The 1960s

1966 60 years ago

Singaporean leftist opposition leader Chia Thye Poh was detained under the Internal Security Act, which allows for…

Chia Thye Poh is a Singaporean former politician who was the de facto Leader of the Opposition in 1966. He was the Legislative Assemblyman and later Member of Parliament (MP) for J…

Singaporean leftist opposition leader Chia Thye Poh was detained under the Internal Security Act, which allows for…

1966 60 years ago

King Mwambutsa IV of Burundi was deposed in a coup d'état by his son, Prince Charles Ndizi.

Mwambutsa IV Bangiricenge was the penultimate king (mwami) of Burundi who ruled between 1915 and 1966. He succeeded to the throne on the death of his father Mutaga IV Mbikije. Born…

King Mwambutsa IV of Burundi was deposed in a coup d'état by his son, Prince Charles Ndizi.

1966 60 years ago

Martin Luther King Jr. (pictured) led a rally in support of the Chicago Freedom Movement, one of the most ambitious…

Martin Luther King Jr. was an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister who was a prominent leader of the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968.…

Martin Luther King Jr. (pictured) led a rally in support of the Chicago Freedom Movement, one of the most ambitious…

1966 60 years ago

Angered by racism and poverty, African American residents of the Hough neighborhood of Cleveland began to riot for six…

Racism has been reflected in discriminatory laws, practices, and actions against racial or ethnic groups throughout the history of the United States. Since the early colonial era…

Angered by racism and poverty, African American residents of the Hough neighborhood of Cleveland began to riot for six…

1966 60 years ago

In London, the England national football team won the FIFA World Cup, winning the final against West Germany 4–2 after…

London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of 9.1 million people in 2024. Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Eur…

In London, the England national football team won the FIFA World Cup, winning the final against West Germany 4–2 after…

1966 60 years ago

The pleasure cruiser MV Darlwyne disappeared off the coast of Cornwall with the loss of all 31 people aboard.

MV Darlwyne was a pleasure cruiser, a converted Royal Navy picket boat, that disappeared off the Cornish coast on 31 July 1966 with its complement of thirty-one. Twelve bodies and …

The pleasure cruiser MV Darlwyne disappeared off the coast of Cornwall with the loss of all 31 people aboard.

1966 60 years ago

The Heron Road Bridge in Ottawa, Canada, collapsed during its construction, killing nine workers.

The Heron Road Workers Memorial Bridge is a bridge in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It connects Baseline Road to Heron Road and allows east–west traffic to cross both the Rideau River a…

The Heron Road Bridge in Ottawa, Canada, collapsed during its construction, killing nine workers.

1966 60 years ago

Vietnam War: Members of the 6th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment were surrounded by a much larger Viet Cong…

The Vietnam War was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam and their allies. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Unio…

Vietnam War: Members of the 6th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment were surrounded by a much larger Viet Cong…

1966 60 years ago

Cultural Revolution: Red Guards vandalised the Jokhang (depicted), the holiest Buddhist temple in Tibet.

The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by CCP …

Cultural Revolution: Red Guards vandalised the Jokhang (depicted), the holiest Buddhist temple in Tibet.

1966 60 years ago

The South African Defence Force launched an attack against SWAPO guerrilla fighters at Omugulugwombashe, starting the…

The South African Defence Force (SADF) comprised the armed forces of South Africa from 1957 until 1994. Shortly before the state reconstituted itself as a republic in 1961, the for…

The South African Defence Force launched an attack against SWAPO guerrilla fighters at Omugulugwombashe, starting the…

1966 60 years ago

Queen Elizabeth II opened the Severn Bridge, suggesting that it marked the dawn of a new economic era for South Wales.

Elizabeth II was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lif…

Queen Elizabeth II opened the Severn Bridge, suggesting that it marked the dawn of a new economic era for South Wales.

1966 60 years ago

The science fiction show Star Trek made its American premiere with "The Man Trap", launching a media franchise that…

Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that follows the adventures of the starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) and its crew. It acquir…

The science fiction show Star Trek made its American premiere with "The Man Trap", launching a media franchise that…

1966 60 years ago

Queen Elizabeth II opened the Severn Bridge (pictured), suggesting that it marked the dawn of a new economic era for…

Elizabeth II was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lif…

Queen Elizabeth II opened the Severn Bridge (pictured), suggesting that it marked the dawn of a new economic era for…

1966 60 years ago

Queen Elizabeth II opened the Severn Bridge (pictured), linking South Gloucestershire in England and Monmouthshire in…

Elizabeth II was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lif…

Queen Elizabeth II opened the Severn Bridge (pictured), linking South Gloucestershire in England and Monmouthshire in…

1966 60 years ago

A coal tip fell on the village of Aberfan, Wales, killing 144 people, mostly schoolchildren.

A spoil tip is a pile built of accumulated spoil – waste material removed during mining. Spoil tips are not formed of slag, but in some areas, such as England and Wales, they are r…

A coal tip fell on the village of Aberfan, Wales, killing 144 people, mostly schoolchildren.

1965

The Soviet spacecraft Luna 5 crashes on the Moon

A spacecraft is a vehicle that is designed to fly and operate in outer space. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorolog…

The Soviet spacecraft Luna 5 crashes on the Moon

1965

Israeli spy Eli Cohen is hanged in Damascus, Syria

Eliyahu Ben-Shaul Cohen was an Egyptian-born Israeli spy. He is best known for his espionage work in Syria between 1961 and 1965, where he developed close relationships with the Sy…

Israeli spy Eli Cohen is hanged in Damascus, Syria

1965

One hundred twenty-one people are killed when Pakistan International Airlines Flight 705 crashes at Cairo International

Pakistan International Airlines Flight 705 (PK705) was a Boeing 720 airliner that crashed while descending to land at Cairo International Airport on 20 May 1965. Of the 127 passeng…

One hundred twenty-one people are killed when Pakistan International Airlines Flight 705 crashes at Cairo International

1965

The Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea is signed

The Treaty on Basic Relations Between Japan and the Republic of Korea ; Korean: 한일기본조약) was signed on June 22, 1965. It established basic diplomatic relations between Japan and Sou…

The Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea is signed

1965

The Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 begins as Pakistani soldiers cross the Line of Control dressed as locals.

The India–Pakistan war of 1965, also known as the second India–Pakistan war, was an armed conflict between Pakistan and India that took place from August 1965 to September 1965.

The Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 begins as Pakistani soldiers cross the Line of Control dressed as locals.

1965

US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law.

Lyndon Baines Johnson, also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. Johnson was vice president under John F. Kennedy from 1961 until Kennedy's …

US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law.

1965

The Gemini V spacecraft returns to Earth, landing in the Atlantic Ocean.

Gemini 5 was a 1965 crewed spaceflight in NASA's Project Gemini. It was the third crewed Gemini flight, the eleventh crewed American spaceflight, and the nineteenth human spacefli…

The Gemini V spacecraft returns to Earth, landing in the Atlantic Ocean.

1965

During an Indo-Pakistani War, China announces that it will reinforce its troops on the Indian border.

The India–Pakistan war of 1965, also known as the second India–Pakistan war, was an armed conflict between Pakistan and India that took place from August 1965 to September 1965.

During an Indo-Pakistani War, China announces that it will reinforce its troops on the Indian border.

1965

Indo-Pakistani War: The Indian Army captures the town of Burki, just southeast of Lahore.

The India–Pakistan war of 1965, also known as the second India–Pakistan war, was an armed conflict between Pakistan and India that took place from August 1965 to September 1965.

Indo-Pakistani War: The Indian Army captures the town of Burki, just southeast of Lahore.