John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) won the US presidential elections.
The first paper copier machine was introduced by Xerox.
The first ever royal wedding shown on British TV was the marriage between Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones.
Roy Orbison had his first international hit 'Only the Lonely'.
The Republic of Congo was formed after Belgium declared the colony independent.
The first contraceptive pill was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The song 'Twist' by Chubby Checker topped the US charts.
The 3 millionth Mini, a very popular car in the '60s was manufactured.
US Scientists developed laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation).
Sirima Bandaranaike was the world's first elected woman premier when she became Sri Lanka's elected prime minister. She passed away on 10 October 2000 at 84.
1961
The Belin Wall was erected, physically separating East and West Germany. Thus began the Cold War era.
The first man to arrive in space was Soviet air force major Yuri Gagarin on April 12, orbiting the earth once in 1 hour 48 minutes.
The first American to arrive in space was commander Alan Shepard Jr. on May 5.
Three girls - Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson and Diana Ross signed a contract with Motown Records and The Supremes was born.
Famous Russian ballet dancer Rudolph Nureyev defected to the west while performing in Paris.
1962
Designer Mary Quant created mini skirts that has become such a popular fashion trend, even till today.
A British schoolboy set a world record when he danced the Twist non-stop for 33 hours.
AT&T launched Telestar, a communications statellite which performed the first live transmission between US and Europe.
Polaroid introduced instant photos.
Beatles first number one hit 'Love Me Do' stayed on the British charts for 18 weeks.
Andy Warhol, a well-known artist famous for using silk screening techniques to generate familar images such as Campbell's soup cans.
Rachel Carson published 'Silent Spring', warnings of pesticide hazards.
James H Meredith was the first black student in the all-white University of Mississippi when the school was forced to accept him. He was guarded by troops in case there were racists for a whole year.
1963
The first woman to arrive in space was Valentina Tereshkova, also a Russian and obited the earth 48 times on June 16.
A total of 100 countries excluding China and France signed the Limited Test Ban Treaty to stop any nuclear weapon test explosion.
The first liver transplant was performed.
The introduction of measles vaccine.
Martin Luther King Jr. led some 300,000 people of different backgrounds to protest against racial segregation. The crowd gathered peacefully at the steps of Lincoln Memorial where King gave his famous speech 'I have a dream'. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed to end discrimination in public schools, public housings, unions, etc. King was honoured a Nobel prize for his efforts.
"I have a dream that children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character." - Martin Luther King
JFK was assassinated in Dallas, Texas by a man called Lee Harvey Oswald.
John Profumo, a British cabinet minister was forced to resign when his relationship with a call girl Christine Keeler was exposed. The girl was also involved with another man, a Soviet naval personnel. The Profumo scandal created a huge chaos within the government.
1964
Nelson Mandela was imprisoned in South Africa.
Japan introduced the high speed bullet train.
Terence Conran opened his first Habitat shop in UK.
US Surgeon General LeRoy Burney warned smoking as the major cause of heart disease and lung cancer. This led to the printing of health warnings on cigarette packs.
The Palestine Liberation Organization was formed. It was initiated by Egyptian President Gamal Abdal Nassar.
Muhammad Ali became the World Heavyweight Boxing champion.
The first mascara with lash-strengthening fibers (Long Lash) was invented by Helena Rubinstein.
Vidal Sassoon unleashes 60s' bob.
The official start of the Vietnam War.
1965
Ferdinand Marcos was elected the president of Philippines.
Malcom X, the US black leader was shot by fellow comrades.
Singapore became independent. Yusof bin Ishak was the first president while Lee Kuan Yew was the first prime minister.
War broke out between India and Pakistan over Kashmir.
Nicolae Ceausescu took over Romania's Communist Party. Under his dictatorship saw one of history's most horrible and ruthless acts ever commited. He reduced Romania to proverty.
President Sukarno of Indonesia was overthrown by his army chief, Suharto.
As a 16-year-old schoolgirl from England, Twiggy with her waif look, skinny figure, big eyes and blonde angular crop, shot to instant fame as "The face of 1966". She was a modelling icon of the sixties. Her real name is Lesley Hornby.
Indira Gandhi became India's third prime minister. She was in power for 15 years and earned the name Bharat Mata or Mother India.
Proctor and Gamble introduced the disposable 'Pampers' diapers in the US.
Irwin Stone, a US biochemist proposed that people would need high levels of Vitamin C.
The Cultural Revolution in China was Mao Zedong's plan to destory all his enemies within the Chinese Communist Party. This led to the formation of the Red Guards. To enforce the spirit of revolution on these Red Guards, General Lin Biao, head of the Chinese People's Liberation Army condensed Mao's sayings into a book known as 'Quotations from Chairman Mao' or the 'Little Red Book'. Chaos ensued when these newly recuited guards used this book to justify their acts of brutality. It was later disbanded by Mao in 1968. The revolution took away nearly 400,000 lives.
1967
Billie Jean King won literally every American and international women's tennis match.
Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu. Broke the hearts of many women.
Arthur Kornberg, a US biochemist carried out the synthesis of DNA in test tube.
Dr Christian Barnard with 30 assistants, successfully performed the world's first heart transplant in Cape Town, South Africa.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was formed by Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Brain Epstein, manager of the Beatles committed suicide.
The first microwave oven was introduced by Amana.
1968
A massacre of unarmed men, women and children in the village of My Lai, South Vietnam by US troops occured.
Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated by a white named James Earl Ray who escaped to London before being caught.
Jocelyn Bell of Cambridge University discovered radio waves from outer space transmitting at an interval of 1.5 seconds.
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, widow of JFK married a Greek tycoon Aristotle Onassis.
US planes had dumped so many bombs in Vietnam than the Allies did during Worid War II.
1969
Apollo 11 mission. American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man on the moon.
"One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." - Neil Armstrong
Everyone's favourite children's programme Sesame Street began in the US.
Golda Meir became Israel's fourth and first woman prime minister.
The internet was developed in the US to transmit data between 2 military laboratories.
The introduction of Rubella vaccine.
The Woodstock Music and Art Fair was held over 3 days. An event that marked unity and peace in a time of war. Many musicans performed including Santana, Jimi Hendrix and Crosby, Stills and Nash.
Ho Chi Minh, the founder and leader of the Vietnamese Communist Party died on September 3. To recognize his efforts towards the revolution, Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh.
The introduction of mammography to detect breast cancer.
