A decade in review
The 1960s
26 moments we logged from 1960–1969.
People born in the 1960s Kalpana, A.R., Shah…
Notable figures who grew up in this decade.
- science1962
Kalpana Chawla
First woman of Indian origin in space.
Wiki - culture1967
A.R. Rahman
Two-time Oscar-winning composer.
Wiki - culture1965
Shah Rukh Khan
King Khan of Bollywood.
Wiki - culture1965
Aamir Khan
Mr. Perfectionist of Bollywood.
Wiki - culture1965
Salman Khan
Bollywood superstar.
Wiki - culture1967
Madhuri Dixit
Dhak-dhak girl, Bollywood's dancing queen.
Wiki - culture1963
Sridevi
India's first female superstar across film industries.
Wiki - culture1960
Mohanlal
Malayalam cinema's complete actor.
Wiki
Worldwide
- 1960tech
Laser invented
Theodore Maiman built the first working laser. Cool sci-fi tech became real.
- 1960science
Birth control pill approved
The FDA approved the contraceptive pill. Women got control over reproduction. Society shifted.
Learn more - 1961science
First human in space
Yuri Gagarin orbited Earth, becoming the first human to leave the planet.
Learn more - 1962tech
First communications satellite (Telstar)
Telstar 1 beamed live TV across the Atlantic. The world became wired.
- 1963world
JFK assassinated
US President John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas. The moment defined a generation.
- 1963world
'I Have a Dream'
Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous speech at the March on Washington.
Learn more - 1964culture
Beatles take over America
The Beatles arrived in New York. Beatlemania officially became a global phenomenon.
- 1964science
Cosmic microwave background discovered
Penzias and Wilson accidentally discovered the CMB — the afterglow of the Big Bang.
Learn more - 1965science
First spacewalk
Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov became the first person to walk in space.
- 1966culture
Star Trek debuts
The original Star Trek series aired on TV, imagining a future of peaceful space exploration.
- 1967science
First heart transplant
Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the world's first successful human heart transplant in South Africa.
- 1967tech
First ATM installed
The world's first ATM was installed at a Barclays bank in London. Cash without a queue became possible.
- 1967science
Pulsars discovered
Jocelyn Bell Burnell discovered pulsars — rapidly rotating neutron stars beaming radio waves like cosmic lighthouses.
- 1968world
MLK assassinated
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis. Riots broke out across America.
- 1969science
Moon landing
Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon. 'One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.'
Learn more - 1969tech
ARPANET goes live
The first message was sent between two computers on ARPANET. The internet was born.
Learn more - 1969culture
Woodstock festival
Half a million people gathered for three days of peace, love, and music in a New York field.
Learn more - 1969culture
Sesame Street debuts
Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, and Cookie Monster started teaching kids. PBS got its giant yellow icon.
India
- 1960culture
Mughal-e-Azam releases
K. Asif's epic became the highest-grossing Indian film of its time. Anarkali's pyaar lives on.
- 1962world
India-China War
A border war with China caught India unprepared. The defeat reshaped Indian foreign policy for decades.
Learn more - 1962science
Vikram Sarabhai founds INCOSPAR
Dr. Vikram Sarabhai started the Indian space program. ISRO would emerge from this seed.
- 1963science
First Indian rocket launch
India launched its first sounding rocket from Thumba, Kerala. Components were transported on bicycles.
- 1965world
India-Pakistan war
The second war with Pakistan over Kashmir ended in stalemate.
- 1966world
Indira Gandhi becomes PM
Indira Gandhi became India's first woman Prime Minister.
- 1969science
ISRO founded
The Indian Space Research Organisation was established. India's space dreams officially began.
Learn more - 1969world
Bank nationalization
Indira Gandhi nationalized 14 major banks. Indian banking changed for decades.