- President Kennedy assassinated in Dallas, Texas; Vice President Lyndon Johnson becomes President. The accused assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, is shot and killed a short time later.
- Civil rights protests continue throughout the South, during which nonviolent activists are frequently met with beatings and arrests
- 200,000 people march on Washington in support of civil rights; Dr. Martin Luther King delivers his "I Have a Dream" speech
- U.S., Soviet Union and Britain sign a nuclear test ban treaty
- Scandals in British Parliament leads to resignations of key officials
- "Great train robbery" in Britain yields £2.5 million for thieves
- Kenya gains independence
- Pope John XXIII dies; Cardinal Montini elected Pope, takes name of Paul VI
- Washington-Moscow "hot line" established
- Congress expands its investigation of organized crime
MAJOR EVENTS:
- Unemployment reaches 6.1 percent
BUSINESS & ECONOMY:
- Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space
- Dr. Michael DeBakey pioneers use of artificial heart for use during heart surgery
- Quasars discovered
- First successful liver transplant
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY:
- World Series: Los Angeles over New York Yankees, 4-0
- Jack Nicklaus wins his first Masters golf tournament; with over $125,000 in winnings, Arnold Palmer becomes golf’s all-time top money winner
SPORTS:
- Movies: Dr. Strangelove, The Birds, Tom Jones
- Songs: Go Away Little Girl, He’s So Fine, It’s My Party, Blue Velvet, My Boyfriend’s Back, Call Me Irresponsible
- TV Shows: My Favorite Martian, 77 Sunset Strip, McHale’s Navy, The Fugitive, Petticoat Junction
- Books: In the Clearing, Robert Frost; The Guns of August, Barbara Tuchman; The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, John Le Carré; The American Way of Death, Jessica Mitford
- "Pop" artists Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns gain national notoriety, as does the entire genre of Pop Art
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT:
- Journalists and political commentators begin taking note of U.S. government’s "credibility gap" in foreign affairs
- Audio cassettes introduced
- The sedative Valium is made available
