by Matt M. and Christian M.

1960  1961  1962  1963  1964  1965  1966 1967  1968  1969

In 1964, the U.S. is upset about President Kennedy being assassinated. During this year, there are many events that are making the U.S. cheerful and happy again, but also scared and nosy. China tests its first atomic bomb which makes the U.S. worried, the Pop Tart is invented, Sugar Ray Robinson retires as a hero, and the Olympics are taking place and much more. Many movies and TV shows come out like Bewitched, The Dick Van Dike Show, and many more.  

• The first disco opens, Whisky A-Go-Go on January 11.

• The 1964 Winter Olympics take place in Innsbruck, Austria. Opening ceremonies are held on January 29.

• The Beatles arrive on their first visit to the USA on February 7. They appear on the Ed Sullivan Show.

• Gulf of Tonkin incident between US and North Vietnam occurred on February 7.

• The U.S. boxer Cassius Clay defeats Sonny Liston to win the heavyweight boxing title on February 25. Then, he changes his name to Muhammad Ali.

• In March a jury in Dallas, Texas, sentences Jack Ruby to death after convicting him of murdering Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of John F. Kennedy.

• The UCLA Bruins beat Duke in the NCAA Championship, 98-83 on March 21.

• The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Detroit Wings, 4 games to 3 games in the Stanley Cup finals on April 11 – April 25.

• Douglas MacArthur, the U.S. general who commanded forces in the South Pacific during World War II and in the Korean War dies in Washington, D.C. on April 5.

• The worst earthquake felt anywhere in the world since 1960 rocks Alaska March 28. The quake measures 9.2 on the Richter scale , it creates a seismic "tidal" wave (tsunami) in the southwest part of the state, and the 220-foot high wave is the largest such wave ever recorded.

• The New York’s World Fair opens to disappointing crowds amid controversy caused by, among other things, a threat by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) to impede the opening ceremonies in protest at the city's failure to combat racial discrimination. This event happened between April 22 to October 18.

• On April 22 the 1964 World's Fair opens in Flushing Meadows, Queens and has a two year run. 
• Mississippi Freedom Summer The bodies of three Civil Rights workers killed by white supremacists are discovered on August 8, in Philadelphia, Mississippi. James E. Chaney, Michael H. Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman, have been missing since June 21.
• On July 2 the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is approved. It bans discrimination based on race, sex, religion or national origin in employment and in public places is signed into law July 2. 
• On July 3 Lester Maddox closes his Pickrick Restaurant rather than submit to federal government orders that he serve blacks as well as whites. He will later become the Governor of Georgia.
• On July 18 race riots break out in Harlem. The problem will grow as Philadelphia has race riots later that summer.

• The U.S. spacecraft Ranger 7, is launched from Cape Kennedy on July 28.

• The Medicare Act signed by President Johnson July 30 at Independence, Mo., sets up the first government-operated health insurance program for Americans age 65 and over.
• Congress approves the Tonkin Gulf Resolution on August 7, authorizing President Johnson to "take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression." The resolution is approved 88 to 2 in the Senate and 416 to 0 in the House of Representatives.

• The first Nimbus 1 satellite is launched into a polar orbit on August 28. It replaces the U.S. TIROS satellites.

• U.S. Food Stamp Program is reactivated on a broad scale on August 31 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help feed needy Americans.
• On September 14 Kellogg introduces Pop Tarts toaster pastries.
• On September 27, the Warren Commission Report finds that no conspiracy is involved in the assassination of John F. Kennedy and that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.
• A Free Speech Movement begins at the University of California at Berkeley around October 1. This marks the beginning of a long period of U.S. campus unrest that becomes the antiwar movement. 
• A Soviet coup d'etat on October 13 strips Nikita Khrushchev of all power. Leonid  Brezhnev becames party leader, Aleksei Kosygin, becomes premier October 14. 
• Martin Luther King wins the Nobel Peace Prize on October 14.
• St. Louis Cardinals top the New York Yankees in seven games to win the World Series on October 15. St. Louis pitcher Bob Gibson was the MVP.
• President Lyndon Baines Johnson wins re-election in November with the largest popular vote in U.S. history, receiving 61 percent of the popular vote.

  The St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Yankees in 7 games to win the World Series on October 7 – October 15.

• Herbert Hoover, 31st president of the United States dies in New York, New York. He died on October 20.

• First Ford Mustang is made on December 8th.

• The army action figure, G.I. Joe, first comes out in stores.

• The United States launches Mariner 4.

• Methadone becomes a rehabilitation treatment for heroin addicts.
• Maurice Sendak receives the Caldecott Medal for his children's book, Where the Wild Things Are.
• Lucky Charms breakfast food is introduced by General Mills, it is 50.4 percent sugar.
• Canyonlands National Park is created by an act of Congress.

• Elvis Presley releases his new song, “Blue Christmas.”

• The U.S. boxer Sugar Ray Robinson retires with 5 time world champion and 174 victories.

• China tests its first atomic bomb.

• The U.S. Air Force introduces the F- 111 Fighter Jet.

• The 1964 Summer Olympics take place in Tokyo. It marks the first appearance of a women's team sport, Volleyball.

• Lucky Charms breakfast food is introduced by General Mills, it is 50.4 percent sugar.

• President Lyndon B. Johnson declares his "war on poverty” and pledges to achieve “total victory."

7th Annual Academy Awards:
Best Picture: My Fair Lady
Best Actress: Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins
Best Actor: Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady

Emmy Awards:
Outstanding Drama: The Magnificent Yankee (Hallmark Hall of Fame)
Outstanding Comedy: Bewitched

7th Annual Grammy Awards:
Song of the Year: Hello, Dolly! By Louis Armstrong
Best New Artist: The Beatles
Album of the Year: Getz/Gilberto by Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto
Record of the Year: The Girl From Panama by Antonio Carlos Jobim

1960  1961  1962  1963  1964  1965  1966 1967  1968  1969

1960's