Mood:
"Fear peaks as the world nears nuclear war."
Events: "Cuban Missile Crisis brings the U.S. and USSR to the brink of war."
Events: "Cuban Missile Crisis brings the U.S. and USSR to the brink of war."
- Feb 20: John Glenn Orbits Earth – Aboard the Friendship 7 spacecraft, John Glenn becomes the first American astronaut to successfully orbit the Earth, circling the globe three times and narrowing the space gap with the Soviet Union.
- Jul 5: Algerian Independence Achieved – Following an incredibly brutal and bloody eight-year war of liberation, Algeria finally achieves full independence from French colonial rule, leading to a massive exodus of European settlers known as Pieds-Noirs.
- Aug 5: Marilyn Monroe Found Dead – The iconic American actress, model, and ultimate sex symbol Marilyn Monroe is tragically found dead in her Los Angeles home at the age of 36 from an apparent barbiturate overdose, shocking global media.
- Aug 5: Nelson Mandela Arrested – South African anti-apartheid revolutionary Nelson Mandela is captured by authorities after spending 17 months on the run. He is subsequently tried and sentenced to prison, where he will remain for 27 years.
- Oct 1: Ole Miss Integrated – Amidst massive, deadly rioting by violent segregationists, James Meredith becomes the very first African American student to enroll at the University of Mississippi, escorted onto campus by armed federal marshals.
- Oct 5: First James Bond Film Premieres – "Dr. No," starring Sean Connery as the suave British secret agent 007, premieres in London. It launches one of the most successful and longest-running cinematic franchises in entertainment history.
- Oct 11: Second Vatican Council Opens – Pope John XXIII formally opens the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II), a monumental multi-year assembly designed to completely modernize the Roman Catholic Church's practices and its relationship with the contemporary world.
- Oct 16: Cuban Missile Crisis Begins – A tense, 13-day political and military standoff begins when US spy planes discover Soviet nuclear missile installations under construction in Cuba, bringing the entire world to the absolute brink of total thermonuclear war.