Februar% 1, 1969) It 0as earl% in the Tet -..ensive, one o. the largest militar% cam&aigns o. the =ietnam (ar)
M% +ai massacre) "ouses in M% +ai, #outh =ietnam, burn during the M% +ai massacre on March 16, 1969) American troo&s came to the remote hamlet and 4illed
hundreds o. unarmed civilians) The incident, one o. the dar4est moments o. the =ietnam (ar, .urther increased o&&osition to 8)#) involvement in the 0ar)
Martin +uther @ing assassinated) This &hoto 0as ta4en on A&ril I, 1969, moments a.ter the Rev) Martin +uther @ing >r) 0as shot and 4illed b% a sni&er as he stood
on a balcon% o. the +orraine Motel in Mem&his, Tennessee) @ing 0as in Mem&his to su&&ort stri4ing sanitation 0or4ers)
Robert F) @enned% assassinated) 8)#) #en) Robert F) @enned%, the brother o. .ormer resident >ohn F) @enned%, 0as shot shortl% a.ter midnight on >une 6, 1969, in
+os Angeles) #irhan #irhan 0as convicted o. assassinating @enned% and 0ounding .ive other &eo&le inside the 4itchen service &antr% o. the .ormer Ambassador
"otel)
<emocratic 1ational 2onvention unrest) Members o. the 1e0 Gor4 delegation &rotest against the =ietnam (ar during the 1969 <emocratic 1ational 2onvention held in
2hicago) -utside, riots eru&ted, 0ith tens o. thousands o. =ietnam (ar &rotesters clashing 0ith 2hicago &olice and 1ational $uard .orces)
rague #&ring) Residents o. rague, 2Bechoslova4ia, thro0 burning torches in an attem&t to sto& a #oviet tan4 on August 71, 1969) A #oviet/led invasion b%
(arsa0 act troo&s crushed the so/called rague #&ring re.orm and re/established totalitarian rule)
First men on the moon) A&ollo 11 astronaut 5d0in 5) 3AuBB3 Aldrin >r) salutes the 8)#) .lag on the lunar sur.ace on >ul% 70, 1969) Aldrin and mission commander
1eil Armstrong became the .irst humans to 0al4 on the moon) Their mission 0as considered an American victor% in the 2old (ar and subse:uent s&ace race,
meeting resident @enned%,s goal o. 3landing a man on the moon and returning him sa.el%3 be.ore the end o. the decade)
(oodstoc4 Music Festival) #inger Roger <altre% and guitarist ete To0nshend o. The (ho &er.orm on stage at the (oodstoc4 Music Festival in Aethel, 1e0 Gor4)
An estimated I00,000 &eo&le attended the .estival, 0hich too4 &lace in August 1969)
Manson murders) 2ult leader 2harles Manson is ta4en into court to .ace murder charges on <ecember 6, 1969, in +os Angeles) At Manson,s command, a small grou&
o. his most ardent .ollo0ers brutall% murdered .ive &eo&le at the +os Angeles home o. .ilm director Roman olans4i on August 9/9, 1969, including olans4i,s
&regnant 0i.e, actress #haron Tate) Manson 0as convicted .or orchestrating the murders and sentenced to death) The sentence 0as later commuted to li.e in &rison)
A hoto!>ustin 1e0man
N 5verett 2ollection!Re;
Ral&h 2rane Time J +i.e ictures!$ett% Images
A hoto
#chutBer Time J +i.e ictures!$ett% Images
AF!$ett% Images
A hoto
8nited ress International!+ibrar% o. 2ongress
A hotoR1e0sFoto!5agle 1ational Mint
MillerTime J +i.e ictures!$ett% Images
5nd #ho0
#een on Aig.un)be AuthorO -5