1960 – The Baby Boomer Journey
Congo, but political turmoil and conflict soon followed. In September, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela founded the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which would become an influential force in the world economy. By the end of the year, conflict was also deepening in South Vietnam, foreshadowing the war that would increasingly involve the United States during the decade ahead.
Top news in America: On February 1, 1960, four African American college freshmen sat down at a segregated Woolworth lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, and asked to be served. Their peaceful protest helped ignite a wave of student sit-ins across the South and gave new momentum to the Civil Rights Movement. On May 9, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first oral contraceptive for birth control, commonly known as “the Pill,” a development that would have a profound effect on women’s lives and American society. On July 11, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird was published, bringing issues of racial injustice and morality into homes across America.
Politics and television came together dramatically during the 1960 presidential campaign. On September 26, Senator John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard Nixon met in the first nationally televised presidential debate, demonstrating the growing influence of television on American politics. In October, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested following a sit-in in Atlanta, and Kennedy personally called Coretta Scott King to express his concern. On November 8, Kennedy narrowly defeated Nixon to become president and the first Roman Catholic elected to the office, representing a new generation of American leadership.
Entertainment news: Broadway audiences enjoyed popular productions such as The the 35th President of the United States. At 43, he was the youngest man ever elected Sound of Music, while Bye Bye Birdie and Camelot became memorable new musicals in 1960. Television also welcomed several programs that would become Baby Boomer favorites. My Three Sons premiered on September 29, followed by The Flintstones on September 30, The Andy Griffith Show on October 3 and Route 66 on October 7.
Popular movies of 1960 included Spartacus, Psycho, Exodus, Swiss Family Robinson and The Alamo. From Alfred Hitchcock’s suspenseful Psycho to Disney’s family adventure Swiss Family Robinson and the sweeping historical epics Spartacus and The Alamo, movie audiences had a wide variety of entertainment to choose from.
Popular music in 1960 reflected the changing tastes of a new generation. Elvis Presley returned from the U.S. Army and quickly returned to the charts with hits such as It’s Now or Never and Stuck on You. Other popular songs included Theme from A Summer Place by Percy Faith, Cathy’s Clown by The Everly Brothers, I’m Sorry by Brenda Lee, Only the Lonely by Roy Orbison, Save the Last Dance for Me by The Drifters and Georgia on My Mind by Ray Charles. Teen idols remained popular, but rock and roll, rhythm and blues and new vocal styles were continuing to reshape American music.
One of the year’s biggest sensations was Chubby Checker’s The Twist, which reached number one and helped launch a dance craze that would continue into the early 1960s. Meanwhile, a young Detroit record company called Motown was beginning to make its mark. Berry Gordy formally incorporated Motown Record Corporation in 1960, and The Miracles, featuring Smokey Robinson, recorded Shop Around, which became the company’s first million-selling record and offered an early glimpse of the Motown sound that would become one of the defining sounds of the decade.
Do you remember? Nothing seemed to define the dance floor in 1960 quite like Chubby Checker’s The Twist. Teenagers twisted without holding a partner, and a whole new style of dancing was beginning to take over. Away from the dance floor, family station wagons filled the roads, girls wore pedal pushers and spent time setting their hair in rollers, while Ivy League haircuts and leather jackets were popular with boys. Plastic model kits covered bedroom tables, teen-idol pictures decorated bedroom walls, and Sarah Coventry jewelry parties brought women and neighbors together in living rooms across America. Tang was appearing on grocery-store shelves, although its famous connection with the space program was still to come. What do you remember about 1960? The clothes, the dances, the music, school, family life—or perhaps something completely different?
Do you have a memory you would like to share? Join the conversation at Share Your Baby Boomer Memories and tell us what you remember.