1960 – 1970s

Events in the 1960s 170

• 1874 – 1965 Churchill British PM, WW II leader Winston Churchill served as British Prime Minister during World War II, rallying the nation with his oratory and strategic leadership.
• 1875 – 1961 Robert Frost American poet Frost wrote poetry about rural life and human decision-making, becoming one of Americas most celebrated poets.
• 1882 – 1963 Georges Braque Cubism · France Georges Braque (May 13, 1882 – August 31, 1963) was a French painter who co-founded Cubism with Picasso. His fragmented, multi-perspective compositions transformed Western painting and influenced every major art movement that followed.
• 1887 – 1969 Boris Karloff (1887-1969) English actor, born William Henry Pratt, whose Frankenstein's monster made him the defining star of classic horror films.
• 1890 – 1969 Dwight D. Eisenhower 34th President — WWII Supreme Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower (Oct 14, 1890 – Mar 28, 1969) was the 34th President 1953-1961 and Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in WWII. He ended the Korean War, built the Interstate Highway System and warned against the "military-industrial complex".
• 1892 – 1964 Eddie Cantor (1892-1964) American comedian, singer and actor, a star of Ziegfeld's Follies, early radio and television, and founder of the March of Dimes name.
• 1895 – 1967 Paul Muni (1895-1967) Austro-Hungarian-born American actor from the Yiddish theatre, known for Scarface and his biographical films.
• 1895 – 1963 Paul Hindemith German neo-classical composer German composer and theorist who developed a neo-classical style. His Mathis der Maler Symphony and Ludus Tonalis are among his most celebrated works.
• 1899 – 1963 Francis Poulenc French modernist composer French composer of the group Les Six, known for his songs, chamber music and the opera Dialogues of the Carmelites.
• 1899 – 1961 Ernest Hemingway American novelist Hemingway developed a spare writing style focusing on courage, loss, and human endurance.
• 1908 – 1963 Simone de Beauvoir French philosopher and writer De Beauvoir wrote The Second Sex, a foundational feminist philosophical work examining gender and society.
• 1912 – 1969 Sonja Henie (1912-1969) Norwegian figure skater, three-time Olympic champion and ten-time world champion, who became a Hollywood star.
• 1913 – 1960 Albert Camus French-Algerian writer Camus wrote The Stranger and The Myth of Sisyphus, exploring absurdism and the meaning of life.
• 1917 – 1963 JFK US president, assassinated John F. Kennedy was the 35th US President, navigating the Cuban Missile Crisis before his assassination in Dallas on November 22, 1963.
• 1917 – 1963 John F. Kennedy 35th President — assassinated in Dallas John F. Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – Nov 22, 1963) was the 35th President 1961-1963, the youngest elected at 43 and first Catholic. He navigated the Cuban Missile Crisis and launched the space race, before being assassinated in Dallas.
• 1925 – 1964 Yukio Mishima Japanese novelist Mishima explored beauty, death, and tradition in modern Japan through highly stylized literary works.
• 1929 – 1968 Martin Luther King Civil rights leader Dr. King led the American civil rights movement, delivering his "I Have a Dream" speech and winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
• 1958 – 1962 Great Leap Forward — the worst man-made famine in history Mao's industrialisation campaign kills 15–55 million Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward (1958–62) aimed to rapidly transform China from an agrarian into a socialist industrial society through forced collectivisation and backyard steel production. The catastrophic mismanagement of agriculture, combined with officials falsifying harvest figures, caused a famine that killed between 15 and 55 million people — the deadliest famine in human history.
• 1960 "Apache" reaches #1 First chart-topper Their recording of Jerry Lordan's composition "Apache" reached number one on the UK Singles Chart in 1960 and stayed there for several weeks — transforming The Shadows from a backing band into stars in their own right and establishing the four-piece instrumental rock format.
• 1960 – present "Apache" — enduring influence A genre-defining instrumental "Apache" has been covered by hundreds of artists across genres — from surf rock to hip-hop — and is widely regarded as one of the most influential instrumental recordings of all time, inspiring countless guitarists to pick up a Fender Stratocaster.
• 1960 – 1963 Dominate British pop before the Beatles In the years before the Beatles, Cliff Richard and the Shadows dominated British popular music — a period now seen as the prelude to the British Invasion that The Shadows themselves had helped make possible.
• 1960 First weather satellite First weather satellite TIROS-1 was launched on 1 April 1960 and returned the first television pictures of cloud cover from orbit, proving that weather could be observed from space. It operated for only 78 days. Satellite imagery became the backbone of forecasting and of hurricane and storm warning.
• 1960 – 2026 Franco Baresi (1960–2026) Franco Baresi (born Franchino Baresi, 8 May 1960, Travagliato, Brescia – 31 July 2026) was an Italian footballer who spent his entire 20-year professional career at AC Milan, making 719 appearances and captaining the club for 15 seasons. Widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders in the history of the game, he combined extraordinary positional intelligence, anticipation and the ability to read play with the authority of a natural leader. He won six Serie A titles, three European Cups/Champions Leagues and the 1982 FIFA World Cup with Italy. His number 6 shirt was retired by AC Milan upon his retirement in 1997 -- the first player in the clubs history to receive that honour. He died on 31 July 2026, aged 66; AC Milan announced his passing with the words "The entire history of AC Milan is in tears."
• 1960 – 1962 Hamburg residencies Over 10,000 hours of live performance The Beatles made five visits to Hamburg between 1960 and 1962, playing brutal multi-hour sets in clubs like the Kaiserkeller and Star-Club. The experience forged them into a formidable live act, accumulating over 10,000 hours of performance that Malcolm Gladwell later cited as the key to their mastery.
• 1960 – present Hank Marvin's guitar style — global influence Hank Marvin's clean, reverb-drenched Stratocaster tone and melodic lead lines influenced a generation of guitarists worldwide — from Brian May and David Gilmour to countless instrumental and surf-rock bands across Europe and beyond.
• 1960 Nokia enters electronics The Finnish Cable Works establishes an electronics department in 1960, beginning work on radio telephones and computers. Nokia's first electronic product is a pulse analyser for nuclear power plants. The electronics division grows steadily through the 1960s, eventually producing Finland's first desktop computer in 1965. These early electronics efforts are the embryo from which Nokia's mobile phone business will eventually grow.
• 1960 – 1968 Pioneers of the Fender/Vox sound Equipment that defined British rock The Shadows were among the first British groups to use Fender Stratocaster guitars paired with Vox amplifiers and Meazzi Echomatic/Binson echo units — an equipment combination that became foundational to British rock guitar sound for decades.
• 1960 – 2026 Rod Liddle (1960–2026) Rod Liddle (born 1 April 1960, Sidcup, Kent – 2 August 2026, Middlesbrough) was an English journalist, broadcaster and author who served as editor of BBC Radio 4s Today programme (1998-2002) and spent 24 years as associate editor and columnist at The Spectator. He also wrote weekly columns for The Sunday Times and The Sun and presented a Saturday morning show on Times Radio. A provocateur who delighted and infuriated in equal measure, he was one of the most widely read opinion writers in British journalism -- a sharp, funny, frequently inflammatory voice from the political tradition he described as old Labour: socially conservative, economically interventionist, instinctively suspicious of metropolitan liberalism. He died on 2 August 2026 at the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, aged 66, following a short illness.
• 1960 – 1969 The Beatles Global music revolution The Beatles from Liverpool became the most influential band in history, pioneering the British Invasion and changing popular music permanently.
• 1960 – present The Temptations American soul vocal group Motown's greatest vocal group — My Girl, Ain't Too Proud to Beg, Cloud Nine and Papa Was a Rollin' Stone.
• 1960 – 2009 Third most successful UK chart act Behind Elvis & Cliff only With 69 UK chart singles between 1959 and the 2000s — 35 as The Shadows and 34 as Cliff Richard & The Shadows — the band became the third most successful act in UK Singles Chart history, behind only Elvis Presley and Cliff Richard.
• 1960 – 2020 Diego Maradona Footballer, manager, 1960-2020 Diego Armando Maradona (1960-2020) — widely regarded as the greatest footballer who ever lived. The Hand of God and the Goal of the Century in a single match; two World Cup finals; two Serie A titles with Napoli; a life of extraordinary brilliance, devastating addiction, improbable comebacks and unconditional love from the people of Argentina and Naples. He died aged 60 on 25 November 2020.
• 1960 – 1988 Jean-Michel Basquiat Neo-Expressionism · USA Jean-Michel Basquiat (December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an American Neo-Expressionist painter who rose from graffiti artist to art world star. He died of a heroin overdose at 27. His work now sells for over $100 million.
• 1961 "Kon-Tiki" reaches #1 "Kon-Tiki" became their second UK number one — named after Thor Heyerdahl's famous Pacific raft voyage.
• 1961 "Man of Mystery" / "F.B.I." Released the double-sided hit "Man of Mystery" / "F.B.I.", continuing their run of distinctive instrumental hits featuring Marvin's twangy Stratocaster tone.
• 1961 "The Pepsi Generation" campaign Targets the Baby Boom generation — 1961 In 1961 Pepsi launched its "Pepsi Generation" advertising campaign, the first major soft drink campaign to explicitly target a generation of young consumers. The campaign defined Pepsi as the drink of youth and modernity — a positioning that would define the brand for decades and fuel the Cola Wars with Coca-Cola.
• 1961 "The Young Ones" film With Cliff Richard Appeared in the 1961 musical film "The Young Ones" alongside Cliff Richard, contributing a handful of songs to the soundtrack — their first major film role.
• 1961 Eon Productions acquires Bond film rights Producers Albert "Cubby" Broccoli and Harry Saltzman form Eon Productions and acquire the rights to the Bond novels from Ian Fleming for approximately $50,000. The partnership launches the most financially successful film franchise in cinema history.
• 1961 – 1966 Songwriting development through film soundtracks Their film work with Cliff Richard — "The Young Ones" (1961), "Summer Holiday" (1963), "Finders Keepers" (1966) — progressively developed the band's songwriting credentials, moving from a handful of contributed songs to writing entire soundtracks.
• 1961 – 1963 Kennedy presidency 35th President — assassinated 1963 John F. Kennedy served as the 35th President from January 20, 1961 until his assassination on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. He managed the Cuban Missile Crisis, established the Peace Corps and committed the US to landing on the Moon.
• 1961 Gagarin in space First human orbit Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space on April 12, 1961, completing one orbit of Earth in 108 minutes aboard Vostok 1.
• 1961 – present Manu Chao Franco-Spanish singer-songwriter Manu Chao (born 1961, Paris) — full name José Manuel Arturo Tomás Chao Ortega — is a Franco-Spanish singer-songwriter who blends punk, reggae, ska, salsa, flamenco and Arab music with fiercely political lyrics in up to seven languages. He rose to fame with Mano Negra (1987-1994) before a hugely successful solo career with albums including Clandestino (1998) and Próxima Estación: Esperanza (2001).
• 1961 – present Barack Obama 44th President — first African American president Barack Obama (born Aug 4, 1961) was the 44th President 2009-2017, the first African American president. He passed the Affordable Care Act, oversaw the killing of Osama bin Laden, and won the Nobel Peace Prize.
• 1961 Tony Meehan leaves, Brian Bennett joins September 1961 Tony Meehan left the band in September 1961 to focus on production and arranging — he and Jet Harris later formed a duo, scoring a UK #1 with "Diamonds" (1963), which featured a young Jimmy Page on rhythm guitar. Drummer Brian Bennett joined The Shadows and would become a core member for the next three decades.
• 1961 – present The Beach Boys American rock band Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine — from surf hits to Pet Sounds and Good Vibrations.
• 1961 – present David Mitchell British novelist Mitchell writes interconnected novels blending genres, time periods, and narrative structures.
• 1961 – present k.d. lang Singer-songwriter Canadian singer known for her extraordinary voice — from country with Owen Bradley to Constant Craving and Hallelujah.
• 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis Nuclear standoff For 13 days in October 1962, the US and USSR stood on the brink of nuclear war after Soviet missiles were discovered in Cuba. Diplomacy prevailed.
• 1962 – 1972 Occasional vocal recordings Beyond pure instrumentals Although best known as an instrumental group, The Shadows occasionally recorded with vocals — both under their own name and through Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch's side projects — broadening their range beyond the guitar-instrumental sound that made them famous.
• 1962 Australian Open 1962 Men: Rod Laver · Women: Margaret Smith Laver completed the calendar Grand Slam in 1962.
• 1962 "Wonderful Land" — #1 for eight weeks February 1962 "Wonderful Land", another Jerry Lordan composition (with added strings and French horns by producer Norrie Paramor), spent eight weeks at #1 on the UK chart in 1962 — a feat matched in that decade only by Elvis Presley and later the Archies.
• 1962 Jet Harris leaves, Brian "Licorice" Locking joins April 1962 Jet Harris left the band in April 1962 to pursue a solo career (and the duo with Tony Meehan). Bassist Brian "Licorice" Locking joined as his replacement.
• 1962 French Open 1962 Men: Rod Laver · Women: Margaret Smith Laver won Roland Garros on his way to the calendar Grand Slam.
• 1962 Wimbledon 1962 Men: Rod Laver · Women: Karen Hantze Susman Laver completed the calendar Grand Slam in 1962.
• 1962 – present The Rolling Stones The World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band — London 1962 The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. The longest-running major rock band in history, they have released 25 studio albums and are one of the best-selling music artists ever with over 250 million records sold. The core of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts remained constant for over 50 years.
• 1962 US Championships 1962 Men: Rod Laver · Women: Margaret Smith Laver completed the calendar Grand Slam in 1962.
• 1962 Dr. No — Sean Connery The first James Bond film opens in London. Connery is sent to Jamaica to investigate the murder of an MI6 agent and uncover the plans of the reclusive Dr. Julius No. Ursula Andress emerges from the sea in an iconic white bikini. The film establishes the franchise's template: exotic locations, a charismatic villain and a theme song that still opens every Bond film. Budget: $1.1 million. Box office: $59.6 million.
• 1962 – present James Bond — The Films Eon Productions film franchise, 1962-present The James Bond film franchise — produced by Eon Productions from 1962 to the present — is the longest-running and highest-grossing spy film series in cinema history. 25 official films, six actors as 007, total box office exceeding $7 billion, and a 26th film in development under director Denis Villeneuve. From Dr. No to No Time to Die, the franchise has defined what a blockbuster can be.
• 1962 Love Me Do released Debut single — October 5, 1962 "Love Me Do" was released as the Beatles' debut single on October 5, 1962, reaching number 17 in the UK charts. It was the beginning of one of the most extraordinary runs of success in music history.
• 1963 "Dance On!" reaches #1 "Dance On!" became another UK chart-topper, part of the run of instrumental hits that defined British pop before the Beatles.
• 1963 "Foot Tapper" reaches #1 "Foot Tapper" became their fourth UK number one, taken from the film "Summer Holiday" with Cliff Richard.
• 1963 – 2001 35 world records -- the habit of excellence Between 26 May 1984 (5.85m, Bratislava) and 31 July 1994 (6.14m, Sestriere), Bubka sets 35 world records: 17 outdoor, 18 indoor. The frequency and the method are distinctive: he typically raises the record by 1cm at a time, clears the new height on his first or second attempt, then stops -- a practice that maximises the appearance fees and record bonuses attached to each new mark, while preserving energy for competition. Critics call it cynical; supporters call it rational. Either way, the cumulative effect is a decade of continuous record-setting that changes the perceived limits of the event.
• 1963 Beatlemania erupts in Britain Screaming fans, sold-out tours, national hysteria By the end of 1963, Beatlemania had gripped Britain. The Beatles performed for the Royal Family at the Royal Variety Performance, appeared on TV to tens of millions, and had four songs in the UK Top 20 simultaneously. The press coined the term "Beatlemania".
• 1963 – 1974 Black holes confirmed From theoretical curiosity to observed reality Einstein's general relativity predicted black holes in 1916, but they were dismissed as mathematical artifacts. The discovery of quasars (1963) and pulsars (1967) — both objects requiring extreme gravity — made black holes plausible. The term "black hole" was coined by John Wheeler in 1967. By the 1970s, X-ray binaries like Cygnus X-1 provided compelling evidence. The first direct image of a black hole was captured in 2019.
• 1963 JFK assassinated JFK assassinated John F. Kennedy was shot while riding in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas on 22 November 1963 and died within the hour. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested and then killed on live television two days later by Jack Ruby. The Warren Commission found Oswald acted alone, a conclusion disputed ever since.
• 1963 Quasars discovered The most luminous objects in the universe In 1963, Maarten Schmidt at Caltech identified 3C 273 as a quasi-stellar object (quasar) at an enormous cosmological distance — a galaxy with an active supermassive black hole at its centre, outshining an entire galaxy of stars. Quasars provided the first evidence for supermassive black holes and revealed the universe's early history through objects visible across billions of light-years.
• 1963 – present Sergey Bubka -- the greatest pole vaulter Sergey Nazarovich Bubka (born 4 December 1963, Luhansk) is the greatest pole vaulter in history and one of the most dominant athletes of the 20th century. Between 1984 and 1994 he broke the world record 35 times -- 17 outdoors, 18 indoors -- becoming the first man to clear both 6.00m and 6.10m. He won six consecutive World Championships titles (1983-1997), the only athlete ever to win six titles in the same event. His outdoor record of 6.14m (Sestriere, 1994) stood for 26 years until Armand Duplantis cleared 6.15m in 2020; his indoor record of 6.15m (Donetsk, 1993) stood for 27 years. After retiring from competition he became President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine (2005) and an IOC member (2008), surviving the Russian invasion of his country while continuing his administrative role.
• 1963 – present Michael Jordan Basketball player, businessman, b. 1963 Michael Jeffrey Jordan (b. 1963) — widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time. Six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls, five MVP awards, two Olympic gold medals, and a cultural impact — through Air Jordan, 'The Last Dance' and beyond — that reshaped global sport and business.
• 1963 Please Please Me Debut album recorded in one day — March 22, 1963 The Beatles' debut album Please Please Me was released on March 22, 1963. Most of it was recorded in a single marathon session on February 11, 1963. It reached number 1 in the UK and stayed there for 30 weeks, replaced only by their second album.
• 1963 – present Quentin Tarantino Video clerk to auteur, in ten films Quentin Tarantino learned cinema from behind the counter of a video shop in Manhattan Beach rather than at film school, and it shows in everything he has made: nonlinear structure, long talk before sudden violence, and a magpie appetite for spaghetti westerns, blaxploitation and Hong Kong action. He has said since the beginning that he will stop at ten films. He is currently at nine.
• 1963 John Rostill joins on bass April 1963 Brian Locking left the band in April 1963 to devote himself to his religious work as a Jehovah's Witness. John Rostill joined as bassist — he would become a significant songwriter for the band over the following decade.
• 1963 – 2020 Brian "Licorice" Locking's later years Jehovah's Witness work After leaving the Shadows in 1963, Brian "Licorice" Locking devoted his life to work as a Jehovah's Witness, making occasional appearances at reunions and on recordings with former bandmates over the following decades. He died peacefully on 8 October 2020 at the age of 81.
• 1963 From Russia with Love — Sean Connery Bond travels to Istanbul to obtain a Soviet decoding device, pursued by SPECTRE assassin Red Grant and the deadly Rosa Klebb. Widely regarded as one of the finest entries in the series — tighter, more grounded and more genuinely thrilling than its predecessor. Budget: $2 million. Box office: $78.9 million.
• 1963 With The Beatles Second album — November 22, 1963 With The Beatles was released on November 22, 1963 — the same day as President Kennedy's assassination. It became the second album to sell a million copies in the UK, replacing their own debut at number 1.
• 1963 Sergey Bubka born in Luhansk Sergey Bubka is born in Voroshilovgrad (renamed Luhansk after Ukrainian independence) in the Donbas region of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. His father is a soldier; the family is working-class. Luhansk will later become the centre of Russian-backed separatist conflict after 2014 and under full Russian occupation after 2022 -- a grim irony for Ukraine's greatest sporting ambassador, who will spend much of his later life advocating for Ukrainian sport and sovereignty on the international stage.
• 1964 "The Rise and Fall of Flingel Bunt" Written by 22-year-old John Rostill Released "The Rise and Fall of Flingel Bunt", reaching #5 in the UK charts — written by John Rostill at just 22 years old, demonstrating the songwriting talent within the band beyond Marvin and Welch.
• 1964 Civil Rights Act Civil Rights Act Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act on 2 July 1964, outlawing discrimination by race, colour, religion, sex or national origin and ending segregation in public accommodations. It passed after the longest filibuster in Senate history. The Voting Rights Act followed a year later.
• 1964 Diet Pepsi launched First major diet cola — 1964 Pepsi launched Diet Pepsi in 1964, the first major diet cola from a leading brand. Also in 1964, Pepsi acquired the Mountain Dew brand. Both moves positioned the company as an innovator and significantly broadened its market reach beyond the core cola product.
• 1964 Pantomime: "Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp" London Palladium Performed in the pantomime "Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp" at the London Palladium, with Cliff Richard as Aladdin and the Shadows as the comic characters Wishee, Washee, Noshee and Poshee.
• 1964 – 1970 Simon & Garfunkel American folk rock duo Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel — The Sound of Silence, Mrs. Robinson and Bridge Over Troubled Water.
• 1964 – present Star Trek — The Complete Franchise TV series and films, 1966-present Star Trek — Gene Roddenberry's vision of a hopeful human future among the stars. Thirteen theatrical films, fifteen TV series, and sixty years of boldly going. From the NBC rejection of The Cage in 1964 to Strange New Worlds season 4 in 2026 — the most expansive science fiction franchise in television history.
• 1964 – 1973 The Byrds American rock band Los Angeles band of Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby, Chris Hillman and Michael Clarke — pioneers of folk rock, psychedelia and country rock.
• 1964 – 1996 The Kinks English rock band London band of brothers Ray and Dave Davies, with Pete Quaife and Mick Avory — inventors of the power-chord riff and chroniclers of English life.
• 1964 – 1973 The Velvet Underground American rock band Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison and Maureen Tucker — Andy Warhol's house band and the root of punk and alternative rock.
• 1964 – present The Who English rock band London rock band of Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon — known for explosive live shows and the rock operas Tommy and Quadrophenia.
• 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the bullet train Japan announces its postwar return to the world The 1964 Tokyo Olympics — the first held in Asia — showcased a fully recovered, modern Japan. Days before the games opened, the Tokaido Shinkansen "bullet train" began service between Tokyo and Osaka, the world's first high-speed rail line and a symbol of Japanese engineering.
• 1964 Willis Reed drafted The Knicks draft center Willis Reed, the cornerstone of the championship teams to come.
• 1964 Ed Sullivan Show appearance 73 million viewers — February 9, 1964 The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964, watched by an estimated 73 million Americans — 34% of the US population. It launched the British Invasion and transformed American pop culture overnight.
• 1964 The Rolling Stones Debut album — April 17, 1964 The Rolling Stones' self-titled debut album was released on April 17, 1964 in the UK, reaching number 1. Largely covers of American R&B and blues, it established their raw, dangerous sound in contrast to the Beatles' more polished image.
• 1964 A Hard Day's Night Third album and first film — July 10, 1964 A Hard Day's Night was released on July 10, 1964, alongside their debut film of the same name directed by Richard Lester. The album, all original Lennon-McCartney compositions, reached number 1 in both the UK and US.
• 1964 Goldfinger — Sean Connery Bond investigates gold magnate Auric Goldfinger, uncovers a plan to contaminate Fort Knox and meets henchman Oddjob and pilot Pussy Galore. The laser table scene and the golden woman are among the most imitated images in cinema. The film defines the Bond formula: gadgets, one-liners, a spectacular villain and an impossible scheme. Budget: $3 million. Box office: $124.9 million.
• 1964 The Cage — unaired pilot Gene Roddenberry's original pilot for Star Trek, starring Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike, is filmed and submitted to NBC. The network rejects it as "too cerebral" but unusually commissions a second pilot — the only time in NBC history this has happened. The footage is later incorporated into the two-part episode "The Menagerie" (1966).
• 1964 Beatles For Sale Fourth album — December 4, 1964 Beatles For Sale was released on December 4, 1964. A more introspective album reflecting the pressures of Beatlemania, it reached number 1 in the UK and is notable for early signs of the world-weariness that would characterise their later work.
• 1965 First spacewalk First spacewalk Alexei Leonov left the Voskhod 2 capsule on 18 March 1965 for twelve minutes outside, the first spacewalk. His suit ballooned in the vacuum and he had to bleed off pressure to squeeze back through the airlock. Ed White made the first American spacewalk ten weeks later.
• 1965 Penzias and Wilson discover cosmic microwave background The echo of the Big Bang detected In 1965, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson of Bell Labs discovered a uniform microwave radiation pervading the universe in every direction — the cosmic microwave background (CMB). This was the thermal afterglow of the Big Bang, predicted by Gamow and Alpher in 1948. The discovery confirmed the Big Bang theory beyond reasonable doubt and is considered one of the most important discoveries in 20th-century physics.
• 1965 – 1967 Pulsars discovered Rotating neutron stars — the densest matter in the universe In 1967, Jocelyn Bell and Antony Hewish at Cambridge discovered pulsars — objects emitting extraordinarily regular pulses of radio waves. They are rotating neutron stars, the collapsed remnants of massive stars, spinning up to 700 times per second. Pulsars are used today as extremely precise clocks, for testing general relativity, and for detecting gravitational waves.
• 1965 The Rolling Stones No. 2 Second UK album — January 15, 1965 The Rolling Stones No. 2, released on January 15, 1965, went straight to number 1 in the UK. Recorded during their first US tour, it showed growing confidence and included their first Jagger-Richards originals alongside R&B covers.
• 1965 – 1995 Grateful Dead American rock band San Francisco band led by Jerry Garcia — the great improvising live band, followed from show to show by the Deadheads.
• 1965 PepsiCo formed by Frito-Lay merger Beverages meet snacks — June 8, 1965 On June 8, 1965, Pepsi-Cola merged with Frito-Lay of Dallas, Texas, forming PepsiCo Inc. Herman Lay became chairman and Donald Kendall became CEO. The merger created a diversified food and beverage giant, coupling the world's best-known cola with America's leading snack brand.
• 1965 – 1973 The Doors American rock band Los Angeles band of Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore — Light My Fire, Break On Through and L.A. Woman.
• 1965 Help! Fifth album and second film — July 29, 1965 Help! was released on July 29, 1965, timed with their second feature film. The album marked a growing sophistication in Lennon's writing — the title track is now understood as a genuine cry for help amid the pressures of fame.
• 1965 Shea Stadium concert First stadium rock concert — 55,600 fans The Beatles performed at Shea Stadium in New York on August 15, 1965, before 55,600 fans — the largest audience for a pop concert at that time. It is considered the birth of stadium rock.
• 1965 Satisfaction reaches number one First US number one — August 20, 1965 "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" reached number one in the US on August 20, 1965. Written by Jagger and Richards, the guitar riff came to Keith in a dream at a Holiday Inn in Clearwater, Florida. He taped it on a cassette recorder and went back to sleep. It became one of the most recognisable songs in rock history.
• 1965 Out of Our Heads Third UK album — September 24, 1965 Out of Our Heads was released on September 24, 1965 in the UK, reaching number 2. It included "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — their first US number 1 and one of the most recognisable rock songs ever written.
• 1965 – present Zadie Smith British novelist Smith writes contemporary fiction exploring identity, multiculturalism, and modern urban life.
• 1965 Rubber Soul Sixth album — December 3, 1965 Rubber Soul was released on December 3, 1965, marking a significant artistic leap. With folk, Indian and psychedelic influences, introspective lyrics and innovative production, it heralded the album era. Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys called it the album that inspired Pet Sounds.
• 1965 Thunderball — Sean Connery SPECTRE steals two NATO nuclear warheads and holds the world to ransom. The film features extensive underwater sequences and was the highest-grossing Bond film at the time of release. Connery reportedly grows tired of the role during production and begins thinking about his exit. Budget: $9 million. Box office: $141.2 million.
• 1966 – 1976 Cultural Revolution Mao unleashes radical youth to destroy "old China" — 1–2 million dead Mao Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution in 1966, mobilising student Red Guards to attack the "Four Olds" — customs, culture, habits and ideas. Intellectuals, teachers and party officials were persecuted, temples destroyed, books burned. An estimated 1–2 million died directly; millions more suffered persecution, imprisonment and forced labour. The revolution paralysed China for a decade until Mao's death in 1976.
• 1966 England wins World Cup England wins World Cup England beat West Germany 4-2 after extra time at Wembley on 30 July 1966 to win the World Cup, with Geoff Hurst scoring a hat-trick. His second goal, which struck the crossbar and bounced on or behind the line, is still argued about. It remains England's only senior men's world title.
• 1966 Pantomime: "Cinderella" London Palladium Returned to the London Palladium for the pantomime "Cinderella", with Cliff Richard as Buttons and the Shadows as the Broker's Men.
• 1966 – 1975 Sly and the Family Stone American funk and soul band San Francisco band led by Sly Stone — the first major American band with Black and white, male and female members, and a huge influence on funk.
• 1966 Writes entire "Finders Keepers" soundtrack Marvin-Welch-Bennett-Rostill For the 1966 film "Finders Keepers", almost the entire soundtrack — including the single "Time Drags By" (UK #10) — was credited to the songwriting team of Marvin, Welch, Bennett and Rostill, showing how far the band had developed as composers since their earliest film work.
• 1966 – 2023 Tatjana Patitz German Supermodel German supermodel who was one of the original supermodels of the late 1980s and early 1990s. She appeared on the cover of over 200 magazines and was featured in George Michael's iconic Freedom! '90 music video alongside Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington. Known for her natural beauty and understated elegance, she later became an advocate for animal rights.
• 1966 Aftermath Fourth UK album — April 15, 1966 Aftermath, released on April 15, 1966, was the first Rolling Stones album composed entirely of original Jagger-Richards songs. It reached number 1 in the UK and number 2 in the US, and marked a major artistic leap forward.
• 1966 Revolver Seventh album — August 5, 1966 Revolver was released on August 5, 1966, widely regarded as one of the greatest albums ever made. It pushed recording technology to its limits with backwards guitars, tape loops, orchestral arrangements and Indian classical music, permanently expanding what pop music could be.
• 1966 Final concert at Candlestick Park Last live performance — San Francisco, August 29, 1966 The Beatles played their final concert at Candlestick Park, San Francisco on August 29, 1966. Tired of touring and unable to hear themselves above the screaming, they retired from live performance to focus entirely on studio work.
• 1966 Star Trek: The Original Series — Season 1 Kirk, Spock and McCoy aboard the USS Enterprise begin their five-year mission. NBC premieres the show on 8 September 1966. The first season's 29 episodes establish the franchise's foundational themes: humanity's potential, tolerance, and the exploration of ideas through science fiction allegory. Stars William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley.
• 1966 – 1997 Jeff Buckley American singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley (1966-1997) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, son of folk musician Tim Buckley, celebrated for his extraordinary four-octave voice and his 1994 debut album Grace. He died by accidental drowning in the Mississippi River at 30, leaving behind one of the most cherished and influential catalogs in rock music.
• 1966 – 2023 Sinéad O'Connor Irish Singer-Songwriter Irish singer-songwriter and activist whose powerful voice and outspoken nature made her one of the most distinctive artists of her generation. She achieved worldwide fame with her 1990 cover of Prince's Nothing Compares 2 U and won a Grammy for Best Alternative Album. She was also known for her advocacy on issues including child abuse, women's rights and religious reform.
• 1967 First heart transplant First heart transplant Christiaan Barnard transplanted a human heart into Louis Washkansky at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town on 3 December 1967. The patient lived eighteen days before dying of pneumonia brought on by the drugs suppressing rejection. Reliable survival only came with ciclosporin in the 1980s.
• 1967 Olivia Newton-John guests on "The Day I Met Marie" From Hank, Bruce, Brian and John A young Olivia Newton-John provided guest vocals on "The Day I Met Marie" from the album "From Hank, Bruce, Brian and John" — an early connection to a singer who would go on to global stardom, partly through her later collaborations with Shadows member John Farrar.
• 1967 Red Holzman becomes head coach Holzman takes over as head coach, instilling the tough, team-first defensive identity that defines the Reed-era Knicks.
• 1967 Walt Frazier drafted New York drafts guard Walt "Clyde" Frazier out of Southern Illinois, adding a future Hall of Fame backcourt star.
• 1967 Between the Buttons Fifth UK album — January 20, 1967 Between the Buttons, released on January 20, 1967, showed the band experimenting with psychedelia and music hall. It reached number 3 in both the UK and US, though it has been seen as a transitional album.
• 1967 Redlands drug bust Police raid Keith Richards' home — February 12, 1967 On February 12, 1967, 18 police officers raided Keith Richards' Redlands estate in Sussex following a tip-off from the News of the World. Mick Jagger was charged with drug possession, Richards with allowing cannabis smoking on his premises. Both were briefly jailed in June 1967 before their sentences were overturned after a public outcry led by The Times editor William Rees-Mogg.
• 1967 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Eighth album — June 1, 1967 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was released on June 1, 1967 and spent 27 weeks at number 1 in the UK. Considered the pinnacle of the 1960s counterculture, it was the first album to print its lyrics on the sleeve and won four Grammy Awards including Album of the Year.
• 1967 You Only Live Twice — Sean Connery Bond fakes his own death, is sent to Japan and infiltrates Blofeld's secret volcano base — a set so large it was the most expensive film set ever built at the time. The script, by Roald Dahl, is the first to depart significantly from the Fleming source novel. Donald Pleasence's Blofeld directly inspires Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers series. Budget: $9.5 million. Box office: $111.6 million.
• 1967 – present Fleetwood Mac British-American rock band Founded by Peter Green and Mick Fleetwood as a blues band, reborn with Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie as one of the best-selling acts ever.
• 1967 Brian Epstein dies Manager found dead — August 27, 1967 Brian Epstein, the Beatles' manager since 1962, was found dead of an accidental drug overdose on August 27, 1967, aged 32. The Beatles were in Bangor, Wales studying Transcendental Meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Lennon later said "I knew we were in trouble then."
• 1967 Star Trek: The Original Series — Season 2 The second season of 26 episodes introduces Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) and includes some of the franchise's most beloved episodes — "The Trouble with Tribbles," "Amok Time" and "Mirror, Mirror." NBC moves the show to a Friday night death slot, cutting its audience.
• 1967 – present Boris Becker Tennis player, b. 1967 Boris Franz Becker (b. 1967, Leimen, Germany) — six Grand Slam titles, three Wimbledons, world number one, Olympic gold medallist, and one of the most recognisable athletes of the 1980s and 1990s. Later: bankruptcy, prison, deportation, and an improbable return to grace. One of sport and culture's most dramatic life stories.
• 1967 – 1972 Creedence Clearwater Revival American rock band John Fogerty, Tom Fogerty, Stu Cook and Doug Clifford — between 1969 and 1971 the biggest singles band in America, with Proud Mary, Bad Moon Rising and Fortunate Son.
• 1967 Magical Mystery Tour Ninth album — December 8, 1967 Magical Mystery Tour was released in the UK as a double EP on December 8, 1967 (and as a full album in the US). The accompanying television film, broadcast on BBC on Boxing Day, was critically panned but the music — including Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane — was universally acclaimed.
• 1967 Their Satanic Majesties Request Sixth album — December 8, 1967 Their Satanic Majesties Request was released on December 8, 1967, the Stones' psychedelic answer to Sgt. Pepper. It divided critics but reached number 3 in both UK and US. The band later distanced themselves from it.
• 1968 – 2025 Black Sabbath English heavy metal band Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward — the Birmingham band that created heavy metal.
• 1968 Dave DeBusschere acquired A trade with the Detroit Pistons brings forward Dave DeBusschere to New York, completing the championship-core nucleus.
• 1968 – present Intel Intel Corporation — founded in 1968 by Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce in Mountain View, California — invented the microprocessor, defined the architecture of personal computing for fifty years, and became the most important semiconductor company in the world. The x86 instruction set Intel created in 1978 still runs the majority of the world's servers and personal computers today. Intel's 'Intel Inside' campaign made a chip manufacturer a household brand. Its manufacturing dominance, unchallenged for three decades, eroded in the 2010s as TSMC and Samsung surpassed it. The company's attempt to reclaim manufacturing leadership under CEO Pat Gelsinger is one of the most dramatic corporate turnaround stories in technology.
• 1968 Martin Luther King Jr assassinated Martin Luther King Jr assassinated Martin Luther King Jr was shot on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on 4 April 1968, where he had come to support striking sanitation workers. He was 39. Riots followed in more than a hundred cities, and the Fair Housing Act passed within the week.
• 1968 – 1999 The Band Canadian-American roots rock group Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson — Dylan's backing band who blended country, soul and folk into a new American music.
• 1968 – present Artur Dmitriev Olympic Figure Skater Soviet and Russian pair figure skater who remains the only man in Olympic history to win pairs gold with two different partners. He won gold with Natalia Mishkutionok at the 1992 Albertville Olympics and again with Oksana Kazakova at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, both under the coaching of Tamara Moskvina. He also won Olympic silver in 1994, two World Championship titles and three European Championship titles. After retiring, he worked as a coach and performer in ice shows.
• 1968 – present Kylie Minogue Australian pop icon, actress, and one of the best-selling recording artists in history Kylie Minogue rose from Australian soap opera stardom to become a global pop icon, selling over 80 million records across a career spanning five decades. From her breakthrough as Charlene on Neighbours to chart-topping hits like "Can't Get You Out of My Head" and a hard-fought battle with breast cancer, she has continually reinvented herself while remaining one of pop music's most enduring figures. Her influence spans music, fashion, and LGBTQ+ culture, earning her the nickname "the Princess of Pop."
• 1968 French Open 1968 — first Open Era Grand Slam Men: Ken Rosewall · Women: Nancy Richey The French Open was the FIRST Grand Slam to be played in the Open Era, allowing professionals. Ken Rosewall won at age 33.
• 1968 – 2016 Crosby, Stills & Nash American folk rock trio David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash — the harmony supergroup of Laurel Canyon, sometimes with Neil Young.
• 1968 Wimbledon 1968 — Open Era begins Men: Rod Laver · Women: Billie Jean King First Open Era Wimbledon, allowing professionals to compete. Rod Laver and Billie Jean King won their respective titles.
• 1968 US Open 1968 — Open Era begins Men: Arthur Ashe · Women: Virginia Wade First Open Era US Open. Arthur Ashe became the first African-American man to win the US Open.
• 1968 Star Trek: The Original Series — Season 3 The third and final season of 24 episodes suffers from reduced budget and network interference. Despite containing classics like "The Enterprise Incident" and "All Our Yesterdays," the show is cancelled in June 1969. Fan letter campaigns are credited with extending the run by one season. The series ends, but its cultural legacy is just beginning.
• 1968 – 1980 Led Zeppelin English rock band Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham — the heaviest and biggest-selling rock band of the 1970s.
• 1968 "Established 1958" & first split Bruce Welch leaves Released "Established 1958", a tenth-anniversary album mixing songs with Cliff Richard and pure Shadows instrumentals — all written by the group. The line-up split shortly after, in December 1968, with Bruce Welch initially leaving.
• 1968 The Beatles (White Album) Tenth album — November 22, 1968 The Beatles — known as the White Album for its plain white cover — was released on November 22, 1968. A sprawling double album of 30 tracks, it showed the four members increasingly working as separate artists. It reached number 1 in both the UK and US.
• 1968 Beggars Banquet Seventh album — December 6, 1968 Beggars Banquet, released on December 6, 1968, marked the Stones' return to blues roots after their psychedelic experiment. It included "Sympathy for the Devil" and "Street Fighting Man" — widely considered the beginning of their classic period.
• 1969 – 1970 18-game winning streak The Knicks win 18 consecutive games during the 1969-70 season en route to a franchise-best 60-22 regular season record.
• 1969 – present AMD Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) — founded in 1969 in Sunnyvale, California, one year after Intel — spent three decades as Intel's permanent second, surviving on licensing agreements and litigation before engineering one of the greatest comebacks in corporate history. Under CEO Lisa Su from 2014, AMD's Zen CPU architecture and RDNA GPU architecture transformed the company from near-bankruptcy to a genuine challenger to both Intel in processors and Nvidia in AI chips. AMD's story is the definitive underdog narrative in technology: outspent, outmanned and repeatedly written off, yet always returning.
• 1969 Australian Open 1969 Men: Rod Laver · Women: Margaret Court Laver completed his second calendar Grand Slam in 1969.
• 1969 – 1974 Nixon presidency 37th President — resigned 1974 Richard Nixon served as the 37th President from January 20, 1969 until his resignation on August 9, 1974 — the only US president to resign. He opened relations with China, ended the Vietnam War, and created the EPA before Watergate destroyed his presidency.
• 1969 Rooftop concert Last public performance — Apple HQ, January 30, 1969 The Beatles gave their final public performance on the rooftop of their Apple Corps headquarters at 3 Savile Row, London on January 30, 1969. The impromptu lunchtime concert stopped traffic and was eventually ended by police. It was filmed and later appeared in the Let It Be documentary.
• 1969 – 2014 The Allman Brothers Band American southern rock band Georgia band founded by Duane and Gregg Allman, the originators of southern rock and one of the great live bands.
• 1969 French Open 1969 Men: Rod Laver · Women: Margaret Court Laver completed his second calendar Grand Slam in 1969.
• 1969 Wimbledon 1969 Men: Rod Laver · Women: Ann Jones Rod Laver completed his second calendar Grand Slam — the only man to do so twice.
• 1969 Brian Jones dies Found dead in swimming pool — July 3, 1969 Brian Jones, founding member of the Rolling Stones, was found dead in his swimming pool at Cotchford Farm on July 3, 1969, aged 27. He had already been dismissed from the band. His death remains controversial. Jones was replaced by Mick Taylor.
• 1969 Hyde Park free concert Tribute to Brian Jones — July 5, 1969 Two days after Brian Jones' death, the Rolling Stones played a free concert at Hyde Park on July 5, 1969, before an estimated 250,000–500,000 people — the largest crowd in the park's history. Jagger read from Shelley's Adonais as a tribute to Jones. It was the live debut of new guitarist Mick Taylor.
• 1969 Moon landing Apollo 11 On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon, fulfilling Kennedy's decade-long challenge.
• 1969 US Open 1969 Men: Rod Laver · Women: Margaret Court Laver completed his second calendar Grand Slam.
• 1969 Woodstock 400,000 attend festival The Woodstock Music Festival in August 1969 drew 400,000 people to upstate New York, the defining cultural event of the 1960s counterculture.
• 1969 Woodstock festival 400,000 attend legendary concert The Woodstock Music & Art Fair took place August 15–18, 1969 in Bethel, New York. An estimated 400,000 people attended performances by Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Who and many others.
• 1969 "Throw Down a Line" Cliff Richard & Hank Marvin, UK #7 Hank Marvin wrote "Throw Down a Line" — reportedly "with Jimi Hendrix in mind" — released as a duet single with Cliff Richard which reached #7 in the UK charts during the band's temporary split.
• 1969 Abbey Road Twelfth album — September 26, 1969 Abbey Road was released on September 26, 1969, and is widely considered the Beatles' finest achievement. Its iconic cover — the four crossing Abbey Road — became one of the most imitated images in history. The medley on Side 2 showed a band at its creative peak even as it fell apart.
• 1969 Let It Bleed Eighth album — November 28, 1969 Let It Bleed was released on November 28, 1969 — days after Brian Jones' death and Altamont. Dark and apocalyptic, it included "Gimme Shelter" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want". Widely considered one of their finest.
• 1969 Altamont concert tragedy Murder at free concert — December 6, 1969 At the free Altamont Speedway Concert on December 6, 1969, Hells Angels hired as security stabbed and killed Meredith Hunter in front of the stage during the Stones' set. The event was captured on film in Gimme Shelter and is seen as marking the end of the 1960s idealism.
• 1969 On Her Majesty's Secret Service — George Lazenby The only film in which George Lazenby plays Bond. 007 falls in love with and marries Teresa "Tracy" di Vicenzo, only for her to be murdered by Blofeld at the film's end — the most emotionally devastating conclusion in the franchise. Lazenby, a model with no acting experience, is effective but declines to continue. Budget: $7 million. Box office: $82 million.
• 1969 Reunite with Cliff Richard BBC "Pop Go the 60s", New Year's Eve Reunited with Cliff Richard for the BBC's end-of-decade special "Pop Go the 60s" on New Year's Eve 1969, signalling that the split was far from permanent.