J.+Kolousek+-+1960

My Dipity timeline for "1960: A Year in History": http://www.dipity.com/jskolousek/My-School-Life_1/

This is told from the perspective of a news reporter reporting back on the events of 1960.

What a year! 1960 was 365 days of war, peace, politics, drama, humor, culture, arts, and sports. The following highlights some of the more prevalent moments of 1960: The Civil Rights movement was in full swing in 1960. On February 1st, four students in Greensboro, North Carolina, participated in a peaceful sit-in at a Woolworth's department store. White people got up and ran out of the store, but these four young men held their ground - a peaceful, beautiful way to protest the injustices that have been done to African Americans for far too long. Along the lines of nonviolence, on April 15th the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was founded at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. The SNCC did a variety of activities to help in the civil rights movement, from arranging and participating in sit-ins and freedom rides to helping lead the march on Washington to helping organize voter registration drives. Not a month after the SNCC was formed, U.S. President Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Bill of 1960. This bill introduced penalties to be levied against anyone who attempts to prohibit another person from trying to register to vote or trying to actually vote. Even though the push for equal rights was moving in the right directions, there were clear setbacks along the way. On October 19, Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested and jailed during a sit-in in Atlanta, Georgia. King and 35 others were demonstrating at stores with segregated lunch counters. The demonstrations were peaceful and King vowed they would continue "until something is done". While many African Americans were demonstrating on the front lines of the civil rights movements, others were pursuing burgeoning entertainment careers. Jimi Hendrix played his first gig on February 20, 1960, and even though he had limited mainstream exposure, he is still considered one of the most iconic electric guitarists of all time. On August 1 of 1960 Chubby Checker released his dance tune "The Twist" and dance floors were never the same. That song skyrocketed to #1 on the charts just six weeks later. On February 19, The Family Circle comic debuted and on September 30, The Flintstones premiered on television. Both of these pop culture icons have entertained adults and children alike for decades. In other news, the Key Largo Coral Reef Preserve was established on March 15, 1960, and this became the first underwater park to be established anywhere in the world. On May 9, the United States became the first country in the world to use birth control pills legally, and two days later they were available on the market, to the joy of some and the concern of others I'm sure. On November 14, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries was formed in Baghdad, Iraq. OPEC is still around today and its mission is to coordinate and unify petroleum policies to ensure fair pricing, an efficient, stable supply, and a fair return on capital. Lastly, on July 4, 1960, the newest (and current) U.S. flag was unfurled, celebrating and honoring Hawaii's statehood.