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Timeline of the 1960s
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Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin stands on the Moon in a white spacesuit, with the lunar surface and his shadow visible; Neil Armstrong and the Lunar Module are reflected in his visor. Headline reading Events of the 1960s over a colorful psychedelic background, with a timeline entry for 1960 noting FDA approval of the female oral contraceptive known as the pill.
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Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin stands on the Moon in a white spacesuit, with the lunar surface and his shadow visible; Neil Armstrong and the Lunar Module are reflected in his visor.
Buzz Aldrin on the Moon American astronaut Buzz Aldrin walking on the Moon, July 20, 1969.

Timeline of the 1960s

Do you remember what happened in the sixties?
Written by
Andrew Niemchick
Andrew Niemchick is a Video Editor and Producer at Encyclopædia Britannica.
Andrew NiemchickAll
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

The 1960s were a time of major political, social, and cultural upheaval. Political violence shook the United States, with the assassinations of Malcolm X, U.S. Pres. John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy. Meanwhile the Vietnam War intensified, as did opposition to it. The anti-war sentiment helped give rise to a counterculture that challenged traditional norms. One of its defining moments was the Summer of Love in 1967. In addition, the civil rights movement made progress, while the modern gay rights movement was born. The decade also brought a great technological achievement as U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon.

The sixties also saw major changes in pop culture. In music news the Beatles became the biggest band in the world, Bob Dylan went electric, and the Woodstock festival attracted thousands with its three days of music and peace. On the big screen the The Sound of Music (1965) became the decade’s most popular film.

Where were you when …? The events that defined generations.

Amy Tikkanen Andrew Niemchick