<p>The 1960s was one of the most tumultuous and divisive decades in world history. The era was marked by the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War and antiwar protests, countercultural movements, political assassinations and the emerging "generation gap."</p>


1960s

The 1960s were a tumultuous decade defined by the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War and the emerging "generation gap."

1960s: Counterculture and Civil Rights Movement | HISTORY

Home

HISTORY

<p>Food is an integral part of human history, serving as both sustenance and a symbol of culture, trade and power. From the earliest days of hunter-gatherers to modern-day globalization, what people eat has influenced the course of history.</p>


Food

<p><a href="http://history.com/">HISTORY.com</a> works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including <a href="https://www.history.com/author/amanda-onion">Amanda Onion</a>, <a href="https://www.history.com/author/missy-sullivan">Missy Sullivan</a>, <a href="https://www.history.com/author/matt-mullen">Matt Mullen</a> and Christian Zapata.</p>


History.com Editors

<p>The history of art and entertainment tells the complex story of human civilization through visual art, design, literature, music, film and television. It ranges from cave drawings of the Neolithic period to Renaissance masterpieces to rock 'n' roll and video games.</p>


Arts & Entertainment

<p>Discover what happened on October 31 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.</p>


October 31

1965

<p>Discover what happened on August 23 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.</p>


August 23

<p>Discover what happened on October 21 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.</p>


October 21

The turbulence of 1968 began on New Year’s Day with the Tet Offensive, shocking Americans with the unwinnable realities of the Vietnam War. The assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy darkened the national mood and deepened domestic unrest. Mass protests erupted around the globe, from Chicago to Prague to France, Mexico and beyond. In space, Apollo 8 orbited the moon, while back on earth, “Laugh-In” topped TV ratings, “Hair” premiered on Broadway and McDonald’s debuted the iconic Big Mac.

1968

Riots in Detroit… San Francisco's Summer of Love… the Six-Day War in the Middle East… Elvis and Priscilla's Vegas wedding... 1967 was a momentous year around the world. It also a year of firsts: the first successful human heart transplant in South Africa (the recipient lasted 18 days), the confirmation of the first Black Supreme Court Justice in the U.S. (Thurgood Marshall) and the first McDonald’s Big Mac (price: 45 cents).

1967

1962

1966

Cold War tensions spiked after the Soviets shot down an American spy plane and captured its pilot. John F. Kennedy beat Richard Nixon in a tight presidential race, and in Greensboro, N.C., four Black college students refused to leave a “whites-only” lunch counter. The median U.S. home price hovered at $11,900, while median income was $5,600. And on the pop culture front, Chubby Checker’s “Twist” became a worldwide dance craze, and Alfred Hitchcock’s "Psycho" made showers a whole lot scarier.

1960

<p>Discover what happened on March 5 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.</p>


March 5

<p>Discover what happened on September 27 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.</p>


September 27

<p>Discover what happened on January 14 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.</p>


January 14

1963

<p>Discover what happened on July 1 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.</p>


July 1

<div id="1680273445.167319" class="c-virtual_list__item c-virtual_list__item--initial-activeitem" role="listitem" data-qa="virtual-list-item" data-item-key="1680273445.167319">
<div class="c-message_kit__background p-message_pane_message__message c-message_kit__message" role="presentation" data-qa="message_container" data-qa-unprocessed="false" data-qa-placeholder="false">
<div class="c-message_kit__hover" role="document" data-qa-hover="true">
<div class="c-message_kit__actions c-message_kit__actions--default">
<div class="c-message_kit__gutter">
<div class="c-message_kit__gutter__right" role="presentation" data-qa="message_content">
<div class="c-message_kit__blocks c-message_kit__blocks--rich_text">
<div class="c-message__message_blocks c-message__message_blocks--rich_text" data-qa="message-text">
<div class="p-block_kit_renderer" data-qa="block-kit-renderer">
<div class="p-block_kit_renderer__block_wrapper p-block_kit_renderer__block_wrapper--first">
<div class="p-rich_text_block" dir="auto">
<div class="p-rich_text_section">African Americans have played a central role in shaping U.S. history. From slavery and its abolition to the Great Migration, the civil rights movement and military, scientific, cultural and political achievements, explore key moments, milestones and figures in Black History.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div id="1680273480.911289" class="c-virtual_list__item" role="listitem" data-qa="virtual-list-item" data-item-key="1680273480.911289">
<div class="c-message_kit__background p-message_pane_message__message c-message_kit__message" role="presentation" data-qa="message_container" data-qa-unprocessed="false" data-qa-placeholder="false">
<div class="c-message_kit__hover" role="document" data-qa-hover="true">
<div class="c-message_kit__actions c-message_kit__actions--default">
<div class="c-message_kit__gutter">
<div class="c-message_kit__gutter__left" role="presentation" data-stringify-ignore="true"></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>


Black History

<p>Discover what happened on February 11 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.</p>


February 11

<p>Discover what happened on February 15 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.</p>


February 15

<p>Discover what happened on September 8 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.</p>


September 8

<p>Discover what happened on June 7 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.</p>


1960s ‑ This Day In History

U.S. Post Office introduces zip codes

U.S. Supreme Court strikes down Connecticut law banning contraception

Mr. Rogers airs special episode addressing the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy

Henry Lewis named first Black conductor of a major U.S. orchestra

Julia Child’s “The French Chef” debuts

San Francisco’s “Human Be‑In” launches the Summer of Love

Freak explosion at Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum kills 74

Black soldiers stage sit‑in at Fort Hood

Aberfan disaster kills 144 people and levels a Welsh mining village

Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring” is published

Iconic photo of Che Guevara taken

Delano Grape Strike begins