Famous Firsts of the 60s

The sky was the limit for achievements in the 1960s.

The 1960s hold a special place in the memory of those who lived it and in the imaginations of those who are too young to have been there. The decade was defined by loosened fashion mores, Beatlemania and social change. Many firsts happened in the 1960s, and some of them would forever change the way we view the world around us.

Catholic President

John F. Kennedy became the United States' first Roman Catholic President with his inauguration on Jan. 20, 1961. Kennedy's narrow election victory broke the stranglehold of Protestants on the country's highest office and was indicative of a cultural sea change. Catholics, particularly of Irish origin, had been oppressed for years in this country and Kennedy's election foreshadowed the civil rights changes that would sweep the nation during the rest of the decade.

Space Exploration

In 1962, John Glenn became the first man to orbit the Earth and he did so three times, but the later Apollo 11 mission would captivate the eyes of the world. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first two men to walk on the moon, solidifying America's lead in the space race.

Televised Presidential Debates

The presidential election of 1960 benefited more from technological advance than any previous election. The 1960 election year was marked by the "Great Debates," the first time televised debates between presidential contenders had occurred. The Sept. 26 debate drew 70 million viewers and its impact was so deep that it spurred other countries such as Italy, Germany and Japan to immediately follow suit.

Thurgood Marshall

On Oct. 2, 1967, Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as the first black Supreme Court Justice. Marshall's accomplishment was indicative of the greater sea change of civil rights sweeping the country during this tumultuous decade. Marshall's place on the Supreme Court was reflexive of the sweeping civil rights legislation initiated by Kennedy and carried through by Lyndon Johnson.

The "British Invasion"

The Beatles scored their first No. 1 hit on the U.S. pop charts with "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in January of 1964. The next month they made their national television debut on "The Ed Sullivan Show," paving the way for the "British Invasion" that included artists like the Rollings Stones, the Kinks and the Animals. In 1967, the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album won the Grammy Award for "Album of the Year," becoming the first rock album to win this honor.

Entertaining Inventions

The 1960s saw the invention of the Etch-A-Sketch and the Easy-Bake Oven, toys that would occupy store shelves and children's play rooms for decades to come. Philips invented the first audio cassette tape, allowing for a smaller medium of music storage than the vinyl record. The first video game, Spacewar, was created in the 1960s. Although video games would not become commercially available for another decade, this program laid the groundwork.

Scientific Advances

The first implantable heart pacemaker and first heart transplant occurred during the 1960s. This decade also gave rise to the invention of lasers, weather satellites and touch-tone phones. Texas Instruments invented the first portable calculator, advancing the way mathematics, physics and engineering were taught. It was also during the 1960s that the first automated teller machines allowed access to banking transactions at any time of the day.

References

• The White House: John F. Kennedy
• NASA: Apollo 11 Crew Information
• The Museum of Broadcast Communications: The Kennedy-Nixon Presidential Debates, 1960
• America's Best History: The 1960's - Civil Rights and Turmoil
• Digital Dream Door: Rock 'n' Roll Timeline (1960-1969)
• The Fifties Web: Inventions of the Sixties

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish