1960 in the United States explained
Events from the year 1960 in the United States.
Incumbents
Federal government
Events
January
February
- February 1 – Greensboro sit-ins: In Greensboro, North Carolina, four black students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University begin a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter. Although they are refused service, they are allowed to stay at the counter. The event triggers many similar nonviolent protests throughout the Southern United States, and six months later, the original four protesters are served lunch at the same counter.
- February 9
- Adolph Coors III, the chairman of the board of the Coors Brewing Company, is kidnapped in the United States, and his captors demand a ransom of $500,000. Coors is later found murdered, and Joseph Corbett Jr. is indicted for the crime.
- Joanne Woodward receives the first star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- February 11 – The airship ZPG-3W is destroyed in a storm in Massachusetts.
- February 13 – Nashville sit-ins begin.
- February 18 – The 1960 Winter Olympics open in Squaw Valley, Placer County, California.
- February 29 – The first Playboy Club opens in Chicago.
March
- March 3 – Elvis Presley returns home from Germany to the United States, after being away on military duty for 2 years.
- March 5 – Elvis Presley receives his honorable discharge from the U.S. Army.
- March 6 – Vietnam War: The United States announces that 3,500 American soldiers will be sent to Vietnam.
- March 17 – Northwest Airlines Flight 710 crashes near Tell City, Indiana, killing all 61 on board.
- March 22 – Arthur Leonard Schawlow and Charles Hard Townes receive the first patent for a laser.
- March 28 – Director Stanley Kramer receives the first star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[1]
April
May
June
July
- July 1 – A Soviet MiG fighter north of Murmansk in the Barents Sea shoots down a 6-man RB-47. Two United States Air Force officers survive and are imprisoned in Moscow's dreaded Lubyanka prison.
- July 4 – Following the admission of Hawaii as the 50th U.S. state the previous year, the 50-star flag of the United States debuts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- July 11 – Harper Lee releases her critically acclaimed novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
- July 13 – U.S. Senator John F. Kennedy is nominated for president at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, California.
- July 21 – Francis Chichester, English navigator and yachtsman, arrives in New York aboard Gypsy Moth II, having made a record solo Atlantic crossing in 40 days.
- July 25 – The Woolworth's counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, the subject of a sit-in that sparked sit-ins and pickets across the southern United States in February 1960, serves its first black customer.
- July 25–28 – In Chicago, the Republican National Convention nominates U.S. Vice President Richard M. Nixon for president and Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. for vice president.
August
September
October
- October 7 – Frank McGee hosts the second presidential debate.
- October 12 – John F. Kennedy speaks before the Ministerial Association of Houston, Texas, saying, in part, "I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute; where no Catholic prelate would tell the American President, should he be Catholic, how to act; and where no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote."
- October 13
- October 14 – U.S. presidential candidate John F. Kennedy first suggests the idea for the Peace Corps.
- October 21 – Quincy Howe hosts the final debate of the 1960 election.
- October 26 – Robert F. Kennedy calls Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr., and secures her husband's release from jail on a traffic violation in Atlanta, Georgia.
- October 29
November
December
- December 2 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorizes the use of $1 million for the relief and resettlement of Cuban refugees, who have been arriving in Florida at the rate of 1,000 a week.
- December 5 – Boynton v. Virginia: The U.S. Supreme Court declares segregation in public transit to be illegal.
- December 9 – The first Domino's Pizza location opens in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
- December 11 – MGM's The Wizard of Oz is rerun on CBS only a year after its previous telecast, thus beginning the tradition of annual telecasts of the film in the United States.
- December 12 – The U.S. Supreme Court upholds a Federal Court ruling that Louisiana's segregation laws are unconstitutional.
- December 13 – Navy Commander Leroy Heath (Pilot) and Lieutenant Larry Monroe (Bombardier/Navigator) establish a world altitude record of 91450.8feet in an A3J Vigilante carrying a 1,000-kilogram payload, besting the previous record by over 4 miles.
- December 16
United Airlines DC-8 collides with a TWA Lockheed Constellation over Staten Island, New York City. All 128 passengers and crew on both planes are killed, as are 6 persons on the ground.
Ongoing
Births
- January 1 - Michael Seibert, ice dancer and choreographer
- January 4
- January 6 - Howie Long, American football player[5]
- January 12 - Dominique Wilkins, French-born basketball player[6]
- January 19
- January 21 - Toxey Haas, businessman, founder of Haas Outdoors, Inc.
- January 28 - Robert von Dassanowsky, cultural historian, writer and producer
- January 29
- February 7
- February 13 - Gary Patterson, American football coach
- February 14 - Jim Kelly, American football player
- February 18 - Tony Anselmo, animator and voice actor[9]
- February 19 - John Paul Jr., racing driver (d. 2020)
- February 20 - Wendee Lee, voice actress
- February 21 - Henry G. Brinton, writer and minister
- February 22 - Charles Cullen, serial killer
- February 27 - Kara Kennedy, television producer, daughter of Ted Kennedy (d. 2011)
- February 29 - Tony Robbins, motivational speaker and author
- March 2 - Debra McMichael, wrestling valet
- March 7 - Joe Carter, baseball player
- March 8
- March 9 - Finn Carter, actress and photographer
- March 13 - Joe Ranft, screenwriter, animator, storyboard artist and voice actor (d. 2005)[10]
- March 14 - Kirby Puckett, baseball player (d. 2006)
- March 20 - Norm Magnusson, artist
- March 21 - Robert Sweet, rock drummer (Stryper)
- March 26
- April 8 - John Schneider, actor (The Dukes of Hazzard)
- April 12 - David Thirdkill, basketball player[11]
- April 13 - Bob Casey Jr., U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania since 2007
- April 18
- April 19 - Frank Viola, baseball player
- April 20
- April 21 - Nate Thayer, journalist (d. 2023)[12]
- April 23 - Valerie Bertinelli, actress and TV presenter[13] (born April 23, 1960)[14]
- April 28
- April 30
- May 3 - Jaron Lanier, computer scientist
- May 6 - John Flansburgh, rock musician (They Might Be Giants)
- May 7 - Adam Bernstein, music video/television director
- May 8 - Eric Brittingham, rock bassist
- May 9 - Tony Gwynn, baseball player (d. 2014)
- May 10 - Dean Heller, U.S. Senator from Nevada since 2011 to 2019
- May 14 - Steve Williams, professional wrestler (d. 2009)
- May 20
- May 21
- May 25 - Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Senator from Minnesota since 2007
- June 1 - Lucy McBath, politician[15]
- June 3 - Don Brown, novelist, author and attorney
- June 4 - Paul Taylor, musician (Winger)
- June 5 - Paul Montgomery, entrepreneur and inventor (d. 1999)[16]
- June 6
- June 8
- June 12
- June 14 - Mike Laga, baseball player
- June 17 - Thomas Haden Church, film actor
- June 21 - Kevin Harlan, sports announcer
- June 22 - Erin Brockovich, environmental activist
- June 24
- June 26 - Zachary Breaux, jazz guitarist (d. 1997)
- June 28 - John Elway, football player
- June 30 - David Headley, terrorist
- July 1 - Guy Williams, basketball player
- July 4
- July 5
- July 9 - Marc Mero, amateur boxer and professional wrestler
- July 10 - Ariel Castro, criminal (d. 2013)
- July 11 - David Baerwald singer-songwriter (David & David)
- July 14
- July 15 - Kim Alexis, model and actress
- July 16
- July 18 - Anne-Marie Johnson, actress
- July 22 - Jon Oliva, vocalist and pianist (Savatage)
- August 1 - Chuck D, rapper
- August 7 - David Duchovny, actor
- August 13 - Lorna Simpson, African-American photographic and video artist
- August 17 - Sean Penn, film actor
- August 19 - Ron Darling, baseball player and sportscaster
- August 26
- September 1 - Joseph Williams, singer and film score composer
- September 14 - Melissa Leo, film actress
- September 17
- September 19 - Yolanda Saldívar, murderer of Selena Quintanilla
- September 21 - Mary Mara, actress (d. 2022)[19]
- September 30 - Blanche Lincoln, U.S. Senator from Arkansas from 1999 to 2011
- October 4
- October 5 - Daniel Baldwin, actor[20]
- October 13
- October 15 - Michael Lewis, author and financial journalist
- October 18 - Craig Mello, biologist
- October 19 - Kerry Sanders, news correspondent
- October 20 - Peter Fitzgerald, U.S. Senator from Illinois from 1999 to 2011
- October 21 - Paul Rugg, voice actor and producer
- October 24
- October 28
- November 1 - Tim Cook, businessman (Apple, Inc)
- November 3
- November 6 - Lance Kerwin, actor (d. 2023)
- November 7 - Peter Seidler, businessman (d. 2023)
- November 11
- November 13 - Neil Flynn, actor
- November 14 - Tom Judson, musical theatre actor
- November 15 - Keith Washington, singer
- November 19
- November 25
- December 1 - Carol Alt, model and actress
- December 2
- December 3
- Daryl Hannah, actress
- Julianne Moore, actress[22]
- December 5 - Brian Bromberg, jazz bassist and composer
- December 9 - Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, television director, writer, producer, storyboard artist and actor
- December 10 - Michael Schoeffling, actor and model
- December 14 - James Comey, lawyer, director of the FBI
- December 16 - Sid Eudy, pro wrestler
- December 21
- December 22 - Jean-Michel Basquiat, artist (d. 1988)
- December 27 - Fred Hammond, African American gospel musician
- December 30 - Heather Wilson, soldier and politician; Secretary of the Air Force
- December 31 - John Allen Muhammad, African-American spree killer (d. 2009)[23]
Deaths
January–June
- January 1 – Margaret Sullavan, film actress (b. 1909)
- January 4 – Dudley Nichols, screenwriter (b. 1895)
- January 10 – Arthur S. Carpender, admiral (b. 1884)
- January 12 – William Adams Delano, architect (b. 1874)
- January 16 – Rudulph Evans, sculptor (b. 1878)
- January 20 – Matt Moore, Irish-American actor (b. 1888)
- January 24
- January 25 – Diana Barrymore, stage & film actress (b. 1921)
- January 28 – Zora Neale Hurston, African-American folklorist and author (b. 1891)
- February 6 – Jesse Belvin, R&B singer (b. 1932)
- February 9 – Ernst von Dohnányi, Hungarian composer, pianist, and conductor (b. 1877 in Austria-Hungary)
- February 12 – Bobby Clark, comedian and singer (b. 1888)
- February 29
- March 4 – Leonard Warren, operatic baritone (b. 1911)
- March 6 – Gene Ahern, comic-strip artist (b. 1895)
- March 11
- March 26 – Ian Keith, actor (b. 1899)
- April 5 – Alma Kruger, actress (b. 1868)
- April 17 – Eddie Cochran, rock singer (b. 1938)
- April 19 – Beardsley Ruml, economist (b. 1894)
- April 24 – Hope Emerson, actress (b. 1897)
- May 2 – Caryl Chessman, criminal (b. 1921)
- May 11 – John D. Rockefeller Jr., financier and philanthropist, son of John D. Rockefeller (b. 1874)
- May 22 – Claire Phillips, spy (b. 1907)
- May 27
- June 4 – Lucien Littlefield, actor (b. 1895)
- June 6 – Ernest L. Blumenschein, painter, member of Taos art colony (b. 1874)
- June 20 – John B. Kelly Sr., Olympic rower (father of Grace Kelly) (b. 1889)
- June 25 – Tommy Corcoran, baseball player (b. 1869)
July–December
- July 12 – Buddy Adler, film producer (b. 1906)
- July 15 – Lawrence Tibbett, operatic baritone (b. 1896)
- July 16 – John P. Marquand, novelist (b. 1893)
- July 26 – Cedric Gibbons, Irish-American art director (b. 1893)
- August 7 – Walden L. Ainsworth, admiral (b. 1886)
- August 9 – Richard Cramer, actor (b. 1889)
- August 10 – Frank Lloyd, film director (b. 1886)
- August 14 – Fred Clarke, baseball player (Pittsburgh Pirates), member of MLB Hall of Fame (b. 1872)
- August 23 – Oscar Hammerstein II, librettist (b. 1895)
- August 27 – Stanley Clifford Weyman, impostor (b. 1890)
- September 1
- September 3 – Joseph Lamb, composer (b. 1887)
- September 8 – Oscar Pettiford, African-American jazz bassist and composer (b. 1922)
- September 11 – Edwin Justus Mayer, screenwriter (b. 1896)
- September 20 – David Park, painter (b. 1911)
- September 23 – Kathlyn Williams, actress (b. 1879)
- September 25 – Emily Post, author, novelist, and socialite (b. 1872)
- October 11 – Richard Cromwell, actor (b. 1910)
- October 15 – Clara Kimball Young, actress (b. 1890)
- October 22 – Morgan Dennis, painter and illustrator (b. 1892)
- October 31 – H. L. Davis, author (b. 1894)
- November 3
- November 5
- November 7 – A. P. Carter, singer and songwriter (b. 1891)
- November 8 – Otto Frederick Rohwedder, engineer and inventor (b. 1880)
- November 12 – Lord Buckley, monologist (b. 1906)
- November 14 – Walter Catlett, actor (b. 1889)
- November 16 – Clark Gable, film actor (b. 1901)[24]
- November 19 – Phyllis Haver, film actress (b. 1899)
- November 28
- November 5 – Johnny Horton, country singer, in automobile accident (b. 1925)
- December 8 – Ross T. McIntire, naval surgeon (b. 1889)
- December 13 – John Charles Thomas, operatic baritone (b. 1891)
- December 26 – Giuseppe Bellanca, Italian-American aircraft designer and company founder (b. 1886)
See also
Notes and References
- Web site: History of the Walk of Fame . Hollywood Chamber of Commerce . October 29, 2012.
- Book: Nzongola-Ntalaja, Georges . The Congo: From Leopold to Kabila . 107 . Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja.
- Web site: Our Campaigns - Event - Third Kennedy-Nixon Debate - Oct 13, 1960. www.ourcampaigns.com.
- Web site: Michael Stipe: Songwriter, Singer, Activist, Music Producer (1960–) . Biography.com. January 15, 2018. July 3, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180703075845/https://www.biography.com/people/michael-stipe-9542550. dead.
- News: UPI Almanac for Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019. United Press International. January 6, 2019. September 10, 2019. September 11, 2019 . https://archive.today/20190911222236/https://www.upi.com/Top_News/2019/01/06/UPI-Almanac-for-Sunday-Jan-6-2019/8591546568650/. live.
- Web site: Dominique Wilkins Summary . NBA.com . May 17, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071011052602/http://www.nba.com/history/players/wilkins_summary.html . October 11, 2007 . dead .
- Web site: Gia: The tragic tale of the world's first supermodel . Paul . Vallely . 2005-09-10 . 2007-05-28 . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080101071428/http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article311535.ece . 2008-01-01 .
- Web site: Fredrick M Jannetty Mugshot. Arrested Mugshots. 26 August 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120830055929/http://www.arrestedmugshots.com/Mugshots/Florida/Fredrick-M-Jannetty/69JfR07Sn7287Qe88t3x1zj25i11j0H91G1A21l584DRU6jk351tf0jJ44y9024u. 30 August 2012.
- News: An Utahn is the man behind Donald Duck. Joseph Walker. May 27, 1987. The Deseret News. March 30, 2019.
- News: Joe Ranft. The Independent. August 23, 2005. January 24, 2010. Alan. Woollcombe. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100514041837/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/joe-ranft-503963.html. May 14, 2010.
- Web site: David Thirdkill Stats. Basketball-Reference.com.
- https://www.npr.org/2023/01/06/1147424198/nate-thayer-rebel-reporter-who-interviewed-pol-pot-in-the-cambodian-jungle-has-d Nate Thayer, rebel reporter who interviewed Pol Pot in the Cambodian jungle, has died
- Web site: Valerie Bertinelli. November 24, 2021. TV Guide.
- Web site: Hines. Ree. Valerie Bertinelli gets emotional talking about son on her 60th birthday. Today.com. April 23, 2020. November 24, 2021.
- Web site: Lucy McBath . Archives of Women's Political Communication . 28 June 2020 . en.
- Business Wire "OBIT/Play, Inc. Co-CEO Paul Montgomery Dies of Sudden Heart Attack", Business Wire, June 23, 1999.
- News: This leading-man wannabe is happy to have a TV role in reserve . . Mark . Olsen . September 7, 2003 . John Billingsley, 43.
- https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/mar/06/jim-beard-death-steely-dan-keyboardist Jim Beard, keyboardist for Steely Dan, dies aged 63
- https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/video/news-week-mary-mara-er-100000536.html NEWS OF THE WEEK: Mary Mara, 'ER' actress, dead at 61
- Daniel Baldwin Biography. TV Guide. May 12, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150512001037/https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/daniel-baldwin/bio/145937/. dead.
- I got a bday tweet from the Beev! "@TheJerryMathers: Hope you have a great 51st birthday. I hope you do something fun to celebrate." . 128508055750049792 . Wong . BD . October 24, 2011 . May 7, 2020 . wongbd . BD Wong.
- Web site: Julianne Moore . https://web.archive.org/web/20160309133105/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bab04e6a8 . dead . March 9, 2016 . BFI . 28 June 2020 . en.
- Web site: John Allen Muhammad. Biography.
- Web site: Clark Gable Biography, Movies, & Facts Britannica . www.britannica.com . 30 March 2022 . en.