The Sixties
The Sixties are one of the most popular decades in history for the music, art and culture that come from this period. A counter culture would develop which would revolutionize clothing, music, and politics and bringing topics such as drugs and the Vietnam war to the forefront of the American psyche. The United States Presidents during this time were John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard Nixon. Politically, we would be dealing with the Cold War, the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, the Elections, New Frontier, NASA, and new ways of thinking. A pop culture would emerge which would feature the music of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, The Supremes, The Monkees, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, The Hollies, Jefferson Airplane and many others.
Five Reasons why the Sixties Legacy transformed the world and made us who we are today
[su_animate type=”fadeInRight” duration=”3″]1) New Generation of Leadership[/su_animate]
The Sit-In Movement
Fed up with segregated facilities throughout the south, four freshmen from North Carolina decide to take action. On February 1, 1960, Joseph McNeil, Ezell Blair, Franklin McCain, and David Richmond would enter the F.W. Woolworth’s in Greensboro, NC and proceed to sit at the “white’s only” counter in the diner after shopping. The students would sit until closing time. The following day, even more protestors arrived at the store. This would be the beginning of the explosion of sit in movements throughout the country at lunch counters in other cities. The protestors would be assaulted verbally and physically with hot coffee and lit cigarettes being thrown at them and worse. This movement would go on to claim many victories in what would later be known as the Civil Rights Movement.
Fidel Castro
Born on a sugar plantation in 1926, Fidel Castro would go on to become one of John F. Kennedy’s greatest foreign rivals of the 1960’s. A lawyer turned revolutionary, Castro would become the leader of Cuba and would become a close ally with the U.S.S.R. After Castro allowed nuclear missiles to be installed in Cuba, a tense two week crisis would unfold between the United States, Cuba and the U.S.S.R.
[su_animate type=”fadeInRight” duration=”3″]2) Music of 1960[/su_animate]
Elvis Presley was discharged from the US Army on March 1, and proceeded to immediately have three #1 hit singles:
Stuck On You:
It’s Now Or Never
Are You Lonesome Tonight
Chubby Checker also had a popular song this year with his version of The Twist , originally performed in Wildwood, New Jersey at the Rainbow Club. This song would go on to become the only single to top the Billboard Hot 100 twice in two separate chart runs.
The Twist
[su_animate type=”fadeInRight” duration=”3″]3) Movies of 1960[/su_animate]
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is an American psychological horror/thriller film that was written by Joseph Stefano. It starred Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins and was based on a novel written by Robert Bloch.
The Apartment was a 1960’s comedy-drama starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. It was directed by Billy Wilder. The film was a huge success and grossed over $25 million at the box office. The Apartment would go on to be nominated for ten Academy Awards and would win five, including best picture.
The Magnificent Seven was a western film, directed by John Sturges and starring Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Steve McQueen and Horst Buchholz. This film was a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 film Seven Samurai.
Ocean’s 11 is a 1960’s heist film directed by Lewis Milestone. It stars five of the “rat packers” as they were known: Peter Lawford, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Joey Bishop. Filmed on location at the Flamingo, Sands, Desert Inn, Riviera, and Sahara Hotels in addition to various Los Angeles and Beverly Hills locations, the film depicted the shenanigans of five robbers.
[su_animate type=”fadeInRight” duration=”3″]4) Television of 1960[/su_animate]
The Flintstones
The Flintstones was the first animated prime-time American television series. It began broadcasting on September 30, 1960. The show was produced by Hanna-Barbera, the show was the most financially successful network animated series for three decades.
The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show was an American sitcom that was first televised on CBS on October 3, 1960. This show was always in the top seven of the Nielson ratings and has been ranked by TV Guide as the 9th best and 13th best show in American television history.
[su_animate type=”fadeInRight” duration=”3″]5) Books of 1960[/su_animate]
To Kill A Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, was hugely successful in 1960. It would go on to win the Pulitzer Prize and become a classic of modern American literature.