60's Flashback
The 60's undoubtedly were the most
turbulent years of the century.
Walter Cronkite
When you look back on some years.....everything seems forgettable
Except for the 60's...
The 60's were exciting, fast paced, turbulent, and fascinating.
Some people called it the "Decade of Discontent" because of the race riots in Detroit, Los Angeles, and other cities.
Others called it the Decade of "Peace, Love, and Harmony" because of the peace movement and the emergence of the "flower children" To some, it was acid trips and mind expansion: "Far out, man."
For us teenagers, it was surely a Decade of "Rock and Roll"... from Elvis to the Beatles...and a thousand places in between.
It was an active decade in the Congress as President Johnson signed major civil rights legislation and the laws enacting Medicare and the first round of the war on poverty...
Oh Wait ! I left out the race to the moon, major political assassinations, the Berlin Wall...
The country was a far different place in 1960 than it was in 1969. No, you cannot describe what happened in the Sixties in a single paragraph... perhaps not in a thousand. That is part of it's fascination.
All of these significant events occurred in the span of just
"One Decade"
1960: The Soviets shoot down a U.S. spy plane
and capture US Pilot; John Kennedy is elected
President; and Chubby Checker introduces a
new dance craze - "The Twist."
Billboard Magazine published its top 100 list every week.
1961: The Russians and then the U.S. put a man into space;
Alan Shepard becomes the first American to fly into
space aboard "Freedom 7"; The CIA made attempts
to get rid of Castro; President Kennedy challenges
his country to land a man on the moon before the
end of the decade.
1961: The whole nation watches with excitement as
Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris compete against
each other in an effort to break Babe Ruth's home
run record. Roger Maris does it with 61 home runs!
1962: K-Mart and Wal-Mart open; Russian warheads
in Cuba bring the world to the edge of war; Marilyn
Monroe dies suddenly; National Guard oversees
the integration of first black to enroll in the University of Mississippi.
1962: Johnny Carson begins a 30 year reign as
the host of the "Tonight Show". Johnny
remained the undisputed leader of late night
television until he retired.
1963: President Kennedy is assassinated during
a visit to Dallas, Texas. Two days later, in
front of a national television audience, Jack
Ruby shot and killed Kennedy's accused
assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald.
1963: Dr. Martin Luther King, preaching
non violence, offers his "I have a Dream"
speech before an audience of 200,000
in Washington D.C.
The women's liberation movement takes
off with the publishing of "The Feminine Mystique"
1964: The Beatles led the "British invasion"
by landing in New York, and proceeded
to change rock music forever.
President Johnson declares a "war on poverty"
Ted Kennedy nearly dies in plane crash.
1965: Class of '65 graduates from USC High School
Civil disturbances over race and the Vietnam war
play increasingly larger roles in American Society.
President Johnson unveils his plan for the "Great Society"
1966: The Supreme Court issues its "Miranda"
ruling; U.S. troop strength in southeast
Asia reaches 400,000.
Sam Sheppard, defended by unknown
attorney F. Lee Baily, is found not guilty
of murdering his wife. This was perhaps the most grizzly and heinous
crime ever thrust onto the national scene. This is the crime that inspired "The Fugitive"
1967: The first Heart transplant operation is
performed; Three U.S. Astronauts die
in a fire on the launch pad during a
practice session. This is the first serious
accident associated with the U.S. Space
program....it is a devastating setback
With hardly anybody paying attention, the
Green Bay Packers beat Kansas City in the
first "Super Bowl"
1967: Huge and horrible race riots in Detroit
surpass those in the Watts section of
Los Angeles two years earlier, in terms
of financial cost and lives lost. Forty-one
people die; Detroit's mayor says, "It looks like
Berlin in 1945." The face of America has
serious blemishes.
1968: In a televised address to the nation,
President Lyndon Johnson suddenly
declares, "I shall not seek, and I will not
accept the nomination of my party for
another term as your president." The
Vietnam war claims another soldier.
1968: Dr. Martin Luther King is assassinated
in Memphis, Tennessee. Two months
later, Bobby Kennedy is assassinated in
Los Angeles while running for President.
1968: The voting public looks for a change.
In a political comeback unmatched in the
twentieth century, Richard Nixon wins the
presidential election in a close race against
Vice-President Hubert Humphrey.
1968: President Kennedy's widow, Jackie,
marries Greek tycoon Aristotle Onassis.
1969: The U.S. wins the space race convincingly
by landing a man on the moon. "Houston...
Tranquility Base, here; the Eagle has landed."
Neil Armstrong is the first man to step onto the
surface of the moon.
1969: Senator Ted Kennedy drives his car off
a bridge in Massachusetts, killing his young
passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne. Many Americans
would never look at Kennedy the same way
(few would ever ride in a car with him at the wheel)
1969: Half a million party-goers sludge through
the mud to experience four days of rock n' roll
at an event called "Woodstock"
Heavy press coverage makes the event seem
much larger than it was and shows the passing
of baby boomers from young children to adult children.
1969: Charles Manson and other members of
his cult murder actress Sharon Tate and
six others in a horrible event that was
referred to as "Helter Skelter." The death
penalty is later overturned in California, so
Charlie amd his "family" can spend the rest
of their lives in prison at the taxpayers' expense.
1969: 250,000 protestors (mostly boomers) march against the war in
Washington, D.C. It is only fitting that the decade ends with as much
excitement and turmoil as it began !
What a decade !! Take a look at 1969...all the events listed for 1969 took place
within a period of five months ! It was simply awesome !
Visit the Baby Boomer Site at www.bbhq.com for more exciting 60's trivia