Explore the major historical events, famous births, and notable deaths that occurred in the year 1960. This year saw 268 significant events. 46 notable figures were born. 5 notable figures passed away.
A photograph of a 13-year-old South African boy in a torn vest working in a mine is published in the Daily Herald; employing a 'native' under 18 in the mines is illegal under the Native Labour Regulation Act
LaMar Clark sets pro boxing record of 44 consecutive knockouts
Comedic actor Bob Denver (25) weds Maggie Ryan in California
American songwriter Adolph Green (45) weds (for 3rd and final time) American actress and singer Phyllis Newman (24) in NYC, until his death in 2002
Australian Championships Men's Tennis: In a classic all-Australian final Rod Laver beats Neale Fraser 5-7, 3-6, 6-3, 8-6, 8-6; Laver's first Grand Slam title
"La Dolce Vita" directed by Federico Fellini and starring Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg has its film premiere in Italy
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom issues an Order-in-Council stating that she and her family will be known as the House of Windsor and that her descendants will take the name "Mountbatten-Windsor"
France becomes the fourth nuclear nation by detonating its first device, a 70-kiloton "Gerboise Bleue" atomic bomb in the Algerian Sahara Desert [1]
Vera Miles stars in the "Mirror Image" episode of the CBS anthology series "The Twilight Zone"
The 1960 Agadir earthquake occurred on 29 February at 23:40:18 Western European Time near the city of Agadir, located in western Morocco on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean.
Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American comedian, actress, producer, and studio executive.
One of the first French New Wave films, "Breathless", directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg is released in France
First guided missile launched from a nuclear powered submarine (USS Halibut)
Academy Award-winning actor Yul Brynner (39) divorces actress Virginia Gilmore (40) after 15 years of marriage
Actor Yul Brynner (39) weds fashion house executive Doris Kleiner (32) in Mexico City; divorce in 1967
The singles discography of Elvis Presley began in 1954 with the release of his first commercial single, "That's All Right".
Musical "The Fantasticks" by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones opens in Greenwich Village, NYC, becomes “the longest-running musical in the universe”
The combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP), often referred to as the birth control pill or colloquially as "the pill", is a type of birth control that is designed to be taken orally by women.
USS Triton (SSRN/SSN-586), the only member of her class, was a nuclear powered radar picket submarine in the United States Navy. She was the only Western submarine powered by two nuclear reactors.
Actress Laraine Day (39) divorces manager Leo Durocher (53) due to incompatibility after 12 years of marriage
"Psycho", a psychological horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Janet Leigh, Anthony Perkins, and Vera Miles, opens in New York City
"I'm a Honky Tonk Girl" is the debut single by American country music artist Loretta Lynn, released in March 1960.
First contraceptive pill is made available for purchase in the United States
Actress Bette Davis (52) divorces actor Gary Merrill (46) after almost 10 years of marriage
American "Psycho" actress Vera Miles (30) weds third husband, American actor-director-screenwriter Keith Larsen (36); divorce in 1971
Professional golfer Jack Nicklaus (20) weds Barbara Bash
AFL begins placing players' names on the backs of their jerseys
American ctress Tammy Grimes (26) divorces Canadian actor Christopher Plummer (30) after 4 years of marriage
Nationwide release of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" starring Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC OH-pek) is an organization enabling the co-operation of leading oil-producing and oil-dependent countries in order to collectively...
Joseph Henri Maurice "Rocket" Richard was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens.
"The Twist" is an American song written and originally released in 1958 by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters as a B-side to "Teardrops on Your Letter". It was inspired by the twist dance craze.
The Flintstones is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions.
Historical drama film "Spartacus," directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Kirk Douglas and Laurence Olivier, premieres in New York City
Japanese politician Inejiro Asanuma is assassinated with a sword during a televised debate live on TV by 17-year old nationalist Otoya Yamaguchi
American pop and soul singer Ben E. King records "Spanish Harlem" and "Stand By Me" in NYC
Cassius Clay [Muhammad Ali], in his first professional fight, beats Tunney Hunsaker on points in 6 rounds in Louisville, Kentucky
Uncensored version of D. H. Lawrence's "Lady Chatterley’s Lover" finally goes on sale in the UK after a jury finds publisher Penguin Books not guilty in an obscenity trial
Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist.
US Marshals escort four six-year-old African American girls to previously all-white public schools in New Orleans in response to death threats against the girls and race riots
American movie actress Lana Turner (39) weds 5th husband, rancher Frederick May; divorce in 1962
First broadcast of "Coronation Street" on British ITV; recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's longest-running television soap opera upon its 50th anniversary in 2010
Ring-a-Ding-Ding! is the twentieth studio album by Frank Sinatra, released on May 7, 1961.
The Viet Cong (VC) was an epithet and umbrella term to refer to the communist-led armed movement and united front organization in South Vietnam.
First redshank, an Old World shorebird, is reported in North America near Halifax
Roger Sessions' 4th Symphony, in honor of the Minnesota Centennial, premieres by the Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Antal Doráti
The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is a regional trade organisation and free trade area consisting of four European states: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Continental League, a proposed third baseball major league, gets an assurance of congressional support from NY Senator Kenneth Keating
Aswan is a city in Southern Egypt, and is the capital of the Aswan Governorate. The city is among the oldest continuously inhabited cities, with its recorded history spanning over 2,600 years. Aswan...
The Bollingen Prize for Poetry is a literary honor bestowed on an American poet. Every two years, the award recognizes a poet for best new volume of work or lifetime achievement.
Adolph Schayes ( SHAYZ; May 19, 1928 – December 10, 2015) was an American professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is Australia's central bank and banknote issuing authority.
Capital Airlines Flight 20 crashes in Virginia, killing all 50 people on-board
Nobusuke Kishi (岸 信介, Kishi Nobusuke; 13 November 1896 – 7 August 1987) was a Japanese bureaucrat and politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1957 to 1960.
Little Joe 4 suborbital Mercury test reaches 16 km
Walker Smith Jr. (May 3, 1921 – April 12, 1989), better known as Sugar Ray Robinson, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1940 to 1965.
US Navy bathyscaphe "Trieste", crewed by Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard and USN Lieutenant Don Walsh, becomes first manned vessel to reach bottom of Pacific Ocean (10,916 m) in the Mariana Trench; craft was designed by Auguste Piccard, father of the pilot, in 1953 for the French Navy [1]
Algeria uprises against French President de Gaulle
High-school basketball sensation Danny Heater scores 135 points
Baseball's new Continental League awards its 8th, and last, franchise to Buffalo, New York
Chad was a part of the French colonial empire from 1900 to 1960. Colonial rule under the French began in 1900 when the Military Territory of Chad was established.
1st civil rights sit-in, at Woolworth's in Greensboro, North Carolina; four Black students - Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, David Richmond, and Ezell Blair Jr. - spend the day waitng to be served at the segregated lunch counter in a peaceful protest
Michale Eufemia sinks 625 balls in pool match without a miss
Giants move their offices to Candlestick Park
Old handwriting found in at Qumran, near the Dead Sea
AFL & NFL agree verbally to a no tampering pact
Charles Ives' composition "Lincoln, the Great Commoner" premieres
Jack Harold Paar (May 1, 1918 – January 27, 2004) was an American talk show host, writer, radio and television comedian, and film actor. He was the second host of The Tonight Show from 1957 to 1962.
Chinese army kills 12 Indian soldiers
The Daytona 500 is a 500-mile-long (805 km) NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
USS Triton (SSRN/SSN-586), the only member of her class, was a nuclear powered radar picket submarine in the United States Navy. She was the only Western submarine powered by two nuclear reactors.
The history of Poland from 1945 to 1989 spans the period of Marxist–Leninist regime in Poland after the end of World War II.
Soviet females sweep the 10k cross country event at Squaw Valley; first medal sweep for the Soviets at a Winter Olympics; Maria Gusakova wins from Lyubov Kozyreva and Radya Yeroshina
Biathlon debuts at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics; Klas Lestander from Sweden becomes the first Olympic champion ahead of Finland's Antti Tyrväinen and Soviet Aleksandr Privalov
German skier Georg Thoma becomes the first non-Nordic athlete to win the Nordic combined event at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics
Carol Heiss wins the women's figure skating gold medal at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics; US takes the singles double after David Jenkins wins men's event
Austria goes 1-2 in the men's slalom at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics; Ernst Hintersteer wins gold ahead of teammate Hias Leitner
David Jenkins wins the men's figure skating gold medal at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics; US takes the singles double after Carol Heiss wins women's event
Oil pipe line from Rotterdam to Ruhrgebied opens
9th largest snowfall in NYC history (14.5")
French freighter "La Coubre" explodes in Havana Cuba, killing 100
President Sukarno of Indonesia disbands existing parliament and replaces it with a new grouping, half appointed by himself
Dutch Builders strike for CLA
Pioneer 5 (also known as Pioneer P-2, and Able 4, and nicknamed the "Paddle-Wheel Satellite") was a spin-stabilized space probe in the NASA Pioneer program used to investigate interplanetary space...
LPGA Titleholders Championship Women's Golf, Augusta CC: Fay Crocker of Uruguay wins by 7 strokes ahead of Kathy Cornelius
14 die in a train crash in Bakersfield, California
Key Largo Coral Reef Preserve, also known as John D. Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, established as 1st underwater park, off the coast of Florida
Dedication of National Observatory at Kitt Peak, in the Quinlan Mountains of the Arizona-Sonoran Desert, Tohono O'odham Nation lands of Arizona dedicated
The first modern humans are believed to have inhabited South Africa more than 100,000 years ago.
NASA's Explorer (8) fails to reach Earth orbit
Iraq executes 30 after attack on Prime Minister Abd al-Karim Qasim
Pope John appoints the first Japanese, African & Filipino cardinals
First Nations people first granted the right to vote in Canada, without giving up their Indian status, in repeal of part of Canada Elections Act [1]
1st weather satellite launched (TIROS 1)
Cuba has a developing command economy dominated by state-run enterprises. The Communist Party of Cuba maintains high levels of public sector control and exerts significant influence over the Cuban...
Earthquake at Havre, Belgium
Netherlands and Germany sign accord concerning war casualties
South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd survives an assassination attempt by David Pratt despite being twice shot in the face
The Civil Rights Act of 1960 (Pub. L. 86–449, 74 Stat. 89, enacted May 6, 1960) is a United States federal law that established federal inspection of local voter registration polls and introduced...
US Department of Defense places "Transit 1B", 1st navigational satellite, in orbit around Earth
1st underwater launching of Polaris missile
Guy Carawan sings "We Shall Overcome" to the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in Raleigh, popularizing the song as a protest anthem
American Samoa is an unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States located in the Polynesia region of the south Pacific Ocean.
Baseball uniforms begin displaying players' names on their backs
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America.
The 14th Annual Tony Awards took place at the Astor Hotel Grand Ballroom on April 24, 1960, and was broadcast on local television station WCBS-TV in New York City.
USS Triton (SSRN/SSN-586), the only member of her class, was a nuclear powered radar picket submarine in the United States Navy. She was the only Western submarine powered by two nuclear reactors.
1st atomic powered electric-drive submarine launched (Tullibee)
Bombay State was a large Indian state created in 1950 from the erstwhile Bombay Province, with other regions being added to it in the succeeding years.
Allen Drury wins Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his novel "Advise and Consent"
Harry Belafonte ( BEL-ə-FON-tee; born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor, and civil rights activist who popularized calypso music with...
First Great Delta Dam closes in North-South Beveland, Netherlands
Jakarta, officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta, is the de facto capital and largest city of Indonesia and an autonomous region with a status equivalent to that of a province.
Dodgers Larry & Norm Sherry are baseball's 10th brother battery
1st performance of Ferde Grofé's "San Francisco Suite", with Grofé conducting, in San Francisco
From 1960 to 1963, Nigeria was a sovereign state and an independent constitutional monarchy. Nigeria shared the monarch with Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, and certain other sovereign states.
French liner "France" launched
1st launch of Delta satellite launching vehicle; it failed
USSR launch 1st (unmanned) space capsule
"L'Avventura", Italian film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, starring Gabriele Ferzetti, Monica Vitti. premieres at Cannes
Big 4 summit in Paris collapses as USSR levels spy charges against US
First atomic reactor system patented by J. W. Flora of Canoga Park, California
Eillen Fulton begins playing Lisa on As the World Turns (for almost 30 yrs)
Alan Freed & eight other radio DJs accused of taking radio payola (bribes from record companies)
A magnitude 9.4-9.6 earthquake strikes near the city of Valdivia in Chile, the strongest ever recorded, causing multiple tsunamis and killing 1,000-7,000 people
The Four Preps are an American popular music male quartet. In the 1950s and 1960s, the group amassed eight gold singles and three gold albums.
One millionth Dutch telephone installed
George Crowe's record 11th pinch-hit HR
Baltimore manager Paul Richards devises oversized catcher's mitt, used by Baltimore Oriole Clint Courtney
WDTV TV channel 5 in Clarksburg-Weston, West Vrirginia (CBS) begins broadcasting
Broadway theaters close (labor dispute between owners & Actors Equity)
"The George Gobel Show" last airs on CBS-TV
ABC and AFL sign a 5 year contract
House packed with wedding celebrants collapses killing 30 (Pakistan)
KORN (now KDLT) TV channel 5 in Mitchell-Sioux Falls, SD (ABC) begins
Prince Norodom Sihanoek becomes head of Cambodia
President Eisenhower cancels trip to Japan
San Francisco Giants hire Tom Sheehan to replace Bill Rigney; baseball's oldest debuting manager (66) goes 46-50-2 for remainder of season
1st Copa Libertadores Final, Asunción: Luis Cubilla scores 83' equaliser for Peñarol of Uruguay for 1-1 draw against Olimpia (Paraguay); win 2-1 on aggregate after taking 1st-leg 1-0 in Montevideo
German sprinter Armin Hary runs world record 100m (10.0)
"The Pat Boone-Chevy Showroom" last airs on ABC-TV
Geoffrey Merton Griffin (12 June 1939 – 16 November 2006) was a Test cricketer who toured England with the South African cricket team in 1960, appearing in two Test matches.
On 8 September 2023 at 23:11 DST (22:11 UTC), an earthquake with a moment magnitude of 6.9 and maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent) struck Morocco's Al Haouz Province.
British Somaliland (now Somalia) gains independence from Britain
British Somaliland, officially the Somaliland Protectorate (Somali: Maxmiyadda Dhulka Soomaalida), was a protectorate of the United Kingdom in the territory of modern Somaliland.
10.40" (26.42 cm) of rainfall, Dunmor, Kentucky (state 24-hour record)
KYA-AM in San Francisco changes call letters to KDBQ (for 2 weeks)
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo, or less often Zaire, is a country in Central Africa.
The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S.
The Constitution of Mongolia was adopted on 13 January 1992, put into force on 12 February, with amendments made in 1999, 2000, 2019, 2022, and 2023.
Dr Barbara Moore completes a 3,207 mile walk from LA to NYC
Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial (Dutch: Amerikaanse Begraafplaats Margraten) is a Second World War military war grave cemetery, located in the village of Margraten, 10 km (6.2 mi) east of...
The Congo Crisis (French: Crise congolaise) was a period of political upheaval and conflict between 1960 and 1965 in the Republic of the Congo (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
The Russian Children's Center "Orlyonok" is a federal state all-year camp for kids aged 11–16 (school grades 6 through 10).
KDBQ-AM in San Francisco CA changes call letters to KYA
Fire rages through a Guatemala City insane asylum killing 225 and severely injuring 300
,000 (record sports attend) see Brazil-Uruguay World Cup soccer [1]
The United Nations Operation in the Congo (French: Opération des Nations Unies au Congo, abbreviated ONUC) was a United Nations peacekeeping force which was deployed in the Republic of the Congo in...
Fernando Tambroni Armaroli was an Italian politician. A member of Christian Democracy, he served as the 36th Prime Minister of Italy from March to July 1960.
The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis in Cuba (Spanish: Crisis de Octubre), or the Caribbean Crisis, was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and...
The State of Katanga, also known as the Republic of Katanga, was a breakaway state that proclaimed its independence from Congo-Léopoldville on 11 July 1960 under Moïse Tshombe, leader of the local...
The United States embargo against Cuba is an embargo preventing U.S. businesses and citizens from conducting trade or commerce with Cuban interests since 1960.
Compagnie Industrielle et Forestière (Indufor) forms in Brussels
The Fanfani III Cabinet was the 16th cabinet of the Italian Republic, which held office from 27 July 1960 to 22 February 1962, for a total of 575 days, or 1 year, 6 months and 26 days. The government...
The history of the Buffalo Bills began in October of 1959, though their first game was in 1960, when the team began play as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL), winning two...
Baseball's new Continental League formally disbands without ever having played a game after established MLB promises of expansion, including New York City, achieve the owners' desired effect; on August 2, 1960, the Continental League formally disbands
For the only time in MLB history, teams exchange managers as Detroit trades Jimmy Dykes (44-52) for Cleveland's Joe Gordon (49-46)
Rocket-propelled USAF research aircraft sets record at 2,150 mph (3,460 km/h)
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the...
The Armed Forces of Côte d'Ivoire (French: Forces Armées de Cote d'Ivoire; "FACI") are the armed forces of Ivory Coast, first formed after the country's independence in 1960.
Brian Hyland's recording of "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini", a novelty pop song written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss, hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
The city of Jacksonville, Florida, began to grow in the late 18th century as Cow Ford, settled by British colonists.
Discoverer 13 launches into orbit and returns the first object from space
Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon to the...
27th NFL Chicago All-Star Game: Baltimore 32, All-Stars 7 (70,000 attendees)
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo, or less often Zaire, is a country in Central Africa.
Australian driver Jack Brabham clinches his second consecutive F1 World Drivers' Championship by winning the Portuguese Grand Prix at Boavista
A UFO is sighted by three California patrolmen
British Cyprus was the island of Cyprus under the dominion of the British Empire, administered sequentially from 1878 to 1914 as a British protectorate, from 1914 to 1925 as a unilaterally annexed...
The Milwaukee Braves were a Major League Baseball club that played in Milwaukee, from 1953 to 1965, having previously played in Boston, Massachusetts, as the Boston Braves.
The Mali Federation was a federation in West Africa linking the French colonies of Senegal and the Sudanese Republic (or French Sudan) for two months in 1960.
Gil Hodges sets the NL right-handed home run record with #352
World's largest frog, a Goliath frog weighing 3.3 kg, is found in Equatorial Guinea
-127°F (-88°C) recorded in Vostok, Antarctica; world record low temperature at the time, surpassed in 1983
Anita Lonsbrough,, later known by her married name Anita Porter, is an English former swimmer from Great Britain who won a gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics.
White Sox's Ted Kluszewski's three-run home run is disallowed as the umpire calls time
Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser wins the women's 100 m freestyle gold medal at the Rome Olympics, retaining the title won in Melbourne 1956, and will win an unprecedented third consecutive 100 m gold in Tokyo 1964
Berlin is the capital of Germany, as well as its largest city by both area and population.
Agricultural Hall of Fame forms
German sprinter Armin Hary wins the coveted 100m gold medal in 10.2 at the Rome Olympics; first non-American to win the event since 1928
American Mike Troy swims 200m butterfly world record 2:12.8 to win the gold medal from Australian Neville Hayes at the Rome Olympics
Livio Berruti is an Italian former athlete who was the winner of the 200-meter dash in the 1960 Summer Olympics. He won five medals, at individual level, and three medals with the national relay team...
Hurricane Donna kills 148 in the Caribbean and US
American Otis Davis runs a world record 44.9 to win the gold medal in the 400 m at the Rome Olympics; German Carl Kaufmann records the same time but is ruled second via photo finish
American weightlifter Charles Vinci wins his second consecutive bantamweight gold medal at the Rome Olympics with a world-record-equaling three-lift (snatch, clean & jerk, overhead press) total of 345.0 kilograms
Denver Broncos beat Boston Patriots 13-10 in the American Football League's first game before 21,597 fans at Nickerson Field in Boston
Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Mick" and "the Commerce Comet", was an American professional baseball player who played his entire Major League Baseball...
The Young Americans for Freedom, meeting at the home of William F. Buckley Jr., promulgate the Sharon Statement
Dutch first Chamber condemns soccer law
Amos Alonzo Stagg retires as a football coach at 98 years old after a 70-year career that included his final coaching role as the kicking coach at Stockton Junior College
The Milwaukee Braves were a Major League Baseball club that played in Milwaukee, from 1953 to 1965, having previously played in Boston, Massachusetts, as the Boston Braves.
The United States embargo against Cuba is an embargo preventing U.S. businesses and citizens from conducting trade or commerce with Cuban interests since 1960.
UN General Assembly admits 13 African countries and Cyprus (96 nations)
Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the eighth-largest country in Africa and the 23rd largest country in the world, with an area of over 1,240,192...
International Development Association (UN agency) comes into existence
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh.
Europe's first "moving pavement" (travelator) opens at Bank station on the London Underground
"Millionaire" last airs on CBS-TV
"Johnny Ringo" TV Western drama last airs on CBS TV
KCBY TV channel 11 in Coos Bay, OR (CBS) begins broadcasting
Courier 1B Launched; 1st active repeater satellite in orbit
British Labour party demands unilateral nuclear disarmament
Cowboys QB Eddie LeBaron throws the shortest touchdown pass (2 inches)
On October 29, 1960, a Curtiss C-46 passenger aircraft crashed shortly after take-off near Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
Hurricane ravages East-Pakistan (6,000 die)
Belgian senator Victor Leemans reveals huge gas field in Groningen
The National Football League (NFL) has had a long and complicated history in Los Angeles, the second-largest media market in the United States, behind only New York.
US and Britain sign an accord granting the US access to the British nuclear submarine base in Holy Loch, Scotland
France grants Mauritania independence
Rhode Island ( ROHD) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States.
Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel (July 30, 1890 – September 29, 1975) was an American Major League Baseball right fielder and manager, best known as the manager of the championship New York Yankees of...
The seventh Royal Navy ship to be named HMS Dreadnought was the United Kingdom's first nuclear-powered submarine, built by Vickers Armstrongs at Barrow-in-Furness.
Catastrophe at Baikonur Cosmodrome: Prototype missile explodes on launch pad, killing Chief Marshal of Artillery Mitrofan Nedelin and over 100 personnel; USSR claims victims died in plane crash, suppressing true details until 1989
1st electronic wrist watch placed on sale, NYC
MLB: American League approves existing Washington Senators move to become Minnesota Twins, and two new expansion franchises - Los Angeles Angels & Washington (D.C.) Senators; 1961 season schedule grows from 154 to 162 games
AL admits LA & Washington to the league
The Guatemalan Civil War was fought from 1960 to 1996 between the government of Guatemala and various leftist rebel groups.
Cyclone hits the coast of the Gulf of Bengal, killing about 10,000 people
The Benelux Economic Union Treaty goes in to effect, establishing a free trade area between Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (25 September [O.S. 12 September] 1906 – 9 August 1975) was a Soviet composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in...
The Constitution of Ivory Coast was approved by referendum on October 30, 2016, and officially adopted on November 8, 2016. Ivory Coast has had three constitutions.
KNRR TV channel 12 in Pembina, ND (IND) begins broadcasting
Record New York Knicks' crowd for the third Madison Square Garden venue on 49th Street, NYC; 18,499 see Knicks beat Syracuse Nationals, 112-108
Mercury-Redstone 1 test launch fails at 10 cm altitude
Fire in movie theater kills 152 children in Amude, Spain
2 passenger trains collide at high-speed killing 118, and injuring 110, in Stéblová, Czechoslovakia
Elgin Baylor of NBA LA Lakers scores 71 points vs NY Knicks
Richard Morrow Groat (November 4, 1930 – April 27, 2023) was an American professional baseball and basketball player, who was an eight-time All-Star shortstop and two-time World Series champion in...
The 1961 Washington Senators season was the team's inaugural season, having been established as a replacement for the previous franchise of the same name, which relocated to the Twin Cities of...
Charles Oscar Finley (February 22, 1918 – February 19, 1996), nicknamed "Charlie O" or "Charley O", was an American businessman who owned Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics.
James Barton "Mickey" Vernon (April 22, 1918 – September 24, 2008) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman who played for the Washington Senators (1939–1948, 1950–1955), Cleveland...
Australian driver Jack Brabham finishes 4th in season-ending US Grand Prix at Riverside Raceway to retain his F1 World Drivers Championship by 9 points from Bruce McLaren of New Zealand
Bob Scheffing signs to manage Tigers after Casey Stengel turns it down
Nuclear proliferation is the spread of nuclear weapons to additional countries, particularly those not recognized as nuclear-weapon states by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,...
Frank Oliver Howard (August 8, 1936 – October 30, 2023), nicknamed "Hondo", "the Washington Monument" and "the Capital Punisher", was an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager in...
Amos 'n' Andy is an American radio sitcom about black characters, initially set in Chicago then later in the Harlem section of New York City.
The St. Paul Saints are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.
CBS radio cancels "Have Gun Will Travel"
CBS radio expands hourly news coverage from 5 to 10 minutes
26th Heisman Trophy Award: Joe Bellino, Navy halfback
Tad Mosel (May 1, 1922 – August 24, 2008) was an American playwright and one of the leading dramatists of hour-long teleplay genre for live television during the 1950s.
Ghana drops diplomatic relations with Belgium
MLB American League grants American entertainer and businessman Gene Autry a franchise: Los Angeles Angels
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa.
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, within the Greater Los Angeles area.
Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine awarded to Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet and Peter Medawar for work on tissue grafting
Willard Libby wins the Nobel prize in Chemistry for his work developing carbon-14 dating (radiocarbon dating).
Black Sunday - Riot in Algiers; pro-independence demonstrations turn violent, 114 die
Wildcat is a musical with a book by N. Richard Nash, lyrics by Carolyn Leigh, and music by Cy Coleman. The original production opened on Broadway in 1960, starring a 49-year-old Lucille Ball in her...
The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as The Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia.
TWA 266 & United 826 collide over Staten Island, kills 134
Pablo Casals' oratorio "El Pesebrio" premieres in Acapulco, Mexico
Apartheid ( ə-PART-(h)yte, especially South African English: ə-PART-(h)ayt, Afrikaans: [aˈpart (ɦ)əit] ; transl. "separateness", lit. 'aparthood') was a system of institutionalised racial segregation...
USS Constellation (hull number CVA-64/CV-64) was a Kitty Hawk-class supercarrier and the third ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the "new constellation of stars" on the flag of...
Auschwitz commandant Richard Bar arrested in German FR
Jan De Quay's Dutch government falls
Dutch bishops question papacy values
The 1961 NFL draft took place at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia on December 27–28, 1960. The league would later hold an expansion draft for the Minnesota Vikings expansion franchise.
Will Wright is born
Linda Blair, American actress and animal rights activist, known for american actress and animal rights activist, was born on 1960-01-22. Linda Denise Blair is an American actress and activist.
Michael Hutchence, Australian musician, known for australian singer, was born on 1960-01-22.
Greg Louganis is born
Dino Ciccarelli, Canadian athlete, known for canadian ice hockey player, was born on 1960-02-08.
John McEnroe athlete, known for american former tennis player, was born on 1960-02-16. John Patrick McEnroe Jr. is an American former professional tennis player.
Tom Lehman, American athlete, known for american professional golfer, was born on 1960-03-07. Thomas Edward Lehman is an American professional golfer.
Kirby Puckett, American athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1960-03-14. Kirby Puckett (March 14, 1960 – March 6, 2006) was an American professional baseball player.
Flavor Flav rapper, known for american rapper, was born on 1960-03-16. William Jonathan Drayton Jr., known by his stage name Flavor Flav ( FLAY-vər FLAYV), is an American rapper and television…
Ayrton Senna, Brazilian athlete, known for brazilian racing driver, was born on 1960-03-21. Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver who competed in Formula One from 1984 to 1994.
Emma Thompson, English actress and screenwriter, known for british actress and screenwriter, was born on 1960-04-15. Dame Emma Thompson is an English actress and screenwriter.
Robert Smith, English musician, known for english rock musician, was born on 1960-04-21.
Paul Gross, Canadian actor, producer, director and writer, known for canadian actor, producer, director and writer, was born on 1960-04-30.
Randy Travis, American singer, known for american singer, was born on 1960-05-04. Randy Bruce Traywick, known professionally as Randy Travis, is an American country and gospel music singer and…
Peter Molyneux is born
Tony Gwynn athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1960-05-09. Anthony Keith Gwynn Sr. (May 9, 1960 – June 16, 2014), nicknamed "Mr.
Jeffrey Dahmer, American serial killer, known for american serial killer, was born on 1960-05-21.
Loretta Lynch, American attorney, known for american attorney, was born on 1960-05-21.
Mike Pence is born
Hugh Laurie, English actor, comedian, and musician, known for english actor, comedian, and musician, was born on 1960-06-11. James Hugh Calum Laurie is an English actor, comedian, and musician.
Janusz Kamiński is born
Richie Sambora, American musician, known for american musician and songwriter, was born on 1960-07-11. Richard Stephen Sambora is an American musician, songwriter and singer.
Kevin Spacey, American actor, known for american actor, was born on 1960-07-26. Kevin Spacey Fowler is an American actor.
Rosanna Arquette, American actress, known for american actress, was born on 1960-08-10. Rosanna Lisa Arquette ( roh-ZAH-nə ar-KET; born August 10, 1959) is an American actress.
Magic Johnson athlete, known for american basketball player and entrepreneur, was born on 1960-08-14. Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is an American businessman and former professional basketball player.
Chris Hadfield, Canadian astronaut, known for canadian astronaut, was born on 1960-08-29. Chris Austin Hadfield is a Canadian retired astronaut, engineer, fighter pilot, musician, and writer.
Tim Raines athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1960-09-16. Timothy Raines Sr., nicknamed "Rock", is an American professional baseball coach and former player.
Youssou N'dour, French musician, known for senegalese politician and musician, was born on 1960-10-01. Youssou N'Dour is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, and politician.
Fred Couples, American athlete, known for american professional golfer, was born on 1960-10-03.
Simon Cowell, English reality television judge, television producer and music executive, known for english reality television judge, television producer and music executive, was born on 1960-10-07.
Weird Al Yankovic, American comedy musician, known for american comedy musician, was born on 1960-10-23. Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American comedy musician, writer, and actor.
Wolfgang Güllich, German athlete, known for german rock climber, was born on 1960-10-24.
Evo Morales is born
Mike Gartner, Canadian athlete, known for canadian ice hockey player, was born on 1960-10-29.
Diego Maradona, Argentine athlete, known for argentine football player and manager, was born on 1960-10-30.
Fernando Valenzuela, American athlete, known for mexican baseball player, was born on 1960-11-01. Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea, nicknamed "El Toro", was a Mexican professional baseball pitcher.
Bryan Adams, Canadian musician, known for canadian singer-songwriter and musician, was born on 1960-11-05.
Corey Pavin, American athlete, known for american professional golfer, was born on 1960-11-16. Corey Allen Pavin is an American professional golfer.
Allison Janney, American actress, known for american actress, was born on 1960-11-19. Allison Brooks Janney is an American actress.
Sylvia Hanika is born
Lee Daniels, American filmmaker and television producer, known for american filmmaker and television producer, was born on 1960-12-24.
Kevin Anderson is born
Jane Geddes is born
Stephen Harper is born
Hassan Nasrallah is born
Bryan Stevenson, American lawyer and social justice activist, known for american lawyer and social justice activist, was born on 1960-11-14.
Fausto Coppi cyclist, known for italian cyclist, died on 1960-01-02. Angelo Fausto Coppi was an Italian cyclist, the dominant international cyclist of the years after the Second World War.
Albert Camus, French philosopher and writer, known for french philosopher and writer, died on 1960-01-04.
Melvin Purvis fbi agent, known for american fbi agent, died on 1960-02-29. Melvin Horace Purvis II (October 24, 1903 – February 29, 1960) was an FBI agent who was instrumental in capturing bank…
Archibald McIndoe, New Zealand zealand plastic surgeon, known for new zealand plastic surgeon, died on 1960-04-12.
Harry Ferguson, Irish engineer and inventor, known for british engineer and inventor, died on 1960-10-25.
A photograph of a 13-year-old South African boy in a torn vest working in a mine is published in the Daily Herald; employing a 'native' under 18 in the mines is illegal under the Native Labour Regulation Act
LaMar Clark sets pro boxing record of 44 consecutive knockouts
Comedic actor Bob Denver (25) weds Maggie Ryan in California
American songwriter Adolph Green (45) weds (for 3rd and final time) American actress and singer Phyllis Newman (24) in NYC, until his death in 2002
Australian Championships Men's Tennis: In a classic all-Australian final Rod Laver beats Neale Fraser 5-7, 3-6, 6-3, 8-6, 8-6; Laver's first Grand Slam title
"La Dolce Vita" directed by Federico Fellini and starring Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg has its film premiere in Italy
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom issues an Order-in-Council stating that she and her family will be known as the House of Windsor and that her descendants will take the name "Mountbatten-Windsor"
France becomes the fourth nuclear nation by detonating its first device, a 70-kiloton "Gerboise Bleue" atomic bomb in the Algerian Sahara Desert [1]
Vera Miles stars in the "Mirror Image" episode of the CBS anthology series "The Twilight Zone"
The 1960 Agadir earthquake occurred on 29 February at 23:40:18 Western European Time near the city of Agadir, located in western Morocco on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean.
Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American comedian, actress, producer, and studio executive.
One of the first French New Wave films, "Breathless", directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg is released in France
First guided missile launched from a nuclear powered submarine (USS Halibut)
Academy Award-winning actor Yul Brynner (39) divorces actress Virginia Gilmore (40) after 15 years of marriage
Actor Yul Brynner (39) weds fashion house executive Doris Kleiner (32) in Mexico City; divorce in 1967
The singles discography of Elvis Presley began in 1954 with the release of his first commercial single, "That's All Right".
Musical "The Fantasticks" by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones opens in Greenwich Village, NYC, becomes “the longest-running musical in the universe”
The combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP), often referred to as the birth control pill or colloquially as "the pill", is a type of birth control that is designed to be taken orally by women.
USS Triton (SSRN/SSN-586), the only member of her class, was a nuclear powered radar picket submarine in the United States Navy. She was the only Western submarine powered by two nuclear reactors.
Actress Laraine Day (39) divorces manager Leo Durocher (53) due to incompatibility after 12 years of marriage
"Psycho", a psychological horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Janet Leigh, Anthony Perkins, and Vera Miles, opens in New York City
"I'm a Honky Tonk Girl" is the debut single by American country music artist Loretta Lynn, released in March 1960.
First contraceptive pill is made available for purchase in the United States
Actress Bette Davis (52) divorces actor Gary Merrill (46) after almost 10 years of marriage
American "Psycho" actress Vera Miles (30) weds third husband, American actor-director-screenwriter Keith Larsen (36); divorce in 1971
Professional golfer Jack Nicklaus (20) weds Barbara Bash
AFL begins placing players' names on the backs of their jerseys
American ctress Tammy Grimes (26) divorces Canadian actor Christopher Plummer (30) after 4 years of marriage
Nationwide release of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" starring Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC OH-pek) is an organization enabling the co-operation of leading oil-producing and oil-dependent countries in order to collectively...
Joseph Henri Maurice "Rocket" Richard was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens.
"The Twist" is an American song written and originally released in 1958 by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters as a B-side to "Teardrops on Your Letter". It was inspired by the twist dance craze.
The Flintstones is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions.
Historical drama film "Spartacus," directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Kirk Douglas and Laurence Olivier, premieres in New York City
Japanese politician Inejiro Asanuma is assassinated with a sword during a televised debate live on TV by 17-year old nationalist Otoya Yamaguchi
American pop and soul singer Ben E. King records "Spanish Harlem" and "Stand By Me" in NYC
Cassius Clay [Muhammad Ali], in his first professional fight, beats Tunney Hunsaker on points in 6 rounds in Louisville, Kentucky
Uncensored version of D. H. Lawrence's "Lady Chatterley’s Lover" finally goes on sale in the UK after a jury finds publisher Penguin Books not guilty in an obscenity trial
Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist.
US Marshals escort four six-year-old African American girls to previously all-white public schools in New Orleans in response to death threats against the girls and race riots
American movie actress Lana Turner (39) weds 5th husband, rancher Frederick May; divorce in 1962
First broadcast of "Coronation Street" on British ITV; recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's longest-running television soap opera upon its 50th anniversary in 2010
Ring-a-Ding-Ding! is the twentieth studio album by Frank Sinatra, released on May 7, 1961.
The Viet Cong (VC) was an epithet and umbrella term to refer to the communist-led armed movement and united front organization in South Vietnam.
First redshank, an Old World shorebird, is reported in North America near Halifax
Roger Sessions' 4th Symphony, in honor of the Minnesota Centennial, premieres by the Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Antal Doráti
The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is a regional trade organisation and free trade area consisting of four European states: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Continental League, a proposed third baseball major league, gets an assurance of congressional support from NY Senator Kenneth Keating
Aswan is a city in Southern Egypt, and is the capital of the Aswan Governorate. The city is among the oldest continuously inhabited cities, with its recorded history spanning over 2,600 years. Aswan...
The Bollingen Prize for Poetry is a literary honor bestowed on an American poet. Every two years, the award recognizes a poet for best new volume of work or lifetime achievement.
Adolph Schayes ( SHAYZ; May 19, 1928 – December 10, 2015) was an American professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is Australia's central bank and banknote issuing authority.
Capital Airlines Flight 20 crashes in Virginia, killing all 50 people on-board
Nobusuke Kishi (岸 信介, Kishi Nobusuke; 13 November 1896 – 7 August 1987) was a Japanese bureaucrat and politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1957 to 1960.
Little Joe 4 suborbital Mercury test reaches 16 km
Walker Smith Jr. (May 3, 1921 – April 12, 1989), better known as Sugar Ray Robinson, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1940 to 1965.
US Navy bathyscaphe "Trieste", crewed by Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard and USN Lieutenant Don Walsh, becomes first manned vessel to reach bottom of Pacific Ocean (10,916 m) in the Mariana Trench; craft was designed by Auguste Piccard, father of the pilot, in 1953 for the French Navy [1]
Algeria uprises against French President de Gaulle
High-school basketball sensation Danny Heater scores 135 points
Baseball's new Continental League awards its 8th, and last, franchise to Buffalo, New York
Chad was a part of the French colonial empire from 1900 to 1960. Colonial rule under the French began in 1900 when the Military Territory of Chad was established.
1st civil rights sit-in, at Woolworth's in Greensboro, North Carolina; four Black students - Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, David Richmond, and Ezell Blair Jr. - spend the day waitng to be served at the segregated lunch counter in a peaceful protest
Michale Eufemia sinks 625 balls in pool match without a miss
Giants move their offices to Candlestick Park
Old handwriting found in at Qumran, near the Dead Sea
AFL & NFL agree verbally to a no tampering pact
Charles Ives' composition "Lincoln, the Great Commoner" premieres
Jack Harold Paar (May 1, 1918 – January 27, 2004) was an American talk show host, writer, radio and television comedian, and film actor. He was the second host of The Tonight Show from 1957 to 1962.
Chinese army kills 12 Indian soldiers
The Daytona 500 is a 500-mile-long (805 km) NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
USS Triton (SSRN/SSN-586), the only member of her class, was a nuclear powered radar picket submarine in the United States Navy. She was the only Western submarine powered by two nuclear reactors.
The history of Poland from 1945 to 1989 spans the period of Marxist–Leninist regime in Poland after the end of World War II.
Soviet females sweep the 10k cross country event at Squaw Valley; first medal sweep for the Soviets at a Winter Olympics; Maria Gusakova wins from Lyubov Kozyreva and Radya Yeroshina
Biathlon debuts at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics; Klas Lestander from Sweden becomes the first Olympic champion ahead of Finland's Antti Tyrväinen and Soviet Aleksandr Privalov
German skier Georg Thoma becomes the first non-Nordic athlete to win the Nordic combined event at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics
Carol Heiss wins the women's figure skating gold medal at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics; US takes the singles double after David Jenkins wins men's event
Austria goes 1-2 in the men's slalom at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics; Ernst Hintersteer wins gold ahead of teammate Hias Leitner
David Jenkins wins the men's figure skating gold medal at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics; US takes the singles double after Carol Heiss wins women's event
Oil pipe line from Rotterdam to Ruhrgebied opens
9th largest snowfall in NYC history (14.5")
French freighter "La Coubre" explodes in Havana Cuba, killing 100
President Sukarno of Indonesia disbands existing parliament and replaces it with a new grouping, half appointed by himself
Dutch Builders strike for CLA
Pioneer 5 (also known as Pioneer P-2, and Able 4, and nicknamed the "Paddle-Wheel Satellite") was a spin-stabilized space probe in the NASA Pioneer program used to investigate interplanetary space...
LPGA Titleholders Championship Women's Golf, Augusta CC: Fay Crocker of Uruguay wins by 7 strokes ahead of Kathy Cornelius
14 die in a train crash in Bakersfield, California
Key Largo Coral Reef Preserve, also known as John D. Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, established as 1st underwater park, off the coast of Florida
Dedication of National Observatory at Kitt Peak, in the Quinlan Mountains of the Arizona-Sonoran Desert, Tohono O'odham Nation lands of Arizona dedicated
The first modern humans are believed to have inhabited South Africa more than 100,000 years ago.
NASA's Explorer (8) fails to reach Earth orbit
Iraq executes 30 after attack on Prime Minister Abd al-Karim Qasim
Pope John appoints the first Japanese, African & Filipino cardinals
First Nations people first granted the right to vote in Canada, without giving up their Indian status, in repeal of part of Canada Elections Act [1]
1st weather satellite launched (TIROS 1)
Cuba has a developing command economy dominated by state-run enterprises. The Communist Party of Cuba maintains high levels of public sector control and exerts significant influence over the Cuban...
Earthquake at Havre, Belgium
Netherlands and Germany sign accord concerning war casualties
South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd survives an assassination attempt by David Pratt despite being twice shot in the face
The Civil Rights Act of 1960 (Pub. L. 86–449, 74 Stat. 89, enacted May 6, 1960) is a United States federal law that established federal inspection of local voter registration polls and introduced...
US Department of Defense places "Transit 1B", 1st navigational satellite, in orbit around Earth
1st underwater launching of Polaris missile
Guy Carawan sings "We Shall Overcome" to the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in Raleigh, popularizing the song as a protest anthem
American Samoa is an unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States located in the Polynesia region of the south Pacific Ocean.
Baseball uniforms begin displaying players' names on their backs
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America.
The 14th Annual Tony Awards took place at the Astor Hotel Grand Ballroom on April 24, 1960, and was broadcast on local television station WCBS-TV in New York City.
USS Triton (SSRN/SSN-586), the only member of her class, was a nuclear powered radar picket submarine in the United States Navy. She was the only Western submarine powered by two nuclear reactors.
1st atomic powered electric-drive submarine launched (Tullibee)
Bombay State was a large Indian state created in 1950 from the erstwhile Bombay Province, with other regions being added to it in the succeeding years.
Allen Drury wins Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his novel "Advise and Consent"
Harry Belafonte ( BEL-ə-FON-tee; born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor, and civil rights activist who popularized calypso music with...
First Great Delta Dam closes in North-South Beveland, Netherlands
Jakarta, officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta, is the de facto capital and largest city of Indonesia and an autonomous region with a status equivalent to that of a province.
Dodgers Larry & Norm Sherry are baseball's 10th brother battery
1st performance of Ferde Grofé's "San Francisco Suite", with Grofé conducting, in San Francisco
From 1960 to 1963, Nigeria was a sovereign state and an independent constitutional monarchy. Nigeria shared the monarch with Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, and certain other sovereign states.
French liner "France" launched
1st launch of Delta satellite launching vehicle; it failed
USSR launch 1st (unmanned) space capsule
"L'Avventura", Italian film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, starring Gabriele Ferzetti, Monica Vitti. premieres at Cannes
Big 4 summit in Paris collapses as USSR levels spy charges against US
First atomic reactor system patented by J. W. Flora of Canoga Park, California
Eillen Fulton begins playing Lisa on As the World Turns (for almost 30 yrs)
Alan Freed & eight other radio DJs accused of taking radio payola (bribes from record companies)
A magnitude 9.4-9.6 earthquake strikes near the city of Valdivia in Chile, the strongest ever recorded, causing multiple tsunamis and killing 1,000-7,000 people
The Four Preps are an American popular music male quartet. In the 1950s and 1960s, the group amassed eight gold singles and three gold albums.
One millionth Dutch telephone installed
George Crowe's record 11th pinch-hit HR
Baltimore manager Paul Richards devises oversized catcher's mitt, used by Baltimore Oriole Clint Courtney
WDTV TV channel 5 in Clarksburg-Weston, West Vrirginia (CBS) begins broadcasting
Broadway theaters close (labor dispute between owners & Actors Equity)
"The George Gobel Show" last airs on CBS-TV
ABC and AFL sign a 5 year contract
House packed with wedding celebrants collapses killing 30 (Pakistan)
KORN (now KDLT) TV channel 5 in Mitchell-Sioux Falls, SD (ABC) begins
Prince Norodom Sihanoek becomes head of Cambodia
President Eisenhower cancels trip to Japan
San Francisco Giants hire Tom Sheehan to replace Bill Rigney; baseball's oldest debuting manager (66) goes 46-50-2 for remainder of season
1st Copa Libertadores Final, Asunción: Luis Cubilla scores 83' equaliser for Peñarol of Uruguay for 1-1 draw against Olimpia (Paraguay); win 2-1 on aggregate after taking 1st-leg 1-0 in Montevideo
German sprinter Armin Hary runs world record 100m (10.0)
"The Pat Boone-Chevy Showroom" last airs on ABC-TV
Geoffrey Merton Griffin (12 June 1939 – 16 November 2006) was a Test cricketer who toured England with the South African cricket team in 1960, appearing in two Test matches.
On 8 September 2023 at 23:11 DST (22:11 UTC), an earthquake with a moment magnitude of 6.9 and maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent) struck Morocco's Al Haouz Province.
British Somaliland (now Somalia) gains independence from Britain
British Somaliland, officially the Somaliland Protectorate (Somali: Maxmiyadda Dhulka Soomaalida), was a protectorate of the United Kingdom in the territory of modern Somaliland.
10.40" (26.42 cm) of rainfall, Dunmor, Kentucky (state 24-hour record)
KYA-AM in San Francisco changes call letters to KDBQ (for 2 weeks)
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo, or less often Zaire, is a country in Central Africa.
The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S.
The Constitution of Mongolia was adopted on 13 January 1992, put into force on 12 February, with amendments made in 1999, 2000, 2019, 2022, and 2023.
Dr Barbara Moore completes a 3,207 mile walk from LA to NYC
Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial (Dutch: Amerikaanse Begraafplaats Margraten) is a Second World War military war grave cemetery, located in the village of Margraten, 10 km (6.2 mi) east of...
The Congo Crisis (French: Crise congolaise) was a period of political upheaval and conflict between 1960 and 1965 in the Republic of the Congo (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
The Russian Children's Center "Orlyonok" is a federal state all-year camp for kids aged 11–16 (school grades 6 through 10).
KDBQ-AM in San Francisco CA changes call letters to KYA
Fire rages through a Guatemala City insane asylum killing 225 and severely injuring 300
,000 (record sports attend) see Brazil-Uruguay World Cup soccer [1]
The United Nations Operation in the Congo (French: Opération des Nations Unies au Congo, abbreviated ONUC) was a United Nations peacekeeping force which was deployed in the Republic of the Congo in...
Fernando Tambroni Armaroli was an Italian politician. A member of Christian Democracy, he served as the 36th Prime Minister of Italy from March to July 1960.
The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis in Cuba (Spanish: Crisis de Octubre), or the Caribbean Crisis, was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and...
The State of Katanga, also known as the Republic of Katanga, was a breakaway state that proclaimed its independence from Congo-Léopoldville on 11 July 1960 under Moïse Tshombe, leader of the local...
The United States embargo against Cuba is an embargo preventing U.S. businesses and citizens from conducting trade or commerce with Cuban interests since 1960.
Compagnie Industrielle et Forestière (Indufor) forms in Brussels
The Fanfani III Cabinet was the 16th cabinet of the Italian Republic, which held office from 27 July 1960 to 22 February 1962, for a total of 575 days, or 1 year, 6 months and 26 days. The government...
The history of the Buffalo Bills began in October of 1959, though their first game was in 1960, when the team began play as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL), winning two...
Baseball's new Continental League formally disbands without ever having played a game after established MLB promises of expansion, including New York City, achieve the owners' desired effect; on August 2, 1960, the Continental League formally disbands
For the only time in MLB history, teams exchange managers as Detroit trades Jimmy Dykes (44-52) for Cleveland's Joe Gordon (49-46)
Rocket-propelled USAF research aircraft sets record at 2,150 mph (3,460 km/h)
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the...
The Armed Forces of Côte d'Ivoire (French: Forces Armées de Cote d'Ivoire; "FACI") are the armed forces of Ivory Coast, first formed after the country's independence in 1960.
Brian Hyland's recording of "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini", a novelty pop song written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss, hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
The city of Jacksonville, Florida, began to grow in the late 18th century as Cow Ford, settled by British colonists.
Discoverer 13 launches into orbit and returns the first object from space
Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon to the...
27th NFL Chicago All-Star Game: Baltimore 32, All-Stars 7 (70,000 attendees)
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo, or less often Zaire, is a country in Central Africa.
Australian driver Jack Brabham clinches his second consecutive F1 World Drivers' Championship by winning the Portuguese Grand Prix at Boavista
A UFO is sighted by three California patrolmen
British Cyprus was the island of Cyprus under the dominion of the British Empire, administered sequentially from 1878 to 1914 as a British protectorate, from 1914 to 1925 as a unilaterally annexed...
The Milwaukee Braves were a Major League Baseball club that played in Milwaukee, from 1953 to 1965, having previously played in Boston, Massachusetts, as the Boston Braves.
The Mali Federation was a federation in West Africa linking the French colonies of Senegal and the Sudanese Republic (or French Sudan) for two months in 1960.
Gil Hodges sets the NL right-handed home run record with #352
World's largest frog, a Goliath frog weighing 3.3 kg, is found in Equatorial Guinea
-127°F (-88°C) recorded in Vostok, Antarctica; world record low temperature at the time, surpassed in 1983
Anita Lonsbrough,, later known by her married name Anita Porter, is an English former swimmer from Great Britain who won a gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics.
White Sox's Ted Kluszewski's three-run home run is disallowed as the umpire calls time
Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser wins the women's 100 m freestyle gold medal at the Rome Olympics, retaining the title won in Melbourne 1956, and will win an unprecedented third consecutive 100 m gold in Tokyo 1964
Berlin is the capital of Germany, as well as its largest city by both area and population.
Agricultural Hall of Fame forms
German sprinter Armin Hary wins the coveted 100m gold medal in 10.2 at the Rome Olympics; first non-American to win the event since 1928
American Mike Troy swims 200m butterfly world record 2:12.8 to win the gold medal from Australian Neville Hayes at the Rome Olympics
Livio Berruti is an Italian former athlete who was the winner of the 200-meter dash in the 1960 Summer Olympics. He won five medals, at individual level, and three medals with the national relay team...
Hurricane Donna kills 148 in the Caribbean and US
American Otis Davis runs a world record 44.9 to win the gold medal in the 400 m at the Rome Olympics; German Carl Kaufmann records the same time but is ruled second via photo finish
American weightlifter Charles Vinci wins his second consecutive bantamweight gold medal at the Rome Olympics with a world-record-equaling three-lift (snatch, clean & jerk, overhead press) total of 345.0 kilograms
Denver Broncos beat Boston Patriots 13-10 in the American Football League's first game before 21,597 fans at Nickerson Field in Boston
Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Mick" and "the Commerce Comet", was an American professional baseball player who played his entire Major League Baseball...
The Young Americans for Freedom, meeting at the home of William F. Buckley Jr., promulgate the Sharon Statement
Dutch first Chamber condemns soccer law
Amos Alonzo Stagg retires as a football coach at 98 years old after a 70-year career that included his final coaching role as the kicking coach at Stockton Junior College
The Milwaukee Braves were a Major League Baseball club that played in Milwaukee, from 1953 to 1965, having previously played in Boston, Massachusetts, as the Boston Braves.
The United States embargo against Cuba is an embargo preventing U.S. businesses and citizens from conducting trade or commerce with Cuban interests since 1960.
UN General Assembly admits 13 African countries and Cyprus (96 nations)
Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the eighth-largest country in Africa and the 23rd largest country in the world, with an area of over 1,240,192...
International Development Association (UN agency) comes into existence
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh.
Europe's first "moving pavement" (travelator) opens at Bank station on the London Underground
"Millionaire" last airs on CBS-TV
"Johnny Ringo" TV Western drama last airs on CBS TV
KCBY TV channel 11 in Coos Bay, OR (CBS) begins broadcasting
Courier 1B Launched; 1st active repeater satellite in orbit
British Labour party demands unilateral nuclear disarmament
Cowboys QB Eddie LeBaron throws the shortest touchdown pass (2 inches)
On October 29, 1960, a Curtiss C-46 passenger aircraft crashed shortly after take-off near Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
Hurricane ravages East-Pakistan (6,000 die)
Belgian senator Victor Leemans reveals huge gas field in Groningen
The National Football League (NFL) has had a long and complicated history in Los Angeles, the second-largest media market in the United States, behind only New York.
US and Britain sign an accord granting the US access to the British nuclear submarine base in Holy Loch, Scotland
France grants Mauritania independence
Rhode Island ( ROHD) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States.
Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel (July 30, 1890 – September 29, 1975) was an American Major League Baseball right fielder and manager, best known as the manager of the championship New York Yankees of...
The seventh Royal Navy ship to be named HMS Dreadnought was the United Kingdom's first nuclear-powered submarine, built by Vickers Armstrongs at Barrow-in-Furness.
Catastrophe at Baikonur Cosmodrome: Prototype missile explodes on launch pad, killing Chief Marshal of Artillery Mitrofan Nedelin and over 100 personnel; USSR claims victims died in plane crash, suppressing true details until 1989
1st electronic wrist watch placed on sale, NYC
MLB: American League approves existing Washington Senators move to become Minnesota Twins, and two new expansion franchises - Los Angeles Angels & Washington (D.C.) Senators; 1961 season schedule grows from 154 to 162 games
AL admits LA & Washington to the league
The Guatemalan Civil War was fought from 1960 to 1996 between the government of Guatemala and various leftist rebel groups.
Cyclone hits the coast of the Gulf of Bengal, killing about 10,000 people
The Benelux Economic Union Treaty goes in to effect, establishing a free trade area between Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (25 September [O.S. 12 September] 1906 – 9 August 1975) was a Soviet composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in...
The Constitution of Ivory Coast was approved by referendum on October 30, 2016, and officially adopted on November 8, 2016. Ivory Coast has had three constitutions.
KNRR TV channel 12 in Pembina, ND (IND) begins broadcasting
Record New York Knicks' crowd for the third Madison Square Garden venue on 49th Street, NYC; 18,499 see Knicks beat Syracuse Nationals, 112-108
Mercury-Redstone 1 test launch fails at 10 cm altitude
Fire in movie theater kills 152 children in Amude, Spain
2 passenger trains collide at high-speed killing 118, and injuring 110, in Stéblová, Czechoslovakia
Elgin Baylor of NBA LA Lakers scores 71 points vs NY Knicks
Richard Morrow Groat (November 4, 1930 – April 27, 2023) was an American professional baseball and basketball player, who was an eight-time All-Star shortstop and two-time World Series champion in...
The 1961 Washington Senators season was the team's inaugural season, having been established as a replacement for the previous franchise of the same name, which relocated to the Twin Cities of...
Charles Oscar Finley (February 22, 1918 – February 19, 1996), nicknamed "Charlie O" or "Charley O", was an American businessman who owned Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics.
James Barton "Mickey" Vernon (April 22, 1918 – September 24, 2008) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman who played for the Washington Senators (1939–1948, 1950–1955), Cleveland...
Australian driver Jack Brabham finishes 4th in season-ending US Grand Prix at Riverside Raceway to retain his F1 World Drivers Championship by 9 points from Bruce McLaren of New Zealand
Bob Scheffing signs to manage Tigers after Casey Stengel turns it down
Nuclear proliferation is the spread of nuclear weapons to additional countries, particularly those not recognized as nuclear-weapon states by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,...
Frank Oliver Howard (August 8, 1936 – October 30, 2023), nicknamed "Hondo", "the Washington Monument" and "the Capital Punisher", was an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager in...
Amos 'n' Andy is an American radio sitcom about black characters, initially set in Chicago then later in the Harlem section of New York City.
The St. Paul Saints are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.
CBS radio cancels "Have Gun Will Travel"
CBS radio expands hourly news coverage from 5 to 10 minutes
26th Heisman Trophy Award: Joe Bellino, Navy halfback
Tad Mosel (May 1, 1922 – August 24, 2008) was an American playwright and one of the leading dramatists of hour-long teleplay genre for live television during the 1950s.
Ghana drops diplomatic relations with Belgium
MLB American League grants American entertainer and businessman Gene Autry a franchise: Los Angeles Angels
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa.
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, within the Greater Los Angeles area.
Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine awarded to Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet and Peter Medawar for work on tissue grafting
Willard Libby wins the Nobel prize in Chemistry for his work developing carbon-14 dating (radiocarbon dating).
Black Sunday - Riot in Algiers; pro-independence demonstrations turn violent, 114 die
Wildcat is a musical with a book by N. Richard Nash, lyrics by Carolyn Leigh, and music by Cy Coleman. The original production opened on Broadway in 1960, starring a 49-year-old Lucille Ball in her...
The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as The Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia.
TWA 266 & United 826 collide over Staten Island, kills 134
Pablo Casals' oratorio "El Pesebrio" premieres in Acapulco, Mexico
Apartheid ( ə-PART-(h)yte, especially South African English: ə-PART-(h)ayt, Afrikaans: [aˈpart (ɦ)əit] ; transl. "separateness", lit. 'aparthood') was a system of institutionalised racial segregation...
USS Constellation (hull number CVA-64/CV-64) was a Kitty Hawk-class supercarrier and the third ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the "new constellation of stars" on the flag of...
Auschwitz commandant Richard Bar arrested in German FR
Jan De Quay's Dutch government falls
Dutch bishops question papacy values
The 1961 NFL draft took place at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia on December 27–28, 1960. The league would later hold an expansion draft for the Minnesota Vikings expansion franchise.
Will Wright is born
Linda Blair, American actress and animal rights activist, known for american actress and animal rights activist, was born on 1960-01-22. Linda Denise Blair is an American actress and activist.
Michael Hutchence, Australian musician, known for australian singer, was born on 1960-01-22.
Greg Louganis is born
Dino Ciccarelli, Canadian athlete, known for canadian ice hockey player, was born on 1960-02-08.
John McEnroe athlete, known for american former tennis player, was born on 1960-02-16. John Patrick McEnroe Jr. is an American former professional tennis player.
Tom Lehman, American athlete, known for american professional golfer, was born on 1960-03-07. Thomas Edward Lehman is an American professional golfer.
Kirby Puckett, American athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1960-03-14. Kirby Puckett (March 14, 1960 – March 6, 2006) was an American professional baseball player.
Flavor Flav rapper, known for american rapper, was born on 1960-03-16. William Jonathan Drayton Jr., known by his stage name Flavor Flav ( FLAY-vər FLAYV), is an American rapper and television…
Ayrton Senna, Brazilian athlete, known for brazilian racing driver, was born on 1960-03-21. Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver who competed in Formula One from 1984 to 1994.
Emma Thompson, English actress and screenwriter, known for british actress and screenwriter, was born on 1960-04-15. Dame Emma Thompson is an English actress and screenwriter.
Robert Smith, English musician, known for english rock musician, was born on 1960-04-21.
Paul Gross, Canadian actor, producer, director and writer, known for canadian actor, producer, director and writer, was born on 1960-04-30.
Randy Travis, American singer, known for american singer, was born on 1960-05-04. Randy Bruce Traywick, known professionally as Randy Travis, is an American country and gospel music singer and…
Peter Molyneux is born
Tony Gwynn athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1960-05-09. Anthony Keith Gwynn Sr. (May 9, 1960 – June 16, 2014), nicknamed "Mr.
Jeffrey Dahmer, American serial killer, known for american serial killer, was born on 1960-05-21.
Loretta Lynch, American attorney, known for american attorney, was born on 1960-05-21.
Mike Pence is born
Hugh Laurie, English actor, comedian, and musician, known for english actor, comedian, and musician, was born on 1960-06-11. James Hugh Calum Laurie is an English actor, comedian, and musician.
Janusz Kamiński is born
Richie Sambora, American musician, known for american musician and songwriter, was born on 1960-07-11. Richard Stephen Sambora is an American musician, songwriter and singer.
Kevin Spacey, American actor, known for american actor, was born on 1960-07-26. Kevin Spacey Fowler is an American actor.
Rosanna Arquette, American actress, known for american actress, was born on 1960-08-10. Rosanna Lisa Arquette ( roh-ZAH-nə ar-KET; born August 10, 1959) is an American actress.
Magic Johnson athlete, known for american basketball player and entrepreneur, was born on 1960-08-14. Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is an American businessman and former professional basketball player.
Chris Hadfield, Canadian astronaut, known for canadian astronaut, was born on 1960-08-29. Chris Austin Hadfield is a Canadian retired astronaut, engineer, fighter pilot, musician, and writer.
Tim Raines athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1960-09-16. Timothy Raines Sr., nicknamed "Rock", is an American professional baseball coach and former player.
Youssou N'dour, French musician, known for senegalese politician and musician, was born on 1960-10-01. Youssou N'Dour is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, and politician.
Fred Couples, American athlete, known for american professional golfer, was born on 1960-10-03.
Simon Cowell, English reality television judge, television producer and music executive, known for english reality television judge, television producer and music executive, was born on 1960-10-07.
Weird Al Yankovic, American comedy musician, known for american comedy musician, was born on 1960-10-23. Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American comedy musician, writer, and actor.
Wolfgang Güllich, German athlete, known for german rock climber, was born on 1960-10-24.
Evo Morales is born
Mike Gartner, Canadian athlete, known for canadian ice hockey player, was born on 1960-10-29.
Diego Maradona, Argentine athlete, known for argentine football player and manager, was born on 1960-10-30.
Fernando Valenzuela, American athlete, known for mexican baseball player, was born on 1960-11-01. Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea, nicknamed "El Toro", was a Mexican professional baseball pitcher.
Bryan Adams, Canadian musician, known for canadian singer-songwriter and musician, was born on 1960-11-05.
Corey Pavin, American athlete, known for american professional golfer, was born on 1960-11-16. Corey Allen Pavin is an American professional golfer.
Allison Janney, American actress, known for american actress, was born on 1960-11-19. Allison Brooks Janney is an American actress.
Sylvia Hanika is born
Lee Daniels, American filmmaker and television producer, known for american filmmaker and television producer, was born on 1960-12-24.
Kevin Anderson is born
Jane Geddes is born
Stephen Harper is born
Hassan Nasrallah is born
Bryan Stevenson, American lawyer and social justice activist, known for american lawyer and social justice activist, was born on 1960-11-14.
Fausto Coppi cyclist, known for italian cyclist, died on 1960-01-02. Angelo Fausto Coppi was an Italian cyclist, the dominant international cyclist of the years after the Second World War.
Albert Camus, French philosopher and writer, known for french philosopher and writer, died on 1960-01-04.
Melvin Purvis fbi agent, known for american fbi agent, died on 1960-02-29. Melvin Horace Purvis II (October 24, 1903 – February 29, 1960) was an FBI agent who was instrumental in capturing bank…
Archibald McIndoe, New Zealand zealand plastic surgeon, known for new zealand plastic surgeon, died on 1960-04-12.
Harry Ferguson, Irish engineer and inventor, known for british engineer and inventor, died on 1960-10-25.