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1) A  gallon of gas cost around 31 cents.

2) Most cars had V8 engines.

3) The average cost of a new car was 2,600.

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1) JFK was the country's wealthiest president.

2) Kennedy wrote his own spy book but never released it.

3) His favorite food was New England fish chowder.

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John F. Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States (1961-1963), the youngest man elected to the office. On November 22, 1963, when he was hardly past his first thousand days in office, JFK was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, becoming also the youngest President to die.

On November 22, 1963, when he was hardly past his first thousand days in office, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was killed by an assassin's bullets as his motorcade wound through Dallas, Texas. Kennedy was the youngest man elected President; he was the youngest to die.

Of Irish descent, he was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, on May 29, 1917. Graduating from Harvard in 1940, he entered the Navy. In 1943, when his PT boat was rammed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer, Kennedy, despite grave injuries, led the survivors through perilous waters to safety.

Back from the war, he became a Democratic Congressman from the Boston area, advancing in 1953 to the Senate. He married Jacqueline Bouvier on September 12, 1953. In 1955, while recuperating from a back operation, he wrote Profiles in Courage, which won the Pulitzer Prize in history.

In 1956 Kennedy almost gained the Democratic nomination for Vice President, and four years later was a first-ballot nominee for President. Millions watched his television debates with the Republican candidate, Richard M. Nixon. Winning by a narrow margin in the popular vote, Kennedy became the first Roman Catholic President.

His Inaugural Address offered the memorable injunction: "Ask not what your country can do for you-ask what you can do for your country." As President, he set out to redeem his campaign pledge to get America moving again. His economic programs launched the country on its longest sustained expansion since World War II; before his death, he laid plans for a massive assault on persisting pockets of privation and poverty.

Responding to ever more urgent demands, he took vigorous action in the cause of equal rights, calling for new civil rights legislation. His vision of America extended to the quality of the national culture and the central role of the arts in a vital society.

He wished America to resume its old mission as the first nation dedicated to the revolution of human rights. With the Alliance for Progress and the Peace Corps, he brought American idealism to the aid of developing nations. But the hard reality of the Communist challenge remained.

Shortly after his inauguration, Kennedy permitted a band of Cuban exiles, already armed and trained, to invade their homeland. The attempt to overthrow the regime of Fidel Castro was a failure. Soon thereafter, the Soviet Union renewed its campaign against West Berlin. Kennedy replied by reinforcing the Berlin garrison and increasing the Nation's military strength, including new efforts in outer space. Confronted by this reaction, Moscow, after the erection of the Berlin Wall, relaxed its pressure in central Europe.

Instead, the Russians now sought to install nuclear missiles in Cuba. When this was discovered by air reconnaissance in October 1962, Kennedy imposed a quarantine on all offensive weapons bound for Cuba. While the world trembled on the brink of nuclear war, the Russians backed down and agreed to take the missiles away. The American response to the Cuban crisis evidently persuaded Moscow of the futility of nuclear blackmail.

Kennedy now contended that both sides had a vital interest in stopping the spread of nuclear weapons and slowing the arms race-a contention which led to the test ban treaty of 1963. The months after the Cuban crisis showed significant progress toward his goal of "a world of law and free choice, banishing the world of war and coercion." His administration thus saw the beginning of new hope for both the equal rights of Americans and the peace of the world.

For more information about President Kennedy, please visit the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum.

Learn more about John F. Kennedy's spouse, Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy.

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John F. Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States (1961-1963), the youngest man elected to the office. On November 22, 1963, when he was hardly past his first thousand days in office, JFK was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, becoming also the youngest President to die.

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1) Orange and pea green were popular colors in the 60’s.

2) Fashion in the 60’s was very colorful.

3) Long hair was popular for both men and women.

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Fashion in the 1960s became progressively more casual across all genders and ages. Womenswear followed three broad trends: a continuation of the previous decade's ladylike elegance, the youthful styles of Mary Quant and the Space Age influence, and the late 1960s "hippie" style. Menswear saw an increasing amount of color and pattern, military influence, and new fashion icons in the form of rock stars. Children's wear saw less change, but also became more casual and bright in color and pattern.

Broadly categorized, there were three main trends in 1960s womenswear: 1) the lady-like elegance inherited from the previous decade seen on the likes of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, 2) the fun, youthful designs popularized by Swinging London, and 3) the Eastern-influenced hippie styles of the late 1960s. Along with these diverse styles, there came a shift in the way that women shopped and for whom the styles were created.

In the early years of the decade, fashion continued along the lines of the 1950s. Skirt suits and coordinating accessories were emphasized as one decade transitioned into the next. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy epitomized this look during her husband's presidential campaign and short presidency. She was admired around the world for her put-together, lady-like look consisting of boxy skirt-suits like the Givenchy suit in figure 1 and navy suit in figure 2, sheath and A-line dresses (Fig. 3), and luxurious coats-all accessorized with white gloves, pearls, and a matching hat. This look was being produced by the likes of Hubert de Givenchy and Cristóbal Balenciaga (Fig. 4), but as the decade progressed, it became clear that the momentum was towards a new kind of designer in the 1960s.

The cultural phenomenon termed Swinging London began in 1955 but reached its zenith in the early- to mid-1960s. It was a phenomenon that focused on youth, spotlighting music and fashion. It brought us The Beatles and the miniskirt, Twiggy (Fig. 9) and The Who. The designer who led the way in the "youthquake" was Mary Quant who opened her first shop, Bazaar, on the King's Road in Chelsea, London in 1955. Quant's simple, colorful designs appealed to teenagers and young people who had more disposable income than any generation before. It differed from the stuffy looks of the older generation and appealed to young women who embraced the child-like styles Quant produced (Fig. 7). Fashion historian James Laver writes of Quant in Costume and Fashion: A Concise History,

"Rejecting the constraints of seasonal shows, she produced as many as twenty-eight collections during her early years, creating simple, practical, often mix n'match designs which had an element of classlessness perfectly suited to the mood of the sixties" (261-262).

Bazaar was in the new boutique style, a revolutionary new way to shop that differed from the traditional designer atelier and the department store. Besides the accessibility of the clothes in the shop, boutiques also created a frenetic atmosphere, as seen in figure 5. In her book The Lost Art of Dress, Linda Przybyszewski writes, "Boutiques were groovy places where modern music played and young owners and customers collaborated on new looks that came only in small sizes" (202).

One of the most revolutionary designs attributed to Quant was the miniskirt and minidress (Fig. 6). Eschewing the prim below-the-knee skirts of the late 1950s and early 1960s, by the mid-sixties, young women were wearing skirts that fell at the upper thigh. Like the short skirts of the 1920s, the miniskirt shocked but was also a highly popular look for young women. Miniskirts and minidresses were adopted by Parisian designers as Quant and her contemporaries continued to gain popularity.

Along with the miniskirt came a craze for the playful, innovative use of new materials and a focus on scientific progress. Newly developed materials such as acrylics, polyesters, and shiny PVC were used in women's clothing while designers were inspired by pop art and space, like the miniskirt in figure 10 and the dress in figure 11. Pierre Cardin and André Courrèges debuted space-inspired designs in shades of white and silver. Laver writes, "Courrèges' Spring/Summer 1964 'Space Age' collection featured 'astronaut' hats and goggles, white and silver PVC 'moon girl' loon trousers, catsuits and white patent or kid leather, mid-calf-length boots" (264, Fig. 8). Sheath and A-line minidresses, both without defined waists, were popular silhouettes. These modern designs dominated the mid-sixties as fashion moved toward a more playful and freeing look.

While the miniskirt reached its height mid-decade, by the late 1960s, a new style and culture was emerging. Skirts dipped back to mid-calf and by 1969, the full-length maxi-skirt had emerged (Fig. 12). This came with the move towards the "hippie" aesthetic. Elizabeth Wilson writes in Gerta Buxbaum's Icons of Fashion: The Twentieth Century, "Between 1965 and 1967, the uncluttered, futuristic design of André Courrèges and Mary Quant - featuring short skirts, childish pinafores, and boxy shapes - were superseded by a return to the styles of Art Nouveau, Hollywood, and William Morris" (98). Suede, headbands, kaftans, Afghan coats, beads and other non-Western elements of adornment were embraced as were flowing skirts and secondhand clothing (Laver 267-268). Janis Joplin, seen in figure 13, embraced this style in the late 1960s.

Both the "Mod" movement, to which Quant contributed, and the hippie movement were part of a new model of "street style" in which fashion is disseminated from the streets up to the designers rather than vice versa. Jane Mulvagh writes in Icons of Fashion, "1962 to 1968 were crucial years in which the allure and originality of street style challenged, and finally broke, the hegemony of high fashion" (86). The trajectory of fashion in the 1960s saw three very diverse overarching styles but also a shift from a designer-centric fashion ecosystem to one where the consumer was at the center of creation.

An enduring icon of the 1950s and '60s, movie star Audrey Hepburn embraced the progression of sixties fashion up to the hippie aesthetic of the last part of the decade. Having firmly established herself as a leading lady in 1950s films like Roman Holiday, Sabrina, and Funny Face, Hepburn's influence continued into the sixties.

In 1961, she starred as Holly Golightly in one of her most iconic films, Breakfast at Tiffany's (Fig. 14). In this film, like so many others, Hubert de Givenchy designed the costumes, including the iconic black dress from the opening scene (Fig. 17). Hepburn and Givenchy worked together both on- and off-screen to create a simple, but stylish wardrobe that was easily copied by women of all means.

In the early 1960s, Hepburn wore feminine, Jackie Kennedy-esque skirt suits. Like the First Lady, she paired these suits with the requisite accessories: gloves and hat, like the green Givenchy suit worn in Paris When It Sizzles in 1962 (Fig. 18). The clothes she wore in 1963's Charade would not have looked out of place on Kennedy but also cut a stylish figure as she gallivanted through Paris (Fig. 15). As the decade progressed, so did her fashion. In the mid-sixties, Hepburn began to wear more "Mod" styles with bright colors and minidresses working their way into her wardrobe. In the 1966 film How to Steal a Million, she sported white-rimmed sunglasses à la Space Age styles and a stylish bob hairstyle accented by dark eyeliner to give her the popular doe-eyed look of the period (Fig. 16).

Though she would remain admired for her fashion for the rest of her life, by 1969, when the fashion world had started to turn to Eastern influences and longer skirts, Hepburn married Andrea Dotti in a pink minidress (Fig. 19). Looking happy, she represented the part of the population, including couture designers like Givenchy, who had not yet embraced the new style.

Just as womenswear became more casual and colorful throughout the 1960s, so too did menswear. While menswear began moving towards a more casual style in the 1950s, the frenetic energy of Swinging London found its way with bright prints and colors for men. As there had not been very much movement in men's fashion for over a hundred years, the change was striking. The V&A writes,

"Perhaps the most remarkable development in 1960s dress was the dramatic change in menswear. For the past 150 years, clothing for men had been tailor-made, and plain and sombre in appearance. Now, colourful new elements were introduced, such as the collarless jacket, worn with slim-fitting trousers and boots" (History of Fashion 1900-1970).

Where the mid- to late-1950s saw a rise in the popularity of Italian style suits with narrow striped ties, menswear gradually incorporated brighter colors and patterns, and ties began to widen again as the decade progressed. The difference between the conventional suit seen in 1963 (Fig. 20) and those designed by Cardin (Figs. 22-24) and worn by George Harrison (Fig. 21) is striking.

By the mid-1960s, even the suit itself was seeing changes. Brightly striped or patterned suits were worn by bold young men, while even the trousers and jacket did not escape from new styling. The V&A writes,

"As the 1960s gathered pace, the standard template for a man's suit began to accommodate subtly daring new elements: the collarless jacket (a look popularised by The Beatles in 1963, the year they launched their first album) and slim-fitting trousers, matched with heeled boots rather than shoes" (The Peacock Revolution: 1960s Menswear).

As mentioned, even who was inspiring men's style was changing: where movie stars had been the primary style icons since the 1930s, rock stars such as The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and Mick Jagger, among others, became a primary influence on men's fashion.

From the mid-1960s, men's fashion was influenced by military elements, with many of the rock influences contributing to its popularity. Mick Jagger (Fig. 26) and Jimi Hendrix (Fig. 25) both sported military jackets during performances, while The Beatles' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band showed the band wearing neon versions of the styles (Buxbaum 100). Partly thanks to this style, army-and-navy surplus clothing stores and secondhand stores became popular in the late 1960s. Like womenswear, menswear also saw an influence from space as Pierre Cardin designed futuristic clothing for men, too. In Swinging Sixties, Jenny Lister writes,

"His 'Cosmos' collection of 1966/7 was too extreme to enter the mainstream, but elements of the look such as turtle-neck sweaters, and zipped tunics in bonded jersey, were taken up and worn with more accessible styles" (34).

You can see some of these elements in the green suit from 1960 (Fig. 22) and the space-inspired suit from 1965 (Fig. 24). By 1968, Cardin's suits had returned to a more conventional look, though the jacket still had a bold pattern (Fig. 24).

Like women's fashion, menswear turned to Eastern influences and secondhand shopping in the late 1960s. Rejecting the consumerism and synthetic materials of the earlier part of the decade, men began to wear vintage clothes, especially those from the 1930s and 1940s. This meant that men's suits began to widen again, as they had in the thirties and forties. George Harrison was an early adopter of the style and the boldly patterned suit jacket from boutique shop Granny Takes a Trip he wore in the mid-sixties foreshadows the style to come (Fig. 21). Tie-dye, loose-fitting shirts, and velvet vests were all a part of the men's hippie aesthetic in the later part of the 1960s while color continued to remain front and center. As the 1960s moved into the 1970s, flared trousers, jeans, and long hair were all widespread men's styles.

Children's clothing in the 1960s saw less change than their adult counterparts. While women's and men's fashion were changing quickly and radically, children's fashion changed at a much slower, subtler pace. Both boys' and girls' fashion continued along the same lines in the early sixties, but they did wear clothes made from the new synthetic materials which were easier to care for.

Girls continued to wear dresses with defined waists and full skirts at the beginning of the decade, like those seen in the 1962 Good Housekeeping feature (Fig. 28). Mary-janes, white ankle socks, and peter pan collars all continued to be popular aspects of young girl's clothing, and girls were sometimes even still required to wear white gloves for special occasions. As the decade progressed, however, girls' fashion slowly started to become more casual. Bright colors, bold patterns such as plaids and bright florals, and oversized bows became popular, like the fun styles featured in the McCall's patterns (Fig. 27). New silhouettes such as the A-line, dropped waist, and babydoll began to replace the nipped-in waist of earlier in the decade (Fig. 29). As styles became more casual, it became more acceptable for young girls to wear pedal pushers, shorts, and trousers while playing.

One of the areas where girls did follow the trends of adults was in accessories. Young girls could be seen wearing the same brightly colored and patterned tights that young women wore with their miniskirts. Others might wear the shiny white go-go boots that went along with the Space Age fashions. In some ways, many of the adult styles actually took after young girl's fashion rather than the other way around.

Boy's fashion saw the popularity of denim and plaid throughout the decade. In the early 1960s, cuffed jeans and corduroy pants were favorites paired with tucked in polo shirts and athletic jackets or blazers. As the decade progressed, the color and pattern that was seen in men's clothing began to slowly creep into young boy's fashion (Fig. 30). Striped and plaid blazers were popular formal options, while turtlenecks, a popular style among men, and brighter colors such as red, yellow, and orange were worn in the mid-sixties. Neither girl's nor boy's fashion saw a strong influence from hippie fashion, although some boys began to wear bell-bottom jeans in the later part of the decade.

References:

Breward, Christopher, David Gilbert and Jenny Lister. Swinging Sixties: Fashion in London and Beyond 1955-1970. London: V&A Publications, 2006. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/552142953.

Brown Jones, Bonny. "Fashion for Children in the 1960s." Our Everyday Life, January 10, 2019. Accessed June 27, 2019. https://oureverydaylife.com/fashion-for-children-in-the-1960s-12487774.html.

Buxbaum, Gerda. Icons of Fashion: The 20thCentury. Munich: Prestel Verlag, 2005. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/773599428.

Ewing, Elizabeth. History of 20th-Century Fashion. 4th ed. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd, 2001. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/456545252.

Moseley, Rachel. "Audrey Hepburn - Everybody's Dream Girl." The Observer, March 7, 2004. Accessed June 27, 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/mar/07/highereducation.gender.

Olivier, Lucy. "Jackie Kennedy - A True Fashion Icon." The Telegraph, January 6, 2017. Accessed June 24, 2019. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/jackie/true-fashion-icon-jackie-kennedy/.

The People History. "Vintage 1960s Children's Fashion Clothes." Accessed June 27, 2019. http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1960skidsfashion.html.

Przybyszewski, Linda. The Lost Art of Dress: The Women Who Once Made America Stylish. New York: Basic Books, 2014. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1023179396.

Stratford, SJ. "1960s Clothes for Girls." Love to Know. Accessed June 27, 2019. https://childrens-clothing.lovetoknow.com/1960s-clothing-girls.

Victoria and Albert Museum. "An Introduction to 1960s Fashion." Accessed June 24, 2019. https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/an-introduction-to-1960s-fashion.

Victoria and Albert Museum. "History of Fashion 1900 - 1970." Accessed June 24, 2019. http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/h/history-of-fashion-1900-1970/.

Victoria and Albert Museum. "Introduction to 20th-Century Fashion." Accessed June 24, 2019. http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/i/introduction-to-20th-century-fashion/.

Victoria and Albert Museum. "The Peacock Revolution: 1960s Menswear." Accessed June 24, 2019. https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-peacock-revolution-1960s-menswear.

Events:

1961 - John F. Kennedy becomes president. His wife, first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, soon becomes a fashion icon. Fur coats are much sought after because they are seen as a status symbol. Movements in the following decades protest vigorously against the wearing of fur.

1962 - The Sidney Janis Gallery in New York exhibits works by contemporary American pop artists and the "Nouveau Realisme" movement in a groundbreaking show called the "International Exhibition of the New Realists."

1963 - The Beatles make their first national TV appearance. Their identical haircuts became a popular look among young men on both sides of the Atlantic.

1964 - Young designers, including Mary Quant and Andre Courreges, introduce the miniskirt and minidress.
Maija Isola designs the iconic Unikko (poppy) print for Finnish fashion firm Marimekko.
The first Biba store, the inspiration of designer Barbara Hulanicki, opens in London, selling young, creative styles at budget prices.

1965 - Yves Saint Laurent's Mondrian- inspired color blocks sweeps through the international fashion world.
Young fashion designers, including Foale and Tuffin and Mary Quant, go on the British "Youthquake" tours to the US arranged by the Puritan Fashion Corporation and J.C.Penney in New York.

1966 - By early 1966 the waistline disappears, and designers like Norman Norell showcase loose-fitting dresses with loose sleeves. Twiggy, the "Face of 66" and one of the world's first supermodels, shoots to fame. Jewelry designer Paco Rabanne causes a sensation when he launches his linked chain and plastic paillettes and minidresses in Paris.

1967 - American fashion designer Geoffrey Beene presents his sequined football jersey evening gowns, following his ball gowns in gray flannel and wool jersey shown the previous year.

1968 - The rock musical Hair opens on Broadway and in London's West End, making Marsha Hunt a star and proclaiming "black is beautiful."The first Ossie Clark for Radley collection is shown at Chelsea Town Hall.

1969 - The Woodstock festival takes place in New York state, and is seen as a defining moment of the "hippie era" and the counterculture of the 1960s. The US lands the first men on the Moon, after space exploration earlier in the decade, which inspires space-age fashion looks.

Resources for Fashion History Research

To discover primary/period sources, explore the categories below.
Have a primary source to suggest? Or a newly digitized periodical/book to announce? Contact us!

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Fashion in the 1960s became progressively more casual across all genders and ages. Womenswear followed three broad trends: a continuation of the previous decade's ladylike elegance, the youthful styles of Mary Quant and the Space Age influence, and the late 1960s "hippie" style.

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1) The moon landing was in 1969.

2) The first episode of the flintstones came out in 1960.

3) The lava lamp was invented in 1963.

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Auditors Under Siege

In cases such as Yale Express, BarChris Construction, Continental Vending, and National Student Marketing, auditors found that reliance on the guidance in GAAP and generally accepted auditing standards would no longer be a shield against litigation. The profession was shocked when, in Continental Vending, auditors were convicted of a criminal violation of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

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Securities and Exchange Commission Historical Society

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Welcome to the online museum and archive of the history of financial regulation, providing access to primary materials on the creation and growth of the regulation of the capital markets from the 20th century to the present.

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1) Hot Wheels  birthdays celebrated on May 18.

2) G.I Joe was the world’s first action figure.

3) A lite-Brite cost $10 in 1967.

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The 1960s were a golden era for toys. Kids had countless more toys to choose from compared to previous decades and parents spent more on their kids also. Combine that with bigger families in general and that leads to an influx of cash streaming into the toy industry.

A large percentage of toys that were introduced in the 1960s stuck around for several years. A quick glance at a 70s-era toy catalog looks a whole lot like a 60s catalog. And some of them are still around to this day.

Toys like G.I. Joe, Twister and Operation can still be found on toy shelves around the world. They came from the 60s.

Boys still loved to play war. Girls still loved kitchen sets. But toy manufacturers were making toys electronic any way possible. If a toy was electric, that meant it was "new."

One unmistakable difference between toys in the 1960s and toys before that is licensing. After Batman's huge success in 1966, Batman-themed toys were flying off the shelves.

Toymakers rushed to make a Batman-themed anything. Still, people bought them. This showed toy companies that if they can't find the right license, they can practically print money.

It is expected today that a toy will be themed after something in the movies, on TV or available from some other kind of media, but that phenomenon really grew and took hold in the 1960s.

What toys did kids play with in the 1960s? The most popular toys in the 1960s were:

Molded Plastic Playsets (Army Men, Cowboys & Indians, Civil War, Farm, etc.)

Die-Cast Model Cars, Trucks & Other Vehicles (Corgi, Matchbox, etc.)

Barbie & Accessories

Electric Sports Games (Football, Baseball, Hockey & Basketball)

Hamilton's Invaders

Baby Dolls

Electric Ovens

Steel Kitchen Appliances

Plastic Dishes

G.I. Joe

Typewriters

Wacky Windups

Pinball Machines

Liddle Kiddle Toys

Batman Toys

Talking Toys & Pull-String Toys

Stuffed Animals

Disney Toys (Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, etc.)

Warner Brothers Toys (Bugs Bunny, Road Runner, Yosemite Sam, etc.)

Troll Dolls

Walking Dolls

Go-Go The Burro

Punch-Me Inflatable Punching Bags

Dennis the Menace Toys

Popeye Toys

Bozo the Clown Toys

Flintstones Toys

Electric Trains (Lionel)

Rag Dolls (Raggedy Ann & Andy)

Peanuts Toys (Snoopy & Charlie Brown)

Thingmaker

Electric Race Cars

Miniature Doll Houses

Wind-Up & Friction Powered Cars & Trucks

Pedal Cars & Trucks

Playskool Toys

Portable Phonographs

War Toys like Guns, Sword, Cannons & Tanks

LEGO Bricks & Playsets

Chatty Cathy

Little Miss Echo

Posy Pixies

Skipper

Tressy

Francie

Jack-in-the-Box

Johnny Speed Race Car

Image Projectors

Rocking Horses

Petal People

Hippity Hop Inflatable Ride-A-Ball

What board games did families play with in the 1960s? The most popular board games in the 1960s were:

Toys in 1964

It was the year of the monsters as grotesque, fanstastic and sinister figures showed up on toy counters and became and immediate hit. Made of plastic, they included old standbys such as Frankenstein's monster and Dracula and also strange new characters called "Weird-Ohs", "Rat and Bat Finks", "Drag Hags" and "Surfink" (a monster on a surfboard). They were used in games, jigsaw puzzles and even in liquid bath soap dispensers tagged to "Scare You Clean."

Predictably, the trend brought complaints from parents.

Dolls returned to the more conventional. The high-fashion doll, typified by Barbie, waned in popularity and as Christmas approached, was being supplanted by Skipper, billed as Barbie's little sister.

Electrically powered racing cars continued to cut into the popularity of the electric train. They even held a 100-lap Grand Prix at Wilkes-Barre, PA in July, with a full-size sports car as first prize.

Children all over the country were learning how to ride skateboards. 14-year-old Patrick Maley won the international yo-yo contest held at Disneyland.

G.I. Joe, which wasn't quite popular yet, was first released in 1964.

Toys in 1965

The popularity of skateboards continued to rise, nearing $100 million in sales. With more riders came more injuries. The California Medical Association called skateboards a "medical menace" and some towns passed ordinances regulating their usage.

Slot cars were growing in popularity. By mid 1965, about 2,000 "slot car centers" were open. The centers provided tracks on which the plastic cars could be raced and enthusiasts could compete for prizes.

Doll makers were ecstatic over the growing popularity of G.I. Joe. It was the first doll to catch on with boys since Raggedy Andy and was a huge sigh of relief to manufacturers desperately searching for that breakthrough.

Operation was first released in 1965.

Toys in 1966

The wild skateboard craze appeared to be dying out in 1966, as had hula hoops and other fads in earlier years. Interest in slot car racing remained high but had leveled off a bit.

Batman and secret agents invaded the toy field. There were Batman art toys, games, costumes, wheel toys, model kits and a Batman walkie-talkie. There were also Batman figures, airplanes, radios, hats, a dart launcher, and Gotham City, all on display at the 1966 Toy Fair in NYC.

There were not only more spy toys, but more toy spies. Various undercover agents were equipped with every known espionage device, such as secret printing putty.

Battery operated automobiles that run on a track or tubing were a popular addition to the toy industry.

The trend toward realism in dolls continued, with toy manufacturers introducing dolls whose facial expressions could be changed by moving an arm or a leg.

One of the most popular new games in 1966 was Twister. Which is still a great game to this day.

Pictures of 1960s Toys

1960s Toys Advertisements from Catalogs

More 1960s Toys

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1960s Toys: What Did Kids Play With in the 1960s?

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The 1960s were a golden era for toys. Kids had countless more toys to choose from compared to previous decades and parents spent more on their kids also. Combine that with bigger families in general and that leads to an influx of cash streaming into the toy industry.

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1) Elvis had a black belt in martial arts.

2) None of the Beatles could read music.

3) There are only 3 members still alive.

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"The fifties era provided the backbone of American Rock N' Roll, while the sixties energized it; with careful fine-tuning, and a dash of Motown blended into the rock and roll recipe, the sweetest sounds the world has ever known came to fruititon in the '60's decade."

Got a Record Player?

60's music was fantastic. There were so many hits and groups, I could barely keep track of them. My very first memorable 60's music memories would probably have to begin with "Tom Dooley"by the Kingston Trio This 45 that got played and played until there was nothing left but dust. I remember that we had a 45 called "Ben Crazy" by Dickie Goodman. That one, along with "The Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Pickett were among my favorites. For some reason, I was really attracted to "Ben Crazy", and played it all the time. During this time, LPs slowly began to surface in our household. We could never afford the famous artists, so my Mom always bought us "copycat" groups, or collections by artists that were less expensive.

Such an adventure in the world of long players would delight me with such tunes on one album as: "South Street", "The Bristol Stomp" and "The Twist". I pretty much wore that record out. I also recall The Newbeats' hit "Bread and Butter". I always thought that it was a woman singing all the weird solos, and was thrilled to death when I learned that it was a man. This same thing would also occur with The Four Seasons.

The Beatles!

1964 was a big year for me and my expansion of, and introduction to rock and roll music. I could expound forever on The Beatles. especially "Please, Please Me". and the entire catalog of Beatles magnitudes that exploded during 1963 and 1964. The stronghold that they and their music had over me was incredible.

What I would like to mention about The Beatles that I don't really cover on my Beatles page, was that they were like secret friends to me, more so than any other British act. The Beatles had something that almost every kid could identify with: they defied the norm. They accepted authority, but preferred to side-step it. This much was evidenced in their music, their manner, and from the raw street energy that screamed out of them whenever they were armed with guitars and audience to play for. They were animated; they moved with the music instead of being like cardboard stand-up figures under a spotlight.

The message they were sending wasn't to be "bad", but to be "yourself" and do it with everything you've got. They were a tremendous release for me. Finally, there was someone in the world who knew how important it was to be individual. I can remember crying and bouncing on the couch just like the girls on TV when they hit the Ed Sullivan Show in February of 1964. That moment is unforgettable. They had long, most bizarre looking hairstyles that were really cool!! It was combed forward, bangs straight down, sideburns, flips in the back! It was rebellion and explosive screaming energy. Now, couple those two things with incredible songs and performances.

The Wrecking Crew

If you loved the song, they probably played on it! The Wrecking Crew was probably the most prolific band of musicians in the history of rock music. They were an incredibly talented band of session musicians based in Los Angeles, who literally provided the soundtracks of our lives on thousands of studio recordings throughout the 1960s and into the early 1970s. They were largely unrecognized for their abundant contributions to the music we love and remember, but were viewed with reverence by the music industry. Included in their massive body of work is hundreds of top 40 hits. The Wrecking Crew is now considered one the most successful units of session musicians in the recording industry. The list of songs and hits and albums and performances they've either completely supported, or contributed to, is nearly endless! Even legendary greats like Glen Campbell and Leon Russell were Crew members.

1964: A Turning Point

1964's "Wishin' and Hopin'" by Dusty Springfield. was one of the greatest records I can recall hearing at the time. So much goodness was screaming out of radio waves. A musical revolution was going on. It was like the central nervous system jolting me into a sudden awareness. A new army had merged onto the American front. From across two separate shores, this army invaded; The Kinks, Freddy and The Dreamers, Herman's Hermits, The Rolling Stones, Roy Orbison, The Ventures, The Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, and two of my personal favorite groups: The Dave Clark Five and Gary Lewis and the Playboys were a part of this new musical militia.

There were songs that I can recall that are also very strong memory triggers for me in 1964. "land of a 1000 dances is one of them. My brother Mike really wanted that 45, and I guess being influenced by my older brother, I too thought it was a cool song. "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" by Wayne Newton was a favorite of my Mom and I remember buying it for her. In keeping with my Mom's favorites, she joined the Columbia House record club and received a bunch of free albums to get her started with. She got some pretty good stuff like Tony Bennett "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" with great tunes like "Love for Sale" and "Once Upon a Time" that accompanied the title track. Alan Sherman's "My Son the Folk Singer" was a comedy classic and I think we just about wore that album out in our house. She also received some Percy Faith and a few more that I just can't remember right now.

What I liked most about those early and mid-sixties groups was the fact that the music was so much fun and had energy. The surf scene was hot, and so were the surf bands. The music had a style that was easily recognizable. It wasn't that it was just instrumental guitar work. It was the guitar style. Enough tremolo and reverb, combined with picking the strings up close to the bridge provided a unique sound and style. The same follows suit with the surf drummers who played their cymbals as instruments that kept rhythm rather than crashing crescendos on certain notes. Surf was raw, and tough; it had a statement, and the music was a thrill. The Ventures big hit "Walk Don't Run" was one of my favorites. Duane Eddy's "Rebel Rouser" was also hot, as was "Out of Limits" by The Marketts. The latter two, were my first guitar attempts as I struggled to learn chords and riffs as a youngster. Remember "sidewalk surfing"? I got my first skateboard in 1964, a red "Roller Derby".

The Girls of Rock N' Roll
Add curves to a chorus, and good things were bound to happen; and happen they did!
Though as fascinated as I was with electric guitars, the emergence of girl groups was absolutely wonderful. They provided some of the best, and most memorable songs I can think of. Girl groups were a force; when they splashed onto the scene in the 60's, I really believe that they dominated a good portion of the industry. I'm talking about all music, not just rock n' roll. It was country, rhythm and blues, pop, and even folk that brought forth either female complete groups, or with female lead singers. In school, most of the girls imitated her hair style and often formed their own "girl groups" on the school grounds at recess. The Motown Queen Aretha Franklin was an incredible compliment to the music industry, and left a girl-sized footprint that was almost impossible to fill by anyone else.

When The Shirelles released "One Fine Day" and "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", I thought that they were some of the greatest, most-polished songs I'd ever heard from anyone, boy, or girl. It was then that I truly began to look forward to girl groups on the radio simply for the "sing-along" effect they had on me. Martha and the Vandellas, Diane Renay, Dusty Springfield, The Chiffons, and so many more truly inspired me when I was young. In particular, J.S. Bach's Minuet in G underwent cosmetic surgery with The Toys' cheerful brightening of "Lover's Concerto." (They must have known that Bach composed this piece for his wife.)

1965 & The Music Was Alive

Although perhaps a thousand artists haven't yet been mentioned, my memories of 1965 are very strong thanks to the influences of newer bands from right here in the states. The Turtles and The Byrds were catching my attention. The song "Mr. Tambourine Man" with its electric 12-string was, in my opinion, one of the hottest songs to ever come out. I still love it to death. "California Girls" by The Beach Boys became my national anthem. Music was our heartbeat back in those glorious days. Everything we did, felt, ate, drank, or dreamed about had a music soundtrack somewhere in the background. Radios were ablaze and sounded through open summer windows and cruising muscle cars.

I can remember hearing the rhythms of "California Girls" and "Mr. Tambourine Man". I couldn't believe how fantastic both of those songs were. Herman's Hermits' "Henry the VIII" is also one of those memory triggers. 1965 was a beautiful year. Even with all the domestic talent that was truly giving England a serious run for her money, The Beatles just got better and better. No matter who did it, they topped it. "Help!" was a landmark effort considering that it was basically a soundtrack album with a minimal amount of original songs.

1966: The Times They Were a-Changin'

1966 was a year that I remember as witnessing odd, trend-setting changes in the world of music. First of all, The Beatles were having a really hard time with their popularity in the States. Lennon's "we are more popular than Jesus Christ" remark to the Evening Standard on March 4th, 1966 was a particularly reckless statement. America launched a massive burn your Beatle albums campaign that seriously tarnished their name and reputation. This wasn't all. The Beatles' overall appearance had turned me off like nothing before. They now had mustaches, and Lennon wore glasses. Other bands were bursting onto the scene in similar dress. Hippiedom, psychedelia, and the Summer of Love were just around the corner. As much as I loved The Beatles, the new look was really hard to get used to.

1966 was the year where costumed bands were starting to emerge. Acts like Paul Revere and the Raiders and Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs were completely cool. I do remember "Wooly Bully" was a life-changing song for me. "I'm a Believer" penned by Neil Diamond and performed by The Monkees was probably one of the few songs in history that had me glued to the radio in waiting. Nancy Sinatra came onto the scene bringing new life to go-go boots, explaining to us all that they were basically "made for walking".

The Monkees, The Mamas & The Papas, Question Mark & The Mysterians, Tommy Roe, The Rolling Stones, The Young Rascals, The Four Tops, The Mindbenders, The Beach Boys, Paul Revere & The Raiders, The Standells, Johnny Rivers and so many more were topping the charts in 1966. Tommy Roe had a succession of hits while relative newcomers like Simon and Garfunkel and Donovan were giving us new things to hear and think about.

1967: The Summer of Love

Wow what a summer! The Summer of Love had a tremendous impact on music, and the San Francisco scene had redefined West Coast pop & rock n' roll. The bay area rock scene was coming into its own by the time the summer of 1967 kicked in. A whole new arena of music had thrown aside its doors; look out world, Psychedelia and acid rock was now American radar. Groups like Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Joy of Cooking, Moby Grape, Blue Cheer, Cold Blood, The Sons of Champlin, The Steve Miller Band and many, many more were lighting up the scene.

The face of '60's music was changing; acts like The Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Electric Prunes, Iron Butterfly and Steppenwolf were moving in. Even The Beatles joined in with a late spring release of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonelyhearts Club Band", an LP riding on the coat tails of "Magical Mystery Tour". The world of youth was a cult that I happily belonged to. I was in tune, and in that Summer of Love, life was a gigantic wave that you either went with, or got swept aside. I chose to go with it. Though the transition was not so easy at first. I felt like a stranger, a newcomer to the new world. The age of Aquarius hadn't quite extended both arms to me yet.

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1) The first game console came out in the 60’s.

2) The first computer mouse came out in the 60’.

3) The cordless phone was invented in 1962.

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Much of the technology that we enjoy today was developed in the fast-moving decade from 1960 to 1969. Lasers, L.E.D.s, push button phones, space travel, the computer as we now know it - including the mouse, and most importantly the integrated circuit. Which of these did the public know about and which were kept under cover until later decades, and why? Learn more in this fun and enlightening investigation of world-changing technologies.

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Technological Developments of the 60s that Changed the World

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Much of the technology that we enjoy today was developed in the fast-moving decade from 1960 to 1969. Lasers, L.E.D.s, push button phones, space travel, the computer as we now know it - including the mouse, and most importantly the integrated circuit.

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1) The first Batman movie came out in the 60’s.

2) Horror movies were at their best in the 60’s.

3) Movies started using color regularly in 1967.

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does not cite any sources . improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

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1) Elvis had a twin.

2) He is in five halls of fame.

3) Elvis dyed his hair.

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Ultimate Movie Rankings | Ranking Movies Since 2011

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Top Movie Stars of the 1960s | Ultimate Movie Rankings

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Who were the Top Movie Stars of the 1960s statistically? This page will attempt to answer that question. Our main source of information was our Ultimate Movie Ranking (UMR) pages that covered movie stars that made movies in the 1960s. So far we have box office grosses on 1,644 movies made between 1960 and 1969.

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1) By the end of the 60’s 95% of Americans had a tv.

2) The average TV in the 60’s cost $499.

3) TVs in the 60’s only had three channels.

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This guide covers the decade 1960 - 1970

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1) Professional football became the most famous sport in the 60’s.

2) Pickleball was founded in 1965.

3) The most popular sport in1960 was baseball.

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Coverdale, Miles Jr. The 1960s in Sports: A Decade of Change. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2020. Pp. 371. Black and white photos, index, bibliography, and notes. $75 hardcover. Reviewed by Richard A. Macales
"During the turmoil of the 1960s, the world of sports provided a positive distraction for the American people." - Author Miles Coverdale Jr., in his introduction to The 1960s in Sports

Miles Coverdale Jr. asserts that the 1960s were "the greatest decade in sports history." Born in 1949 and raised primarily in the hamlets of Long Island, New York, Coverdale came of age in the 1960s as an astute observer and fan of baseball, golf, ice hockey, track and field, and basketball and football (both on the professional and collegiate levels). He also closely followed the decade's three Olympic Games, the first, he notes, given extended television coverage: Rome, 1960; Tokyo, 1964; and Mexico City, 1968. Writes Coverdale: "Many of the changes that occurred in the sports world were influenced by changes that were taking place in the 'real world'...one of the most tumultuous decades in U.S. history...monumental changes of all sorts that helped shape today's world."

Rowman & Littlefield, 2020.

Each of these "monumental changes" are covered in-depth in an exceptionally well-documented and written narrative and statistical analysis, drawing upon Coverdale's Bowdoin College B.A. (with honors) in English and economics, as well as his MBA from Columbia University. As an undergraduate, Coverdale participated in track, cross-country, and soccer, and to this day he continues to run in marathons.

Looking back on the 1960s, we gain a better understanding from Coverdale's "lens" as a witness. It was a decade headlined by exceptionally gifted athletes whose personalities also fit the mood of the times--they defined America and displayed their Americanism from vastly different perspectives.

Among the scores of athletes who personified the decade that Coverdale vividly recalls are names familiar to many over a half-century later: Muhammad Ali, Sonny Liston and Floyd Patterson (boxing); Jim Brown, Paul Hornung and "Broadway" Joe Namath (football); Sandy Koufax, Mickey Mantle, Henry Aaron and Willie Mays (baseball); Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus (golf), Bobby Hull, Gordie Howe and Bobby Orr (ice hockey); Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, and Bill Bradley (basketball); and Olympic medalists Wilma Rudolph, Rafer Johnson, Tommy Smith and John Carlos (track and field). The complete list of athletes, their stories and stats, go way beyond the aforementioned names. They are listed in a name-only index to make the search easier for readers.

With all the record-setting performances set by athletes who played most or part of their illustrious careers in the Sixties--many of which still stand today--one athlete stands taller than all others for the author: 7'1" basketball star Wilt Chamberlain for the Warriors in both Philadelphia and San Francisco, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Coverdale dedicates the main sports headline of his chapter on 1962 (each year has a separate chapter): "Wilt Has a Season for the Ages." He describes Wilton Norman Chamberlain of the 1961-62 Warriors "as [having] the greatest individual season in the history of North American professional sports." In that record-shattering season, Coverdale marvels at Chamberlain's 100-point game, his 50.4 average points per game, 4,029 total points, and 25.7 rebounds per game. To this day not one of his scoring records has been eclipsed. Even more amazing to the author is that Chamberlain did not win the NBA's Most Valuable Player trophy. MVP honors in 1962 went to Bill Russell, whose Boston Celtics had their greatest season and championship team, ever.

Writes Coverdale: "At the individual level, the rivalry between Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell was the greatest in American professional sports history." They appear on the book's cover. Chamberlain and Russell are revisited by Coverdale in most of the book's chapters, from 1960-69, attesting to their unsurpassed dominance in sport. Today's fans may contend that Kobe Bryant and LeBron James were the greatest rivals. But in today's 30-team NBA versus the 10 NBA clubs that competed in most of the 1960s, Chamberlain and Russell competed against each other in 142 games; Kobe and LeBron had only 22 regular season encounters.

Coverdale also re-lives some of the most memorable and winningest sports teams of the 1960s. Baseball's New York Yankees, a dynasty that stretched back to 1947, won the American League "pennant" (championship) from 1960 to 1964, and added two more World Series rings in 1961 and '62. Coverdale, also a biographer of the Yankees' Whitey Ford, the winningest pitcher ever in World Series history (10 wins), credits the 11-Series veteran for the team's 1960s dynasty. Yet, Ford was content with the role of perennial under-shadow to high-profile batting stars Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris (pictured on the book's cover)--except in the clubhouse.

The NBA basketball's Boston Celtics, who won a major league sports record eight championships in a row (1959-66), nabbed a total of nine titles during the decade and 11 dating back to the late-1950s. To the author, the Celtics are best remembered by the mainstays of that incredible dynasty--Bill Russell and coach-general manager Arnold "Red" Auerbach.

In ice hockey (a sport especially beloved by the author), the Montreal Canadiens won five Stanley Cup finals during the decade, with an additional championship in 1971. These titles were preceded by a league record five in a row from 1956-60. The Canadiens were led by French Canadians, including record seven-time Vezina Trophy-winning goalie Jacques Plante (inventor of the facemask); Jean Beliveau, who was there for all 10 of the Stanley Cups; and the brothers Richard, Maurice "Rocket" and much younger sibling Henri "The Pocket Rocket," whose combined careers spanned from the 1942-43 to 1974-75 seasons and 19 Stanley Cups.

Coverdale's choice for greatness in pro football is the Green Bay Packers, winners of five NFL championships in the Sixties, including Super Bowls I and II under their legendary coach Vince Lombardi. Coverdale also provides yearly coverage of the rival American Football League (AFL), launched in 1960, which began the trend of paying high salaries to players due to serious competition against the NFL. With the AFL-NFL merger engineered in 1966 completed by 1970, owner revenue skyrocketed as player salaries went down. Television became the consummate revenue generator for football. For an ever larger segment of the American public, sports took on increasing interest. And Americans craved more physical contact in the stadium (via football and boxing). This mirrored the violence of the real life streets of the U.S. and in Vietnam, fed to tens of millions of Americans on national newscasts seen nightly on their TV sets.

A team that particularly fascinates Coverdale is the 1969 World Series champion New York Mets. Born in 1962, the expansion Mets went from seven league-worst seasons to first in one "ya gotta believe" season in 1969. Writes Coverdale: "The saga of the New York Mets...relegated Neil Armstrong's walk on the Moon to the number-two spot on the list of the most amazing things that happened in 1969...President John F. Kennedy had predicted that the United States would send a man safely to the Moon before the end of the decade. No one predicted that the Mets would win a World Series before the end of the decade."

Collegiate sports' finest teams also are given ample recognition by the author--sometimes for their proud achievements and other times for their shamefully discriminatory, if not downright racist, practices. On the plus side there was the UCLA men's basketball team, winners of six titles during the 1960s, most notably captained by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (known in college as Lew Alcindor) in 1967, '68, and '69. On the problematic side of collegiate sports, Coverdale includes University of Alabama football under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and University of Kentucky basketball under coach Adolph Rupp. For several decades, both Bryant and Rupp had nationally-ranked teams in their respective sports. Only when whites-only squads were by law "forced" to be desegregated did Bryant and Rupp (and many other coaches and colleges) begrudgingly recognize that maintaining championship-caliber teams necessitated recruiting top-notch Black athletes.

Blacks, however, were not the only athletes denied opportunities into the 1960s. Women athletes also had been excluded from collegiate sports (at both racially-integrated and -segregated schools in the North and South). During the 1960s, professional sports major leagues did not exist for women. Golf and tennis were primarily played at the amateur level, with little or no prize money for tournament winners. According to Coverdale, the premier female athlete of the 1960s was Wilma Rudolph, well known as a record-setting track star but lesser known as an outstanding prep basketball player. Writes Coverdale in his chapter on the year 1960 and Wilma Rudolph and the Rome Olympics:

As important as [Wilma] Rudolph's three gold medals were to the American cause in the Rome Olympics, they were more important to the cause of women's athletics. Opportunities and resources for female athletes were light-years away from those available to male athletes...Although it would be 12 more years before Title IX would be passed by Congress...Wilma Rudolph greatly increased the public consciousness (particularly in the United States) with respect to women's sports. 'For every woman athlete who came after, she was the person who opened the door,' Ed Temple (Rudolph's track coach at Tennessee State University) said years later.

Prominent athletes speaking out against racism and/or political causes--something we have witnessed during the 2010s and 2020s--first came to the public's attention in the 1960s, with both the approval or disapproval of the public-at-large and sports fans. One notable pre-1960s exception was Jackie Robinson, the first Black athlete to play Major League Baseball in the "modern era" (1947).

In the early 1960s, not long after he first entered the sports stage as a gold medal boxer in the Rome Olympics, the then-Cassius Clay took the conversation of sports and politics much further. While he had reached the height of success in professional boxing as heavyweight champion from 1963-67, Muhammad Ali was stripped of his title and boxing license in 1967 for his refusal to serve in the U.S. army during the Vietnam War. Coverdale explores Ali's role as one of the first athletes of the era to express his outspoken views to whatever media were willing to listen to him. Ali constantly spoke out on race and religion, and later on anti-war activism. And he was the first high-profile athlete to change his first and last names to reflect his allegiance to his new religious beliefs. (In previous decades, many white athletes had changed their "ethnically-sounding" European surnames to "American" names, in order to "fit in," particularly baseball players and boxers.)

Muhammad Ali is not the only athlete/phenomenon that Coverdale writes about in his national and international historical accounts, which introduce each chapter for every year of the 1960s. Coverdale is careful to provide comprehensive notes on his sources, most of which are taken from books and articles from leading authors. Coverdale's historical worldview is dominated by the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, civil unrest throughout America, the counterculture that was changing America's social mores, campus protests on a variety of causes, the space race, and the Cold War between America and the former Soviet Union. The life and death of President John F. Kennedy (1963), Malcolm X (1965), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1968) and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy (1968)--each struck down by an assassin's bullet(s)--were poignant reminders of just how much sports and the "real world" intersected.

Coverdale discusses one time when a sport's schedule of games did not stop when it should have--the assassination of President Kennedy on Friday, Nov. 22, 1963. Writes Coverdale: "While the entire country mourned [that weekend, in particular], NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle made the controversial decision to play the full schedule of games on Sunday [Nov. 24]. He stated, 'It has been traditional in sports for athletes to perform in times of great personal tragedy'...He [President Kennedy] thrived on competition.'" The rival American Football League postponed all games that Sunday, with the country observing an official day of mourning for JFK's burial on Monday, November 25. Learning from the 1963 debacle, in 1968, following the King assassination, Major League Baseball delayed Opening Day, and the NBA and NHL rescheduled playoff games. That same year, no games were postponed when Robert Kennedy was killed.

While each of these topics has been covered in countless books and documentary films, never has an author tackled each year of the 1960s in one volume, and with as much clarity and brevity. Coverdale's attention to detail and fact--be it sports (all but auto racing, bowling, horse racing and tennis) or history (from an American perspective)--are important contributions in showing how events that occurred between 1960 and 1969 have left a lasting impression. It would require reading many other books (or much Googling) to locate and to contextualize all of the information Coverdale has included in his outstanding work.

The 1960s in Sports not only deserves a 5-star rating, but it also is a must-read for students of American history with an intense or a casual interest in sports.

Rich Macales, a native Angeleno, was a former senior writer and public information officer at UCLA. He is a contributor to the anthology/encyclopedia, American Sports: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas, edited by Prof. Murry R. Nelson, ABC-Clio. Among his entries: Muhammad Ali, Rafer Johnson, 1960 Rome Olympics' decathlon gold medalist, and the Heisman Trophy as a symbol of American history.

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Coverdale, Miles Jr. The 1960s in Sports: A Decade of Change. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2020. Pp. 371. Black and white photos, index, bibliography, and notes. $75 hardcover. Reviewed by Richard A. Macales "During the turmoil of the 1960s, the world of sports provided a positive distraction for the American people."