February 1
February 1
Greensboro sit‑in begins
On February 1, 1960, in Greensboro, North Carolina, four Black college students spark a nationwide civil rights movement by refusing to leave a “whites‑only” lunch counter at a popular retail…
A Year In History: 1960
Also Within This Year in History:
1960
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.
February 8
February 8
Construction begins on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
An idea floated by a Hollywood business leader in 1953 comes to fruition on February 8, 1960, when construction begins on the Hollywood Walk of Fame—today one of the Los…
February 9
February 9
Coors brewery heir is kidnapped
Adolph Coors disappears while driving to work from his Morrison, Colorado, home. The grandson of the Coors’ founder and chairman of the Golden, Colorado, brewery was kidnapped and held for…
February 11
February 11
The Payola scandal heats up
The Payola scandal reaches a new level of public prominence and legal gravity on February 11, 1960, when President Eisenhower called it an issue of public morality and the FCC…
February 27
February 27
U.S. Olympic hockey team beats Soviet Union
Two decades before the famed “Miracle on Ice,” another underdog U.S. Olympic hockey team defeats the Soviet Union team in the semifinals at the Winter Games in Squaw Valley, California on…
March 4
March 4
Lucille Ball files for divorce from Desi Arnaz
After 20 tumultuous years of marriage, actress Lucille Ball files for divorce from her husband and collaborator, Desi Arnaz, on March 4, 1960. The breakup of the couple, stars of…
March 5
March 5
Iconic photo of Che Guevara taken
Moments before he was shot to death by a soldier of the Bolivian government, the revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara told his executioner, “Shoot, coward! You are only going to kill…
March 21
March 21
Massacre in Sharpeville
In the Black township of Sharpeville, near Johannesburg, South Africa, Afrikaner police open fire on a group of unarmed Black South African demonstrators, killing 69 people and wounding 180 in…
April 4
April 4
“Ben‑Hur” wins 11 Academy Awards
Clocking in at three hours and 32 minutes, William Wyler’s Technicolor epic Ben‑Hur is the behemoth entry at the 32nd annual Academy Awards ceremony, held on this day in 1960,…
April 14
April 14
Montreal Canadiens win fifth consecutive Stanley Cup
On April 14, 1960, the Montreal Canadiens defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs to win the Stanley Cup for a record fifth year in a row. The Canadiens reached the Stanley…
April 17
April 17
Eddie Cochran dies, and Gene Vincent is injured, in a UK car accident
Eddie Cochran, the man behind “Summertime Blues” and “C’mon Everybody,” is killed on April 17, 1960 when the taxi carrying him from a show in Bristol, England, crashed en route…
May 1
May 1
American U‑2 spy plane shot down over Soviet Union
An American U‑2 spy plane is shot down while conducting espionage over the Soviet Union. The incident derailed an important summit meeting between President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Soviet leader…
May 2
May 2
Dick Clark survives the Payola scandal
On May 2, 1960, Dick Clark concludes his second day of testimony in the so‑called Payola hearings—testimony that both saved and altered the course of his career. If Alan Freed,…
May 7
May 7
Leonid Brezhnev becomes leader of the USSR
Leonid Brezhnev, one of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev’s most trusted proteges, is selected as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet—the Soviet equivalent to the presidency. This was another…
May 9
May 9
FDA approves “the pill”
On May 9, 1960, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves the world’s first commercially produced birth‑control pill—Enovid‑10, made by the G.D. Searle Company of Chicago, Illinois. Development of “the…
May 11
May 11
High‑ranking Nazi official Adolf Eichmann captured
On May 11, 1960, Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi SS officer who organized Adolf Hitler’s “final solution of the Jewish question,” is captured in Argentina. On May 23, Israeli Prime Minister…
May 16
May 16
U.S.‑Soviet summit meeting collapses after U‑2 spy plane shot down
In the wake of the Soviet downing of an American U‑2 spy plane on May 1, 1960, Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev lashes out at the United States and President Dwight…
May 21
May 21
Huge earthquake hits Chile
On May 21, 1960, the first tremor of a series hits Valdivia, Chile. By the time they end, the quakes and their aftereffects kill 5,000 people and leave another 2…
May 23
May 23
Deadly tsunami hits Hawaii
A tsunami caused by an earthquake off the coast of Chile travels across the Pacific Ocean and kills 61 people in Hilo, Hawaii, on May 23, 1960. The massive 9.5‑magnitude…
May 26
May 26
United States charges Soviets with espionage
During a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Henry Cabot Lodge charges that the Soviet Union has engaged in espionage activities at the…
